Foxholes and Dogtags

Not Supposed to Be Here!

Ok, for some reason, this particular page is not supposed to be seen. So if you see this page, you are not on my blog, Foxholes and Dogtags. You are in the blog set up for my basic training website. Which is the wrong place.

To view my Milblog, please Click Here.

However, you are welcome to read my basic training writings as well. But I recommend reading them in an order other then what is displayed on this website.

That is all.

Fire Guard

Oh, the sweet smell of guard duty. It is one of those things that you will come into contact with over and over in your time in the United States Army.

Anytime you have sensitive items, you have to have a guard on them. Guard duty can consist of just standing there and reporting in every couple of hours to say that what you're guarding is still there, or it might consist of watching Red Vs Blue for six straight hours, with a connex in your line of sight. I've guarded the front desk for CQ, and I've guarded weapons while everyone else was out doing errands.

The first example of guard duty for me was Fire Guard.

I generally don't mind guard duty myself. I celebrated 2006 on Guard Duty. But Fire Guard was a bit different. And as far as I know, its universal in the military.

You and your battle buddy do fireguard in an hour to two hour shifts while everyone else sleeps. You do your rounds, checking to make sure that everyone's wall lockers are secured. You make sure nobody is out doing something they aren't supposed to be doing. And if there's a fire, you wake everyone up and make sure they are ok as they get out of the building.

Fortunately, I've never had to do the fire aspect of my fireguard duties. But I had fireguard two nights on and one night off. And it sucked.

I'm a person that likes my sleep, maybe a little to much sometimes. I can get by with seven hours of sleep alright, but it makes it doubly hard when you have an hour interruption in that sleep. Because of Fire Guard, I was often a walking Zombie, and I think that is one of the reasons why I fell asleep in class so often.

"Must, catch, sleep. . . zzzzzz"

Some units have you stay awake by making you do Barracks Maintenance while on fire guard, or they tell you to work on memorizing stuff. I still have my smart book where I was writing my chain of command on the inside and you can actually see where I was dozing off because writing down my chain of command was putting me to sleep!

I had a few run ins with some of my platoon mates who decided to leave their wall lockers unsecured while I was on guard duty. Because I had some stuff jacked while in reception, maybe I was a bit anal about wall lockers being secured, but hey, I was the one on fire guard so it was MY butt on the line.

Did I mention hanging out with a bunch of moody females was one of the worse parts of basic? Fire guard was part of that reason.

And waking up the next people in line for guard duty. They NEVER wanted to get up. GARRRR!!!!

Note to you new recruits, don't blue falcon your battle buddies. When its time for Guard Duty, be there for Guard Duty on time. The people you are recovering want to go back to bed.

Physical Training

I hear PT has changed a bit from when I went in. They have something now called Standardized PT. It is set up to doing certain things at certain times.

Well, when I went through, the drills did whatever they wanted to. They pulled things out of their heads and said "alright, do this." We did a variety of different calisthenics, push ups and sit ups of course being the popular standbys, and of course, doing a lot of running.

We did PT every morning unless we had to go to the range for the day or if it was a Sunday or something like that. Usually they also alternated it between Run Days and Upper Body workouts. We did PT in the mornings. Sometimes we did it again in the evenings.

We were always working out and builing up our strength. This was of course, all geared toward one thing which could make or break us as we made our way through Basic Training.

That is the Army Physical Fitness Test.

You take one of these every two or so weeks, just to see where you're at in Basic. What is it? Well, you have two minutes to do as many pushups as you can. Take a ten to twenty minute break. Then you have two mintues to do as many Situps as you can. Take another break. Now go run for two miles and get that done as quickly as you can. You just did a PT test. Some people come into Basic being able to do a handful of Situps and maybe they can't break the plane on the Pushup. The Drills will solve that real quick.

They do that with PT.

FAQ's

Not long after I got out of Basic Training, a girl started asking me questions about what to expect as she decided what to do herself. I was in correspondance with her for a while and after a bit I did think that possibly the army wasn't right for her. But her questions were good solid questions and I did my best to answer them.

I had these on my original site, but took them off when I first revamped my Basic Training Website as it exists now. However, i felt that I needed to redo the questions because some of them are rather random.

So without further ado, here's some frequently asked questions that I get, and my answers to them, in the order that they were asked. Guys, if you see something printed in Pink, feel free to skip over it, it doesn't concern you.

Did your parents oppose to you going?

Talk about an understatement! My mom was trying to convince me that she would have to commit herself to a mental institution if I joined the army! My dad kept asking me 'why the army?', he thought the Navy or Air Force was better for girls (which, actually, they are. They're easier and more compatible for women, but I like the Army). Plus, he went to Vietnam, so he wasn't to thrilled with the idea. Actually, I really had no support from my family on this decision, it really was one of the toughest decisions I ever made.

Don't get me wrong, my family is fully behind me now, but it was difficult for them to accept it when I first joined.

What do you tell them if they do?
Well, sometimes, you just have to convince them that it is something you really want to do, and ask for their support in your decision. My parents are proud of me, but they still don't like the idea that I'm government property!

But if your over eighteen, it's your choice, they don't have a lot of say in it.

This is something that a lot of people have to deal with, the worry of war and their children joining an insitution thats business is killing. Well, it is defense, but somebody has to do it. It is a genuine concern that your folks have and if they are concerned, then that is a good thing. It means they care about you.

But ultimately, it is your choice.

I heard that the army clothes are hot and itchy. The boots are too small or too large and it is hot.
I went to Basic in the middle of Winter, in ol' Fort Lost in the Woods Misery, and so I didn't think they were all that hot. As for itchy, well, I guess I got used to it. By the time I got to AIT, in Fort Sam Houston Texas, where it was like 90 degree weather on a cool day, I was used to it. It's one of those minor things you just have to deal with. I really never had a problem with the uniforms. Actually, they are the best things to wear when doing the exercises you do (such as low crawl, high crawl, back crawl, and all of those fun things you get to do in the mud)

Also, marching in full battle range is heavy right? How did you manage?
Really, you don't have to worry about this to much. Yeah, the Kevlar weighs a lot, the Rucksack is heavy, then you have two full canteens and carrying a weapon at Port Arms to boot (and when you march Cadence, you carry that weapon at Port Arms, not at the Ready, which does wear you out!) But first, you get used to just marching and singing cadence. It's heavy, but you deal with it. Plus, they build you up for it. When you get to the road marches, it gets to be not so bad.

And they call it "full battle rattle!"

Also, when you get to reception, you have all of your things you bring off the plane and you march with that. But the drills at Reception are really relaxed, everyone is getting adjusted here, they try to keep it easy on you until you get shipped to the real thing!

Well, at least when I went through Basic it was.

One word of advice, pack light.

Also, I heard that something bad will happen if you sleep during class? Have you slept before?
Yes, something does, and Yes, I have.

What will happen if you sleep?
The Drills patrol while classes are given (which are boring as hell, and you have to take notes to keep yourself awake.) When they find somebody asleep, two things can happen. Everyone stands up and remains standing while the sleeper is pointed out (this has happened to me), or the sleeper is introduced to the fitness center (located in the back), and does various exercises to wake themselves up, usually in the form of pushups, jumping jacks, squatting with both hands in front, and any other forms of torture the drill sergeant comes up with. This has also happened to me. More then once.

Do you have to wash the toilets and do stuff like that? How was the exprience like?
*sigh*, yes, the toilets got to get cleaned. And somebody's got to do it. And there is all this free labor wandering around. This is called barracks maintenance. In the army, you get used to it. I hate barracks maintenance, but it has to be done, or else the toilets will get really nasty.

But it really isn't that bad. Just poar some comet into the toilet, let it set for a few minutes, and then flush. Sometimes, take the scrubby little thing with the long handle and scrub the sides.

You also learn how to buff floors in the army. Buffing floors and Army go together like Peas and Carrots.

This is just stuff everyone has to do. Keep your area clean.

Also I heard you can only bath once a day. How long is the bath and what about our periods? How do we deal with them?

Yep, one bath a day. (actually a shower, there is no such thing as a bath in the army). Depending on your basic, you either take it in the morning, right after PT, or at night during your personal time (which is set aside for barracks maintenance, you'll find that no time in basic is actually personal). There are downsides to both. If you take your shower at night, at least you are all nice and clean when you get into your bed. But you do PT at five in the morning so you smell like crap all day. Or you take it right after PT and everyone smells nice and peachy for breakfast, only to get smoked the rest of the day and going to bed smelling like Dog Doodoo.

My company took showers at night.

Also, depending on the toughness of your basic training, they can last all of two minutes, and your drill sergeants can be particularly mean and give you nothing but cold showers for the first three weeks, (red phase). Or, you might be spoiled rotten, like my company was, and take however damn well you like in the showers, as long as the line didn't back up to long.

Get used to showering around other females (and for you guys out there, get used to seeing naked men). It's a fact of life in the army.

I was spoiled with my showers, the drills didn't get on our hides about it all that much. I think a couple of times, I actually took a ten minute shower. But I tried to be considerate of my battle buddies and get out as quickly as possible. Plus, I had stuff to do.

As for your monthly constitional, me, I never really noticed it. Well, at least not the PMS part. YOu do have cargo pockets though, and you use them when you are in basic. When you are on your monthly, they give you plenty of latrine breaks, so you just go do your thing when ever you get a chance. The drill sergeants will respect you in this manner. Or they should. Maybe they'll give you hell, who knows, they're drill sergeants. You can't predict their behaviors, that's the whole point.

If you get cramps, utilize sick call. They'll give you pills for it.

I can only do 5 push ups. What happen if the DI smokes the group and see me not doing?
Only five pushups, huh? Well, don't worry. You'll be maxing them out before basic is up. They smoke you almost every chance they get.

And my recommendation, grit your teeth and bare with it. If you're trying, and it's obvious you're giving it all you got, the drills will stay off your back. But if you don't. . . "oh, it looks like Private Erickson thinks she's special and doesn't have to do pushups. She wants to be an individual! Everyone thank Private Erickson because now you get to do MORE Push ups!"

My advice when getting smoked with your platoon. Don't take it personally. Actually, look at it as an oppurtunity to get better, to get more physically fit. In Basic, you play all sorts of mind games with yourself because of the pain and the soarness. But in the end, it pays off. The drill sergeants smoke the living tar out of you, yeah, but actually, they are doing you a favor. The more they smoke you, the more physically fit you become. Keep this in mind, you'll get through it.

Although it is pretty embarrassing when YOU mess up and the drill sergeant decides to make an example out of YOU and YOU alone.

"Alright, tore-up. Front! Back! GOOOOO! Roll Left! Roll Right!"

(if you are confused by front back go now, don't worry. YOu'll get highly accustomed to it in basic. That's a drill sergeant's fave. I got front back goed in AIT twice, and both times sincerely enjoyed it!)

What do they make you do when they smoke you with and without weapons? Which is harder?

When you have a weapon, it's called "weapons PT". It's like doing exercises with barbells, only the barbell is a nearly 8 pound rifle. Sure, 8 pounds doesn't sound like a lot, but when you are sounding off in the fifties, your arms feel like dead weights. The drill sergeant's excuse, "Hey, they're your arms. You grew 'em!"

I loved my weapon, but i questioned my love when we got smoked with it. Weapons PT is definately tough. But I don't know which is tougher. They have a lot of different excercises using just what God gave you, and those hurt plenty!

The excercises are really tough at the beginning, when your working your "potato chip body", because your so out of shape. The 'overhead clap' is a killer at first, but becomes nothing at the end. So does the pushup. Don't worry about your pushups. My advice, keep working at them. But don't feel frustrated when you can't do to many. In Basic, you'll be doing lots!

Also, I have long hair. Do I cut it. I heard that DI can pick on you for your hair. Did you cut your hair and did you get into trouble for your hair?

Guys, don't worry about how long your hair is going into basic, because you'll be kissing it goodbye when you are given a screaming eagle. Which is the term for the haircut they give the males.

Ladies, you have two choices. Keep it long or cut it short. And I mean Really short. The medium length hair is just a huge hassle. But if you keep it long, prepared to have it butchered by the end of basic. But then, it also depends on what kind of hair you have. You see, I have this really thin fine hair. It was really pretty before i went into basic. It was shredded by the end. If you have thick full hair, keep it long. It's also cooler when its long because you wear it in a bun. The shoulder length hair really gets in your face on the ranges and stuff, and if it's hot out, your hair sticks to your face and neck. I left mine long and cut it in the end. I wish I had waited until after AIT.

And yes, my drill Sergeants were always on my case. "Erickson! Fix that wig!"

Girls just get the short end of the stick with this, because we have to deal with our hair and guys just get to shave it off. It really isn't that fair. Looking back, I kind of wish they just shaved the girl's heads with the guys, and then I wouldn't have to have dealed with it at all. But then, they probably wouldn't have to many females joining the army. Yep, hair is a downside. Learn how to french braid.

How did you cope when you walked in the bay and found your things in a complete wreck? You have to fold them again, don't you?
This really only happens in red phase, which is the first three weeks. Or at least, to me it did. Sometimes, depending on your basic training company, they might keep doing this all cycle long. When i walked into my bay and found it a complete wreck a couple of times, i laughed. I thought "gees, these drill sergeants have way to much fun at this job".

Actually, it usually is only your bunks are all tore up, your lockers are pushed around, and the boots are in a mess. All of your personal items are locked up in your wall locker. And yeah, you have to fold them. Everything is high and tight. If you have the slightest wrinkle in your bed sheet, your whole sheet will be full of wrinkles. Take about five minutes and try to straighten everything up.

Unless your particularly mischeivious drillsergeants decide to just leave everything as is and they flip your entire wall locker over. Or you leave your wall locker unsecured, so they shove your mattress into it.

Both of these incidents happened to people in my company.

Also, what happens if your boots are not shined?
The universal punishment for a tore-up soldier. Pushups. Or they'll make you wear your extra pair of boots around your neck for about a week. Check in at night with a shined pair of boots.

Actually, they don't have to be spit shined. Just brush shined. There is a difference. You don't have time to spit shine boots in basic, and the drill sergeants understand that. You'll see the difference between spit shine and brush shine when you go to basic.

The drill sergeants are spit shined.

Just try not to have a load of dirt from the field still caked to your boots. Keep them black with a little shine in the leather.

NOTE: Fortunately for you, they are going to the brown Non-shine Boot. So unless you go to Basic before Fall of 2005, you probably won't be concerned with this.

Also, exactly what kind of pain do you exprience when you breath in CS gas?
The drill sergeants just love to build everyone up to this moment. The Gas chamber! The drill sergeants live for this and FTX

Actually, CS gas is a burning sensation. Some people are affected more then others. And it's hilarious to watch!

Don't worry, it's just an irritant. It won't hurt you.

What's affected is your throat, your eyes, and all of your sweat glands. When you first get a whiff of it, you notice that it stings your throat. At first, you feel like you can't breath, and then you start coughing. Your eyes tear up and your tears burn your skin, as your body suddenly relieves any extra snot and spit you've accumulated and releases it out of your body. If you have eaten recently, you might get a vomiting sensation. When they open the doors, you try to get out of that place as quickly as you can, with snot dripping out of your nose all the way down to your knees, and slobbering drool out of your mouth. It's hard to describe what kind of pain you feel, but it is temporary, and it's kind of fun in a bizarre and morbid way. And it's cool to go back and think, "yeah, I did that!"

I am still thinking if I should join the army. Some of my friends have told me it is not a good way to get away from your parents because the DI will be your parents and they will be more strict and shout at you constantly.
If that's the only reason why your joining the army, then you're making a mistake. It is a good way to get away from your parents though (one of the reasons I joined, not that I hated my parents or anything, but I needed to break free of them for a while, get my independence). I guess it's different though with the drill sergeants because they are strangers and you expect them to yell at you. You don't expect love from them like you do your parents. They are different role models, you hold them in a different light. They are very different from your parents. And yes, they are much more strict! Unless you have complete jerks for parents!

But toward the end, when you get to know the drill sergeants, they'll actually look at you as if you were their children. Drill Sergeant Lingenfelter referred to us as his children once (DS B in my webpage, he was so cool, but he scared me at first! He was an awesome drill sergeant, good at his job). I wouldn't say they were parents, but rather teachers. you earn their trust and they'll be some of the people you look at the most fondly for the rest of your life. You'll never forget your drill sergeants!

One thing I fear most is the punishments that the DI will give the cadets. Have you ever been punished?

(a little side note, Cadets are officers in training. If you intend to go to basic, you're enlisted and considered a private.)

Yes, unfortunately, I have been punished. There are two methods in which you are punished. Either the drill sergeant punishes you individually, or makes you feel like total dirt and punishes everyone in the platoon for your one mistake. Yeah, it's kind of scary to be punished, but it gives your platoon a sense of unity, which the DS are striving for. Everything they teach is to prepare you for battle. In battle, one person's mistake can affect everyone else. That's why they believe in 'mass punishment', and they do more of this toward the beginning, so that everyone learns from the one's mistake. Toward the end, they focus more on the individual and punish them alone.

Actually, the first three weeks, I was always getting punished. In basic, you are assigned a battle buddy. You go with your battle buddy everywhere. You'll learn more about the battle buddy system in basic. Well, anyway, if your battle buddy screws up, you screw up because you weren't watching their back and helping them out. So both of you get 'smoked'.

Well, anyway, I just went off on my own there. But that's something to keep in mind. What is kind of funny, though, is that one of my friends at basic told me one time "you know, erickson, I'm going to remember everyone at basic for something, and I'm going to remember you as the one that's always getting smoked." I look back on that and laugh now.

If so, what was the worst incident?
The worse incident would have to be at graduation, when we were rehearsing. Here is me, the color guard who is recieving high honors from my platoon and getting promoted to boot. We were going through the announcements we were to say. Each platoon got up on stage and got aligned in formation. Then, individually, we would all say our names and where we were from and sit back down. Such as "private erickson from the state of Washington". Well, the complete moron in front of me totally goofed up, and started back to his seat without saying anything. Anyway, i was so concentrating on saying my lines that when he goofed, I lost concentration and started laughing (which had gotten me in trouble before). And then I totally messed up my lines by saying "private washington," meanwhile, laughing and trying to correct myself. It was a big mess. The first sergeant wasn't pleased, and made me bear crawl up and down the isles of the auditorium we were rehearsing (we graduated indoors, btw, a lot of basic training instilations graduate outdoors). The bear crawl is not very much fun, and it's very humiliating. and we were graduating so we were beyond the humiliation phase in basic. And here was me, on my hands and feet, crawling around the auditorium until the first sergeant got sick of looking at me and told me to sit back down. It took a while.

Another incident happened earlier, marching back from church. Me and my fellow churchgoers all got smoked using the "i'm up, he sees me, I'm down" method, in lots of mud. It was messy. And rather ironic.

How did you cope.
Actually, you have to have a positive outlook when they smoke you. There is a reason why they smoke you physically, they are doing you a favor by making you stronger. Then you pass the APFT (the army phsycal fitness test) and you aren't a hold over. Drill's hate holdovers, they rip on them all throughout basic.

Because i got smoked a lot, I kept this outlook in mind. Sure, I got mad at myself, but they smoke you for stupid little things, and once it's over, it's over.

If not, what is the worst punishment any of your platoon mate has ever received?
Hmm, let me see. Actually, the drill sergeants used the same method of physical punishment, "front back go," "i'm up, he sees me, I'm down," and various pain inducing excercises such as "the squat" in the fitness center in the back of most of the class rooms.

The worst punishment, though, is the article 15, which is non-judicial punishment. Unless you are a total screw up, and don't try smoking or having sex or sneaking candy while you are at basic, you won't get one of these. This is a failure to obey a direct and lawful order (minor ones, that is). A demotion in rank and $285 dollars out of your pocket, or extra duty and it stays on your record throughout your military carreer. Well, the field grade article 15s will. Don't worry about it, only a handful of idiots recieved them. Most drill's opt for the physical punishment, less paper work for them.

What did the DI shout and how did the incident start and end?
You look at individual incidents really. The drill sergeants don't cuss so much, they aren't supposed to but they still do. When they cuss, they're really mad, so watch out! Sure, they degrade you, but they won't say anythign racist or sexist. You shouldn't feel any discrimination because your a girl. It takes a lot of courage for females to join the army, it's still somewhat taboo, if you know what I mean. The drills actually look up to you if you show you can hang with the guys, and you don't fuss and complain and whine. Some girls do.

Anyway, don't worry about the drills and what they yell. Nothing they say is personally directed toward you.

Also, how did you cope? I know from your previous writings that you are a very strong person? Did you cry or anything like that? What did you felt at that time? What about your platoon mates.
Basic is a mental game. Everything the drills say and do is mental. A lot of what they say they don't mean, it's just their job to break you down and build you back up.

I coped better then most, i think. But i did get stressed, which is normal for basic. War is stressful, and the drills are getting you ready for that. Sometimes, at night, when lights were out and everything, I would wonder what in the world I was doing there. I cried a little bit, but never in front of the drills. I did get angry as well. My most stressful week, however, was surprisingly my last. I swear I almost went nuts. You get so accustomed to life at basic, and the simplicity of it, that you wonder about before. At least, that's how it was for me. I had gotten so used to it, that i feared leaving. some people, however, couldn't wait to get out of there.

Really, it depends on your attitude going in. Definately.

Also, I heard that DI like to humiliate you. What was the most embarrassing thing that you were made to do.
See above. Yes, they like to humiliate you, but they teach you a lesson as well. When you are squating in front of everyone screaming "i will not talk in the dining facility" over and over, it get's pretty humiliating for that person (who happened to be pvt Underwood) But we all learned that talking was a no-go in the dining facility very quickly.

How did you react and how did you feel?
Sure, you get angry at the drills sometimes, but once your punishment is over, you are 'forgiven' in a sense and they don't punish you anymore. Sure, your feeling the pain now, but it's all temporary. Nothing they do to you will cause permanant damage. It's just extreme exercise. That's all it is.

Also, I heard that you are assigned duties such as cleaning the floor, washing toilets and dishes.
Yep, somebody's got to do them. And there is a lot of conveniant 'free labor' walking around. Unless you want to live like a total slob, these have to be done. It's part of discipline, and keeps you in the habit of being neat and clean.

Which one did you dislike most, why and how did you manage to cope with it.
I hated KP (working in the kitchen) It interfered with training, and I loved training with the m16 and a lot of the physical training. KP got in the way of this a lot, and you didn't get to make it up.

How did I cope? I didn't volunteer for KP.

I did volunteer a lot though. For details like shoveling snow and getting equipment off of the trucks. If you volunteer a lot, the drills won't pick on you for the 'BS' assignments nobody wants to do.

I got out of KP a lot because of this. But I had to do it once. I was fortunate I only did it once. Some people actually like it though (you might find you do). You get out of PT and are kind of given a break for the day. YOu snack all day and are given a lot of breaks where you can just sit around and talk. There is a drill sergeant in charge of you, but they are usually very easy going during KP. They are human, you know, and sometimes they get lazy as well. KP is a break for them too.

I guess I didn't have the right attitude toward KP. I hated missing training, and it was usually the fun stuff we ended up missing.

How many layers do you wear in that uniform. Looks quite thick must be really hot.
Actually, how many layers is up to you really. In basic, you are given four sets of uniforms, two winter sets and two summer sets. Don't let the names fool you, there is very little difference between them, the summer sets are just made of a slightly lighter material. When I went to basic, I went in the dead of winter, and they issued us thermals, or long johns. I wore mine only a couple times. Personally, i didn't need them.

Well, anyway, depending on the time of year you go, you have your thermals, or now Polypropelines, which are optional, then you got that lovely brown t-shirt, and then you have your Battle Dress Uniform, commonly referred to as the BDU. Of course, you have wool socks and boots as well. Top that off with a Soft Cap (that baseball cap like thing, although it's far from a baseball cap) and you got your standard military uniform. In the summer, you role up the sleeves. Though lately they are making people keep their sleeves down, which won't kill you, the uniform is light enough that you shouldn't die of heat stroke unless you don't drink water.

Full Battle Rattle consists of nothing more then the uniform mentioned before (except the sleeves are always down), your LBE (Load Bearing equipment, although this is referred to as the LCE also, or now the LBV, Load Bearing Vest), your M16 and your Kevlar, or the helmet. This uniform is always this. When you do road marches (which you will do many) you get a rucksack as well.

As for it being hot, well, I haven't worn full battle rattle in extremely hot weather (if it's to hot, don't worry, the army is concerned for their soldiers. They won't work you in extreme heat). I do imagine that you would get hot. Fortunately, your well hydrated, the drills will see to that.

Also would mind telling me what is bear crawl. Is it hard to do and is it tiring?
Alright, get on your hands and feet. NOt your knees, your feet. Keep bent in that posture. NOw crawl around. Not hard to do at first, but after running around in that position for a couple hundred yards, it gets pretty tiring. It kills your quadracepts!

But keep in mind, nothing the army does to you will kill you. It just gets you in shape REALLY fast.

Also, what is "i'm up, he sees me, I'm down". Is it diffcult , is it tiring?
In some basic training instillations, this is actually not used for punishment. In mine however, it was. But don't worry, you'll do it where ever you go, because it is actually used in war. It's formal name is the "three to five second rush".

In the army, you'll get to know things called the low crawl, the high crawl, and the back crawl. These are military tactics you use to move under fire, so the enemy can't see you. It consists of crawling low to the ground. But sometimes, you need to get somewhere fast, in which the three to five second rush is used. You will rush to your feet, run as fast as you can in three to five seconds toward the nearest cover, crash to the ground, and hide behind your cover.

Now, with "I'm up, he sees me I'm down," well, the drill sergeant is the one saying that. You begin with your low crawl (or high crawl, usually one or the other, back crawl is generally not used, only when they want you to get really muddy), and you crawl across the ground moving as quickly as you can until the drill says "i'm up" where you rush to your feet and begin running. Almost immediately afterward he will say "he sees me I'm down," in which you crash to the floor and begin back on the high crawl. This is actually said at a rapid pace, so your up and down a lot. And as you can probably see, it wipes you out. If they use this as punishment, dont' worry, it won't be used immediately. They'll build you up to it.

If you only get to bath once a day, won't there be mud on you for the rest of the day? Must feel pretty bad to have mud on you, doesn't it?
Yep, but that was the point. Everyone knew you had done something wrong and gotten punished for it.

The squat exercise, how many must you do and how painful is it, how did you cope?
You did one squat. That's all you did, you stood there in the squat. This works your thighs and legs like nothing else, they burn!

All you can do is say to yourself is "i'm getting stronger, I'm getting stronger, I'm getting stronger!"

Basic is a mind game. The Drill sergeants will admit this. You have to learn to play.

Also, while you are being humiliated, how does it feel, are you angry and did you have to continue to do the exercise until they tell you to stop?
At first, you get pretty angry at yourself, but after a while, you realize its a mind game and you go along for the ride. You can't fight the drill sergeants, what they say stands. You just have to go with it. ANd everyone else is getting humiliated to, so you can take comfort in that. YOur not the only one screwing up (and be prepared, they get on you for stupid little things, you get to understand why as you go through it)

Also, how does it feel to have camoflage painted all over your face.
Camo was fun for me. Kind of like Halloween almost. It kind of sticks to your face, but baby wipes take it right off. Well, sometimes they do. Baby wipes are a necessity at basic.

You don't wear camoflage to much either. A couple of times on the ranges, and at FTX is the only times we wore it.

I hate getting others into trouble. How does it feel like getting your battle buddy in trouble?
You feel pretty rotten, but your supposed to feel that way. This gives you concern for your battle buddies, and makes you watch out for them. You see, it goes both ways. You don't want your battle buddies getting in trouble either, because you will suffer too. So you start looking out for them and helping them so they don't screw up.

If you screw up to much, you might find yourself in the middle of a blanket party. And believe me, you don't want one of those. Call it extra incentive.

And for what reasons did you get punished for during the first three weeks.
Really stupid stuff. Basic stuff that takes a little discipline to master. Talking in formation, moving when your supposed to be still. Not standing at Parade Rest when talking to the drill sergeant. Not answering the Drill sergeant correctly with "Yes Drill Sergeant, No Drill Sergeant." Thanking the drill sergeant (don't ever thank the drills, at least, not until graduation). Being late to formation, your uniform is on improperly (a button is unbottuned, shoelace hanging out, etc) Losing your military baring. Talking to the drill sergeant like he's your equal (he's way above you, this is not a democracy, keep that in mind), not sounding off in formation (when you sing cadence, sing loud and clear. You'll go hoarse, but your trying!), stupid stuff like that.

I also heard that you have to stand still in one location for half and hour to an hour in the hot sun. If you move, you will be punished.
Actually, it was standing in one spot for about forty five minutes at parade rest with a weapon. And it was cold! The drill sergeants don't mind if you wiggle your toes or fingers when it's cold, actually, they encourage it. But you can't hop up and down or look around. You can make small movements, especially if your limbs are falling asleep, but they can't be large. YOu are disciplined enough by the time they do this that it isn't that difficult. They do this when the command sergeant major and Leitenant Colonol inspect the troups, toward the end of basic. You have nothing to fear.

By the way, I've stood in place in the heat too. It's tough, but they allow more movement when it's really hot, especially if you want to drink your canteen. You must be descreet however.

The drills don't want a bunch of hot or cold injury casualties lying about, so often times they might inform you to drink water or whatever. They won't make you stand to long on really hot or cold days. Not if they like their rank that is.

Sure sounds difficult to stand on a single spot in the hot sun and not move. How did you cope?
Really, it wasn't that difficult. It actually gives you a chance to think.

In the army, you are given three minutes to change from one attire to another. Is it possible and how do you actually do it in that speed?
Actually, your given closer to five minutes. If you are slow, the drill sergeants will punish the platoon by making you change over and over again, and get in formation. At least, that's what they did to us once. Sometimes they give you a task however that is impossible to accomplish and smoke you for it, its all part of the mind game.

But it really isn't that difficult, and your actually given more time. In the morning, after PT, you have to change into your BDU's but you don't have to be in formation again for another 20 minutes for chow. During that time, you change, and you have barracks maitenance.

This might vary from company to company. That's what I had at least.

I like to keep myself clean. In the short time you have for bathing, can you actually scrub yourself or do you only wash yourself in water?
I was lucky, I actually could. SOme basics, you can't. You just have time to hop in the shower, rinse off, lather yourself with soap, and get out again. Sometimes, you can actually wash your hair. But believe it or not, the army is big on personal hygeine, as they want you to be healthy. You'll have time to get yourself clean. DOn't worry.

The army is also really big on females keeping ourselves clean. They'll have classes on it, don't worry about this.

What was the most diffcult transition from civilian life to military life? How did you cope?
Reception. That is when it hit for most people that tehy were in the army. And that's when many freaked. Reception is hard for a lot of people, but more emotionally then physically. YOur to busy in actual basic to be homesick and really think about what your doing.

The transition is gradual, but you really don't think about it. You just start taking orders with a "yes drill sergeant!"

There is something that I would like to know. You said that when the lights were out, you asked yourself why you ere in the army. So what answer did you came out with?
I just remembered what I came in for, and what I wanted out of it. Plus, I wanted to show my parents what I had done. I kept a positive attitude throughout basic, and that's probably why it was such a successful experience for me. For many people, it wasn't.

Why would you want to put yourself in a spot where you had to take orders from others. Was is a trade off for the army exprience or what?
It's different for everybody. I just wanted it bad. There were so many reasons why I went ahead and went through with it, and its an experience I'll never forget.

It's definately a growing experience, and you learn so much about yourself in the process. And when your through, you feel a certain sense of pride like nothing you ever felt before. You are proud of what you have accomplished, and not a lot of people are willing to make the choice, and the sacrifice. But, like I said before, it's not for everybody.

What is "Alright, tore-up. Front! Back! GOOOOO! Roll Left! Roll Right!" Is it hard to do? How did you cope?
Front back go is merely thus. When a drill sergeant says go, you run in place, your arms out in front of you (don't ask me why your arms are out in front of you, perhaps to make you look like an idiot i guess). When they say back, you go back in a flutter kick, where you're on your back with your head and legs off the ground and you kick your legs out kind of like you are swimming. YOur legs and head never touch the ground until you are given rest. You'll do lots of flutter kicks outside of front back go, they strengthen your abs (but they aren't that great on your back). Front is simply pushups, you know what those are.

The drill sergeant usually starts off by facing the company (or platoon, or whatever) and says "go". You know immediately what he is talking about and begin running in place. He then procedes by saying "front, back, front, gooo!" or whatever in any order and at a quick pace. In other words, you always seem to be in transition from one exercise to the next without actually doing the exercise. They don't give you enough time to just do the one exercise.

As you can see, you can get pretty dirty doing this, especially if you do it in the mud. Drills like mud.

Roll left and roll right are simply methods of rest while doing this exercise. It gives you a break, considering this exercise is very aerobic and it wipes you out very quickly. The reason why they do roll left and roll right is because it dirties you up even more, and everyone who sees you will know you have been smoked that day. Rolling is just that, rolling with your body stretched out and your arms tucked underneath you. Yes, you will get dirty doing this exercise.

Coping with this exercise isn't to hard, because it's usually a mass punishment. Mass punishment is always easier because you aren't the only one doing it. Unless you started it of course. I never got everyone in trouble that we were forced into mass punishment.

Actually, it's all part of the game the drill sergeants play. YOu just have to learn to play along. And never take anything personal. That's how you cope. You signed up for this, you just have to bear with it.

Expect to get blisters, your whole body will ache and your feet will be extrerely pain. You will just lay on your bed exhausted every night. Is it true and what are your exprience like? How did you manage to cope with the pain

YOu get blisters while breaking in your boots, I know I did. Just get mole skin when this happens. But it doesn't always happen. If they get real bad, just go to sick call and get a soft shoe profile (where you wear tennis shoes instead of your boots).

For the first 3 weeks, your body is getting accustomed to the unusual exercise you are recieving in mass quantities. Have you ever done a sport in school where you haven't worked out for a while, and after the first day your soar all over? IT's like that. YOur always doing exercise in basic, so you get really soar. But this is just your body getting stronger, the saying "NO Pain, No Gain" works really well here. That's how you cope.

And yes, you are really exhausted at night and you immediately fall to sleep. Your body grows accustomed to getting up at 4 every morning, however. You also have this annoying thing called fire guard a few times a week, where your up for one hour making sure that everything is going all right. Everyone does this, it's a fact of life in the army. Part of your duty. Don't let it get to you. If your lucky, you'll just have to do fire guard in your PT's like I did. Some basics do it in their full battle rattle.

Be prepared for your DI? He will shout in your face. There was even this lady saying her partner was so afraid until she shit in her pants? Is it true and what are your worst exprience with your DI? What did he make you do and how did you cope?

The above was told to the girl from another contact, though I personally never had an experience like that. The Drills can be mean, and if you aren't prepared, I can see how they could freak you out.

The drill sergeants were definately the worst the first three weeks, during red phase. They don't know you, so it is very easy for them to rip your head off. YOu make the smallest mistake and they are in your face. However, they will not touch you. They will just yell at you in a very loud voice. They usually won't cuss (they aren't supposed to) but sometimes they do. When they do, they are really mad.

But there is also this saying that the drill sergeant you hate the most at the beginning of basic becomes your favorite at the end. THis is actually true, believe it or not, but I really didn't hate my drill sergeants. I gave them respect from day one (do this, and your life will be ten times easier). The drill sergeant hardest on everyone was Drill Sergeant Lingenfelter. The other platoons were petrified of him. Towards the end, he was definately the coolest.

Are you issued brown underwear and bras? If so, do you have to wear them? Are they comfortable?
You know, I have never been issued brown underwear in my life, but I have heard of this allusive strange brown underwear.

SO I can't speak for it. I just don't know what it is.

I know guys get issued underwear however.
Girls get to wear white cotton underwear. Get some sports bras before you go, they are definately the best for what you will have to do and they support you ten times better.

Be prepared for various painful exercise such as hold one of your arms out straight shoulder high for an hour. What are some of your expriences in doing such exercise? How long do you have to do them? What if your muscles get tired and you rest? What will happen and how did you manage to cope?
Every basic training atmosphere is different. It depends on whether you go to Ft Leonard Wood, Ft Jackson, Ft Knox or Ft Sill. Ft Benning is still guys only, as far as I know at least. They all have different kinds of toughness also. I only had to hold my arms shoulder high once for any serious length of time, and that was shake down (one of the worst experiences of basic, you have to go through with it). I held my arms out for maybe thirty minutes, and yes, it was hard. This is the first real exercise you do. If you drop your arms or try to wiggle them out, the drills are in your face (at shakedown, they are MEAN!)

The drill sergeants didn't do much of this holding your body part in one specific place for a certain time. They had a couple where you had to hold in one position for under ten minutes (that's pretty tough!) I got one for you, lay down on the ground and hold your legs straight at a 45 degree angle. Hold it like that for one minute. IT's harder then it sounds!

I heard that inspections are the DI favorite time. Is it true that everything must be folded to have sharp edges? Were you punished often during this time? If yes, for what and how were you punished? How did you cope?
Umm, yep! Drills love inspections. Although I only had one really messy one. And my platoon was the only one that had it. The drill sergeants told you how to have your wall locker before hand, and it was supposed to be perfect. Of course, it wasn't. We stood next to our wall lockers at parade rest and the drills came in and tore them up right in front of our faces, yelling at us and telling us in what ways we were so tore up.

It was frustrating, yes, but our wall lockers were pretty square from that point on. Our platoon was better for it, as we scored higher when the Lt Colonol came by to inspect them.

The only time the drills will tear up your lockers like this is the first three weeks. At least, for us they did. It might be different for you.

Also, sometimes when we came back to our barracks, we would find our bays in a disaster, as the drill sergeants threw everything around the room and tore up our bunks (or neatly flipped them over). Yes, your corners have to be square, it isn't as difficult as it sounds.

I am quite a slow person. Is it possible to change in 4 minutes and fix your bed in 9 minutes? If this is not true, you are still required to do everything very fast right? What are some the things you will be rushed to do? How did you manage to do them so fast? What happens if you cannot complete it in time?
Yeah, you have to do everything fast. If it makes you feel any better, I'm slow too. And I did fine. Actually, it takes about five minutes to do your bunk. Your battle buddy should help you out, that parts really quick. Getting dressed is really quick to, you don't have to decide very much about what you want to wear that day. It's either summers or winters. Getting those boots on is about the slowest process, and that's not that slow. You just slide them on and tighten the laces.

Don't worry about this, your sweating the small stuff. If you are late to formation, you just get smoked a little bit. They give you plenty of time.

Of course, in the beginning, they don't give you enough time so that in the future, you will be quick. Everythings a mind game.

You will be bathing together with other people right? How did you cope with having people look at you while you bath? What does it feel like?
DId you ever take showers during PE in High school? Other girls are there. They have pretty much the same things as you do. Yeah, you compare body shapes every once in a while, and you'll tell which people came to basic in shape and which ones didn't. And you'll find people comparing tattoos. It's really not that big of a deal. At first your self conscious about it but towards the end, you don't think anything of it.

I don't really have a loud voice. What happens if the DI cannot hear my answer or hear me counting my push-ups. Did you have to shout out all your answers? How did you cope with the strain on your voice and how will your throath feel after all the shouting?
The drill sergeants can tell if you are lip syncing or if you are actually yelling. As long as you try, they'll stay off your hide. At least, that's when it comes to sounding off. When they ask you a question directly, yeah, then they expect you to be loud. If you have a soft voice, then just work on it. They won't get to hard on you unless you just kind of squeak your answer back. You know, whisper it under your breath. They'll be in your face if you do that. Just look forward and say answer them as loudly and clearly as you can.

Your marching a lot from day one so you are always singing cadence, and yelling loud so your voice will get hoarse at first. Then it gets accustomed to it and your voice gets stronger. If you like to sing, this will actually help it really. I couldn't sing before I went to basic. I still can't but at least now my voice is tolerable.

Is it true that you will be in the sun for long hours? Do you sweat alot and how did you cope with the discomfort and the heat?
I faced the heat in San Antonio. There really was none in Ft. Leonard Wood when I went, more like frigid cold. The drill sergeants will not keep you in the heat for longer then necessary. But you will be in it. What can I say, you bare with it and drive on.

Actually, when weather is concerned, this is my advice. Try to go through Basic in the early spring or early fall. That way, you miss most of the weather. Like try to get your recruiter to sign you up so you ship off in early March or late September. I went in mid January and i was an ice cube at the ranges. But it was really nice before I left. I envied the companies that started five weeks after I had.

If you go during these months, your less likely to face the weather. If you are worried about the weather, go at these times. You also have AIT as well, but they won't smoke you as much during AIT (they never smoked me in mud when I was wearing my BDU's in AIT), and the weather really isn't that big of an issue. In my AIT, my main worry was marching. If you go for a medical MOS, you'll be shipped to San Antonio and have to worry pretty much the same things as well.

Which part of your body hurts the most after doing the exercise and how did you cope with the pain?
This depends. Are you out of shape? Actually, the army is really concerned about your health so they'll do all they can to not strain your muscles so that you end up going on profile. The first couple weeks you hurt all over, and they have exercises that work muscles you never knew you had. But they'll rotate between muscles too. Somedays, they won't make you do any push-ups, simply because they're giving those muscles a break.

Also, you are shouted at if you do not eat fast enogh right? How much time are you given to eat? How do you eat in the given time? Also, how bad is the food?
This varies from basic to basic. The drill sergeants wanted us to eat fast and get out of there, but we were given plenty of time to eat. They also made sure we ate enough. I was always given at least ten minutes to eat, but they'll rotate platoons in the company so that one platoon will eat before others on certain days, and those platoons usually have more time. But then it also depends on how many companies go through a D-Fac also.

You'll be surprised by what they feed you at basic. They served shrimp and lobster while i was there.

You come into contact with mud quite often right? How does it feel like to be ordered to lay on mud? How does it feel to have mud dry on your skin eppecially your face? How did you cope?
Sorry, Mud and the Army go hand and hand. Think of it this way. There's nobody at basic you're trying to impress.

Anyways, I love mud. Ever taken Pottery?

Also, how does it feel like to run and march in the rain? How did you cope?
It's cold, but you wear wet weather gear in the rain. You don't get to wet.

Actually, one time in San Antonio we ran in formation in the rain during the Combat Medic Run. This was at AIT and I had a blast. We were in such high spirits that we had a blast running through puddles. If you don't like to run, be prepared, you'll do lots of it. But if it makes you feel better, they run slow in formation and they have different run groups for different levels of runners.

Running is usually motivational, the drill sergeants usually make it fun. Or at least they try to. Sometimes you can't make running fun.

What is shakedown? How often does it happen and how do you cope with the pain? Does it feel bad to be shakendown?
Shakedown happens once, when you get to basic right after you leave reception. This is your first taste of Basic training and it's probably the toughest part of Basic, as the Drill Sergeants show no mercy. Nobody likes shakedown. Sorry to say, this is your first taste of it and you really don't know the rules or the feelings of basic yet. You just bare with it and drive on. Once it's over, it never happens again (at least, not til AIT and that depends on which AIT you go too).

I can't give you any tips on shakedown, but be prepared, and keep in mind the Drill sergeants won't always be this big of jerks!

Ok, shake down is this. In reception, you are issued all of your military equipment that you keep for the rest of your military career. You also have some other stuff that you just have to have. When you get to reception, you have your civilian stuff (tip-pack light), and you take this with you to basic as well. So anyway, they haul you onto a cattle car (0r bus, depending on your basic), where they are screaming at you every step of the way, showing absolutely no mercy (just go with the flow, don't try to explain yourself if you accidently trip and fall, they won't listen, they'll just yell at you more). With everything you have brought and everything you are issued, you are piled into a gym or outside the barracks or whatever. You then dump everything in your civilian bag and you army duffel out in front of you and they'll call things out. If you don't get it fast enough, they make you push (and you aren't very fit at this point). If you are caught eyeballing the drill sergeants at this time, they'll be in your face.

In other words, its a very confusing time that makes absolutely no sense. It's just a time to make you feel like dog do-do and wonder what the hell have you done.

It's temporary, and its tough. And its also a memory that you will look back on with your battle buddies and laugh.

Ask other people about their experiences with shake down, i think its universal with basic trainings.

Is it true at MEPS you have to actually urine with a female nurse watching you? How true is it? How does it feel like and how did you cope? Personally, I get the creeps just reading this thing.
Ok, if this part really bothers you, don't join. Urinalysis is common procedure in the army, they do it all the time.

A urinalysis is a drug test, and drugs are a big no-go in the army. This is a standard procedure they do quite frequantly (although never in basic, at least, I never did). Yes, you pee in a cup and yes, there is somebody there watching you to make sure that it is your urine that goes into that cup.

Urinalysis also happen to be done with mass population so its more then just you that does it. Sometimes, if your lucky, they'll be pressed for time and only do a sample urinalysis. In other words, they pick a couple numbers and if the first number in the last four digits of your social security number matches up, then you get to do the UA (which stands for Urinalysis), and if the number doesn't match up, then you don't.

I guess it's just something you get used to.

Is it true that you have you wait in line for your turn wearing only your bra and panties? The doctor will check you and ask you to do a exercise while other people look at you. How does it feel like and how did you cope? Are you given a paper gown to wear or anything?
Ok, yes, this is true. During your physical at MEPS, you strip down to your bra and panties and a doctor will check your eyes and hearing and make you walk like a duck and a bunch of other embarrassing things that make you feel like a retard. This is standard procedure and there are usually other females next to you doing the exact same thing.

In other words, don't let it bother you to much, they feel just as stupid as you do. You're all in it together.

And the doctor does this almost every single day so he isn't going to remember you, and he (or she) doesn't care what you look like, he's not checking you out. He probably sees so many people in his carreer that females just aren't as interesting anymore.

As for the paper gown, well, the doctor will require you to strip all the way down, wear only a gown, and he will then check your more private areas for health reasons. (yes, he does give you a quick breast exam) He's the one giving the OK that you can go to basic.

This is standard procedure for everyone in the military. If this bothers you tremondously, I suggest you probably shouldn't go.

It would also be great if you share with me other incidents that are not really pleasant such as this. Stuff that would shock a civilian. It would help me a great deal. Most importantly, tell me how it feel and how did you cope with it?

Well, I guess there are a lot of uncomfortable situations you run into while you are in the army. But that is the way in life. I'm not sure, you might not like it, you might just love it. Maybe you will be somewhere in between. It's this way with a lot of things in life.

It definately does get you more comfortable with uncomfortable situations. I guess all I can really say is you just have to grit your teeth and bare with it.

I have more questions that I have answered over the years. Maybe one day I'll organize this so that it is a little more comprehensible and there is some reason to the order the FAQ's are placed, but maybe this will give you an idea of what to expect.

The uniforms are changing and I did go through Basic January of 2000. So things may have changed since I went through. So keep that in mind.

US Weapons

There was a part of Basic Training where we put down our trusty 16s and familiarized ourselves with other pieces of machinery in the inventory of Armories everywhere. This is Basic Combat Training, if you are in the middle of a fire fight, your saw gunner falls over dead at your side, and you suddenly find your own rifle jamming for no apparent reason, are you just going to give up and say 'that's it, I'm done.'

No, you are going to pick up that SAW and start avenging your gunner while your cursing your own rifle. And then you're going to take Charlie down.

This is not a high speed instruction so that you know these weapons inside and out, but rather a familirization period so that you don't stare in a dumb stupor if you come across one of these strange weapons in the future. You'll at least know which end to point at the guy shooting at you and you'll have a general idea of where the trigger is. Hopefully the rest you can figure out as you fumble along.

Well, the US weapons range was unique to previous ranges, which consisted of a target known affectionately as Pop Up Joe. In this range, they took decommisioned Tanks and told us to shoot at them. Hey, your familiarizing yourselves, right? Might as well give us a target that they know we can hit!

Some people still missed them.

Anyway, there were five main weapons at our disposal for this period. We did a round robin gig where we got to familiarize ourselves with each one. The following pictures are examples of the weapons at a simulation center, they are actual weapons modified for training.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. It fires the same NATO approved 5.56mm round that is fired by our trusty M16A2, however, it fires its own 7.62 calliber round as well. This bad ass has a maximum rate of fire at 1,000 rounds per minute, but it is recommended to fire it in five to six round bursts (hold your finger on the trigger for a couple of seconds). That way, your muzzle doesn't become a red hot pile of liquid goo.

They gave us 100 rounds on a belt and we got in line behind an M249 and got familiar with feeding that sucker its food of choice and aimed down range at that big tank in the horizon, about 100 yards away.

Bliss. Ah. . .

There is also a similar weapon we got to play with, the M60 Machine Gun. Its a bit larger then the M249, and therefore not as mobile. I got to play with that one too. It also has a pretty bad ass rate of fire, the specifics are somewhere on the net if you Google M60 Machine Gun.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it.

This looks an awful lot like an M16. Well, that's because it is. Its an M16 with a grenade launcher attached. The Grenade Launcher is known as an M203 Grenade Launcher, which I call my signiture weapon, a vector for launching an exploding assault farther then can be reached by the toss of an arm. Though I won't deny that either. Anything that goes kaboom on impact is alright with me.

And if that picture looks faintly familiar, to those of you who know me, it kind of is. That is the first pose to the picture that made me semi-famous.

The Anti Tank Weapon, from hence forward referred to as the AT4, is designed to take out small armies. Or rather, large metallic structures known as Tanks. Hence the name.

Now, I admit, this was purely a familarazation course with the AT4. We learn how to deploy it, and then you practice the motion by shooting things out the AT4 that aren't quite rockets. They are significantly smaller. In fact, I'm not sure what it is they have you practice with, I just know it doesn't make a lot of noise. You just prepare the weapon, shout out behind you "back Blast Area Clear" and when you're give the clear sign, you shoot it and a little white blob comes out of the front of the AT4.

It can be swayed by wind, but it gives you a general idea of whether or not you hit the tank. Which is important, because when you actually fire the AT4, its a one time shot.

The final familirization period comes with the use of the Claymore Mine. Well, we don't actually deploy these, and we've been instructed on them quite a bit up unto this time, but this is just another opportunity to bash it into your brain so you can pass the end of cycle test when they make you go over the Claymore Mine.

Note, the words "front toward enemy" does not face you.

Although we actually only went through the motions of the AT4 and the Claymore Mine, we did get to see both in action that day. The Claymore mine wasn't particularly exciting, mostly because they deployed it against a tank that didn't show the results of the impact. The AT4s were more impressive. And loud.

Of course, I didn't get to shoot a real one. They chose minorities to do that.

And I'm not joking. That's how they chose who got to shoot it.

Introduction

I joined the Army in November of 1999 not really knowing what to expect. It was kind of an adventure to me that I was eagerly anticipating.

Basic Combat Training followed in January 2000, during the Pre 9/11 Clinton era, in the dead of winter at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri. I attended basic with 240 other privates of B 3-10 Infantry Regiment as part of 2nd Platoon. There were 12 drill sergeants in all over four Platoons. I got to know them all in various forms of smoking sessions.

When I went to AIT at Ft Sam Houston TX in the heart of San Antonio, I got a lot of questions from my friends about what happened during Basic Training. To appease them, I started telling them stories. I had so much fun telling the stories that I decided to put them in a website.

Over seven years have passed and I'm still attempting to put my experiences down on the internet. I have also had a lot of people contact me over the years with questions in regards to what I went through in the hopes that it would help prepare them for their own experiences. I personally loved Basic, but not everyone can say that.

So basically, this is my introduction to a site that I created just for this purpose. To tell people about my experiences in Basic Training. It is a slow and steady work in progress, and since so much time has gone by, I sometimes find myself having to dig into the recesses of my brain to remember certain aspects of it.

Well, in the meantime, enjoy what I have written. And maybe you can get a thing or two out of my experiences to prepare you for your own decision to join the Army, or maybe even give you an idea as to if the Army is even an occupation that's right for you. If its not, that's ok. Its not for everyone. And sometimes thats an important thing to understand before doing something as life changing as this.

SGT Kami Erickson
Preventive Medicine
Drill Sergeant Candidate

Smoking sessions

So, just what is a smoke session you might ask yourself? No, it does not involve cigarettes. One does not smoke while they are in basic training. One get's smoked.

Smoking is just a slang term used to describe somebody getting a quick yet heavy workout, usually in conjuction with a punishment of sorts. If you are getting smoked, you likely did something wrong. Or your battle buddy did something wrong. Or somebody in your platoon did something wrong.

There is a mindset in the army. In war, actions of one person affects the entire unit. If one person screws up, all may suffer. The actions of one individual can get an entire company killed even. (sleeping during guard duty for example) They drill this into the heads of the soldiers early by, you guessed it, mass punishment.

In a typical basic training platoon, you get at least one person who is a complete idiot. When they were issuing out brains in heaven, this person likely was doing things elsewhere. Such as it is with Basic Training. Every cycle there is that one person that get's the rest of the company in trouble. How do they handle this? If one person isn't squared away, everyone pays.

What does this teach us as soldiers? To watch out for our battle buddies. Especially the ones that cause us to get in trouble.

During class room excercises, which are particularly boring in many aspects, people have a tendency to nod off. I did, I was notorious for it. Drill sergeants scan the parimater of the classroom looking for these few individuals to send them to get smoked in the back of the classroom. Guess who else get's smoked along with the person nodding off? The person besides you. Maybe even the person sitting behind you as well. Why? because you are affecting them, and they weren't watching out for you. As such, your battle buddies sitting next to you are more then willing to give you a good nudge in the ribcage for starting to fall asleep during their watch.

This is where I got most of my smoking done. I'm sorry, I found the classroom boring as hell. I didn't join the army to learn about the Army Values for crying out loud. I joined to blow shit up! Well, ok, maybe I'm not a combat engineer, but still!

Smoking is done in a variety of places. Out in front of the company so all can see you in all your tore-up glory, in the pit, someplace muddy, in the platoon bay, on the road, just about anywhere! Smoking may take place while you are doing PT, usually your in your camouflage, sometimes you have a weapon, sometimes your wearing your rucksack. It inquires a variety of excercises.

Everyone knows the push-up, the most well known method of smoking someone. This is popular because it is quick, it helps the soldier prepare for their pt Test while they are getting their punishment, and it is relatively clean, not to much dirt on the uniform is acquired. Sometimes the Drills aren't going for dirty. Especially when they are in a place where no mud is available, or hard surfaces that wouldn't be very smart for more arobic excercises. The push-up is the old standby.

Flutter-kick. (From what I hear, this is phased out) Is that a name that doesn't seem to go with army or what? I mean, that word, Flutter, it just seems so frail and feminine, I have always found it kind of ironic that it was used in conjunction with a method of torture used by drill sergeants. Basically, the flutter kick is thus. Lay on your back, with your hands in the small of your back. Raise your legs about six to ten inches off the ground. Now kick them up and down, kind of like your swimming. Your head is raised off the floor as well while you are doing this. The flutter kick is a four count movement. If you are out of shape, twenty repetitions will leave you smoked. Why is this a popular one? For one, it gives your abs a great workout, it's good for hard surfaces as you don't have to worry about banging up your knees, and you just sit in one place.

The overhead arm clap. Ok, clap your hands over your head. Not to hard, a quick one to do when you are in formation or your in a place that doesn't allow a lot of room. This one is not a workout if your arms are in good shape. This is a popular one for the first three or so weeks, while they are still building your tolerance to pain. It's relatively easy, until you start sounding off in the hundreds. The last time I did this, about midway through basic training, we sounded off somewhere in the three hundred range. I can't exactly remember. I had gotten to a point where it wasn't a workout any more. That's when they moved onto other things.

The squat is, well, a popular one for dining facilities. You squat, as if you are sitting in a chair with your legs bent and ninety degree angles, your hands outstretched in front of you. And you stay there. Sometimes you are braced against a wall. other times you just stand in the middle of the room. The first minute, hmm, no problem. The second minute you start to feel something, by the third minute, especailly if you are out of shape, your legs are screaming. Drills like to encorporate sound into this one, usually making you belt out a phrase that just sounds rediculous. humiliation is a big factor in basic training.

Front back Go, also known as Grass Drills, is a popular one. (I hear this one may be phased out too) This is one that they often use in school sports as well. It is an arobic excercise that basically has you gasping for breath. Front is the pushup position, back is the flutter kick position, and go is running in place. However, very rarely are you in the position long enough to actually do the excercise. The excercise is a continual transition from one position into another. They give you breaks when doing this, it is called, "roll right and roll left". The purpose of this excercise is to build up your cardiovascular system and create endurance. Great fun. It is usually done on soft ground, such as grass or mud because there is a potential for banging up knees. It is also used for when the Drills want to get you good and dirty, you will usually have mud caked to you for the rest of the day.

Three to five second rush. This is sometimes used as a method of punishment, but it is a training tool that will save your life in direct combat. Using this form of torture will help you get used to it. It's fairly easy the first few rounds, and then you start getting tired. Then it becomes difficult. What it basically is, you start in the low crawl position, or the high crawl, which ever, and you start crawling. The drill sergeant then yells "I'm up!" where you then get to your feet as quickly as possible and sprint to the as far as you can until the Drill Sergeant then says "he sees me I'm down," where you then go back down in the low crawl position and inch your way across once more. Your up for maybe a good three to five seconds, if that. Hence the name. This one is popular when used with mud. It is a high arobic excercise that really works the muscles.

Bear Crawl. I only did this one once. It sucked. And it was humiliating. Basically crawl around on your hands and feet, not your knees, your feet. Fairly easy at first, but as the time passes, it kills the quads. I was put into this position by the First Sergeant during Graduation Practice, becuase I laughed.

Side Note: I would not call PT Smoking so much. PT is just Physical Training that you have to do to get in shape. Smoking is usually used in conjunction with Punishment. That's the difference. Sometimes though, you get smoked in PT.

There is also a humiliation factor in Smoking as well. Sometimes the excercise isn't so hard, it's the fact that you are doing it. And everyone is watching you do it. And you feel like an idiot. Welcome to the United States Army.

After IET in a Nutshell

Since Initial Entry Training
(last updated June 2005)

I entered Basic Training January of 2000, finished AIT in July of the same year, and came home.

I joined the Reserves, and have often pondered why I didn't go active duty. I still think about it. Since at this present time, I have decided that I will likely put in my twenty years, unless circumstances do not allow such a thing to happen, I have decided that some time in the next few years, I need to put in some more active duty time. I'm up for Reenlistment November of 2005. Maybe that will take me Active. I'm still deciding.

This website is my hobby.

Upon leaving AIT in 2000, I immediately went back to school and utilized my monetary benefits that the army had provided. Winter Quarter I enrolled into ROTC. Just because I wanted to play army even more. My first real experience outside of training was FTX with the ROTC in Fort Lewis the following February. When I get a chance, I'll write about that experience in more detailed scope. It was rather fun, I played OPFOR with a bunch of Cadets that didn't know what in the hell they were doing. And I kicked their ass. Go me!

My first Annual Training Experience happened in June 2001 in Devens Massachussetts. The excercise was called Pollex, and it was a patrolium excercise. Basically for two weeks I got to play Field sanitation team and inspect water all the time. I got really sick of water by the end of it all. I was also Advanced Party, I was issued my own Hummer (way cool!) and myself and a fellow soldier, an E5, were there supporting a unit full of strangers we had never met before this excercise. We got our butts reemed many times. THis was not a fun AT. We vented anger by going off roading in the forementioned vehicle. This excercise needs its own page. This excercise earned me an Army Achievement Medal.

Two months later, ROTC sent me to Fort Benning for Airborne Training in August.

I will not discuss anything further about this experience. Read into that as you will.

I stayed with ROTC through the middle of Winter Quarter 2002 and under circumstances partly out of my control, I had to drop the course. I was very sad by this. I am no longer in ROTC and still debate about getting a commission. I have thought about going to Officer Candidate School to do it, it's a much more gung ho way of getting your butter bar.

March 2002 I went to Trailblazers, an NCO development course done through my Regional Support Command, which was in Fort Lewis. For a weekend I got to sit down and participate in a lot of class room excercises taught by Command Sergeant Majors. Don't even think about falling asleep in the class room of a CSM! This was actually an interesting excercise, I learned a lot.

June 2002 sent my entire unit to Camp Parks California for Golden Medic. I camped on ground that was up for sale, $1.2 million an acre. Prime Real Estate. That's the bay area for you. Most of my unit was here, and I learned many benefits of small units. Small Units have abilities of getting out of BS Details. Like Guard Duty. This excercise also produced an Army Achievement Medal.

August 2002 sent me to Suriname, South America for a Medrette. What is a Medrette? It stands for Medical Readiness Training Excercise. I am working on a page holding all of these experiences of mine. This was an awesome opportunity to see a foreign country, however the experience overall wasn't entirely positive. I will not go into details. I am very frustrated at myself however for my personal performance during the exercise. Regardless, somehow I had managed to earn another Army Achievement Medal for this excercise as well. I don't feel like I deserve it.

December of 2002 brought me back to Fort Lewis for Primary Leadership Development Course, or Sergeant School for you civilians out there. It basically consisted of bringing all of my military issue and sitting in a classroom for a week and a half and learning how to be a sergeant. I also got to conduct PT and march my squad around. I also found myself in a leadership position several times, to include that of Platoon Sergeant for the last four days. I sincerely enjoyed PLDC, except was slightly disappointed by the FTX at the end. I kicked butt during Land Nav, go Me! I did very well in PLDC and made commandant's list. I also got a renewed surge of going active duty.

Summer 2003 I was originally set to attend AT at Fort Bragg. The current state of the military had canceled this event. Instead, I got been diverted back to Fort Sam for a Basic Industrial Hygiene course for Two Weeks. San Antonio! Woohoo!

Shortly afterward I found myself looking for a job. I was put on ADSW (Active Duty, Special Work) orders doing whatever mundane details needed to be done. Very fun. Ok, not really. But the important thing was, it was a JOB.

In November 2003, my unit got orders to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Orders were revoked a week before I was to Mobilize. That was not cool.

In April 2004, my unit was alerted for activation for another deployment to Afgahnistan or Iraq. The deployments we were slotted for were eventually given to other units. We sat around wondering what was to become of us.

In July 2004, myself and two other soldiers in my unit attended a Pesticide Recertification course in Fort Lewis. I drove my own car and was holed up in a hotel room. My first AT where I was completely mobile. That was fun.

We also learned during this AT that the deployment we were slotted for that August had been given to another unit. We were getting a little annoyed by the Army's indecision to send us somewhere. We wanted to go, so send us already!

October 2004 I got a call from a sister unit who was deploying to Kosovo and asked if I wanted to go. After seeing the luck of me going to Iraq, I said count me in.

December 2004, I actually mobilized. Bliss! We were in Fort Lewis for a month. In January 2005, we packed our bags, got on a plane, and found ourselves flying halfway across the world to settle into a little place called Hohenfels Germany for three weeks.

Hohenfels was not fun. In fact, it sucked. I was grateful to only be there for three weeks, which was three weeks to long. I have a thing against a place where I have to walk a block in the snow to use a shower.

End of January, I found myself in Kosovo, sitting on my ass and doing a lot of nothing. Which is the way with Military Deployments or so I hear. The deployment overall was not fun, but I do not regret going because I learned a lot about the army and myself while deployed.

In September of 2005, I found myself TDY in Landstuhl Germany, for a 91S recert class. I was there for a week, with somebody I now despise. Still, good times.

While in Kosovo, I got to do a Danish Contingency Road March and have qualified for my German Marksmanship Badge.

I left Kosovo in January 2006. Took a month off and since I had been killed on my job as a 91S while deployed, I went job hunting and found my current unit. I wasn't sure if I was going to or not before coming to the unit, but I reenlisted September 2006 for another six years.

My current rank is Sergeant. The process of getting my E5 has produced headaches. However, I have gotten my E5 with a little over three years in the service. That's not bad! I'm working on putting together my E6 Promotion Packet and will likely make Staff Sergeant by this summer.

My current plans are still retirement, as of writing this (February 2007) I have just over seven years in the service.

Currently, I'm a Drill Sergeant Candidate. I leave for School in May.

I have wanted to be a Drill Sergeant since AIT. Took me long enough to do it.

Shakedown

Alright, there we were, getting it drilled into our heads that we were in this for good and that there was no turning back now.

We came straight off the cattle cars and since it was in the middle of January, into the Post Gym, carrying all of our gear and once again finding ourselves dodging the eyes of the very angry and very loud Drill Sergeants.

This was shake down, and I pitied the people who got there first off the cattle cars. We were placed in rows and told to stand in one position with our fingers outstretched and barely touching the person to either side of us, and we were made to stay in that position as everyone filed in. That's EVERYONE! And there were about three or four cattle cars and if I remember right, I was on the second or third. So I stood there, with myfingers outstretched for about 25 minutes trying to ignore the fact that my arms were starting to feel amazingly like puddy. And I stood, staring straight ahead, into the forehead of the private standing directly in front of me.

Shake down is a process in which we come into the unit and make sure that everyone has their initial issue and whatever else they will need. The process starts with giving everyone enough room to dump out all of their equipment in front of them (and that is ALL, to include personal belongings) The head drill sergeant then calls out each item one by one over the intercom and everyone scrambles to find whatever item he calls out. When he calls out five brown t-shirts (we're issued six, but of course, we're wearing one) we have to find all five brown t-shirts in a certain alloted amount of time. If not, well, we end up doing a lot of push-ups.

I got Blue Falconed in reception, so I was missing a pair of Gloves and a Black Knit hat. I thought I was going to get torn apart, but the Drill actually let me go on these items. In fact, the Drill that was in charge of my area during shake down was actually very mellow, or so I later learned. He was a mad Dawg Drill Sergeant (that's third platoon), and I think it was one of his last cycles. In other words, he couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

Shake down, in a lot of aspects, was one of the hardest parts of Basic Training. It's still early in basic training and the idea that you are actually doing this is still seeping into your brain cells, your body is still very out of shape and you are just miserable. But it really wasn't that bad, as long as you didn't take it personally. That's probably some of the best advice you can recieve before going to Basic Training I can think of. Don't Take it Personally. The Drill Sergeants will even tell you that.

BTW- Blue Falcon is an Acronym, kind of Like FUBAR and SNAFU. BF, Buddy Screwer, with a stronger explecitive used synonymously with the word Screw. It basically means, your battle buddy screws you over. I left my wall locker unlocked for one night and an MP recruit stole my leather gloves and knit cap. I was a stickler for secured wall lockers ever since. And not just because the Drill Sergeants were sticklers for it too. Your battle buddies are not your friends. I didn't trust to many people in basic because of it. I got Blue Falconed quite a bit.

Reception

When coming off the bus from the airport, dressed in civilian clothes, carrying everything on your shoulder, never expecting to see anyone you know for a long long time, it hits you. The sudden panic that has you asking "What in the world have I done?" Actually, seeing the brown round of the drill sergeant walking out of the building had me in a panic. That was when it hit me. I had no clue what was going to happen to me during the next ten weeks.

Well, getting there at one in the morning wasn't much help. But the reception drill
sergeant was obviously tired as well. He took it easy on us. We took about two hours to do a quick improcessing to the reception batallion, given a chance to get rid of any thing such as cigerettes, gum, marajuana, knives and such into the amnesty box, and marched back to the barracks where we would stay the night, only to wake up two hours later.

I wanted to just blend in. My goal for basic was to be unnoticed by the drill sergeant and just quietly squeeze through basic undetected. Do everything I was supposed to do and then graduate and move onto AIT.

I think what happened next was a foreshadowing experience.

I stood among the wall, quiet and still, at the closest thing I knew to be Parade Rest as I could come, when the drill sergeant noticed me. I was the only one not fidgeting around nervously. He glanced at me and said "Relax, Private."

So I relaxed a little and started kicking myself.

Well, that was one of the moments I remember most about Reception. You are so busy running around like a chicken with your head cut off that this becomes somewhat of a foggy memory later in life. Especially when you try to recollect it nearly two years after the fact.

I think the hardest part about Basic is Reception, however. Psychologically at least. This is really when it hits you what you have done. In this case, signed your life away to an organization that may use you for cannon fodder. It was tough at night, when you thought about it, although you got up so insanely early (usually about 4 at Reception), meanwhile learning about fire guard, as you were put in a building with 13 people and have to pull it every night, sometimes twice. It wasn't very much fun.

Reception is for the most part, however, not about getting the living day lights smoked out of you, although you are introduced to it when a couple of the DS get pissed for some reason you now don't recall. But this time consists of getting all your shots, all your records updated, taking the DLAB (language test, for those who qualify), getting your Paperwork, pay straightened out, eating, marching, Fire guard, and of course, getting all your issue so that you look just like everyone else.

Getting your uniform is such a special time. For some reason, all throughout reception you can't wait to get your uniform. Putting it on for the first time makes you feel different, like you really belong in the Army. Of course, by the end of basic, you can't wait to get something else to wear. When you first get your class A's is a really special time, although that is something else entirely.

You are in Reception anywhere from four days to a couple weeks, depending on the amount of people coming through at the time. The Drill Sergeants are all a little lax and easy going, and you wonder if this is what Basic is all about. I myself was a little disappointed, wondering when the yelling would insue.

Well, when we turned in our linen and left our issue in the 'depot station', to be collected by our respective companies, we learned that Reception was most definately not what Basic Training was all about.

Pugils

During Bayonet course, we learn different hand to hand techniques, in case we happened to run out of bullets during a fight and the enemy just so happened to run out of them as well. In order to get a real life jist of what this entails, they pit us up against each other using the Pugil Stick.

When describing the pugil stick, people usually describe them as giant q-tips.
They are a large baton or such with padded ends. When one prepares to play pugils, they put on all of this gear and extra padding so that nobody get's hurt to bad.

When we had pugils, they pitted us platoon against platoon. Mad Dawgs and Light Fighters fought one another, and then there was Cold Steel and Recon. When I was watching people kick each others ass, I was getting very eager to get my hand in the game as well.The andronoline pumping, I started to get antsy and awaited my turn to kick somebody's ass in Fourth Platoon.

Finally, they picked me and told me to suit up, sizing me up with another girl roughly my height. She was actually Recon's Platoon Guide. I was a little nervous but felt ready, I mean, I kicked butt during Bayonet, right?

Anyway, I put on the padding and squared off with my opponent, and got one good butt stroke to the head in, right in her face. It was a good solid hit. And that's about all I had.

I grabbed gloves that were to big for my puny little hands and couldn't get a grasp on the pugil. Henceforth, I got my ass kicked. I think the drill's were a bit disappointed, they expected me to put up a good fight. Not when I can't get a grip on the pugil and it keeps getting knocked from my hands.

It rained during pugils too. I thought pugils were going to be a lot more fun then they were. Instead, I just got mad at myself for not being able to put up a fight. There was a lot of potential there.

If I ever get my hands on another pugil stick, I'll make sure the gloves fit.

Platoons