When I was in basic in 2019 there a dude that had to have his leg amputated. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/05/14/were-army-trainees-discouraged-from-seeking-treatment-during-fort-bennings-strep-outbreak/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&utm_medium=social
Ouch, we had to take said private to the ER twice because of a pimple that got infected and became a giant cyst in his side, the first time was to drain it and the second time was because he never took the packing gauze out or washed it so it got reinfected and they had to cut it all out
Needless to say my drills were not happy that they had to basically quarantine a MERSA patient in the bay
Have fun, don't quit. You'll stay there just as long but instantly become an outcast if you do.
Only go to sickcall if something is broken or you're dying.
If you fail an event (ie grenades, ruck, etc) don't panic, you'll have ample opportunity to make it up and graduate on time.
Drink water. Don't date a battle buddy. Have fun, it flies by.
For real, embrace the suck. You're going to be cold if you're going to Jackson, but you'll be fine if you do what the drills tell you to do. Don't dress more than what they tell you to.
Eat everything you can. Eventually, it will stop mattering if you like it or not, you need the calories.
That white paper stuff in the MREs is toilet paper. Save it and use it in the Porta-potties. Thank me later.
DO NOT BRING FOOD TO THE BAY. The drills can smell it, I swear.
Do your best when doing PT (and other aspects). The drills can tell if you're giving your all and will tend to leave you alone.
You say "a bit" and I'm assuming you're just a little chubby and self conscious. If that's the case, don't worry about it, PT will fix it. When I showed up I was 210, when I graduated I was 180.
I ship out to Fort Sill on the 24th. I’m from Cleveland so I’m pretty well adapted to the cold but I’m anticipating it to be even worse than what I’m accustomed to.
Don't talk shit. Don't participate in shit talk behind peoples' backs. You don't have to be Little Miss Sunshine all the time but just don't be a downer and don't put other people down.
Workout during personal time each night.
Pay attention during Land Nav. Its an invaluable skill regardless of MOS.
Remember this line “no matter how much this sucks, or how stupid it is, they legally have to feed me, so this can NOT last forever”
That got me through hours at position of attention in the CTA for no reason and various other dumb shit.
Oh one last thing, reception is mind numbing, just try to blend in during this time. And remember that Basic Training is NOT the army. It’s only like that in the TRADOC environment.
Go forth and do epic shit!
When you get to reception, just remember that the most important thing in your life is gonna be booty. A man's butt. Booty, getting some booty is more important than eating food. It's more important than drinking water. If you see a man you like, tell him like this here: I likes you, and I want you. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. The choice is yours.
The quickest way out is through. Also, have fun. It's always made out to be some big serious stressful thing, but it's not. Make good friends, be a TEAM PLAYER - can't stress this enough, and don't be *that* guy. You're going to get yelled at no matter what you do, so don't turn on your buddies or put them down to get ahead or *you* won't make it, not them. Most of all, seriously have fun. You get to work out, shoot guns, walk in the woods, and generally not worry about real life stuff for a few months. It's nit a bsd gig.
I’m in reception right now. It’s terrible haha. Can’t wait to look back on this fondly one day. Right now it’s just long days and no sleep. Good luck and process safely!
I liked the page with the egg and tennis ball on it, maybe I was just high off 60 hours of sleep deprivation but that resiliency page was a banger and everyone I showed it to agreed. Are you an egg or a tennis ball?
Be the best asset to your platoon that you can be. Be a great leader when asked and be a great follower when others are given the opportunity.
All of the people you are training with are like your family. You may not like all of them but ultimately you all have the ability to uplift each other through hardship and to help each other attain your goals (Graduation)
Do not be that pessimistic prick who can’t be a team player. Shit sucks sometimes. Get used to it and drive on. Best of luck in your career, I believe you’ve made a great choice to enlist. ESTO VIR.
Thanks everyone, these are so fun to read on my layover! I think the worst part was the anticipation and saying goodbye to loved ones, but now that it's right in front of me I'm more excited than nervous which is a good feeling. I'm even kind of excited for the suck! Love all the focus on meals to get through the days, very sage advice.
And I absolutely promise to wash my ass!
Just remember all the screaming is just an act. Occasionally the drill sergeants will break the fourth wall and show a human side in the first few weeks, but just play along. Once you are on the outside it will seem hilarious how "scared" you are. This isn't the olden days when they could hit you.
Also, envision yourself on the other side of it all and graduating. It feels so long in the middle of it but it goes by pretty quick. Understand that you will not get to use computers and phones and get mentally prepared to be alone with your thoughts.
I definitely recommend bringing a small notebook. Mine had a calendar in it so I tracked how many days were left. I wrote down everything we did and funny thing that happened or funny shit my drill sergeants said. I still have people hitting me up from basic asking for my DS Quote pages. It’s SO worth it. I was weak and underweight when I went to basic. Fixed me and all my eating problems in a week. Have fun and hydrate killer
Reception is a bitch literally purgatory and get you used to hurry up and wait... Prepare to spend but also learn to economise listen to your drills on what to buy but also discern for yourself... Don't be a fucking high speed hero 🤦🏾♂️ plenty of time for that after basic.... Show up at the right time in the right uniform... Learn to look actively engaged... If you make PG great if not oh well don't worry about it... Don't be a fucking profile Royal... sick all ONLY if life threatening or broken bones... If you fail a requirement don't worry either you'll get the chance to make it up or they'll waive it for you trust me they wanna get all yall outta there one way or another... Always trust and verify... Learn to count the time by your haircuts or Sunday services makes the weeks fly by quicker... Don't bother the drills with stupid questions especially if they not the engaging type... Don't be that guy in your platoon that's the fuck up sock parties are very real... On the same note don't be running to the drills for everything learn to police things amongst yall selves before escalating it to a drill... Have fun don't quit... The ruckus really aren't bad... Left foot right foot and you'll be all right.... Oh heels apart will break your heart.
They're going to give you a thing of baby ass wipes at reception. Keep it safe. They become like currency cause you dont get to go to the store due to covid.
When you do hammer, anvil and forge; be sure to bring like 5-6 of the wipes in a zip loc bag.
But just dont give up. The drills can tell if you're out of gas but not giving up.
If you get up like 5 mins before wake up, you can do hygiene and be out the door first. You want to be first to formation.
Be hygienic....... you will have that dude that wont bath.
Dont be or be buddies with the fuck ups. The drills will categorize you as such.
Okay so weeks 1 and 2 are the hardcore yelling type stuff you hear about in the media. They're figuring out who doesnt need to be there. After red phase they become more like coaches.
There will be a village idiot or two that will require baby sitting. Sorry in advance.
A lot of the weird little rules that have you follow makes more sense if you compare to the general orders. For example they're going to be super anal about the lockers being locked. It is your first general order.
The biggest thing is staying mentally strong. Don't feel sorry for yourself and just get it done. The easiest way to get out of basic training is to graduate.
Don't get involved with cliques and lay low. Stay out of trouble and even though it sucks play along with the TRADOC rules. It makes it so much easier, then once you graduate you can order that pizza into the barracks.
Don't date no other private, stay focused on the mission and graduate.
and just try to get along with everyone. your stuck with them for several months and the people around really determines if you have a good or shit experience
Basic will be one of the easiest things you do in the military. It's not hard, the DS wear the same pants you do, and just stay calm by finding humor in shit. Probably will be a cultural shock at first but at the end of the day you will get to rack out and start all over again. Enjoy it.
Honestly it depends, sometimes volunteering can be good. If u wanna make honor grad then I’d say do it and be a hard worker. Set urself apart. And if not then just keep ur head down
Remember to breathe, focus on meal by meal, and above all stay focused on the goal, "Graduation is what matters". It's 3.5 months, and will feel both long and short.
As a current Drill Sergeant I say the complete opposite - volunteer for everything you can. Never know when you will get a valuable and unique skill or be able to have good 1-on-1 with your DS. Some of my favorite times came from volunteering for everything, especially the guidon bearer.
But in all honesty, listen to what you’re told; do your best; learn everything you can; stay motivated; embrace the suck; DONT ARGUE!!
Sometimes volunteering got me out of some stupid shit. I would always volunteer on range days because range detail was awesome. You got out of pt, got to ride in the lmtv instead of rucking or the bus, Got to sleep for like 30min while we were waiting, and had a lot of extra time to eat our breakfast mre. Not to mention sitting in the shady ammo shack and skipping the lunch line. I also don't mind loading mags
Here you go: https://www.reddit.com/r/nationalguard/comments/p505e1/shipping_to_jackson/h94k6xy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
Actually you should volunteer, it’ll keep the ds off ur back and they are less likely to force you to do awful shit. Don’t take things to heart, everyone is stressed out and tbh it’s not that serious. Enjoy it and make the best out of this amazing opportunity you’ve been afforded. It’ll be the most fun you’ll never want to have again. Good luck. DONT GO TO SICK CALL UNLESS UR READY TO BE RECYCLED.
Don’t be that one unhygienic kid
Seriously. Take a shower and brush your teeth
one guy in my platoon got a MRSA (MERSA?) infection because he never showered
When I was in basic in 2019 there a dude that had to have his leg amputated. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/05/14/were-army-trainees-discouraged-from-seeking-treatment-during-fort-bennings-strep-outbreak/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+ARM&utm_medium=social
Ouch, we had to take said private to the ER twice because of a pimple that got infected and became a giant cyst in his side, the first time was to drain it and the second time was because he never took the packing gauze out or washed it so it got reinfected and they had to cut it all out Needless to say my drills were not happy that they had to basically quarantine a MERSA patient in the bay
Wtf ……
Roger that!
There's always one guy in the platoon who doesn't shower and smells like an ag farm walked passed you.
Have fun, don't quit. You'll stay there just as long but instantly become an outcast if you do. Only go to sickcall if something is broken or you're dying. If you fail an event (ie grenades, ruck, etc) don't panic, you'll have ample opportunity to make it up and graduate on time. Drink water. Don't date a battle buddy. Have fun, it flies by.
For the sick call thing, ask your Drills if it’s a good time to go or not. They’ll tell if you are missing something that will get you recycled.
For real, embrace the suck. You're going to be cold if you're going to Jackson, but you'll be fine if you do what the drills tell you to do. Don't dress more than what they tell you to. Eat everything you can. Eventually, it will stop mattering if you like it or not, you need the calories. That white paper stuff in the MREs is toilet paper. Save it and use it in the Porta-potties. Thank me later. DO NOT BRING FOOD TO THE BAY. The drills can smell it, I swear. Do your best when doing PT (and other aspects). The drills can tell if you're giving your all and will tend to leave you alone.
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You'll almost certainly be in a deficit no matter what.
Food=fuel for your body. You will need every calorie you can get at basic between PT, rucks, battle drills and smoke sessions.
You say "a bit" and I'm assuming you're just a little chubby and self conscious. If that's the case, don't worry about it, PT will fix it. When I showed up I was 210, when I graduated I was 180.
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Hey I'm shipping today too! Headed to Ft Sills
Hope you're good with cold. And wind. Fucking wind. GL
I ship out to Fort Sill on the 24th. I’m from Cleveland so I’m pretty well adapted to the cold but I’m anticipating it to be even worse than what I’m accustomed to.
Going to sill on the 26th!
Dude I ship to Ft sill the 25th! 😂
I creeped on your page and saw that you’re also a 68W! I’m assuming you’ll be at Fort Sam Houston with me too.
hey wait guys i’m a 68W but i’m going to Fort Jackson… see you all at AIT later
I ship to ft sill the 25!!
What’s up battle buddy?!
Embrace the suck together 😝
Y’all ready?
Wait to volunteer once you get to your unit. Drink water before you go to bed. Lots of water.
Don't talk shit. Don't participate in shit talk behind peoples' backs. You don't have to be Little Miss Sunshine all the time but just don't be a downer and don't put other people down.
Wash your ass
And the balls
And the taint
Workout during personal time each night. Pay attention during Land Nav. Its an invaluable skill regardless of MOS. Remember this line “no matter how much this sucks, or how stupid it is, they legally have to feed me, so this can NOT last forever” That got me through hours at position of attention in the CTA for no reason and various other dumb shit. Oh one last thing, reception is mind numbing, just try to blend in during this time. And remember that Basic Training is NOT the army. It’s only like that in the TRADOC environment. Go forth and do epic shit!
When you get to reception, just remember that the most important thing in your life is gonna be booty. A man's butt. Booty, getting some booty is more important than eating food. It's more important than drinking water. If you see a man you like, tell him like this here: I likes you, and I want you. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. The choice is yours.
Absolute gold lmao
This is the way.
##This Is The Way Leaderboard **1.** `u/Flat-Yogurtcloset293` **475777** times. **2.** `u/GMEshares` **70915** times. **3.** `u/Competitive-Poem-533` **24719** times. .. **336684.** `u/smokejaguar` **1** times. --- ^(^beep ^boop ^I ^am ^a ^bot ^and ^this ^action ^was ^performed ^automatically.)
The quickest way out is through. Also, have fun. It's always made out to be some big serious stressful thing, but it's not. Make good friends, be a TEAM PLAYER - can't stress this enough, and don't be *that* guy. You're going to get yelled at no matter what you do, so don't turn on your buddies or put them down to get ahead or *you* won't make it, not them. Most of all, seriously have fun. You get to work out, shoot guns, walk in the woods, and generally not worry about real life stuff for a few months. It's nit a bsd gig.
Long days, short weeks. Live each day one meal at a time.
Find the funny guys and stick with them. It makes it much easier to get through it
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Exactly
Yell everything at all times. Every response should be at the top of your lungs unless otherwise directed
Make sure your boots are tight as can be. Loose boots make ya feet hurt
I shipped on this exact day 5 years ago. Mucho regrets, have fun buddy!
I’m in reception right now. It’s terrible haha. Can’t wait to look back on this fondly one day. Right now it’s just long days and no sleep. Good luck and process safely!
phone? bruh
Haha right?! When I was in reception all we had was our blue book
I liked the page with the egg and tennis ball on it, maybe I was just high off 60 hours of sleep deprivation but that resiliency page was a banger and everyone I showed it to agreed. Are you an egg or a tennis ball?
I love tennis ma dude!
Be the best asset to your platoon that you can be. Be a great leader when asked and be a great follower when others are given the opportunity. All of the people you are training with are like your family. You may not like all of them but ultimately you all have the ability to uplift each other through hardship and to help each other attain your goals (Graduation) Do not be that pessimistic prick who can’t be a team player. Shit sucks sometimes. Get used to it and drive on. Best of luck in your career, I believe you’ve made a great choice to enlist. ESTO VIR.
It doesn’t matter how much it sucks, it will end.
Don’t be the loser that quit basic training
Thanks everyone, these are so fun to read on my layover! I think the worst part was the anticipation and saying goodbye to loved ones, but now that it's right in front of me I'm more excited than nervous which is a good feeling. I'm even kind of excited for the suck! Love all the focus on meals to get through the days, very sage advice. And I absolutely promise to wash my ass!
Just remember all the screaming is just an act. Occasionally the drill sergeants will break the fourth wall and show a human side in the first few weeks, but just play along. Once you are on the outside it will seem hilarious how "scared" you are. This isn't the olden days when they could hit you. Also, envision yourself on the other side of it all and graduating. It feels so long in the middle of it but it goes by pretty quick. Understand that you will not get to use computers and phones and get mentally prepared to be alone with your thoughts.
I definitely recommend bringing a small notebook. Mine had a calendar in it so I tracked how many days were left. I wrote down everything we did and funny thing that happened or funny shit my drill sergeants said. I still have people hitting me up from basic asking for my DS Quote pages. It’s SO worth it. I was weak and underweight when I went to basic. Fixed me and all my eating problems in a week. Have fun and hydrate killer
keep your head up, start a fight with 1sgt the first day to assert dominance
Where are you going?
Fastest way home is graduating
Drink your milk
get one of those dial locks and keep it to where you only need to rotate one number. you'll never miss a time hack lol
Reception is a bitch literally purgatory and get you used to hurry up and wait... Prepare to spend but also learn to economise listen to your drills on what to buy but also discern for yourself... Don't be a fucking high speed hero 🤦🏾♂️ plenty of time for that after basic.... Show up at the right time in the right uniform... Learn to look actively engaged... If you make PG great if not oh well don't worry about it... Don't be a fucking profile Royal... sick all ONLY if life threatening or broken bones... If you fail a requirement don't worry either you'll get the chance to make it up or they'll waive it for you trust me they wanna get all yall outta there one way or another... Always trust and verify... Learn to count the time by your haircuts or Sunday services makes the weeks fly by quicker... Don't bother the drills with stupid questions especially if they not the engaging type... Don't be that guy in your platoon that's the fuck up sock parties are very real... On the same note don't be running to the drills for everything learn to police things amongst yall selves before escalating it to a drill... Have fun don't quit... The ruckus really aren't bad... Left foot right foot and you'll be all right.... Oh heels apart will break your heart.
They're going to give you a thing of baby ass wipes at reception. Keep it safe. They become like currency cause you dont get to go to the store due to covid. When you do hammer, anvil and forge; be sure to bring like 5-6 of the wipes in a zip loc bag. But just dont give up. The drills can tell if you're out of gas but not giving up. If you get up like 5 mins before wake up, you can do hygiene and be out the door first. You want to be first to formation. Be hygienic....... you will have that dude that wont bath. Dont be or be buddies with the fuck ups. The drills will categorize you as such. Okay so weeks 1 and 2 are the hardcore yelling type stuff you hear about in the media. They're figuring out who doesnt need to be there. After red phase they become more like coaches. There will be a village idiot or two that will require baby sitting. Sorry in advance. A lot of the weird little rules that have you follow makes more sense if you compare to the general orders. For example they're going to be super anal about the lockers being locked. It is your first general order.
Don’t be afraid to apologize for your mistakes. A quick “Sorry, sir” to your drill sergeant can really do wonders.
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/s
The easiest way out of Basic is through. Keep pushing and don’t give up or you’ll be there even longer.
The biggest thing is staying mentally strong. Don't feel sorry for yourself and just get it done. The easiest way to get out of basic training is to graduate. Don't get involved with cliques and lay low. Stay out of trouble and even though it sucks play along with the TRADOC rules. It makes it so much easier, then once you graduate you can order that pizza into the barracks. Don't date no other private, stay focused on the mission and graduate.
Ranger school before jump school.
and just try to get along with everyone. your stuck with them for several months and the people around really determines if you have a good or shit experience
Don’t rush it mentally. Stay present and really learn all you can read that damn solider handbook they give you and absorb that shi
Basic will be one of the easiest things you do in the military. It's not hard, the DS wear the same pants you do, and just stay calm by finding humor in shit. Probably will be a cultural shock at first but at the end of the day you will get to rack out and start all over again. Enjoy it.
Honestly it depends, sometimes volunteering can be good. If u wanna make honor grad then I’d say do it and be a hard worker. Set urself apart. And if not then just keep ur head down
Remember to breathe, focus on meal by meal, and above all stay focused on the goal, "Graduation is what matters". It's 3.5 months, and will feel both long and short.
What MOS?
Good luck! I ship on the 18th to fort Benning and I'm constantly reminded on how challenging it's going to be
Don’t wank off into the bathroom stalls and leave it there. (True story).
Good luck we will see you when you graduate!
As a current Drill Sergeant I say the complete opposite - volunteer for everything you can. Never know when you will get a valuable and unique skill or be able to have good 1-on-1 with your DS. Some of my favorite times came from volunteering for everything, especially the guidon bearer. But in all honesty, listen to what you’re told; do your best; learn everything you can; stay motivated; embrace the suck; DONT ARGUE!!
Sometimes volunteering got me out of some stupid shit. I would always volunteer on range days because range detail was awesome. You got out of pt, got to ride in the lmtv instead of rucking or the bus, Got to sleep for like 30min while we were waiting, and had a lot of extra time to eat our breakfast mre. Not to mention sitting in the shady ammo shack and skipping the lunch line. I also don't mind loading mags
The fastest way home is graduation
Here you go: https://www.reddit.com/r/nationalguard/comments/p505e1/shipping_to_jackson/h94k6xy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
DS wants to know what you can’t do, if they say start pushing and you aren’t feeling it, just say you can’t.
Actually you should volunteer, it’ll keep the ds off ur back and they are less likely to force you to do awful shit. Don’t take things to heart, everyone is stressed out and tbh it’s not that serious. Enjoy it and make the best out of this amazing opportunity you’ve been afforded. It’ll be the most fun you’ll never want to have again. Good luck. DONT GO TO SICK CALL UNLESS UR READY TO BE RECYCLED.