What is basic training like?

[KK]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: DorkBoy
THE AIRFORCE probably has you do 10 pushups and run 1.5 miles in 20 minutes, I wouldn't worry about it.

My cousin went through basic last fall in the Air Force. He was a very fit, healthy, rock climber going in, and HE said that it was tough as hell. I believe his first hand account over anyone elses.

Unfortunately, basic training is no longer as mentally challenging now as it once was. Did you know that recruits now have a "time out" card? When they feel that they are being pushed too hard, they give their drill instructor one of these cards and they get a break. You could even use this card if you're being screamed in the face by the SGT. Gunnery Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket would be fired and courtmartialed in today's military. I think you're allowed to use 1 per day.

This is no joke either (I work for the Army)

Well if your cousin was that fit and said it was tough as hell, they must have changed a whole hell of alot in 10 years. I actually was in better shape in the beginning than in the end, probably even gained some weight. There was just too much other BS that won out over anything physical. Of course it was I believe six weeks back then, compare to today I think it is 8 weeks. Maybe they figured out that they need more physical training, and less time folding your underwear.

KK

 

[RDWYTruckDriver]

I went through in 1983 for the U.S Army at Fort Knox. I had a combat MOS so I really went through 16 weeks of it. It was tuff and at times thought I wouldn't make it but everyday you get through you gain confidence. It's tuff but well worth the outcome and I still look back on it as a positive influence in my life.

 

[jemcam]

BTW, it's also widely known the the A/F has the best food, billetts, and amenities.

 

[Ylen13]

why join the arm forces, when you can get a civilian job that pays much better with out all of the bs that arm forces have

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Ylen13
why join the arm forces, when you can get a civilian job that pays much better with out all of the bs that arm forces have

Ask my unemployed-for-2-years-now-since-laid-off-and-not-for-sending-out-thousands-of-resumes-ass that question.

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: Ylen13
why join the arm forces, when you can get a civilian job that pays much better with out all of the bs that arm forces have

How about the hardest training you'll ever get? How about a challenging job? How about being able to pick nearly any career you'd want from being a mortician, medic, mechanic, wireless technician, pilot, etc? How about benefits? How about stability? How about upward mobility? How about free housing and meals? How about being part of the strongest military the world has ever seen? How about comraderie, pride, and serving your country?

I can go on, but I've just barely scraped the surface.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: DorkBoy
THE AIRFORCE probably has you do 10 pushups and run 1.5 miles in 20 minutes, I wouldn't worry about it.

AirFarce.....

Try the Marines. Boot Camp is the most fun you will ever have with your pants on.

Oh wait, did I say FUN? Hell, I ment HELL! 😉

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: jemcam

Originally posted by: Ylen13
why join the arm forces, when you can get a civilian job that pays much better with out all of the bs that arm forces have

How about the hardest training you'll ever get? How about a challenging job? How about being able to pick nearly any career you'd want from being a mortician, medic, mechanic, wireless technician, pilot, etc? How about benefits? How about stability? How about upward mobility? How about free housing and meals? How about being part of the strongest military the world has ever seen? How about comraderie, pride, and serving your country?

I can go on, but I've just barely scraped the surface.

i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

 

[thebestMAX]

I enlisted in the AF at the ripe old age of 23. Wasnt in the best shape of my life and I had never been an athlete, hated gym in HS, didnt like football or baseball either. Basically a "geek" like you guys here!!! 😀

The only trouble I had in Basic was the running. Could do it, just not fast enough. Push ups were a bitch though.

Saw a lot of guys not make it ONLY because of their mental attitude. Bigger, stronger physically but..........

I went in for the education but today Id go Navy, wish I had done so then. AF may have it easier but not in all cases.

BTW, I didnt have a degree then and passed the test for OCS but only if I went ARMY.

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: Ylen13

Originally posted by: jemcam

Originally posted by: Ylen13
why join the arm forces, when you can get a civilian job that pays much better with out all of the bs that arm forces have

How about the hardest training you'll ever get? How about a challenging job? How about being able to pick nearly any career you'd want from being a mortician, medic, mechanic, wireless technician, pilot, etc? How about benefits? How about stability? How about upward mobility? How about free housing and meals? How about being part of the strongest military the world has ever seen? How about comraderie, pride, and serving your country?

I can go on, but I've just barely scraped the surface.

i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Laid off by the Army? That's a new one on me, and I was in the Army from 1985 to 2002. I didn't hear of anyone getting "laid off". I know of a couple people that got early "buy outs" and retired, but they were within spitting distance of retiring anyway. Everyone who could still meet the standards and wanted to stay in, did.

Otherwise, you sound like a selfish bastard that only cares about himself and making money. There's a hell of a lot more to life than that, trust me. I make 3x what I made in the Army now that I'm a civilian, but I would gladly give up pay to get some of the job satisfaction, good friends and change of pace that I got daily in the Army.

All I can say SunnyD, is ask someone who's been in, not someone who hasn't.

Ylen13, your current career obviously doesn't require any communication skills!

 

[thebestMAX]

jencam-

Hes a spoiled brat.

Why didnt you stay the full 20?? Just curious. PM me if you like.

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: thebestMAX
jencam-

Hes a spoiled brat.

Why didnt you stay the full 20?? Just curious. PM me if you like.

Lots of reasons, mainly because I was looking at having to go to a bunch more schools and be away from home a lot, I had a young son that I wanted to be around, and it gets really hard to stay in as an Officer because you have to keep moving up or get out. The higher you go in the Officer ranks, the rank structure gets significantly smaller in each step. I could have reverted back to enlisted and finished my career as enlisted, but retired as an Officer. You can do that if you've completed at least 10 years as an Officer, but I decided it was time. I never did it for retirement, I always said I'd stay in as long as I was enjoying it, which I did, but I was looking at some pretty lengthy schools with no guarantee in promotion, so I decided not to roll the dice. In retrospect, I should have gone in to OCS a couple of years later, then retired as a Captain. As it was, I'd have to be a Lieutenant Colonel which is pretty damn hard to do, even with good political connections, as it should be.

 

[thebestMAX]

Got it. Thanks.

Know what you mean about the Schools but I loved em.

 

[SunnyD]

Well, I'm considering and asking for several reasons really.

Considering because of such aspects such as stability, advancement, opportunity, and just a better overall way of life than what I'm stuck with right now. Asking because as I said, I'm not really much of a physical person, somewhat overweight (relative, I by no means am rotund), out of shape, and have had a very sedentary lifestyle the last 5 years or so.

The mental aspect of basic I'm aware of, and it's something that I can easily deal with - and have all of my life. Hell, I currently am pushing limits with fatigue right now (mental) just dealing with my kids. I know it's a different ballpark, but mentally I can hang with the best of 'em - I am nothing if not persistent.

The physical aspect worries me. I have never been athletically inclined - I did find sports somewhat fun, played tennis and (almost) varsity football in my junior year in highschool. Best physical condition I've ever been in in my life during that time - but again, that was pretty much 10 years ago. Physical conditioning is something I can do if I really want to, but doing it "cold-turkey" might be a little too much shock on my body.

Material reasoning why I'm even considering such a drastic measure - obviously - I need to do SOMETHING with my life right now. The IT industry is hell right now, and even everything else I've been searching out peripherally has been a bust for me (financial, insurance, service, etc). I have a rather narrow and specialized skillset currently, and that's making it very difficult to find a job. At least in the Air Force I know I have the opportunity to do the things I like, and coming out ahead in the end is potentially worthwhile -- ultimate goal is to be able to move into the commercial DoD contract software industry, something currently which lack of a security clearance is hindering me from.

I just don't want to waste people's time and disappoint my already rather disappointed family with yet another failure. Hence, I get to analyze this to death (and no, this isn't a spontanious thing - I've been considering this for some 6 months now).

Well, there's my motives for it. I'm not looking for a push in any direction here, I'm honestly trying to gather all the information I need to make a proper (potentially life-altering) decision.

 

[jemcam]

If you are persistent like you said, you won't have a problem. Physically, I wouldn't worry about it. We had some pretty fat fvcks in my basic school and AIT, and they made it. Realistically, the standards are not very high, in my opinion, they are just a baseline to keep guys exercising. I went to Basic as a 23 year old myself, and had been partying and living the life of a party animal for the past 5 or 6 years prior to that. I was certainly not in good shape when I arrived, but I found out quickly that I was in better shape than the younger guys.

If you can do 10 pushups, 20 situps, and run two miles without stopping, you won't have a thing to worry about. One of the drill sergeant's main jobs is seeing to it that you pass the PT test, and they're quite good.

Physically, I wouldn't let it stop you. Make sure you talk to the recruiter about all your options. There are several MOS's that offer bonuses for signing up, but many times they aren't the most desirable. I got about a $2000 bonus for signing up as a unit clerk, and got half of it when I graduated AIT, and another 1/4 when I completed my first or second year. I never got the final payment because I switched MOS's to something that was more interesting. It was worth losing $500, believe me.

Hey, if you can get into OCS or OTS, go for it. You usually get E6 pay when in those programs, at least in the Army they did. ROTC cadets got E5 pay.

Good luck and good for you for considering it!

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Ylen13

i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Ylen13 -

Do everyone in this country a great service and stay the hell out of the military.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: Ylen13
i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Wow, that's just messed up. You're a bad person.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: Ylen13
i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Wow, that's just messed up. You're a bad person.

You should read his car threads

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Originally posted by: Ylen13
i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Wow, that's just messed up. You're a bad person.

yes i am really bad person 🙂

 

[DCFife]

Well, my basic training was Army, not Air Force, and I hated every minute of it - mainly the lack of privacy and being 27 years old in BT means your kind of set in your ways already. While I was there, the good thing was that I was taking in 5000 calories a day and I gained 2 pounds and lost 3 inches in my waist.

In retrospect, I wish I could do it all over again. I look back on those 2 months and realize how fun and challenging it was and I don't regret for one moment my decision to join the Army. As I side note, I don't regret my decision to get out of the Army last year. 😀

Dave

 

[Cat13]

It's been 11 years since I went through AF basic training, but then it wasn't that bad. In retrospect, Just being thrust into an unfamiliar situation, away from home for the first time made every little thing 10x worse. The physical part of it was some running and an obstacle course, but I would say it was mostly alot of training that focused on group efforts. The biggest thing they tried to get across was that it takes a team effort to accomplish the mission and just because you can do it doesn't make you any better. I remeber people getting yelled at because their neighbors stuff was wrong, even though their's was right. But, things are changing, and I know basic is changing also.

The Air Force is taking a new approach to it's fitness policy though. Starting in July we are going to a more structured fitness program that concentrates on cardio, appearance and strength, with you progress directly reflective on your commanders performance reports. It was unfortunate, but when you had all branches of the military together in one location, such as Iraq, it really showed the unprofessionalism of the Air Force. Don't get me wrong, we have the best maintainers and pilots of any AF, but they don't all have the look of a "well oiled" machine. I am glad we are going to this new program and as an instructor, we have already begun the program. We are also requiring our students to participate. Not all are happy, mainly because these are students that have been in a few years and are going through more advance technical classes, and they are part of units that are not doing this yet.

I know we will never be as strict as the Army or Marines, but it's a step in the right direction. Now if they will just reconsider the smurf outfits all would be good!

 

[jemcam]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: Ylen13

i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Ylen13 -

Do everyone in this country a great service and stay the hell out of the military.

That kind of attitude wouldn't get him past the first week. He's the kind of guy that would attempt suicide or something to try to get out.

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: Ylen13

i want one thing, have easist job and make alot of money, so why make your life any harder then it need to be by having challenging job. Again i don't care about picking any carrer i care about making the most money so one carrier will be good enough for me. Usually with a good job you get good benefits. Stability?hmm tell that to all the people that got laid off by the army in early 1990. as for mobilty don't care about that as i want to be close to my family. as for free housing and meals, well if i make enough of money that will not be even an issue. As for strongers military, comradaire, pride and serving your country who cares about that, it's not like it will bring me more money

Ylen13 -

Do everyone in this country a great service and stay the hell out of the military.

i have no plans on joining the military nore am i registred with selective service

 

[bananaFish]

Originally posted by: drunkmunk
All right you want to know the truth? Basic training is not all that difficult it's all a mental game to get you prepared for possible hardships and to learn a little discipline as for the Air Force "basic training" it's pretty much fat camp for pretty boys.

after basic it's pretty much like any other job but with guard duty, bombs, guns, and jet fuel

 

[AaronB]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Unfortunately, basic training is no longer as mentally challenging now as it once was. Did you know that recruits now have a "time out" card? When they feel that they are being pushed too hard, they give their drill instructor one of these cards and they get a break. You could even use this card if you're being screamed in the face by the SGT. Gunnery Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket would be fired and courtmartialed in today's military. I think you're allowed to use 1 per day.

This is no joke either (I work for the Army)

It is a joke.


SNOPES CONFIRMED FALSE


BTW, I spent the summer of 1994 on Parris Island.

1st Battalion, Charlie Company, Platoon 1188

And Air Force Basic is a joke. It's all relative though. If thats the hardest thing you have ever done it seems tough but even USMC Basic is easy compared to the training given to special forces units. Rangers, Seals, etc.