My Summer In Boot Camp

[hummer0328 6]

I'm waiting at the Airport for my flight to my AIT (Advanced Individual Training/Tech School) in Pensecola, FL.  I've already been waiting here for about 4 hours and have another 4 hours before my flight leaves.  I was bored, so I thought I would write a little bit about my experiences the past 3 months in US Army Basic Combat Training.

The night I left home I didn't get any sleep.  I stayed up late talking to other people at the hotel and we were woken at 3 am to go to MEPS to swear in and officially enter active duty.  After that was done we spent the rest of the day catching flights to Columbia, SC.  Finally, after a few delays we arrived at the Columbia Airport.  Awaiting us in the Terminal was an NCO to take us to Fort Jackson US Army Training Center.  He started yelling at us right away apparently trying to get us ready for the wrath of Drill Sergeants.  It was about midnight by now and we were all pretty tired.  We got on a bus and spent the next 20 minutes in silence wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.

I'll never forget stepping off that bus and getting my 1st taste of the military.  I'll admit that I was pretty scared at this point.  We had arrived at 120th Reception Battalion.

My 1st week and a half was spent at Reception.  This is where the Army inprocesses me, gives me shots, issues me clothing, and makes sure that I have everything I need to enter training.  We weren't allowed to sleep until around 20 hours after arriving.  Basically, I didn't sleep for 3 days straight.  These were the longest 3 days of my life.  My week and a half at Reception seemed to last closer to a month and a half.  But before I knew it, it was time to ship off to Basic Training.

Stepping off this bus was far worse.  As soon as our feet hit the pavement there were teams of Drill Sergeants breathing and screaming down our necks.  The key was to stay in the background and not get noticed.  Thats how it went for the 1st few weeks.  But when you have 4 Drill Sergeants assigned to a Platoon of 60 people they get to know everyone pretty quickly.  After a while I just got used to being pushed around and yelled at constantly.  It has become a way of life for me. 

The 1st big task at hand was Victory Tower.  It is basically a series of climbing and rope obstacles that lead to a 50 repel.  I loved it and would do it again in a heart beat.  The following week we did the NBC Chamber.  We went into a room filled with CS gas and had to take it off, say our names and SSN, and then recite the soldiers creed.  I got about 1/2 way before my lungs and eyes lighted on fire (or at least it seemed like it) and tried my best not to go running out of the exit.  CS gas is not fun!  It hurts like heck and is way worse than tear gas or pepper spray.  After a few gas attacks over the course of training I still hate the stuff but I'll still purposely walk into it just to feel the effects.

The 1st 5 weeks were pretty boring and consisted mostly of classroom work.  After that when we started BRM (Basic Rifleman Training) it ghot a more interesting.  At 1st I loved to shoot with my M16A2.  Finally, qualification week came and I managed a mere 24/40.  A 23 is the minumum needed to qualify, but at least I qualified.  Thats all I really cared about.  Over the next few weeks it was just rifle range after rifle range.  Night firing, convoy firing, situation control, US Weapons (.50 cal machine gun, M240Bravo, M240 SAW, AT-4 launcher, M203 M16A4 attachment grenade launcher, 2 live frag grenaides).

One of the coolest things we did was Victory Forge.  It is a 5 day field excersice made to simulate the invasion and occupation of a small country that has been taken over by terrorists.  It started with a 15 km footmarch (almost 5 hours long) with a 35lbs ruck sack from our Barracks to the Victory Forge FOB (Forward Operating Base).  During the course of the 5 days my platoon had to strategically take over a city armed by real people (extreme laser tag).  We used tactical squad movements to come up to the city and then we stormed the city (strategically of course) kicking in doors, clearing rooms, and of course shooting the evil terrorists.

It was a pretty busy 12 weeks.  Normally, boot camp is 9 weeks long, but we spent extra time at reception and then shipped 2 weeks early to Basic Training.  It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I hated every single second of it, but now that it's done I couldn't be more proud of myself and I would have to say that it was easily the best summer of my life.  It really was the experience of a lifetime.

I just graduated yesterday.  My parents came to see me, so it was nice to get off base for a while and eat some real food for a change.  I also bought a new laptop, which I am using to write this message. 

I just found out about the terrorists they stopped and only now have learned that you can't bring beverages on planes.  It's amazing how much you can miss in only a few months.  The 1st thing I did when I got to the airport was buy a national newspaper and see was has been happening in the world. 

I'm still in training (for my job) so I'll still be pretty busy, but I will try to visit ST when I get a chance.

Pensecola is a Naval Base, so I should probably have it pretty easy and have decent living quarters.  I'm excited to get thier and start this new phase in my training.

[Constantina 5]

Army isn't a thing for me. Like the Swiss, I'm neutral.

[DuskTrooper 316]

*Salutes* Go Army!

[hamsterTK 93]

cool.

what are you going to be doing now in the army?

[Micah 16]

Hooray!

Out of all the branches of the military, I think you made an excellent choice. I guess I like the army so much because most of my teachers are from the army when they went into Vietnam.

[cheese91 9]

That was very interesting to read, hummer, and I have a lot of respect for you for doing something like that.

Congratulations on graduating

[GingerBlokey 30]

I dont like the army

Im a pasifist. I could never be in the armed forces. I applaud you for it though.

[samantha 138]

Wow, thanks for sharing that Hummer - its a great account of the first few months of Army life! Congratulations on graduating, Simtrop is proud of ya!

[Camaron 1]

I would personally have a lot of trouble being in the army, it is not my sort of thing. But congratulations on graduating, I hope you have a good career.

[jacqulina 162]

very interesting read i dont think i would like to do what you done,but thankyou for sharing

r

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

How interesting, Victory Forge sounds interesting. I've done hikes with rucksacks before, it would be the strategic part that I'd have trouble with, I'd be more inclined to run out and shoot everything (or hide and shoot a bullet once every 10 minutes). But then I guess if you've had Drill Sargeants yelling at you for 9 weeks, then you are going to do exactly what they say.

Intersting read, and well done for doing this.

[Ryan B 35]

hummer:  It's good to hear you got through Basic Training all right.  We're proud of you!

[rhino120 2]

That certainly brought back some memories hummer! Good luck with your AIT.

[hummer0328 6]

Well, I arrived a couple days ago at Corry Naval Station - Pensecola, FL.  The base is pretty small (about 1mile x 1mile).  The base is solely a Military Inteligence school.  It's cool because we live in the same building as Marines, Air Force, and Navy personel.

I start classes next Monday.  I'm suppose to get my Top Secret Security badges this week.  I won't be able to talk about the school at all, so don't ask.  Everyone here can't even talk about it with eachother outside of class.  Our class building is surrounded by barbed wire fences and guards.  It's pretty cool though.

We get a lot of privilages back.  I can have a cell phone and can go anywhere on base when not on duty during Phase 4 (Phase 1-3 were during basic) and when I get to Phase 5 I get all my electronics back and can go off-post during the weekends.  When I get to Phase 5+ I can leave base anytime when not on duty and will get to live in the new Navy Barracks which I guess are really nice.

Well, it's chow time at the Galley (I have to start using Navy terms now).

[hummer0328 6]

Well, I arrived a couple days ago at Corry Naval Station - Pensecola, FL.  The base is pretty small (about 1mile x 1mile).  The base is solely a Military Inteligence school.  It's cool because we live in the same building as Marines, Air Force, and Navy personel.

I start classes next Monday.  I'm suppose to get my Top Secret Security badges this week.  I won't be able to talk about the school at all, so don't ask.  Everyone here can't even talk about it with eachother outside of class.  Our class building is surrounded by barbed wire fences and guards.  It's pretty cool though.

We get a lot of privilages back.  I can have a cell phone and can go anywhere on base when not on duty during Phase 4 (Phase 1-3 were during basic) and when I get to Phase 5 I get all my electronics back and can go off-post during the weekends.  When I get to Phase 5+ I can leave base anytime when not on duty and will get to live in the new Navy Barracks which I guess are really nice.

Well, it's chow time at the Galley (I have to start using Navy terms now).

[Joesocwork 4]

Wow, you have brought back some memories for me. Life does get easier, or at least much less structured, after boot camp.

[Duke87 1,070]

You know, it's a good thing people like you sign up to go fight our wars.. this way I don't have to!

...nah, even if I was drafted, I doubt they'd want me in the army. I'm too mental for combat or field work. Desk job for me then!

So how long untill you get to go abroad and kill stuff?

[hummer0328 6]

Originally posted by: Duke87 You know, it's a good thing people like you sign up to go fight our wars.. this way I don't have to!

...nah, even if I was drafted, I doubt they'd want me in the army. I'm too mental for combat or field work. Desk job for me then!

So how long untill you get to go abroad and kill stuff?quote>

 

I'll probably get receive my 1st duty station orders in a few months.  My MI school is 6 months long.  There are a group of people going to the same school here who are already a few months into the class and they just got their 1st duty station orders.  Some are going to Hawaii, Colorado, and Germany.  The only catch is the ones going to Germany and Hawaii will be deployed to Iraq.  My room mate is going to Colorado and has been told he will spend the rest of his 4 years thier.  I hope I get as lucky since all my family lives in the neighboring state of Wyoming.

If I do go to Iraq I'll try to make the best of it.  My job isn't combat arms, but in Iraq there are really no front lines so everyone is in danger.  Thats were I use all the tactics I used in Basic to help save my life when sh** hits the fan.

We pretty much are finished with in-processing here at Corry Station and are just killing time till school starts next Monday.  One thing we will get a lot of is personal time.  We wake up at 0430 and spend an hour in the morning doing PT (Physical Training) and then around 8 hours in class.  We should usually be done around 1500 (3 PM) and are pretty much free for the rest of the day.  It really beats Basic where you wake up at 0430 and are busy until 2000 (8 PM) with an hour of personal time until lights out at 2100 (9PM).

Things I don't miss from Basic:

-15 hour work days

-6 1/2 day work weeks

-eating MREs 3x a day in the field

-3 minute group showers

-3 minutes to eat

-All my Drill Sergeants except DS White

-not being able to listen to any other music than military marching cadences

-BCGs: the eye glasses they made us where

-not knowing whats going on in the world

-waiting in line 1 hour to talk to my family for 5 minutes

-the outstanding laundry service of Fort Jackson (hint of sarcasm)

-fire ants

-sand

-and of course Fort Jackson itself!

[Nerd_Guy 4]

I hope this thread stays alive. I am only 13 now and have only a vague idea of what I should do in life, but I do want to be in the army. Either a medic or a pilot. After constantly watching the Military channel for the past few weeks, if I was ever to join the army I would want to be a medic in a stryker brigade. Doubt you have any choice though. I'll be following this thread to see the experiences from someone currently in the army. If you do get shipped off to Iraq, keep yourself safe.

[DOXXP29 5]

I salute you, Hummer! It's good to see someone like yourself who takes the military seriously as a personal achievement and as a way to give something to the country. The military gets a bad rap quite often when people don't realize that wars are started by crazed politicians, but the military forces are staffed with actual human beings like yourself who often get overlooked and overshadowed by the big picture of war. You have my respect, Hummer. Keep on doing what you're doing. We're proud of you. Best of luck with the AIT! Very interesting read. Thanx for sharing.

[your_adress_here 11]

Good luck on all your future endeavors! And please keep us up to date, if you can! =p