Current Events > Anyone here been through Army Basic?

(+) Yeah! (+)

What were the first few days like? Was it scary? Did anyone get smoked on anything? How was all the PT?

Yeah in 2001.

First few days was medical inprocessing for like 3 days. When you finally get dumped, all the drill sergeants scream in your face, and you do push ups until your muscles die, and then you do more. They make you run like 90lbs worth of boots and BDUs up 2 to 4 flights of stairs, and half of you will trip and fall. You'll get yelled at and need to do it again.

When you finally get to your bunk, you strap EVERYthing to your back and do push ups until your arms are dead and there's a pool of swear in front of you. Then you get a break for an hour to get your shit together.

It's a big game they can't hurt you, they can't kill you, and it's really just extreme exercise. Find a battle buddy quick.

Back in the summer of 1995, in Alabama. We had to spend a week in processing because our company area wasn't clear yet. I remember when we finally made the move the senior drill sargeant came aboard the bus and introduced himself, welcomed us to Charlie Company, then said we had a minute to get off the bus and he wasted 30 seconds of it talking. Then the yelling began, as did the gauntlet.

I was Ft. Sill in Oklahoma

The socializing aspect might be the hard part for me. I want to do the shit I gotta do. But I don't want to look like an ass either.

Verdekal posted...

The socializing aspect might be the hard part for me. I want to do the shit I gotta do. But I don't want to look like an ass either.

I had social anxiety, and the banding together of the soldiers in your platoon was near instant, there were 82 of us. I thought I was gonna be a snail and guys across the barracks were yelling at me and I was yelling back by week 2. I made some very good friends there too, one I still talk to. You will kind of get each others backs quick as none of you want to get burned by one weak link.

as a conscript in the finnish defense force, which is probably very different compared to the US military since that's voluntary, but it wasn't that bad. lots of yelling and being rushed constantly so that you could spend 10+ minutes standing in formation waiting for something to begin. the physical aspect was pretty rough because i was a fat sack of shit at the time, but that first month was what sold me on the idea of exercise being beneficial rather than just a chore

there'd been 2 on-base suicides during the year prior tho, so you could kinda tell that they were going for a softer approach

If its anything like Marine boot camp was the entire first week is a blurry haze.

First week was all admin shit. Paperwork, getting all your gear and uniforms, moving into the squad bay, initial fitness test, adjusting to everything in general, etc.

I find myself noticing little mistakes I'm making and thinking how I'd get smoked for them.