Tips & Advice

• Get up early. I set my alarm 15 minutes or so before official wakeup. That little bit of extra time will make a world of difference.

• Do pushups and situps on your own every night, even before you go to basic. The better shape you are in, the easier it will be.

• Our drill sergeant would not allow us to buy our own toilet paper for some reason, and there were times when there was a shortage. Instead, buy the little packs of pocket kleenex at the PX to have as emergency paper.

• You won't be allowed to have candy or gum, but Halls cough drops became "private candy" in our company. My drill sergeant even allowed the vitamin-C flavored variety.

• As you can guess from the last 2, creativity can be a great ally.

• The people you meet and are closest with at reception will most likely not be in your BCT platoon. Take some time and start reading your smart book - the long waiting lines with lots of down-time go away once you go down-range.

• If you are really bad at shining boots, there will be at least 1 person in your platoon who is good at it and will be willing to do it for you - for a price. The standard in our company was only that the boots be black - a basic brush shine was adequate, but Ive heard others have higher standards. I only had mine done for me once when I was sick and one of the guys on a fireguard shift that night did it for me for a few bucks.

• If a fire alarm or drill sergeant wakes everyone up and yells to get outside, your time is limited. We were required to sleep in PT clothes, but wearing sweats was optional. Being winter, we didn't want to have to go outside in shorts and t-shirts, but if we couldn't get our lockers unlocked, opened, dressed, and relocked fast enough there was hell to pay. I ended up sleeping every night with my sweat pants and shirt neatly draped over the foot of my bunk, which was not visible from the hallway where drills would walk. I was on a bottom bunk so I also had a pair of socks tucked into the springs of the upper bunk. This was also a great place to put my watch so I would be guaranteed to hear the alarm and wake up.

• Get as many snailmail addresses from family and friends as you can, and write to them as soon as you can. Mailcall is the best part of the day and the only positive outlet available for your mental health.

• I thought I would gain weight while at basic, but actually dropped 22 pounds all the way down to 126 before I started to gain it back as I got stronger. The problem is you dont get enough time in the DFAC to eat the amount of calories you would need to gain weight; a long meal for us was 8 minutes. If you are smaller like me, get as much protein as you can. For example, my usual breakfast was a sandwich made from an english muffin with peanutbutter filled with a round sausage. While I ate that, I had cereal soaking in milk to soften it up - get as many foods as you can that you do not have to chew such as cereals, grits, mashed potatoes, applesauce, etc. Get the nutrients you need, but then get as much into your stomach as you can. There is no way you will gain fat at BCT - all your weight gain will be muscular, but only if your diet allows for it.

Here are some great pieces of advice that I received before going which proved relevant:

Good luck, I commanded a basic training battalion: Live according to the Army values it is the foundation of your soldierization process; join the army team, do it our way. Don't be a rebel or you'll waste everyone's time. Learn how to shoot properly, it takes great concentration but it is no different than shooting a basketball or kicking a soccer ball. Form and technique are critical. Do extra push ups and sit ups nightly and try to max your physical fitness tests. Be a leader, but do not be afraid to follow. Support your drill sergeants, keep your mouth shut and be a team player by blending in. Stay away from the opposite sex!
- Thomas M, ex-BCT Batallion Commander

As for BASIC itself. Don't arrive with preconceptions and take each day as it comes. The two hardest parts are markmanship and PT...remember the drills are there to get you through. They don't want you to fail but they will maintain standards. If you get past the first 3 weeks all the people who typcially wash out will be gone and the drills will become more human.
- James W.

Gort's advice is all good, but I'd add a few things. 1) Don't actually sleep under your covers. It's not worth the time to remake the bed in the morning. 2) If you smoke, cut back or quit BEFORE you go. 3) Go to church on Sunday, even if you're an atheist. If you stay back in the barracks, chances are you'll be cleaning toilets. 4) If you don't like grits, your caloric intake in the morning will be considerably lower. 5) If you get the chance, buy a pair of patent leather dress shoes, not just for basic training, but for your whole military career...I reckon I've saved over 100 hours of my time with a little $60 investment.
- Xenophon

Good Luck in Basic! I've been in for 17 years now, cannot imagine how much my life would be different if I had just gone to the same job, same building, same fellow workers for all that time. It's been a gas, it's been the sh*ts, it is something I would never trade. No regrets. Make us all proud, do well, keep your head down, make friends with the other good soldiers, and help make good soldiers out of the bad soldiers around you. Go airborne, it is the most fun you can have in the Army, and you can jump with other airborne soldiers from other countries (follow my link to a pic of me about to jump with the few remaining Canadian Airborne guys in the 22nd Regiment). You will do well, you are joining for the right reasons.
- Diggs

I recall getting off the plane at Muscogee County airport (I think that was the name of it) at oh-dark thirty one morning to start OCS at Benning. What am I getting myself into, I thought. Good. Bad. Stories you can tell yourself--but nobody else--that keep you awake nights. You will probably take more away than you give, good and bad, and you'll never be the same. Some years ago, my fraternity had a reunion classes of about 62-70. I was surprised to find out how well those drunken louts had turned out. And how many had served. My big brother--KC135 nav with three years in SEA--observed that, at a party, it takes about fourteen seconds to spot the veterans, and who not to bother with. You're joining a brotherhood. You may or may not be sorry. But you'll never be the same.
- Richard A.

I was a little younger than you when I enlisted in the Marines. The night we arrived at Parris Island, I thought perhaps I had done the dumbest thing possible. Looking back, it was the best thing I could have done. I'm still very proud to be an ex-marine. I highly recommend it for anyone, Best of luck, and I wish I were young enough to do it all over again. Semper Fi.
- Ed P.