Future Army Active Duty

[imjustone]

Leave out in August for Ft. Sill Basic Training.

Gonna be 68 Whiskey

Absolutely cannot wait, and any info you guys could give would be very well recepted amnd be very much appreciated

 

[rezarxt]

Basic will really suck at Sill. Its pretty crappy there. Not hard, just dry and hot.

AIT is at Sam Houston which Im sure you know. If youve never been there, you will really enjoy it. San Antonio is an awesome city. Both my brother and sister were enlisted previously and had AIT at sam houston.

After that, its mostly dependent on what you make of it. If you get a less desired duty station you didnt want, its up to you to make the best of it and not sit around pissed off for the entire time youre there. Good luck

 

[mustangmike02]

good luck. enjoy doing what you what, whenever you want, and not looking at a watch every hour and worrying about being somewhere early. medic is a good MOS, a lot of those guys are great dudes.

 

[snakeraper11b]

The army is soft now, its why I'm getting out. 6 months until my ETS. Sorry you had to go in now and see it the way it is. It's going to suck, and be nothing like what you expect, but it will change your life in a good way. But then again, being pog is different I guess.

 

[cobraguy96]

i was at ft sill 2 years ago for basic and im a 68w as well. Basic is'nt too bad, the key is to listen and adapt. Be disciplined, and you will be left alone (except for mass punishment). When at attention, look straight the entire time. Always be 10 min early no matter what the hardtime they give you. I was Platoon guide for the final 7 weeks of basic, its a good feeling leading your platoon in dress blues to graduation. Always have the patience to listen to others ideas, but dont be afraid to suggest your own. When you first get to ft sill it will be pretty hot, so stay hydrated. Towards the end of your cycle you will be doing PT in the morning and it will feel like its freezing. Not sure where you will end up but i went to delta 1/31 4th platoon. Drill sergeant Nunley was one of my NCOs, i was her first cycle so she may still be there. One more important thing to mention is always stand at parade rest when you speak to a drill sergeant and attention when its an officer, though in basic you will rarely speak with the commander for any reason. Take pride in your uniform, wall locker(cleanliness), make your bed, clean your weapon, and learn your general orders and the Army song. As for AIT, it will be a blast. In processing is usually slow and sucks, but after that you will get time afterclass to do whatever you want.I suggest studying as its alot of information at once. The EMT will be tough moreso than the second part of your training known as whiskey phase. Learn what you can, dont get nervous doing your tests, and you will be fine. Whiskey side is stressful because you actually start wearing full kit everyday, lots of litter carrying,drags, and trauma lanes. Basically you will learn a skillset then apply it. Have fun with it and learn as you do, as this is where your real bread and butter is. Im currently in afghanistan on deployment and trauma is where the focus should be, as being on a line with a platoon is very stressful yet very rewarding. Always remember the reason you signed up, and push forward. Train the best you can because one day your guys will count on you. Have fun in San Antonio while youre there, The weekends are usually pretty open so you get passes just about every day. The river walk is a very fun spot. Try to check out Mad Dogs british pub, Patty oconnors, and a couple more that have slipped my mind. The mall is pretty huge(4 stories) and they also have a smaller mall near the river walk with hooters. Any more questions just ask!

 

[1Kona_Venom]

Good to see your just starting......Im out the door in 4 months I have seen so much change in twenty years. Enjoy your time in the kindler, gentler Army.

Why did you go medic??

 

[Katy TX5.0]

My advice to stay out of the bars (even if you are of age) and car lots around base. Nothing but trouble and predatory loans at stupid interest rates. Seek out the nearest college town and make friends there. You'll need to decompress from the military life by hanging around civilians. I joined a car club when I was at Lejeune and still see those people even though its been 9 years since I lived there.

 

[charba951]

+1 on making friends outside of the military lol

 

[Stevedotmil]

The Army will end up being what you make of it.

Pay attention.

Listen more than talk. By the end of your Basic Training the Drill Sergeants should be asking you who the hell you are and what platoon you are in. If you can do that and ignore the idiots who think that they can do what they want then you should be fine.

Pay attention.

Clean your weapon as often as possible. Even though you are a medic you still need to know how to shoot. Don't point the end of that thing anywhere you don't want bullets to come out and hit someone or something.

Pay attention.

Always ask questions if you can't find the answer either in notes you take or your Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks (SMCT). This is your guide to almost everything you need to know.

Pay attention.

Don't do anything unless a DS or other Sergeant tells you to. And then do it exactly as they told you to.

Pay attention.

You should run everywhere you go unless told otherwise. If a DS asks you a question, stop whatever it is that you are doing and smartly answer them while standing at Parade Rest. Then start running again.

Pay attention.

Lastly, it is physically impossible to Pay Attention if your mouth is moving. The only thing that should be moving is your tiny little heart that may or may not be on the verge of exploding. GET INTO SHAPE. No matter how physically able you are you will eventually find your personal limit and will learn how to move past it to keep going. This is what it's all about. It applies to everything you do. REMEMBER that you and everyone that will be with you on the journey represent Average America. As a rule this is not where you want to be. Focus on why you are going in the first place. Everyone has a reason. Telling the idiots to stop talking in any way is just as bad as having an hour long conversation with them when you should be Paying Attention. Let them talk and watch the cross hairs shift to them every time.

I just left Drill Sergeant duty after 3 years at Ft. Jackson. I'm not saying I know the magic answers to all of it but I know enough to have left a significant Professional impression on all the Soldiers I trained in 15 cycles of Civilians off the street to graduation days.

 

[Katy TX5.0]

Army boot camp isn't that bad compared to others......

US Marine Corps Drill Instructor vs US Army Drill Sergeant - YouTube

 

[Matts00GT]

Reclass...

Unless you like feet and genitalia.

 

[Stang Lover]

Just pay attention & do what your told & you'll be fine. Don't bring alot of stuff with you to AIT not even a laptop just a few clothes When you go on pass you won't be doing much anyway & you'll be in uniform for a few weeks.

 

[imjustone]

Thanks for the advice guys! If I have any questions ill post them, lord knows I'm going to think of some before August.

Good to see your just starting......Im out the door in 4 months I have seen so much change in twenty years. Enjoy your time in the kindler, gentler Army.

Why did you go medic??

I was going to go 15U and repair the Chinooks, but that all fell apart when I found out I'm color blind and can't pass the Ishihara test... I made an 88 on the ASVAB, and only had 5 choices, 2 were field artillery, one was infantry, then there was medic, and I can't remember the 5th, but I want to try and get option 40 during AIT, and go Airborne with it.... Stupid color blindness... And try to get into Color/Honor Guards as well.

 

[Stevedotmil]

Don't waste an option by trying to get AB in your contract. It's a recruiting tool bud. Go later. Get some money or a duty assignment or something like that if it's offered.

 

[cobraguy96]

As a 68w i will tell you if you go to a combat unit, your days will go something like this. Sick call, breakfast, back to the aid station, maybe to the clinic to screen more patients, lunch, random details or tasks, layouts, dispatching trucks etc. then go home. You will hear lots of people who are looking to get a profile to avoid pt tests, quarters before a 4day weekend, etc. Most are usually injured/sick, its your job to figure out if it can be treated with self treatment otc meds, RICE, BRAT diet, etc. i personally chose medic because i wanted to be as close to the action as i could get but was not offered 11b/11c/19d or other combat MOS. Luckily i did end up with a line unit and now in Afghanistan doing dismounted/mounted missions outside the wire daily. Its a great experience either way.

 

[Ande99SVT]

Booooooooot.

 

[Katy TX5.0]

As a 68w i will tell you if you go to a combat unit, your days will go something like this. Sick call, breakfast, back to the aid station, maybe to the clinic to screen more patients, lunch, random details or tasks, layouts, dispatching trucks etc. then go home. You will hear lots of people who are looking to get a profile to avoid pt tests, quarters before a 4day weekend, etc. Most are usually injured/sick, its your job to figure out if it can be treated with self treatment otc meds, RICE, BRAT diet, etc. i personally chose medic because i wanted to be as close to the action as i could get but was not offered 11b/11c/19d or other combat MOS. Luckily i did end up with a line unit and now in Afghanistan doing dismounted/mounted missions outside the wire daily. Its a great experience either way.

Are Army medics allowed to engage? Our Navy corpsman didn't even have a rifle. He had a pistol that always was holstered.

 

[badws6ta]

Are Army medics allowed to engage? Our Navy corpsman didn't even have a rifle. He had a pistol that always was holstered.

Yes. They are as long as it's not with a crew served weapon. The Corpsmen on our FOB had benelli shotguns and M4s so I dunno why yours didn't have at least long guns.

 

[Katy TX5.0]

I couldn't tell you why they didn't. Even the religious program sailors had shotguns. Maybe it's just the fighting doctrine.

 

[badws6ta]

I couldn't tell you why they didn't. Even the religious program sailors had shotguns. Maybe it's just the fighting doctrine.

May have been local policy or something. The Navy always confused me until I joined it lol. It's quite different from the Army in lots of ways.