So, I took a Government job today...

[clint g]

Yeah, I didn't really think Basic was all that bad. If anything, I sort of look back on it with nostalgia since it was some of the funnest training you'll ever do. After that is when the real suck starts

 

[anti-matter]

My son was a 25F snetwork switcher maintainer blah blah for 5 years and now has a good job with ATT. Good luck with your career msbae.

 

[msbae]

Congrats on enlisting msbae. I enlisted in the Navy for 4 years. It was without a doubt one of the best choices I made. When do you leave for boot camp?

Agreed with nx. Make sure you keep copies of everything and question anything you're unsure about.

It sounds like you already have some college, or maybe an associates or bachelors degree. When I enlisted in the USN, they were offering E-2 (or maybe E-3) right after boot camp to those with an AS/AA. Did the Army offer anything similar? I didn't qualify as I went in right after HS, but I did qualify for E-2 for attending all of the monthly DEP meetings.

Again congratulations on your decision. Good luck.

I have a Bachelor's degree. I'm going in as an E-4. I could have gone in as an O-1 but, then I wouldn't get my loans repaid, that $25,000 bonus, et al.

1.) They are preparing me for it with weekly PT sessions on Thursday afternoons.

2.) I don't sleep much anyway. It's a fairly common occurrence for me to go to sleep at 0100 or 0200 and wake up refreshed at 0600.

3.) As for Brain-washing, well, that's not a concern. I went to a supposedly Christian school as a child. Not only was that 'school' more concerned with Football than Jesus or Education, they also failed to brainwash me. Christ knows they tried too.

4.) As for Basic being rough, that was one of the first things I asked questions about when I initially talked to my recruiter in February. When I asked him about the roughness he said "If a little girl who's 5 foot nothing and 98 lbs. soaking wet can get through it, anyone can get through it."

This is exactly what I mean by not preparing you. They obviously want you to pass the entrace exam, and why they are having you do some PT. They also want you to pass the weight/height requirement if you're overweight. Other than that, they say stupid things like if a girl can do it, you can. It's going to be hard, and you'll remember that your recruiters never warned you. I'm not saying that you can't do it. Most don't wash out. But they're being nonchalant about how difficult it actually is mentally and physically.

You may get 2 hours of sleep the first week. Between two and four the rest of the nights depending on whether you decide to do laundry or have duty. You don't think they can brainwash you, but if you don't allow yourself to be brainwashed into following orders without thinking, you won't make it. You just don't know enough and you won't be awake enough to think on your own. You'll also make a horrible soldier if you don't believe in it.

If you haven't been to the processing station yet, and haven't actually signed the contract, don't forget to ask for your contract options. They don't offer ANY options unless you ask for them. There are ones like guaranteed MOS of choice, where if for some reason you're not qualified for the MOS you chose (for example an investigation shows you can't get a security clearance), you have the choice of getting out of your contract or selecting another MOS. Without this option, you'll get an MOS at the needs of the Army if you don't qualify for your selected MOS.

Anyway, hua!

1.) Again, I don't sleep that much anyway.

2.) I am well aware that I need to work with a team. I am quite willing to do so here since it's a job requirement.

3.) Everything is in writing and I didn't sign anything until everything was examined and explained to my satisfaction.

4.) What you call 'brainwashing' may be an inaccurate term to use here. It's probably more fair to say that they want to mold me into a team player that puts in lots of extra effort 24/7. That's fine with me. I don't have anything better to do with my time.

I went through Army Basic in 2006 at Ft. Knox, which is arguably tied for the toughest Basic course in the Army with Ft. Benning.

It was not hard.

We started with 160 soldiers, we graduated with 155 soldiers. Of the five that did not graduate, four were injured during training or had prior health conditions they had not reported initially. One was recycled to another unit because he tried to steal some night vision goggles.

The Army wants you to graduate, it wants every recruit to graduate, it tailors the training so that everyone can pass.

What you will have to put up with is relentless stupidity. Sleep deprivation for no other reason than to get you used to working while tired and to stress you out. Cleaning various pieces of equipment to ridiculous standards.

Learn to cheat the system, get your platoon organized, you can accomplish great things if you work together. And the Drills want you to do it, they won't tell you that, but they want it.

Post stollies and rabbits around your platoon's area so you can nap, pass test information around, it is a team sport, work as a unit.

That's the conclusion I reached when I began thinking about joining the service. I guess organizing the platoon will be my first lesson in leadership training, albeit an informal one. I'm sure it will come in handy since I do intend to drop my OCS packet and become an officer ASAP/When the CLRP eliminates my student loans.