WTC in March 2010

[Vbudzak]

Any one going in March to Fort Sill, OK for WTC?

[Phantom]

Check with SFC Lindy on here, he has something like this going on, but I think his date is earlier than this.

[Marine2Guard]

Sending one of my soldiers, he's not on the boards but I could try and see if he'll get on.

[KMANinTX]

Curious to how long the delay is right now.

How long is it from your physical/swear-in to WTC start date??? Who lines up the WTC date??? The recruiter or your future unit?

[Marine2Guard]

Curious to how long the delay is right now.

How long is it from your physical/swear-in to WTC start date??? Who lines up the WTC date??? The recruiter or your future unit?
Recruiters set it up. Usually my guys go to MEPS the same day as they are scheduled to ship.

[Vbudzak]

I just swore in on Friday and have a date of 10MAR to fly out. My MEPS scheduled me to go.

[lindy]

As always, Phantom is spot on.

I'm currently in WTC at Ft. Sill and, even though I arrived at 95th Reception BN 20 Jan, I didn't "class up" with WTC until 8 Feb. I did have a confirmed reservation in ATRRS but there were over 300 soldiers in reception waiting for WTC so they went by a "first come, first served" basis. I, along with 99 of my closest friends were on hold for 3 weeks. If you get put on hold, **** it up and PT as often as you can, do as instructed, and LEARN as much as you can about the Army as possible while in reception. Complaining never helps.

The BC, CSM, and 1SG at 95th are GTG but they expect all PS soliders to be professional. The Guard Liaision (SFC Martin) is a huge asset for all kinds of Guard issues: especially pay.

Keep in comms with your Guard unit AND YOUR CIV EMPLOYER! If you get delayed, let them BOTH know.

If you're a NCO, learn how to march & call cadence. Suggest learning the Soldiers' Creed, NCO Creed, and General Orders before shipping. You'll have a head start.

Processing into the Army took about 7 working days. I advise bringing copies of all your DEERS, enlistment contract, other paperwork, etc (just in case). If you have a yellow shot card with recent shots, bring it! Other PS guys had copies of current medical records...wished I had mine.

Don't bring anything 'cept the packing list because you'll get a full issue at the 95th and wall locker space at WTC is pretty tight.

Cell phone coverage inside the barracks at WTC is spotty. You'll have to go outside to get good reception. Wireless acess is not/not available inside the barracks. The Post library (where I'm at now) is great for internet.

Take care of yourself: eat right and try to sleep when you can but STAY AWAKE when you have to. Lot of people get URI and sinus colds.

Overall, WTC is cross between BCT and something else. Emphasis is on:
PT - (don't just plan to pass...shoot for a 300)
CLS (Combat Life Support) - the more you know, the better off you'll be
BRM (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) - know your weapon and how to effectively employ it
leadership - know when to lead and know when to follow

I'll try to post more next week, if I can.

Out here.

[KMANinTX]

Great info!!!

I will be going to WTC as an NCO, so thanks for the heads up.
I live in Dallas (4 hours south of Ft Sill), will they allow POV's there. It would be nice and easy to just drive there. He-ll, I'll even pay for my gas.

I am scheduled to take my over-40/Airborne physical 1st week in March, then swear-in. I took a pre-physical with my own Dr. (just to be safe)...no problems at all!! Cholesterol, BP all at levels of a 25 yr old!

So, I'm guessing if I ship soon after, I will be up there waiting???

[Ninja2dan]

Lindy, I'm just curious in case I have to do WTC after all:

The unit you're attending at Sill, is it 1/79 at 5960 Rothwell?

And the SFC Martin you referred to, any chance he's from a non-OK Guard unit?

Is Cantu Services still the food service agency in charge of the local mess halls?

And during your CLS course, are they still doing IV training starting day-one?

[lindy]

Sorry guys but I only get access to a computer once a week on Sunday.

KMANinTX: POVs are not authorized for WTC "students". You may or may not be waiting. I was on hold for 21 days but another guy in my class got here on Monday and shipped on Thursday.

Ninja2dan: all WTC training occurs at 1/79th FA at Ft. Sill. SFC Martin is a Guard guy. I'm not sure about the food...we "get" about 10 mins to swallow our chow and move on to our next training evolution. The IV stick is no longer part of the CLS class.

[KMANinTX]

Sorry guys but I only get access to a computer once a week on Sunday.



The IV stick is no longer part of the CLS class.

That's GREAT to hear!!!!......tell me next Sunday I don't have to **** my gac-mac and sing the star spangled banner AGAIN!!!.........:D

[Ninja2dan]

That's cool. My old unit was B-1/79 FA back in '98/99. Great unit.

Cantu Services was one of the best food service agencies I've seen. Cantonese cooks, they could make a meal worthy of Presidential dining. Their yakisoba was the best I've ever had too.


And it's good to hear they no longer do IV drills during the initial CLS class. The last time I was there and took CLS, my arm was left purple for a week thanks to some gimplet stabbing me three times before he got it right. Maybe that's why I have IV's and blood draws so much.


The 95th AG isn't bad, when I was there most of the cadre and civ employees were pretty friendly and helpful. It can get boring there, but it's still a good chance to do some basic PT and read through your old SMCT STP's, FM's, and TM's to get some pre-course refresher knowledge. I highly recommend a download of the current PAM 600-4 (IET Handbook), as it also covers some useful basic info that many of us might have forgotten over the years.