My BCT Blog

[sherfield2002]

I've started a blog that will cover my NG experience, starting with BCT. My wife is going to update it while I'm there with the letters I write. I hope that it will be helpful to others that wonder what BCT is like.

http://bankingtobootcamp.blogspot.com/

[Phantom]

I think its a cool idea, and his wife Emily is being a great sport about doing this. LTC Ritchie, kept one like this on his last deployment, that was a great read. Its always interesting to me to see different peoples points of view on things we can relate too.

[davidvonyork]

ugh..............



Fine, let him tell the wrong person while hes at BASIC COMBAT TRAINING that he is in boot camp...........just another smoke session.

[49thadband]

yes, this should be good. When I read his post about being called out as a specialist and dropped, I felt like I could hear his DS's voice.

looking forward to reading the blog!

[davidvonyork]

They dont have to do their own laundry?

That must be something spanking new, I remember doing mine on fireguard all the time.

Kinda ***** for him they charge him 26 bucks a month.

[YesWeCan2008]

ugh..............

My sentiments exactly

[qcomer]

They dont have to do their own laundry?

That must be something spanking new, I remember doing mine on fireguard all the time.

Kinda ***** for him they charge him 26 bucks a month.

Laundry service is nothing new at BCT. It might be dependant upon BCT location, I dont think so though. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Most people elect not to use it though because you wont get your clothes back anytime soon and youre likely to be missing stuff or get someone else's stuff.

[Lance13A]

That's news to me. I guess it depends on the location, like you said. We had an extra guy on fireguard duty doing ours.

[qcomer]

Fireguard was not allowed to do ours, they were to monitor the bay.

Ocasionally if a DS was being "nice" they would let CQ take a few peoples down and do them on CQ duty. This didnt happen often.

What did happen is every other Sunday or so we would find time to do Laundry. This results in a couple hundred people trying to cram into a laundry room with about 6 working washers and 4 working dryers. You had better watch your stuff too or it would come up missing.

Most people that got laundry done were the people who didnt go to church hah. We did it after raking the company lawn on our bellies with our hands (no rake). We had to low crawl and pickup every leaf on the way, if we missed one everyone started over. I went in the fall :( haha. We did this in our PTs so that way we could make sure all of our ACUs were ready to wash ASAP lmao.

[49thadband]

if you wait long enough, something comes back. The laundry was done for us in 1983, never had a problem with getting someone else's clothing.

I'm impressed with his PT. He's probably gonna max the test.


pretty impressed they did a road march so early in basic. I don't think we did much of that until later. I don't even think we were issued all of that field gear until they finished weeding out the fat and lazy guys.

Even after that we had problems with the heat.

I guess part of it depends upon what you're used to.

Our big road march never happened. This was in July at Fort Leonard Wood. It was a Sunday, those DS's marched us over to supply, then we waited for at least 3 hours for somebody to show up with a key to supply.

Real smart guys, those DS's, wouldn't let us take off any gear, we stood there, baking in the heat, standing on asphalt. Finally, did let us take off some gear last hour.

Started road march, four guys fell out in first four miles, that was it, we were done. Obviously me being from Texas, I was never in any danger of falling out, but we had an entire platoon from Wisconsin.

Now you want to talk about dumb, think about that. You're used to mild summers, so you send an entire platoon to Fort Leonard Wood in the summer?

[WIBecky74]

if you wait long enough, something comes back. The laundry was done for us in 1983, never had a problem with getting someone else's clothing.

I'm impressed with his PT. He's probably gonna max the test.


pretty impressed they did a road march so early in basic. I don't think we did much of that until later. I don't even think we were issued all of that field gear until they finished weeding out the fat and lazy guys.

Even after that we had problems with the heat.

I guess part of it depends upon what you're used to.

Our big road march never happened. This was in July at Fort Leonard Wood. It was a Sunday, those DS's marched us over to supply, then we waited for at least 3 hours for somebody to show up with a key to supply.

Real smart guys, those DS's, wouldn't let us take off any gear, we stood there, baking in the heat, standing on asphalt. Finally, did let us take off some gear last hour.

Started road march, four guys fell out in first four miles, that was it, we were done. Obviously me being from Texas, I was never in any danger of falling out, but we had an entire platoon from Wisconsin.

Now you want to talk about dumb, think about that. You're used to mild summers, so you send an entire platoon to Fort Leonard Wood in the summer?

Yeah go figure, that platoon of Wisconsinites could end up in a desert one day in THAT heat, how dumb!

[M-T]

For my platoon/company at least, the laundry service was optional. I never signed up for it and I'm glad I didn't. A number of people had things return very late, two of my buddies had entire bags vanish entirely. At least one of the DS's told us that for his platoon he told them all not to sign up for it. Then again, we were allowed to do laundry during fireguard, so the washers/dryers were pretty much going nonstop all night.

This is a good blog so far, amazed he was able to pump out a good letter so often, especially in that first week. Also it's interesting that they got right to the good stuff like the warrior tower so early, ours was filled with endless 'class' time on EO policies and such between smoke sessions.

Also a 2 mile ruck that early? I recall the first time we marched back from a classroom, maybe a mile, early on with our IBA, kevlar and ruck. People were all pissy, the formation was super loose due to slowpokes and some of the girls (no offense females) were honestly on the verge of crying. I think a two miler would have been too much :rolleyes:

BCT blogs are fun. Basic is full of good memories.... once you're out and back home :D

[bojangleman]

I've really enjoyed reading this. I'm excited to keep on reading the rest of it. Stuff like this interests me like no other... haha

Alex

[49thadband]

pay attention people who want to get the most out of basic, (ROTC guys). His company has only 75 people, and he's only on day 15! They will most likely lose a few along the way. This is a testament to going to basic in the fall, smaller class sizes mean more meaningful instruction, especially when it comes to things like zeroing your weapon, throwing grenades, etc. I can't believe they do the gas chamber so early. I hope he keeps up the letters, it sounds like if his company can inflict some discipline on those kids who are talking, they could have a great rest of basic. It would be really interesting to see how many graduate from his company. I would guess about 68-70.

[49thadband]

sounds pretty relaxed doesn't it? 1.5 hours of free time at night? wow! But he's got a lot going on being the head honcho and all. With his Pt score already at 230, he's headed for 275+, depending upon how much they run. Looking forward to reading about that 5 day FTX and final PT test.

will also be interesting to see if PVT hardcore will make it to graduation or not.

[49thadband]

okay, I am shocked. PT has almost disappeared from his basic!? Once a week. Didn't have time for PT, because of having to march to the range? He's got his platoon and company squared away really good, but what kind of basic is it that almost stops doing PT?

I don't have a photographic memory, but I sure don't remember once a week PT, ours was everyday except maybe Sat. and Sunday.


And all day Sunday off. He's not gonna get to 270 on his PT test, most likely, because of a lack of reps on the run.

Of course, maybe it's because his company is in such great shape? It's possible, I do remember seeing the company in front of us, in late May. this was a small group of men, maybe 80-100 marching around about a week before their basic ended, they looked sharp, everybody was marching perfectly, nobody looked out-of-shape at all. Perfectly squared away group.

[49thadband]

congrats on the ASUs and congrats on getting fired. He must have been sooo relieved. looking forward to seeing if they attempt a long road march.

[11Bang]

Man..his first MRE in week 6...and they sleep in tents..PT couple times a week?? Jealous..

[jester]

I really enjoy reading this guys blog. Sometimes I even look forward to it. It gives me a little something to look forward to, or not in some cases, when I ship in 12 days. Nice work on his part and his wifes part on keeping the blog up.

[robert178]

When i really enjoy reading his blog i can't compute how kind of "low drag" his BCT is...i mean movies, first MRE in week 6...?...common...what in the **** is this? Boy Scouts camp?
Anyhow, guy is doing a good job and it looks like he is having tons of fun.

[49thadband]

I'm thinking his basic is so easy in part because his company is smaller, and maybe mostly everyone showed up in good shape? iow, if a company of only 80 did a 2nd diagnostic pt test 3 weeks in and everybody passed, why waste time doing PT everyday? Except for the usual immaturity problems, sounds like it's probably one of the smoothest classes any of us have ever heard of.

One other thing, sounds like his lead DS is female, I wonder if that means she's more flexible with the training schedule than a man would be. The trainees might even listen to her better the first time also, because the immature guys are used to having female teachers in high school.

just a thought.

[49thadband]

congratulations on your award! Sounds like you're on your way home about now. will be interesting to see what additional info he has. It does look like they've done away with long road marches, opting for more FTXs instead. This is not your father's basic training, for sure!


I guess my biggest question is how did it feel being part of a fairly small platoon and company, and just how many soldiers actually did graduate?

I was in a group so large, the D. Sargent didn't even know my name until about week 6.

[sherfield2002]

I finally made it back home!

Thanks for your support and comments. I've still got a few more posts to make about BCT on things like Vic Forge, family day, graduation, etc. I'll be making those in the next few days as well as adding some pics to the blog.

I'm going to go ahead and answer some questions for you guys too.

Yes, my BCT experience was not typical. The size of our company (about 75 soldiers) and our battalion (about 400) was very small compared to the typical size. They told us most companies had about 240 soldiers per cycle, so the battalion would have had about 1400 graduating. This meant several things were different for us. Training that would normally take a company all day to complete, such as ranges, only took us a few hours so we ended up with a lot more down time than normal. We usually spent this extra time cleaning our weapons or the barracks. Our budget was also smaller than normal. This is why we had to cut out some things. MRE's would be a good example. MRE's are the most expensive meals in BCT, so we only ate them for lunch during our 3 day FTX. We even cut them out of Vic Forge and had Hot A's instead.

Our DS's had a huge impact on my experience. Just from talking to soldiers in other companies, I can tell you that my DS's were more laid back than most. As long as we were doing the right thing, they did ride us too hard. They were much more concerned with training us than playing mind games, smoking us for no reason, etc. This is why my company did so much better at BRM for example. We had 3 Hawkeyes, no other company had any. We had 30 qualify as experts, the next closest company had 7.

If you have any other questions, just ask, and keep checking my blog for updates.

[49thadband]

how big was your platoon?

Did they eliminate road marches from basic, or did I miss that part? By road march, I mean get your rucksack full and have to march a long distance(8+ miles)

I think this is a good way to run basic, with soldiers actually being able to have a conversation with authority figures in basic, makes learning possible.

The only conversations I had with a person of authority were confrontations, and those guys liked it that way. It was intimidation all the way.


Do they still pay in cash at the end of basic?

[sherfield2002]

my platoon had 40 in it. a normal platoon should have had 60. we did do road marches, the longest was 12 miles to finish up Victory Forge.

they do not pay in cash at the end either. we got paid on the 1st and 15th by direct deposit.

[49thadband]

I really like the way they ended your training with a comprehensive exercise followed by a road march. They really know how to do things. And then to be able to eat a steak breakfast in peace, that must have been unbelievable. obviously it's been too long, but I sure don't remember any practicing for graduation. One thing I do remember was graduating in the heat, with the medic trucks in the background for anybody who would pass out. I think they made us stand at parade rest for about 2 hours during the grad. ceremony. That was the last hard thing we had to do in basic. The DSargents warned us about locking our knees, and we were determined to not fall out. I don't think any of us did, but it was intimidating seeing those medic trucks.

I'm guessing you drove home? How strange was it to do something you wanted to do for a change?

I really enjoyed reading this blog of yours, and I hope you keep it going when you go to OCS. Are you doing the traditional 18 month OCS, or are you doing Accelerated?

[fmcityslicker]

I finally made it back home!

Thanks for your support and comments. I've still got a few more posts to make about BCT on things like Vic Forge, family day, graduation, etc. I'll be making those in the next few days as well as adding some pics to the blog.

I'm going to go ahead and answer some questions for you guys too.

Yes, my BCT experience was not typical. The size of our company (about 75 soldiers) and our battalion (about 400) was very small compared to the typical size. They told us most companies had about 240 soldiers per cycle, so the battalion would have had about 1400 graduating. This meant several things were different for us. Training that would normally take a company all day to complete, such as ranges, only took us a few hours so we ended up with a lot more down time than normal. We usually spent this extra time cleaning our weapons or the barracks. Our budget was also smaller than normal. This is why we had to cut out some things. MRE's would be a good example. MRE's are the most expensive meals in BCT, so we only ate them for lunch during our 3 day FTX. We even cut them out of Vic Forge and had Hot A's instead.

Our DS's had a huge impact on my experience. Just from talking to soldiers in other companies, I can tell you that my DS's were more laid back than most. As long as we were doing the right thing, they did ride us too hard. They were much more concerned with training us than playing mind games, smoking us for no reason, etc. This is why my company did so much better at BRM for example. We had 3 Hawkeyes, no other company had any. We had 30 qualify as experts, the next closest company had 7.

If you have any other questions, just ask, and keep checking my blog for updates.

Very excellent information about today's IET. I will probably beg to differ pertaining to the total and logistical cost of MREs. Eating at a DFAC will cost more than an MRE. That is why when I went on TDY and wanted to eat at the DFAC; I will get simply told - "just eat MREs to save money". Think about the amount of time and personnel utilized to prep, cook, serve and layout an abundance of chow at the dining facility compared to just handing out bags of MREs. If monetary budgeting is an issue; it will affect every training company and cycle; not just yours. Budgeting will affect all of TRADOC and not just managed by the IET commanders.

[SolidSnake9]

hey sherfield2002, Its great that you're back home and i completely encourage you to spend as much time w/ family and friends as possible, but you got a looot of dedicated readers on your BCT blog! i followed your whole journey and am anxiously awaiting more updates =) dont let your blog die!! I'm checking it like 3 times a day praying for something new! hehehe! thank you sir!

[bojangleman]

Glad that you're back! I read the blog almost every day! It was very informative and cool to see what it was like for you! ha

Thanks for doing the blog! and like 49thadband said, i think that it's good that you were able to converse with your DS and everything. Thats good!

Alex

[sherfield2002]

Sorry I haven't updated it much since I've been home, I've gotten lazy. I still need to post some pics and such.

I am glad to hear that you guys enjoy reading it too.

[sherfield2002]

I finally got around to posting some pics on the blog, check it out.

[SoCalsking]

great blog i followed it since u started it up and must say great noting all the importance of basic itll come in handy to me and others who are barely gonna leave to basic as i am in January good stuff and congrats on graduating bct seemingly very high in ur class

[sherfield2002]

I just updated my blog. Since BCT is long over with, it's time to start covering my preparations for OCS. I had my first Phase 0 drill this past weekend, so head over and check out my post about it.

[NJ732]

pizza?! hamburgers?!?!! tents!?!!!?!!!?!?! TOLD to wear CW gear in early october?!?!?!?!?!! coins for calling attention!?!?!??!!

sheesh...

just bustin your chops, thanks for sharing, good read. way different than my experience!

[sherfield2002]

Yeah, I'll be the first to admit that I did have it easier than I expected. I guess maybe it is the "new" BCT the Army has been working on.

[MPThink]

Either way, it was (and still is) a well written blog. I enjoyed reading about your experience and comparing it to mine. I definitely hope you keep it going.

[sherfield2002]

Thanks. I'm trying to keep it going, but there hasn't been as much to post about lately.

[49thadband]

just to refresh, you're doing the 18 month OCS, or the accelerated? When you said educational benefits, I'm guessing that since you've already got a B.S., you could get G.I. bill for a Master's correct, and tuition assistance? I wasn't sure you could get all of that for a Master's.

[sherfield2002]

I'm going accelerated. The educational benefits briefing was mostly directed towards those that hadn't finished their Bachelor's. From what I understand though, you can use TA and GI Bill for Master's though.

[Chaplain4me]

Yes, TA for one dgree, up to a master's level. yes. yes. yes.

[sherfield2002]

Blog updated!

[bigtex]

Just found this- thanks for the insights! Are we going to hear anything about OCS? I've been keeping a blog about RSP and plan to do the same thing you and your wife did while I'm at BCT in 6 weeks. I'm still polishing it up a little before I make it public but I'll post the link sometime before I leave for basic.