Prior service going to BCT now?

[tfritz28]

First off, for those that don't know my story, I'm PS Navy and had an RE-4. After a few failed attempts with the BCNR for an upgrade, I was able to get a waiver approved from the Army that allowed me to enlist. I wasn't offered an NG option as that is more state controlled, so am now in the AR as of Oct. 1 and have checked in with my unit (88M E-4 btw). So even though I'm not in the Guard, I've been on a few sites and think this one gets the most activity so hopefully someone will have an answer for me as it should be similar to what a PS person going into the NG would go through.

I know that they are not assigning anymore WTC dates and the last class goes through starting Nov. 1. So that means I'll be going to a regular BCT. I wasn't assigned a ship date for BCT at MEPS and my unit doesn't seem to know what is going to happen as far as me getting this training. How can I go about getting a ship date for BCT? The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Also, can this be setup as an OSUT instead of separate BCT and AIT? If they have to be separate, will PS go to a specific BCT location or are any available?

[Chaplain4me]

You will probably go to Fort Lost in the Woods.

You're unit will get you a ship date. In the Guard, the RSP Unit does it. I don't know how it works for USAR.

[tfritz28]

That's what I was thinking would happen since my AIT would be there. So do you know if it'll be setup as an OSUT or will I be making two separate trips?

[stillw87]

I'm just wondering is it true that the Army, and guard are discontinuing WTC because if so i need to prepare my self to be gone for more then 4 weeks and let my job know if all goes well (with the waiver and processing) that i will be gone for around 2months rather then the one that i am thinking of. either way im loving the extra time cause that means more money but i still have a job back here to worry about. any links to an article that states they are getting rid of wtc would be greatly appreciated.

[49thadband]

congrats on getting in. I always heard AR was a little more disorganized than the Guard. just go up the chain of command, your best bet is your full-timers during the week.

[KMANinTX]

Here is info on WTC from military.com forum.

http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/4400053030001

[tfritz28]

congrats on getting in. I always heard AR was a little more disorganized than the Guard. just go up the chain of command, your best bet is your full-timers during the week.

Thanks...and I'm still trying to get a ship date. Hasn't happened yet but I'm still working on it.

[dmoore817]

I heard, on this thread and other places, that all prior service members with a 3 plus year gap in service will have to repeat BCT. Is this always the case? I have been out of the Army National Guard for 5 years and I was told by my recruiter that I cannot go back to basic (even though I wanted to) because I have already completed it and the guard wouldn't pay for it again. Does this new policy change that answer? Thanks for listening.

[SteveLord]

I heard, on this thread and other places, that all prior service members with a 3 plus year gap in service will have to repeat BCT. Is this always the case? I have been out of the Army National Guard for 5 years and I was told by my recruiter that I cannot go back to basic (even though I wanted to) because I have already completed it and the guard wouldn't pay for it again. Does this new policy change that answer? Thanks for listening.


Effective 1 Jan 11, the Army will suspend use of the WTC as a means to train prior service (PS) personnel. In absence of WTC, all PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their reserve components, who have not completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will attend Army basic combat training (BCT). All PS personnel accessing into the Active Army with a break in service of more than 3 years, regardless of prior service affiliation, will attend BCT.

Correct wording is complete BCT, not repeat. Doesn't apply to anyone that's completed it previously....which would include all Army and Marine servicemen. And probably an extremely small portion of the other branches that might have completed it in a previous life.

[stillw87]

Effective 1 Jan 11, the Army will suspend use of the WTC as a means to train prior service (PS) personnel. In absence of WTC, all PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their reserve components, who have not completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will attend Army basic combat training (BCT). All PS personnel accessing into the Active Army with a break in service of more than 3 years, regardless of prior service affiliation, will attend BCT.

Correct wording is complete BCT, not repeat. Doesn't apply to anyone that's completed it previously....which would include all Army and Marine servicemen. And probably an extremely small portion of the other branches that might have completed it in a previous life.

Thanks Steve for the accurate information. Now i know what i have to do and i really appreciate it.

[dmoore817]

Thanks you for the reply, but excuse my slight confusion. Does the sentence "All PS personnel accessing into the Active Army with a break in service of more than 3 years, regardless of prior service affiliation, will attend BCT." imply that even if you were a solider or Marine (who completed basic/boot) but had a break in service of over 3 years you would now have to attend basic? Also is this policy only for the "Active Army" or does it apply to reserve and guard member as well?

[flanker6]

I’m not sure a lot of people really know what’s going on at this point with prior service attending BCT. I was speaking with a recruiter last week and he told me that something came in through email pertaining to this situation and it was recalled soon after. I would also like to know this because of trying to join. I feel like being prior service is almost hurting me getting in right now. It’s hard to get a recruiter to even talk to me because of it.

[SteveLord]

I would think that would be stupid expensive to send prior service to a full 10 week BT course, instead of a few weeks of WTC. Especially if they did it for army/marine as well.

[show_stopper999]

MEMORANDUM FOR the Recruiting & Retention Force of all States, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands,
Guam and the District of Columbia.
SUBJECT: Elimination of the Warrior Transition Course (WTC)
1. References:
a. AR 3501,
Army Training and Leader Development, 18 DEC 2009.
b. AR 601210,
Active and Reserve Components Enlistment Program, 7 JUN 2007.
c. ARNG FY07,
Enlistment Criteria, 1 OCT 07.
d. HQDA ALARACT 346/2010WARRIOR
TRANSITION COURSE (WTC), DTG: 161908Z Nov 10.
2. Purpose: Disseminate guidance concerning the disposition of the Warrior Transition Course (WTC)
and the way ahead for Prior Service (PR) United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN),
and United States Coast Guard (USCG) Personnel.
3. Effective 01 Jan 11, the Army will suspend use of the WTC as a means to train prior service (PS)
personnel. In the absence of WTC, all PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their
reserve components, who have not completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will attend Army
Basic Combat Training (BCT). The only exceptions are those PS USAF and USN Special Operations
(SPECOPS) personnel.
4. PS personnel required to attend BCT as identified in paragraph 3 above are required to be
projected for full MEPS processing with a Chapter two, AR 40501,
physical and be scheduled for BCT
at time of enlistment in REQUEST. Follow on MOS producing training (OSUT or AIT) will not be
scheduled in REQUEST but in ATRRS for a TASS RTI when the Soldier returns to their assigned unit.
5. All PS Army, Marine Corps, and USAF and USN Special Operations, and USAF Security
Police enlisting into the ARNG are not required to attend BCT and will report directly to the assigned
unit. All PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their reserve components, who have
previously completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will report to the assigned unit.
6. For all PS personnel accessing into the Active Army with a break in service of more than 3 years
past their MSO, regardless of prior service affiliation, will attend BCT. (# 6 does not apply to the ARNG
or USAR).
7. All previously enlisted PS Soldiers who have not attended WTC are required to attend BCT. States
must take appropriate action to ensure BCT is scheduled for all PS Soldiers who were accessed
without a WTC training reservation. There are no exceptions authorized.
8. HQDA is staffing an Army directive that will include the approved policy changes for training prior
service personnel. HQDA G37/
TR and HQDA G1/
MP will incorporate these changes in the next
revisions of AR 3501
and AR 601210,
respectively.

[fmcityslicker]

Show_stopper, excellent information. We have to remember why WTC was first instituted in the first place. It was because of the drawdown of Air Force and Navy personnel and the Army trying to entice them to bump up their numbers to deal with the War on Terror. There are going to be alot of changes as these wars ramp down (which has started) and cutting back programs. We absorbed alot of those of services members and the current numbers do not support to have Cadre.

This is good news to some or bad depending on the perspective.

[tfritz28]

MEMORANDUM FOR the Recruiting & Retention Force of all States, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands,
Guam and the District of Columbia.
SUBJECT: Elimination of the Warrior Transition Course (WTC)
1. References:
a. AR 3501,
Army Training and Leader Development, 18 DEC 2009.
b. AR 601210,
Active and Reserve Components Enlistment Program, 7 JUN 2007.
c. ARNG FY07,
Enlistment Criteria, 1 OCT 07.
d. HQDA ALARACT 346/2010WARRIOR
TRANSITION COURSE (WTC), DTG: 161908Z Nov 10.
2. Purpose: Disseminate guidance concerning the disposition of the Warrior Transition Course (WTC)
and the way ahead for Prior Service (PR) United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN),
and United States Coast Guard (USCG) Personnel.
3. Effective 01 Jan 11, the Army will suspend use of the WTC as a means to train prior service (PS)
personnel. In the absence of WTC, all PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their
reserve components, who have not completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will attend Army
Basic Combat Training (BCT). The only exceptions are those PS USAF and USN Special Operations
(SPECOPS) personnel.
4. PS personnel required to attend BCT as identified in paragraph 3 above are required to be
projected for full MEPS processing with a Chapter two, AR 40501,
physical and be scheduled for BCT
at time of enlistment in REQUEST. Follow on MOS producing training (OSUT or AIT) will not be
scheduled in REQUEST but in ATRRS for a TASS RTI when the Soldier returns to their assigned unit.
5. All PS Army, Marine Corps, and USAF and USN Special Operations, and USAF Security
Police enlisting into the ARNG are not required to attend BCT and will report directly to the assigned
unit. All PS Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard personnel, including their reserve components, who have
previously completed Army or Marine Corps basic training, will report to the assigned unit.
6. For all PS personnel accessing into the Active Army with a break in service of more than 3 years
past their MSO, regardless of prior service affiliation, will attend BCT. (# 6 does not apply to the ARNG
or USAR).
7. All previously enlisted PS Soldiers who have not attended WTC are required to attend BCT. States
must take appropriate action to ensure BCT is scheduled for all PS Soldiers who were accessed
without a WTC training reservation. There are no exceptions authorized.
8. HQDA is staffing an Army directive that will include the approved policy changes for training prior
service personnel. HQDA G37/
TR and HQDA G1/
MP will incorporate these changes in the next
revisions of AR 3501
and AR 601210,
respectively.

So if I'm reading this correctly (specifically #4), then MEPS should assign the BCT date. I swore in on Oct 1 of this year but was not issued a BCT date. I have already been to one battle assembly with a second coming up in less than 2 weeks. So will my unit take care of this or will they end up sending me back to MEPS?

[SteveLord]

Yes the full text helps. As anticipated, it's primarily for all other than army/marine personnel.

[tfritz28]

Just to follow up, I'm now scheduled for BCT. It's something that MEPS should have scheduled to begin with as (at least for now) my UA said he couldn't even attempt to make a reservation for this in ATRRS (no available option to click for scheduling). So through my recruiter, MEPS has now scheduled this for me. AIT still has to be scheduled, but that is through my UA. Ft. Jackson here I come...well, at the end of Feb anyway :)

Thank again to all of you that helped/replied.

[lindy]

How are they going to handle prior service NCOs going through BCT? I had a couple of SSGs and several SGTs when I went through WTC last year. There were even some guys who were MOSQ'd and had even been drilling with their units for several months.

[Old guy]

I'm confused. Prior service army with long break in service, now going into Guard. I don't go to BCT because I already completed it? What training would I get.

[SteveLord]

I'm confused. Prior service army with long break in service, now going into Guard. I don't go to BCT because I already completed it? What training would I get.

Looks like on the job kind.

[HR NCO]

How are they going to handle prior service NCOs going through BCT? I had a couple of SSGs and several SGTs when I went through WTC last year. There were even some guys who were MOSQ'd and had even been drilling with their units for several months.

They now will get to enjoy the RSP and then Basic after that just like the PVT's do.