Boot camp will teach the future soldiers how to march, shoot, all about survival skills and it will prepare them for life in the Army. The following can be counted on during basic training:* Everyone gets sick during training; you can count on being hindered by various ailments because most soldiers are not at their peak physical performance due to sore throats, head colds, and lack-of-rest. Army basic training is crowded and very fast-paced and often your body will not get needed rest* Expect to get homesick; Everyone in basic training misses their loved ones. Every recruit can count on getting homesick during their training. Writing letters and keeping in contact with family at home is highly encouraged in order to deal with homesickness* Expect the worst; it is never a good idea to have expectations about passes and bonuses because you will be required to strive for high performance at all times. If your performance is not up to the standards, special privileges are revoked and it is wise to expect the worst in most situations to avoid disappointment
- Drill Sergeants have high expectations; you will need to be very fast, very punctual, highly efficient and etc. Many recruits get very stressed out and many do not deal with the added drama very well. It is best to offer encouragement and avoid conflicts amongst the other recruits. The drill sergeants will make a big deal about many things and will expect recruits to follow all directions in an orderly and quick way
- Making friends and enemies; you can plan on getting to know your fellow recruits and don’t plan on striking up friendships with everyone because you will not like them all and they will not always like you. All recruits have to rely on each other and it is necessary to deal with differences in basic training
- Count on very long days and very short nights; Your Drill Sergeant will plan out every minute of your day. You won’t be getting a lot of sleep because you will be up at four-thirty in the morning
- Your body will be under physical and mental stress; expect much stress during basic training
- Mistakes and failures come with the training; you can plan on failing sometimes because nobody succeeds at everything during the training. It is not a good idea to get riled up if someone else makes a mistake or if they fail at something. If you don’t get something on the first try, keep trying until you can master it
- You learn to manage stress; expecting the unexpected is a rule of thumb in basic training because unusual things are going to happen every day. Be prepared to get woke up in the middle of the night. It is not uncommon to have to do push-ups in the mud when someone does not follow an order
Basic Training: Prepared for Life
When you sign up for Army Basic Training, you can count on being prepared for life because the training will become ingrained in you. Get signed up and expect a rewarding career.