For a lot of recruits, basic training is the first time they receive and write actual hand written letters to friends and family. With e-mails, texting and instant messaging, there isn’t much reason to write letters to friends and family anymore.

Being unable to send abbreviated messages every other minute to your boyfriend or girlfriend is just one of the harsh realities of being in a basic training environment. Without these modes of communication, letter seems to be a recruit’s only viable option of communication.

If you have a loved one at basic training, make sure you are aware of the following guidelines about sending mail to recruits in the military:

1. Do not send anything that is prohibited. A list of prohibited items can be found in The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook. Among these are candy, chewing gum, cookies, soft drinks, and tobacco products. Avoid sending any food. Any packages received during basic training will be opened in front of Drill Sergeants and the rest of the recruits.

3. Don’t send clothes. Not only will your recruit not be able to wear it, but they will have to pack it wherever they go, and space is very limited.

4. Don’t send letters that smell of perfume or cologne. This is a favorite for drill sergeants when they are handing out mail. This tactic gives the drill sergeants fuel to endlessly make fun of your favorite little recruit.

5. Don’t send pictures you don’t want others to see. Any pictures that you send will be passed around. Provocative pictures will be confiscated and who knows, may even appear on the internet some day.

What you should send are letters filled with words of encouragement, love and support. Those words of encouragement go a long way and are exactly what your recruit will want to read.

For more tips on training for the army or any military branch, visit UltimateBasicTraining.com

It’s normal for all recruits to think at one time or another that they have made a mistake by joining the military. Usually this thought occurs during the first week of basic training.  Some trainees will find it hard to avoid thinking about their cushy civilian life.   If you think you may be one of those recruits that lay awake at night dreaming of your family and friends, keep these tips in mind:

Tip #1

Understand the first week of training is the hardest.

Yes, everything is new and no one seems to likes you. Don’t worry, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Everyone is feeling the same worries and fears.  At this point, just understand what is to be expected of you and try your best to accomplish those tasks.

Tip #2

Hurting yourself or others will not get you home sooner.

As crazy as it may sound to you now, there are recruits desperate enough to leave basic training that they will hurt themselves to get discharged. Unfortunately this tactic doesn’t work. As a result, the recruits who self inflict an injury spend more time away from home stuck in military medical facilities while the other recruits have graduated.

Tip #3

You’re not alone.

Even though you are living night and day with fifty plus other people, at first you may feel like you are going through hell and you’re all by yourself. That’s because you have not yet connected with the other recruits. After the first week of training, you’ll find that you have built a friendship with the other recruits.

A parent of a military recruit who is currently going through basic training asked me “What will the military do if my son doesn’t want to finish basic training?” My answer to that is – the fastest way out of basic training is to graduate from basic training.

For more basic training tips and tricks from Sergeant Volkin, go to UltimateBasicTraining.com and buy the best basic training book available: The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook.

One of the most common pieces of advice you will hear before leaving for basic training is “Never volunteer.” In The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook, I even give specific examples of when you should not volunteer during basic. However, there are times during basic training when volunteering will actually help you instead of simply getting you stuck with the crummy jobs (such as cleaning toilets).

After your first couple of weeks in basic training you will eventually settle into a routine. You routine will include a lot of classroom time and hands on applications. During both the classroom and application time the instructors will often ask for volunteers. The instructors my simply say “Give me two people,” or whatever number of people they need. They won’t be speaking to anyone specifically, but rather everyone in the group. In this setting it is ok to volunteer for the task at hand.

A perfect example of when to volunteer is during the application portion of the Self-Aid Buddy Care in Air Force Basic Training. If the instructors ask for someone to volunteer more than likely they are simply looking for someone to demonstrate with in front of the class. Volunteering during these situations actually helps you by showing to the instructors you are putting effort into your training, which will only help you in the long run.

This article was written by SrA Nick VanWormer, author of The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook available at www.UltimateBasicTraining.com

In basic training you will become very familiar with the M-16 rifle, unless you’re in the Navy. Recruits in the Navy don’t fire a rifle at basic training; they fire an M-9 pistol.  You will learn how to assemble and disassemble the rifle in a matter of seconds.  You will also become extremely familiar with cleaning the rifle.  Don’t worry if you have never shot a weapon before, the Drill Sergeants will take you through the entire process.  Recruits love to go to the firing range, because often the Drill Sergeants are nicer to you.  Not because they are starting to like you, but because they are surrounded by dozens of untrained recruits holding powerful rifles.

On a typical day on the firing range, you will go to the Armory and sign out your rifle. You will be assigned one rifle, treat it like your baby, give it a name and handle it with care.  Every rifle is numbered, be sure to remember that number and never forget it. After you have possession of your rifle, you will march or ride to the firing range where you will wait several hours for about 10 minutes worth of time on the range.  Take this time to observe others firing their weapons and learn the ebb and flow of how a rifle range works. When it’s your turn to fire, you will first zero your weapon.  This means, you will customize the weapon to your body and find its true center mass.  Once it’s zeroed, the weapon will be customized perfectly for you.  You will then fire from what’s called the prone supported and prone unsupported positions at targets of varying distance.  The fun part for recruits is based on how many targets you hit, you can win awards that you can display on your uniform. 

After you fire your weapon, you will sign your rifle back into the Armory and continue with the days activities.

A couple important tips to remember at the firing range are:

• Never ever leave your rifle unattended
• Always be conscious of what’s called muzzle control- Always point your weapon in the direction of the range (called down range) and never point your rifle at someone else, or anything you don’t intend to shoot for that matter.
• Never call the rifle a gun, your Drill Sergeants will definitely show you how much they don’t like that.

For those leaving for basic training in the near future you have probably realized that you will be there during the holidays, and you probably have questions as to what will happen at basic training during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The following is for Air Force Basic Training only.

Thanksgiving

The Air Force has a program called Operation Homecooking which has been around for 35 years. For Thanksgiving, and only Thanksgiving, trainees will get a break from training and have the opportunity to spend this holiday in the home of a local active duty member (don’t worry it won’t be your Instructor’s). Participation in this program isn’t guaranteed.  If you are in your first couple of weeks of training you will not go anywhere. Instead you will continue with training but that night’s dinner usually consists of turkey. The number of trainees that can participate in Operation Homecooking is dictated by the number of active duty members who volunteer to host a trainee. If you are selected to participate it is important to remember the following information which your Instructor is sure to give you.

-         You are not allowed to drink any alcohol, even if offered by your host family.

-        You must remain professional and respectful.

-        Don’t badmouth your Instructor or fellow trainees.

At the same time it’s alright to relax and have a good time away from Lackland AFB.

Christmas

Historically Christmas is a relaxed training day. With Christmas being on a Sunday this year you will have the option of going to church that day. Sundays are normally non-PT and appointment days which means you will spend the day in your dorm. Usually you will be given cleaning details or told to work on your wall locker, but your Instructor will stay away as much as possible which will make the day a lot more relaxed.

Remember, before leaving for BMT remind your family not to send you presents while at basic training.

This article was written by SrA Nick VanWormer, author of The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook available at www.UltimateBasicTraining.com

Receiving Mail at Basic Training

For a lot of recruits, Air Force Basic Training is the first time they receive and write letters to friends and family. With e-mails, texting and instant messaging, there isn’t much reason to write letters to friends and family anymore.

Being unable to send abbreviated messages every other minute to your boyfriend or girlfriend is just one of the harsh realities of being in a basic training environment. Without these modes of communication, letter seems to be your only viable option and becomes the lifeblood of communication for your close circle of friends and family.

If you’re about to leave for basic training, make sure your friends and family are aware of the following guidelines about sending mail to recruits in the military:

1. Do not send anything that is prohibited. A list of prohibited items can be found in The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook in Chapter 10 – Packing for BMT: Helpful Tips on What to Bring.

2. Avoid sending any food. Any packages received during basic training will be opened in front of Drill Sergeants and the rest of the recruits.

3. Don’t send clothes. Not only will the receiver of the clothes not be able to wear it, but they will have to pack it wherever they go, and space is very limited.

4. Don’t send letters that smell of perfume or cologne. This is a favorite for drill sergeants when they are handing out mail. This tactic gives the drill sergeants fuel to endlessly make fun of your favorite little recruit.

5. Don’t send pictures you don’t want others to see. Any pictures that you send will be passed around. Provocative pictures will be confiscated and who knows, may even appear on the internet some day.

What you should send are letters filled with words of encouragement, love and support. Those words of encouragement go a long way and is exactly what your recruit will want to read.

SrA Nick VanWormer is the author of  the ALL NEW book: The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook available at UltimateBasicTraining.com.

5 Common Mistakes Recruits Make in the First 5 Minutes of Basic Training

There is always someone on the bus heading to basic training that makes at least one of the following obvious mistakes. Don’t let this person be you! Read the following list for advice and tips on how to stay out of trouble at basic training.

1. Hair: Do not shave your head before leaving for basic training. This applies to both males and females. Do not even arrive at basic with a military style cut (Flat Top, High-and-tight, etc.). All facial hair should be shaved thoroughly before arriving at basic training.
2. Recruiting T-Shirts: When you enlist in any branch of the military your recruiter may give you a t-shirt with military insignia. Do not wear this shirt to basic training unless you want to be yelled at by your drill sergeants.
3. Loud Clothing: You should not wear clothes that are out of the ordinary or will draw attention. For example, a recruit wearing a bright yellow one-piece jump suit is more than likely going to get attention from a drill sergeant than the recruit wearing the plain white t-shirt next to him.  If you haven’t guessed by now, you don’t want attention from a drill sergeant.  
4. Luggage: If colorful clothing will catch the drill sergeants attention, than you can be sure colorful luggage will too. Leave your luggage at home if it has any of the following items: flowers, cartoon characters, team logos, etc.
5. Attitude: When you first get to basic training it is important not to show any type    of attitude. Do not get off the bus with a big smile on your face, or stand in formation acting as if you are enjoying every minute of getting yelled at by a drill sergeant. Your goal at this point in basic training is to blend in.

SrA Nick VanWormer is the author of  the ALL NEW book: The Ultimate Air Force Basic Training Guidebook available at UltimateBasicTraining.com.  If you are going into the Air Force or Army, you NEED to go to www.UltimateBasicTraining.com

You are reaching the end of basic training and your family has confirmed their arrival for your graduation ceremony. However, you wake up with a slight headache which turns into a fever, and eventually your drill sergeant sends you to the medical department for examination.  Your fever is too high for you to continue with training and you spend the next four days recovering. During your days of recovery you have missed required training and now cannot graduate on your scheduled graduation day. Your family must repurchase ticket and reschedule travel plans.

It’s normal to get a cough, headache or sore throat at some point during basic training. You will be living in close quarters with a large group of people. You will have little sleep and be experiencing a lot of stress. All of these things combined make it almost impossible for you to avoid getting sick. However, there are simple steps you can take to help keep these minor ailments from turning into the above scenario.

-        Shower regularly- When your instructor tells you to do the three S’s, (Sh*t, shower and shave), don’t try to save time by wiping your body down with wet wipes. You will do plenty of baby wiping during field training).

-        Use and reuse hand sanitizer- Apply hand sanitizer as often as you have the chance and wash with soap and water when available.

-        Don’t touch your face. Rubbing your eyes, nose and mouth with your dirty hands is one of the quickest ways to spread germs and in turn, get you sick.

-        Change your clothes- Recruits often try to limit the amount of laundry they have by simply wearing the same clothes day after day. Change your clothes regularly, even your outer garments. Don’t wait until they start to smell because most people can smell you before you can smell yourself.

-        Eat your vegetables- Your mom was right!  Your body will need all the proper nutrition it can get to fight off sickness. So be sure to balance your meals with the four food groups. (See the video at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KE0Nfj66WHg for more tips on eating meals during basic training)

These are all basic hygiene principles that may seem obvious to you.  However, it is surprising how easy it is to disregard basic hygiene given your busy schedule at basic training.

SGT Volkin is the author of the The Ultimate Basic Training series of books available at UltimateBasicTraining.com.

Navy Boot Camp Advice

As a recruit headed to Navy Boot Camp, you certainly have a lot on your mind. I am here to make it a bit easier on you. The below list summarizes some tips and advice on how to make Navy Boot Camp an easier experience for you.

Wear something comfortable the day you ship out. You will be awake for a long time. Wear clothes that will allow you to blend in with other recruits. Believe me, this is not the time you want to stick out from the crowd.

Pack what is in the PQS START Guide (given to you by your recruiter). The Navy will provide absolutely everything you will need for your duration at Recruit Training Command (RTC).  Don’t bring any valuables such as jewelry or anything else that might get you attention from you Recruit Division Commanders (RDCs).  Ladies, dye your hair back to a natural hair color.  If your hair is even slightly colorful or stylish, prepare yourself to be put in the dreaded haircut line. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds and even worse, you have to pay for the haircut too.

Lastly, get in good physical shape before you ship out.  I recommend completing Chapter 2 of The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook.  Do NOT hit the weight room and think that you’re getting fit.  There are no bench presses or treadmills at RTC. The Guidebook will outline a basic training regimen customized for you, so you’re in shape for the exact exercises you will perform at RTC.

The Top 5 Things to Know Before Attending Recruit Training Command (RTC)

Are you going to Navy Boot Camp soon? If so, there are some things you can memorize before you arrive to make life a lot easier. Below are the Top 5 things you can do to prepare for Navy Boot Camp.

1)      11 General Orders of a Sentry

2)      Rank/Recognition – Know the visual cues and differences between Petty Officers and Chiefs, Officers. Simply do a web search for Navy Rank Structure and you will have plenty of resources to study from.

3)      Chain of Command, know it top to bottom

4)      Aircraft & Ship Recognition

5)      Naval History…It would be a great idea to get a copy of the “The Bluejacket Manual” (Thomas J. Cutler)