Military Thread

Brikker_sl said:

If anyone ever has the idea to join the USAF and put the Command Post (1C3X1) as their career field...just don't.

Don't.

You're welcome.

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Told you lol

Hello folks.

I'm home for VBL (Victory Block Leave). I get paid vacation but had to take 17 days off...it sucks. Only a few people stayed behind and didn't take any leave. Probably 95% of the folks took leave though. I left for Basic on 12 Nov 2013 and went to Ft. Jackson, SC. We only did processing from Tuesday to Friday. There was a lot of hurry up and wait. Being 6 ft. tall it sucked having a bottom bunk there. I kept bumping my head and shit. I'm on the top at basic now. Going in at 29 hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I had smoked at least a pack of cigarettes everyday for 11 years before starting basic (and I only quit about an hour before I arrived at processing). The not smoking hasn't bothered me there because we stay so busy. It also hasn't had me gasping for breath like I thought it would.

So far we have zeroed and qualified at the electronic rifle simulator and rifle range, did a team development course (pretty much an obstacle course that forces you to be active up and down for about a mile and crawl thru some tunnels and mud), spent a night in woods, climbed victory tower and accomplished all we were supposed to do there, marched quite a bit, got a couple of haircuts and visited a poor man's PX. The only PX I've ever been to before was like the size of Walmart...the PX we go to is about half the size of a Family Dollar. With no alcohol or tobacco I developed a sweet tooth and eat a lot more sweets at Basic than I did back home. It's still not a lot but I definitely didn't see myself being excited about getting a carrot cake or a pound cake in an MRE before leaving. The things I look forward to the most are french toast, waffles, pancakes and PBJ's. Speaking of MRE's, we've gotten a lot of those already...probably had somewhere between 30-45 since I've been gone. I had a ravioli MRE before I left and it was one of the worst things I've ever had in my life. Nonetheless I've avoided getting that one during my stay at BCT and I haven't had too many things that were too bad.

The PT isn't too bad. I improved my PT score by 90 some points since I've been there. Not too bad considering I didn't really work out leading up to going into BCT. I was terrible at sit-ups for a couple of weeks. Not sure if I burned myself out or what but I couldn't do more than 15 after the first couple of weeks. I'm banging out now though and passing the standard by 25 or so. The running is the worst part to me. I thought cigarettes would be the reason for that and it very well have something to do with it. But I cramp up really bad from my calves down to my feet. I drink a lot of water and probably deplete the salts in my body pretty rapidly. When I go back I plan on adding more salt to my breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I really don't know if that's what I need to be doing or not. Despite the fact that my run time is crap on the 2 mile, I'm still passing and beating the standard. I know that AIT will be more challenging so I'm trying to prepare myself for that.

The worst part of BCT so far is probably being 29 and having to deal with people that are immature. We are at a Co-Ed BCT and my platoon gets separated at night. The females sleep in our FEMA classroom/sleep bay and we have to sleep with other platoons. The less immature folks aren't ready to go to bed at lights out so most of the time they are up talking loud and wanting to play around. I'm used to getting about 4 hours of sleep per night but I know there are some folks that hate that shit because the shit gets on my nerves too. Also if we get in trouble and just have to stand outside in formation without moving around, just standing there for 30-45 mins because someone fucked up, that sucks. I didn't think it would get that cold in Ft. Jackson before I went in but November and most of December was pretty fucking cold. Even the people that came from the north hated the shit.

Anyways, just wanted to give a brief breakdown of what has been going on. When I get back we all have to do a number of things like re-qualify our rifles, do some night infiltration, clear out some rooms, do some pugils/jui-jitsu, sleep outside a couple of nights, US weapons, and Victory Forge (which will pretty much be the end of our BCT). And I guess because we leave for VBL it'll be like red phase again when we go back. Though we haven't even got to experience white phase really because they don't let us run on our own. We only get to run twice a week so far and I hate that shit. That's the run down though.

Is 25 too old to join the armed forces? I truly want to be a combat cameraman, but I'm open.

Active duty you have until the day before you turn 28 to go to basic training, so nope. I went in at 24 myself.

CalhoonJugganaut_sl said:

Hello folks.

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What MOS? Your AIT should be a lot easier, to be honest.

Do they not give you watch at night anymore? I know they got rid of KP a long time ago. I hate you for missing out on that shit. As far as the "standing around" because someone fucked up, that's all by design. Hopefully they told you at the beginning, but the whole thing is a mind game. Even if no one had screwed up, they'd find something to screw you with. It's just how it goes. Believe me, I did Army BCT and Navy OCS. It's the same all the way around. OCS was worse because it was all Marine DI's (and they only take guys that have done a 3 year Marine DI tour already), but at the same time I knew what to expect so it wasn't as bad.

I'm with you on the cold. I went to Fort Benning around the same time (7 Nov 2002 start date) and it was the coldest I think I've ever been.

I feel for you on the co-ed thing. I did my BCT at Benning when it was still all male, and I was in a Special Forces (read: infantry) unit for my entire 6 years. I've heard how fucked it is with women, and I'm glad I never had to deal with it.

Anyway, good luck. You should have only about a month left I think. Like I said, I went around the same time, and when we came back from exodus it was cake. It was like a switch was flipped and they were much nicer. I've got a buddy of mine who is a Drill Sergeant, although I think his first class graduated earlier this month. Not sure where he's stationed, may edit this when I look it up (edit: he's at Benning).

Fadaar_sl said:

Active duty you have until the day before you turn 28 to go to basic training, so nope. I went in at 24 myself.

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28 is significantly younger than it was in the 90s when I went. Anything up to 35 was good!

Sterling_sl said:

28 is significantly younger than it was in the 90s when I went. Anything up to 35 was good!

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Maybe I'm just speaking for Air Force but active duty cutoff is 28th birthday and reserves/guard is 35.

everything can be waivered however depending on your MEPs station and how low they are with recruitment that month (usually not with the current climate).

Relevant -

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Medical supplies as well.

Coed is retard bureaucracy political correctness at some of its worse. I was lucky enough to have started MCT just in time to get in on the first batch of coed bullshit. Humps are bad enough on their own, but with the got damn WMs it was boring as fuck as well. Although I was thoroughly impressed with a hot little 5'3 Asian chick humping a 240 like a boss

I had no idea hollywood Marines didn't. But yes that was at Camp Devil Dog

EAS on January 11th. Huzzah. I'll be joining Calhoun out in beautiful Augusta, GA as a civilian soon enough.

Marines that didn't hump a crew serve are pussy holes. I humped the .50 quite often, and the Mk19 about 3 times. I didn't get to shoot either of them. I was told if I became an 0352 I wouldn't have to hump again. Lies.