thats good to hear. i thought most people that went to osut were already in good shape. by the way is it true that in reception if you fail a pre test of the apft you go to a so called fat camp?

and saintlouie i get you to man i had to quit al the drinking and smoking as soon as i joined and when i barely started working out i realized how all that slows me down.

"The Weaver". Ft. Benning Infantry OSUT Obstacle Course.

i ship out to ft.benning june 16th

quote:

Originally posted by douglas4321:
i ship out to ft.benning june 16th

GOOD LUCK i still have to wait till july 12th

just wondering. what happens after osut?

What happens after OSUT?
The real training begins.
If you are Regular Army and not going to Airborne School, you will recieve orders to report to another post or you might stay at Benning in the 3rd Infantry Division. Very few do though.

As a straight Infantryman, you could get Stewart, Campbell, Carson, Lewis, Bliss, Hood, Riley, Drum, Polk, Irwin, Alaska, Korea, Hawaii or maybe Germany at Baumholder, Graf or Hohenfels.

You will be briefed by the travel office on how to get to your next assignment.
They normally give you leave with a few days extra to get there. If you did not burn your leave time up during Christmas Exodus that is.

Depending on how far you have to travel from Benning, you might get 2 -7 days to get there.
They will arrange flights or bus passage if you need them to.

When you get to your new post, you will be in a Replacement Company. They check all your paperwork, help get your vehicles registered, sign up for housing if married, Finance taken care of, Central Issue of TA-50 and other orientation.

Sometime in some dark office in the corner under a blanket, someone using a flashlight with a clipboard with a list of your names will reach into a jar containing slips of paper with all the Companies on post that need you MOS and pull one out matching you to one of those units.

The next morning someone will tell you to grab your schit and go there. There may be a bus, truck or humvee there to take you.

You need to have a good uniform on, have a haircut and be snappy because you will soon be at Company HQs meeting the First Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and Squad Leader.

This is the time to make that first impression. Keep your military bearing and don't be shy.
They will give you your room assignment if you are single and get you started with paperwork and asking a hundred questions to see what you know. You will not know Jack Schit. But, you will tell them you look foward to learning a lot from them.

Then you must go and find a box of Grid Squares.

Ha-ha-ha, if you don't take leave and your Regular Army you will board a Army School Bus (just like your HS School Bus but ugly green) and you will be taken to the Atlanta Airport for your plane to your first duty station.

Upon arrival at your first unit you will sign into their replacement unit and someone from your new unit will arrive to escort you to your Company Area and make some informal intros. Your Army career will begin. Your going to exercise the OSUT how to report class a few times.

Lets see, it was 1984 but my meetings went like this:

1. NCOIC of US Army Europe Replacement (MSG)
2. OIC of Replacement (CPT)

-- two days in replacement barracks ---

3. NCOIC of Troop Train (SFC).

-- long azz train ride overnight to Northern Germany ---

4. NCOIC of Transport to Post (SSG).
5. NCOIC of Division Replacement (SFC).
6. SDNCO of Regimental BN (SSG)
7. CSM of Regiment (CSM).
8. BN CDR (LTC).
9. CQ of Company (SGT).
10. Company 1SGT (MSG).
11. Company CDR (CPT).
12. Platoon Sergeant (SSG).
13. Platoon Leader (1st LT).
14. Section SGT and Squad Leader (SGT).

You'll meet all those people in like your first day or two. Your head will be spinning with the names, ranks and faces. Some of the above will make snide remarks to you. Most will be neutral to welcomming. Don't expect a warm welcome or a hug....not how the Army works when your new. Your treated as: "What can you do for this unit?". So be respectful, be polite and keep a low profile the first few weeks until you can learn who the right crowd is.

Mine looks like this

That guy tells you to go here , you wait here , that guy asks for your paperwork and stamps it. then you go wait there, get on this vehicle and go there , meet with that guy, then wait here, go over there and meet with another guy and at some point this guy says sleep here.

Then you wake up in your new unit

quote:

Originally posted by airdiablo6:

Then you wake up in your new unit

Yeah and when you get there all disoriented, the SGT picking you up isn't like "Welcome to the unit", he is like.....

"Why in the hell do I have to take time out of my busy day to come and get you?"

The other thing I remember is that it wasn't "Are you hungry or anything?". Instead it was....

"Theres the chow hall over there on that distant hill, chow is at such and such a time, your next formation is at...this time, etc"

It was clear right away the pampering and heavy supervision from Reception was over and everything was up to me.

Then the next day in formation: "Did you do this yet?, did you do that yet?.....WTF is taking you so long?....your single and don't have kids you should be inprocessed by now!"

Back in the 1980's your NCO's could not train you and did not have you 100% until you were fully inprocessed and handed them the sheet showing that you took care of all the inprocessing tasks. Might be different today but back then they were eager to get you through that inprocessing so they had you 100% of the time.

So something like that will be your welcome to your first unit. Be prepared for it. I arrived Prior Service NG. So maybe that had something to do with it.

They will expect you to realize fast that your out of training now and most things are up to you. Might be different with this battle buddy system and your new shadow might tell you all this stuff instead of you having to ask. So that could potentially be a BIG help to you.

Oh and if your Prior Service NG reading this, Don't ever tell them you served in the National Guard. Now I read thats changed but when showed up I made the mistake of just once saying "You know SGT, I came from a National Guard unit, some of this stuff I know already" Response back was: "You don't know sh*t from the National Guard...and don't tell me what you know or don't know, your just a Private".

Tell you the truth though one of the Army Mods that worked with me here said same thing happened to him in 2000 when he arrived at his first RA unit via a transfer from the NG. So if this changed, it changed pretty recently.

One other thing, on your first few days or months with a new Army unit. Even though they will sometimes make somewhat abusive comments in your direction or to your face to get you motivated or to correct you.

You have a learning curve in front of you even with the Infantry OSUT behind you.

Realize that it's nothing personal, they are doing it to make you a better Soldier or improve you. In closed door NCO meetings with the 1SGT they will emphasize the positive in a effort to get you promoted vs the negative (unless your really a dirtbag).

So you also have to look at the comments in that light. Don't take them personally they are not intended that way. It's all a personal growth and development type thing.

Ask for peer group feedback from other Soldiers with similar rank and time in service if you need it because sometimes your NCO may not always do counseling statements (they'll skip months at a time sometimes).

So with all that said from you guys, what can you expect when you get to your actual unit. Is there going to be a decent amount of newbees in the unit or can you expect to be one of the few? Also when you actually get into the unit is it more of a welcoming thing or is it still "your a dip**** private" who no one cares about. Well maybe not no one cares about but like you said no "warm welcomes".

Also I have a question regarding graduations and OSUT. When you have OSUT as in 11x when do you actually get the ceremony. Like would I have my family come after the BCT phase or is it after the whole OSUT is over? Thanks for any help.

hows it going guys. I ship out next month in the 19th and yeah it feels great

quote:

Originally posted by Saintlouie1981:
Is there going to be a decent amount of newbees in the unit or can you expect to be one of the few?

Could be either or, you may ship with a bunch of FNG's to your new replacement battalion then they'll split you up there, depending on unit needs.

Then they'll do it at company level and plt. so i wouldn't expect to be in the same unit as those shipping with you. But it can happen.


Also when you actually get into the unit is it more of a welcoming thing or is it still "your a dip**** private" who no one cares about. Well maybe not no one cares about but like you said no "warm welcomes".


You're a FNG that doesn't know shi-it... be squared away.First impressions are everything.



Also I have a question regarding graduations and OSUT. When you have OSUT as in 11x when do you actually get the ceremony. Like would I have my family come after the BCT phase or is it after the whole OSUT is over? Thanks for any help.

At the end.

I ship out Feb 16 for WTC at Ft. Sill then on to Ft. Benning at the beginning of April for 11X. Can't wait I've been signed up since July 8th. Pushups, situps and the 2 mile run six days a week. I am so ready to get going !!!!

yea i feel ya guys. it gets me pumped up just thinking bout shipping out too.

quote:

Originally posted by airdiablo6:
WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You'll get plenty of shouting in your face at Sand Hill.


NOW BEAT YOUR FACE WANNABE!!!!

Follow Me

The Sand Hilton?! Thats not basic training, send the boy to Harmony Church for a real education.

quote:

Originally posted by Saintlouie1981:
So with all that said from you guys, what can you expect when you get to your actual unit. Is there going to be a decent amount of newbees in the unit or can you expect to be one of the few? Also when you actually get into the unit is it more of a welcoming thing or is it still "your a dip**** private" who no one cares about. Well maybe not no one cares about but like you said no "warm welcomes".

Also I have a question regarding graduations and OSUT. When you have OSUT as in 11x when do you actually get the ceremony. Like would I have my family come after the BCT phase or is it after the whole OSUT is over? Thanks for any help.

Normally there will be a cohort of other Newbies in your Infantry unit. Get with them for a "Lessons Learned" briefing, that they learned prior to your arrival. It will help you avoid some of the dumb pranks the other Enlisted pull as well get squared away quicker. They will tell you some things other things they want you to learn like they did.

One thing I will caution you about with the newbie cohort is some of those folks take the wrong path and end up getting chaptered out. You have to pay attention to that. The values / instincts your Parents taught you growing up come into play here with staying away from the wrong crowd. Sometimes you'll have to break a friendship or two. It happens.

To answer your question though, fairly rare for you to be the only newbie in a Infantry company.

Turning Blue Ceremony is at the end of OSUT and at that time you will be a 11B or 11C. Your family can take turns putting your blue cord on.

They have Family Day I think around Week 9, not sure, thats really not a graduation ceremony more then it is a break from the training.

Thanks Erich,

That's some good info. I don't think I'll have a problem with the stupid stuff being a lil older and having done my fair share of stupid is as stupid does years ago. I just wanna go in and do a good job with whatever I do!


Thanks

FT. Benning is heaven on earth, if you dont mind sand, mud, and fire ants that is. Other than being in Reception for 11 days it has been a blast. Red phase is hard but its hard for a reason get your fat bodies in good shape so you can move on to other things. The DS are good people, they are there to assist you in becoming the best trained soldiers in the world, listen to them when they speak and take all advice given to heart. All DS at Ft. Benning are combat vets and will tell you how it is. Be smart, dont be that guy who is always talking in formation or being a jackass and getting your platoon smoked. Dont be a "drill private" shut up an take orders like everyone else. Every member of your platoon is your battle buddy, take care of them and keep them on the straight and narrow it will take you all to make it through. Good luck to you all, get in shape before you leave this is vital.