I finally got to the swearing in process today and after a long hard day have finished it. I am looking quite forward to my first drill weekend coming up on september 28th and 29th. I have to report to Seagirt for some PreBasic and Ait drills in the NJ area. I am leaving for Fort Sill, OK on Oct 31st as a 13 bravo for basic/Ait but not sure if it is OSUT(any knowledge of this would help). Anyone else leaving for that same Class? Also any recommendations to what I should start to purchase now for training?
Congrats my friend on your enlistment in the National Guard. I hope you enjoy your new career as much as I have my time in the Guard.
As far as buying anything for Basic Training or AIT I doubt they will allow you to use anything but issue items until you return to your Guard unit. Once there I highly advise buying a great pair of boots. I have used Danner boots since the mid 80's and they are far more comfortable than the issue boots. Here is their web site:
Thanks a ton, Raven. I book marked it and plan on buying them on my return from Basic in what seems like forever. Now to try and get my run time down...
Originally posted by FutureCadetHopeful: I finally got to the swearing in process today and after a long hard day have finished it. I am looking quite forward to my first drill weekend coming up on september 28th and 29th. I have to report to Seagirt for some PreBasic and Ait drills in the NJ area. I am leaving for Fort Sill, OK on Oct 31st as a 13 bravo for basic/Ait but not sure if it is OSUT(any knowledge of this would help). Anyone else leaving for that same Class? Also any recommendations to what I should start to purchase now for training?
If you're going to Ft. Sill as a 13B, you'll be doing OSUT. I don't know if it varies by battery, but when I was there about a year and a half ago, I was able to keep some of the stuff I brought with me. The socks that you're issued aren't that great, so I brought about four pairs of Thorlos with me (they're moisture wicking socks with padded soles...great stuff for road marchs IMHO). In reception, I tossed them in my duffel before we crossed the tracks and used them throughout BCT. They also had some similar socks for purchase in the small PX on that side of the tracks, so I highly recommend those. In general, though, leave the excess gear at home.
I do hope you like the cold, though. Ft. Sill can be miserable during winter, since there's only barbed wire between it and the North Pole. That Oklahoma wind is something else.
Legal, you just sent chills through my back. That is what I hear about the winter there and I am a little upset I could not find any earlier launch dates. I thought i was doing OSUT as well, but my recruiter said it would be 14 weeks. On my contract it says 17 so is that still OSUT?
Just keep in mind the old saying, "that which does not kill you will make you stronger". When I look back on my time in the military and in life for that matter I have realized that nothing is as great or as bad as it seamed at the time.
I went through Basic and AIT at the Infantry School at Ft Benning, Georgia during the winter. It was the coldest I have ever been and was miserable. After Airborne School I served as a Paratrooper in Alaska where we even jumped above the Arctic Circle during the winter. It was so cold there you could urinate and it would freeze solid before it hit the ground yet still the most miserable cold I have ever had to endure was at Ft Benning. LOL it still is the most miserable time I have ever experienced and that was 27 years ago. However, it did make me a stronger person and while I would never want to go through it again I am glad I did.
Originally posted by RavenWarrior: Just keep in mind the old saying, "that which does not kill you will make you stronger". When I look back on my time in the military and in life for that matter I have realized that nothing is as great or as bad as it seamed at the time.
I went through Basic and AIT at the Infantry School at Ft Benning, Georgia during the winter. It was the coldest I have ever been and was miserable. After Airborne School I served as a Paratrooper in Alaska where we even jumped above the Arctic Circle during the winter. It was so cold there you could urinate and it would freeze solid before it hit the ground yet still the most miserable cold I have ever had to endure was at Ft Benning. LOL it still is the most miserable time I have ever experienced and that was 27 years ago. However, it did make me a stronger person and while I would never want to go through it again I am glad I did.
hi, this is my first time chiming in on a discussion. I apologize for interrupting your conversation and if I am doing something incorrectly, please let me know. here is my question-my son in @ ft. benning for basic/ait and I read your comment about the temperature. Can I send him/should I send him socks like you mentioned to basic? I don't want to get him in trouble by sending him something he is not allowed to receive.
Originally posted by RavenWarrior: Just keep in mind the old saying, "that which does not kill you will make you stronger". When I look back on my time in the military and in life for that matter I have realized that nothing is as great or as bad as it seamed at the time.
I went through Basic and AIT at the Infantry School at Ft Benning, Georgia during the winter. It was the coldest I have ever been and was miserable. After Airborne School I served as a Paratrooper in Alaska where we even jumped above the Arctic Circle during the winter. It was so cold there you could urinate and it would freeze solid before it hit the ground yet still the most miserable cold I have ever had to endure was at Ft Benning. LOL it still is the most miserable time I have ever experienced and that was 27 years ago. However, it did make me a stronger person and while I would never want to go through it again I am glad I did.
Yeah...all the stories about how "winter time is the best time to goto Benning" are NOT true. I froze my butt off from October-February. And we were almost never allowed to wear sniffle gear and the PX was always out of polypro.
. Now to try and get my run time down...
