I am a PFC that just recently graduated from 35F AIT. My sot-a team nco wants to send me to 35N to further my intel capabilities and make me SOT-A capable.
How is goodfellow afb? Whats life like for a reclass?
Have patience...I went through the same track as you. Goodfellow is all right, when I went through we had weird shifts and we were tired most of the time.
Don't worry, you'll be okay. After Basic, DLI and Airborne, I checked into my first duty station on exactly my two year annivesary of my BASD.
Congrats on your Arabic, it will take you far. It brought me back to Monterey to the school down the hill from you.
If you are MOS-Q'd, then you shouldn't be an IET student. I you're a (re-class), which is probably what they'll consider you, then you should be ok. I'd just stick your arrowhead on your arm and go with it.
Edit: Now that I think about it, if your orders, and leave form are from an iet unit, to an iet unit, they might get confused and call your unit's BN.
I was a reclass at Goodfellow for 98G (now 35P) and it was a pretty sweet gig. If things haven't changed, you'll stay in the San Angelo Inn, which is basically a hotel. It's on post and within walking distance of PX/DFAC/"school house". Plus, there's maid service.
Daily life is pretty simple, go to PT, go to class and you're done. You're in a different platoon (and company if I recall correctly) so the Drill Sergeants have nothing to do with you (if they are still there). But as a PFC you might want to stay clear because they will easily think you belong to them.
Goodfellow was something of a culture shock for my IET classmates. They came from DLI where things got pretty relaxed by the time they were done there, no drill sergeants for them, could pretty much come and go as they pleased. The drills at Goodfellow snatched them up by the collar pretty quick and soon it was IET land again (wearing 2qt canteens, can only walk on the indicated path to the school house, formations and gi parties, etc.). I've heard rumors that there are no drills at Goodfellow these days, maybe somebody who has gone through more recently can confirm?
Oh, there are still drill sergeants here! But the prior service guys have it way easier. My hubby is an AIT student and he's 3/4 the way through and they are still treated like babies all the time. The reclass guys do whatever they want! Some don't even show up for PT or formations. Look at the bright side of being in "school" for so long. At least you're not in Iraq! Good luck! Goodfellow is a really nice base. Super small but nice.
The reclass guys absolutely do not do whatever we want.
The reason some don't show up for PT is that we are allowed to be PT exempt, which means that if we score 90/90/90 on the PT test, then we don't have to do PT other than battalion runs, etc.
We have already gone through our AIT, and if you think your husband is treated like a baby, you don't know the half of it. He better thank his lucky stares he didn't go through infantry Basic/AIT like I did.
Civilian clothes? Packed them up on day one of Basic and never saw them again.
Off post pass? Wouldn't even know how to get off post even if I was lucky enough to be let go.
Two man rooms? Try 64 man room.
BX/Commissary privileges? I remember only one occasion where we were allowed to go to the Shoppette (as a platoon) and was allowed to get a single candy bar, then I was dropped because the DS didn't consider a Tomberlone a candy bar.
Calling home? Maybe on Sundays, and if the DS was filling generous. But only from a pay phone.
So before you start complaining about the "hell" your husband is going through, just be thankful that he is in a cushy base such as Goodfellow. Because it could be a whole hell of a lot worse.
