Questions about Boot camp?

Question

I'm heading off to bootcamp in 6 weeks. to Ft. Jackson, can anyone (preferably female) that's been there give me some advice on what to take, what to expect, ect. I've already got the physical part down, i can do the run in time, the alloted push-ups and set-ups, it's everything else i'm not sure about. And being a girl i know it's gonna be alot different for me than for some guy.

Answer 1

Take as little as possible because you have to haul it around with you alot and you are only allowed a small space to store you stuff. Bring white socks, bras, and underwear, nothing fancy because when they search your stuff they will make sure to get on your case if you bring your thongs! Pack those individual packets of laundry detergent, they make it easy to grab one and do a quick load of laundry instead of trying to haul around a big jug or box. Bring writing material and preaddressed, prestamped envelopes because anything that can save you time will be helpful since you only have a limited amount of time to do stuff. As for what to expect, you will be push to your limit day after day but if you stick with it you will be so proud of yourself come graduation day. The beginning is the hardest and the drill sergeants try to weed out the weak ones they know are not going to make it. It does get easier so just stick with it. As a female you are not treated any different and you are expected to do everything the male soldiers are. The best advice my father gave me was to keep your mouth shut and your ears open. Do exactly what they say and never question why, believe it or not it all has a purpose. Thank you for being brave and joining the military during this time. You should already be proud of yourself for taking the first step toward becoming a soldier. Good Luck, I know you will do great.

Female
Army Sergeant-8years
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran

Answer 2

Only bring the essentials! 2 changes of clothes, toiletries, paper, envelopes, stamps and a few $. Anything else you need you will be issued or taken to the store to buy. My recruiter told me to bring a weeks worth of clothes, brand new running shoes etc (2 bags worth of stuff) and I payed for it until after AIT! The army is going to give you more then you can comfortably carry- plus you have to carry all of your civilian bags at the same time - so less is better!

As for what to expect- words really wont do it justice! There will be long hard days, short nights, lots of getting yelled at- and the biggest sense of pride you will ever know! You will be able to see how much you have changed and grown as a person in those 9 weeks! There are so many things that you get to do in basic that are really fun, you will bond with people you never would have before.

When I went through Jackson all the girls (about 60 of us)lived together in 1 bay. There were 6 toilets, 6 sinks, and 6 shower stalls. We all had like 15-20 minutes to get ready in the mornings and about 20 minutes to shower and get ready for bed at night.

You should be good if you can do the PT- most people struggle with that- so it will give you a good head start!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

ok so i read all the other answers and most of them are good so far. i only have a few things to add. my husband went through basic at fort jackson just like....6 months ago so..its pretty much all the same still. when you get there..you will have a bag that the army issues you that will have your "personal stuff" in it that you bring with you. they will make you sort out your clothing from everything else. The clothing meaning, the sports bras you bring, hairties, socks...that sort of thing. everything else will go into a different pile. You will then put everything except those few peices of clothes you kept in a differnt pile back in that bag. That bag will then dissapear for a few weeks. You won't see it. It gets locked up. SO...make sure that any phone number you will want (like..your mom or dad, boyfriend and so on. for instance..i had just gotten a new cell phone number before my husband left and he couldn't call me for the first 3 weeks becuase he didn't have my cell phone number memorized. MEMORIZE!) and address you want is also good to know for writing purposes.

Just keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Try not to get noticed. Even if you want to be the "goody 2 shoes" there...thats not even good. You don't want to be noticed. If your drill sgt has no idea who are you or what your name is and doesn't recognize your face--your in PERFECT shape! Just get there, get done, and graduate so you can move on. Basic is rough and they will try to brake you. Stay strong and i can guarentee you will make it. Especially if your already in good shape...you will have an even better chance. Don't listen to those that say you might not make it. You CAN make it and you WILL make it as long as you stay strong and do what your told without asking questions.


Good luck and thank you for your service! good luck at fort jackson...athough you won't get to "enjoy" it really..its an amazing base and one of the best ones ive been to so far. any other questions just ask....i have some pretty good answers having seen people go through basic a lot and hearing about it way to much. haha

Answer 4

You will be fine. I just got out of the military and my brother just finished basic training. He laughed and said that it wasn't as hard as I told him I remember it being and I joined four years ago. The hardest parts include: Fire gaurd which is an hour a night. Remembering all of the things that you are showed. This is because you are only showed it and the asked to do it. the next thing is the physical because you aren't used to doing pushups and staying down in the pushup position for long periods of time. a lot of what is done is to build endurance not strength. the advice i can give you is to do the best you can nothing more. no one will push up past what you can physically do. the difference is telling youself you cant and actually not being able to do something. if you think that you cant do anymore try and do one more. i think that you will be surprised what you are capable of.

Answer 5

Fort Jackson SC? I have been there and the area pretty much suxs but doesn't the Army call it basic? Anyway, the regiment for the Marine Corps is very similar from the conversations I have had with WMs, I would guess the same to be true of the Army. Everyone is working towards the same goals and need the same set or skill out of basic training.
Good Luck and you should be very proud you have the guts to do what the majority of people in this country do not.

Open4One has some very, very good advice - my recruiters told me the longer they don't know who you are the better!

Answer 6

I was AD Army. Granted I went through basic 5 years or so ago and I also went through basic at Ft. Leonardwood MO. I would recomend taking as little as possible. Only take one change of civilian clothes (the ones on your back). Take plenty of solid white underwear that are not bikini or thong, just your standard underwear. Take solid white socks that are calf length socks. Do not take ankle length socks. If your hair is long enough to touch the collar of your ACUs (I believe they issue those at basic now instead of BDUs) then you need to take plenty of ponytail holders that are as close to a match to your natural hair color. Also, if you have died your hair or have highlighted your hair go to the hairdresser and get it dyed back to your solid natural hair color. You will also need sports bras about 5 or so of them. Take a regular bra to wear under your class a uniform at graduation (wear it up there) but take about 5 or 6 sports bras. Make certain that they are solid either white, black or grey in color. You will be given a pay advance on a card that you can use at the PX to purchase all items that you do not have on you. You do not want to carry a lot of stuff since you will have to carry that around with you and pack it all into a duffle bag and one civilian bag that you will be forced to carry and load/unload. The lighter you can pack the better off that you are.

As far as what to expect...do not expect to be treated differently than the males. You will be treated the same. The only difference is in the physical aspect. You do not have to run as fast, do as many push ups or sit-ups. That is about it. From what I understand basic training at a mixed males/females unit is less stressful than say basic at Ft. Benning where it is only males. But then again, I've never witnessed all male basic. Good luck!

Answer 7

I was in the Navy a very long time ago so I may not be much help. I was told when I went in to be inconspicuous through boot camp. If at graduation your drill sergeant can't recall your name, you succeeded. Seriously, just do what you're told, when you're told. Aside from some spelling errors that everyone endures in this type of forum you seem to be an intelligent and articulate young lady and should do well. Thank you for serving your country and best of luck to you in your military endeavers.

Answer 8

First let me say that you are a growing list of hero's in my book. Thank you for your service. I can only give you this. The culture shock may be the biggest obstacle. It is a different way of life. It will change the way you talk, walk and, in many cases, the way you think. I joined the marines back in 1990 and that was the biggest adjustment for me. The physical stuff wasn't that difficult but the mental stuff was a bear. Boot Camp is 90% mental. Keep a good attitude, practice self-discipline, military bearing, and you will be fine. Unfortunately, being female in the military has its own challenges but they can be overcome. Good luck and thanks again for service.

Answer 9

If you're in good shape and have a reasonably sharp mind, the things that will be the hardest to get used to will be:
Lack of sleep
Stress on the bones of the legs and feet from the ceaseless standing, walking, and running
Possibly the heat, depending on your tolerance
Using the disgusting field latrines

Everything else is cake.

Answer 10

I was Army, not Marines, and I'm male, but I think you're going to be in for a surprise if you think boot camp will be any different for you than males. The only difference will be that you will be yelled at in voices of slightly higher pitch, but other than that, I'd expect the same food, same uniform, same classes, same training.

Take your own toothbrush, it may take them a few days to give you one. Take a few pre-addressed and stamped postcards home to save time. Other than that, bear in mind that anything you take is subject to daily inspection, and they can't gig you on it if you don't take it. The goal is that after you graduate, if your drill instructors are shown your picture, they all say "Never seen her before in my life."