Basic Training Short Story

The training is described phases; first was the red phase, then the white phase, and lastly the blue phase. The red phase is talked about the most. Once they get off the bus they are greeted by a stereotypical angry Sargent. Before they were even off the bus, they were getting barked commands. Ryan describes the red phase as the worst phase because it is when the Army tries to separate the weak from the strong. They all started drilling as soon as they arrived at the basic training camp. “Soldiers seem so durable, resilient, and so heroic in war novels. On the television screen they're afraid of nothing. I wonder if I have that same courage. Basic training is supposed to teach us bravery and fortitude.” (Smithson, 36). He experiences many hardships while at basic training; the Sergeant makes sure the drills are as hard as they can get to insure that they get the best quality soldiers. On one Sunday, during their “day off”, certain buses would come and pick up people to go worship all types of religion; however on this Sunday Ryan goes into detail about how there was an Atheist that asked the Sergeant what they should do if they don’t believe in a god. Instead of getting yelled at for talking out of line like everyone thought was going to happen, the Sergeant got very serious and simply told her, “There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole,” (Smithson, 39). Ryan expands on this by comparing it to World War II where they would be trapped under heavy fire and everyone would be holding a rosary praying for their

The day begins bright and early at 0500 hours for the platoon to quickly make up their assigned bed, tidy up their personal area, brush their teeth, shave, and other personal hygiene, get to the line in front of their bunk in the dorm, standing at attention, with feet planted at a forty five degree angle, and hands aligned at the seams of their slacks, waiting for on further instructions from the Major or Drill Sergeant; Marshal Matthews explained to me in an interview I conducted about his time at a correctional boot camp. He stated if one person was out of line, moving, slacking around, speaking out of turn or doing anything other than standing at attention, the Drill Sergeant went over to him, and yelled “WHY ARE YOU OUT OF LINE?” Then the

Going through and graduating Air Force Basic Training changed me both physically and mentally as a person. First, physically the experience taught me how to push my self in ways that I had never before and accomplish tasks that before seemed impossible. Also, my experience changed me mentally by teaching me how to be strong in stressful situations and how to handle situations in a calm and collected manner. My experience of graduating from basic training did not change my perception on society, but instead it gave me a group of people that have been through the same experience and have the same passions to serve our

I never thought the day would come where I’d have to admit to myself I had an addiction. The hardest part was to except the fact I was an addict of painkillers and admitting it to my family so that I could get the help and support needed to get clean. The road leading to my addiction started with the factors of my childhood, always trying to fit in and not being supported emotionally from my parents. Having a child at the age of sixteen was the second factor, which made me grow up faster than a normal child at my age would have had to. Living the life of an addict was a struggle everyday but, getting help was the hardest part of it all. I’ll live with this disease for the rest of my life because recovery is a

“My company commander, looking at my thin frame and cursed baby face, decides that the front is no place for me. He has me transferred to headquarters to serve as a runner. I should be grateful, but I am NOT. I am constantly sneaking off with patrols and scouting parties. The company commander finally calls me to the carpet. “I hear you can’t stay away from the front Murphy”. “Yes sir” I replied. “What’s wrong with you? You want to get killed?”. “No sir”. “Now I’m going to do myself a favor. I’m putting you back in the lines and you’ll stay there until you’re so sick of action you want to vomit”. (2)

Basic training is also called boot camp. ‘‘Basic combat training (BCT) is a training course of ten weeks. These recruits learn about the seven core army values, How to work together as a team and what it takes to succeed as a solider in the U.S. Army’’(GA 1). Young recruits must prepare beforehand physically and mentally. Recruits must practice arriving on time for certain responsibilities. ‘‘Daily cardio, weight training, push-ups, and sit-ups are a must’’ (TM 1). The duration of basic

Can you imagine finally finishing high school, and then going to boot camp (....something about a bus….)and having large men in uniform scream in your face for 18 hours a day? Or having nothing to eat except powdered eggs, and bland, tasteless, overboiled vegetables? Or being crammed into hard, wooden, uncomfortable bunk beds with 80 other men? Can you imagine witnessing the horror of dead people,

Everyone goes through tough times, from deaths, divorces, to everyday stressors and many people are not equipped with the coping mechanism to withstand the stress. The military first and foremost builds a sense of comradery, a team, a family. This bond is beneficial for numerous reasons. The relationship helps many people realize they have others that count on them, need them, and would have a purpose. Some individuals in the military, like the general United States population, come from a place that has a mentality where everyone is out for themselves. The military breaks down those barriers in basic combat training (BCT) and rebuilds a person’s mental, emotional, and physical outlook. Training is particularly useful to build trust. There are many exercises in the

Commonly, there has been an abundance of speculation over how terrifying, depressing, or triumphant Basic Military Training can be. My experience completing Basic Military Training for the United States Air Force was a combination of all three. For some, the training can be as easy as a walk in the park, as stressful as a strenuous workout at the break of dawn, or somewhere in between. The experience was so long ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

I left for basic training on July 30, 2008, and arrived in Fort Leonard Wood Missouri on July 31, 2008. Before we entered into our extreme training, we processed into the Army for a whole week at reception. On the day of actual basic training, we realized our great lives changed to instructions all day, miserable feelings, separation from family, and extreme exhaustion. Although, this was our life much more horrifying things were about to happen. We finally realized all the negative feelings we were having seemed to get worse, such as receiving a shark attack from our drill sergeants, we were told

Feverishly, I grab clumps of white sandwich bread and begin shoveling them against the mashed potatoes and stuffing it all into my mouth. Before I can finish my carton of chocolate milk, I hear Drill Instructor Staff Sergeant Rodriguez begin to count down for our Platoon. I quickly guzzle the remaining milk and stand in time to gasp, “Done, sir,” in time with my fellow recruits.

Basic Training is absolute hell. The food is tasteless, and it all smells like old people homes. There is no free time, don't believe those lies. One hour of free time? Ha! What a joke! Basic Training is uncomfortable. Your sleeping supplies consist of one hard pillow, one sheet with holes, one crappy blanket and one stone hard mattress with bed bugs residing. There are bars on the windows so soldiers don't kill themselves. Sleep is a myth here, five hours of restful sleep is a myth. Burly men with ugly hats wake you up whenever they wish and necessary time guarding other sleeping soldiers. When sleep does come it is too short and you only dream of those you left behind for this hell. You worry about people back home and if they are doing okay. All previous interests are destroyed, individuality is burned. All that is allowed is guns, killing, training, exercise, and repeat. One shoe in the wrong place, one bed unmade and the entire bay gets destroyed by your superiors. You are less than nothing to them, you are nothing, you are not worthy of phone calls you are deprived of your rights as an American and as a human. Basic Training is cold. Sleeping quarters are shared with sixty other humans who may are may not be as dumb as bricks. There is empty space on the walls but don't think for a second that you may decorate them. (With the exception of weapons) The worst part of Basic Training is

A short 1-hour trip north of Toronto, Barrie makes for a convenient and idyllic getaway from the concentrated and high-speed city life. Barrie’s charm goes further than its comparative quietude: the growing city is home to some of the most inspiring cultural entertainment and recreation as we and has in its backyard some of the most picturesque lakes and landscapes found throughout all of Ontario. Nestled between the great Georgian bay and Lake Simcoe, the city of Barrie is beautifully situated within one of the most serene environments in Canada; it’s the sort of area that is naturally imbued with that refreshing radiance that can only be found in more natural surroundings.

The GIs, drill instructors, told us the USMC did not stand for useless sons made comfortable. We were awakened at 4:00 a.m. by the bugler’s reveille call. You had to dress, stand in formation for roll call in five minutes. Make up your bunk bed, clean barracks, dress, shave, shine, and march to the mess hall for breakfast at 5:00 a.m. After breakfast, we stood for inspection and calisthenics, parade ground for close order drill until noon” (Conde). Conde is clearly explaining the rigorous schedule of the boys and from what he’s saying, one can infer that the days in the boot camp can be very challenging. When recruits first arrived at army camps, they were very disturbed by their few first days. It took much getting used to being away from home and being commanded as a whole. The PBS At War article states, “Soldiers found they would be sorry, at least at first. They had numbers, not names, now. Their heads were shaved. They were stripped of civilian

I’m awake before the others. The room is full of sleeping bodies, each bunk bed not even being more than a few feet apart. I begin to toss and turn, it isn’t long before Private Andres, one of my constant antagonists says, “Is that you fidgeting Alice?” He started again, “I thought you would’ve been sent home crying by now, little girl.” Why would he even feel compelled to say these things to me? It’s the second week of basic training and I’m not just exhausted, I am near physical collapse. However, there are a few incentives that give me the motivation to endure this tedious task. First, is obviously my family and friends back home, they’ve always been so surprisingly supportive ever since the day I told them I was going to enlist in the