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Basic Training
1. Your name (as you would like it to appear
on the website): Stacy
2. Where did your soldier attend basic
training? Ft Jackson, SC
3. When did he attend basic training? He was
in reception from 5/23- 5/30. Then he was actually in BCT May 30 -
Aug 2, 2007
4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and
letters) After the getting the initial phone call, he was able to
call pretty much every Sunday afternoon for about 10 minutes. He
sent me some letters from reception and then a lot from BCT. I would
say I got letters every 3 days or so. I would generally get more
than one when I would get them because he wasn't able to mail them
out every day. I even got a letter (or two) after he graduated just
because of how slow the mail is in our hometown.
5. How long was it before you heard from him
the first time? He left from MEPS on 5/23 and I got the first call
from him the next day letting me know that he had gotten there okay.
That was just a quick 2-3 minutes long. After that, I didn't get the
first letter for a week.
6. How long did it take to receive a mailing
address for him? I got an address for him when he had finally left
reception and was with his unit. So about a week after he left is
when I got the address.
7. Were there any restrictions on what you
could send him? I only ever sent him letters, so there were no
problems with that. One time, his mom sent a padded envelope with
some paper and envelopes and a lot of pictures. There was no
problems with that. Other than that, I read on the website for
Jackson what I would not have been able to send him. I went by
better safe than sorry so as to prevent any hassle for him.
8. Were you sent information about family day
and graduation? At the time he went to BCT, I was his fiancee. So
all the information was sent to his mother. She and I are good
friends and she kept me updated and actually gave me all the
information and everything sent.
9. Did he have a family day? If so, please
describe. He did have a family day the day before his graduation.
We got a hotel in the area and went on base early the morning of
family day. There was an orientation where there were a lot of
speakers - someone from the unit they were in, someone about
insurance, someone about Army community services and plenty of other
resources available to the soldiers and their families. After being
released from orientation, it was a mad rush outside to try and find
my man. It was a little bit of a mad house as there were a lot of
soldiers graduating and the many people in all their families. Once
we found him, we went back to the car and just spent all day on base
as the soldiers were not allowed off base. Everything was packed -
the PX, the Burger King, etc. Hubby did take us to the graduation
field to show us where the best place was for us to sit and we ended
up spending a lot of time there in the stands as it was in the
shade, a little breezy and most importantly to all of us that were
there to see him - it was quiet and isolated and we were able to
talk without all the crowds around us. At the end of the day, we
took him back to his company and we got to see his company getting
smoked and in hydration formation where they did a bunch of push
ups, flutter kicks and a lot of other stuff. It was an awesome day
to be able to relax with everyone. But it was not fun to have to
leave him on base, but okay because we knew we would see him again
the next day.
10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.
For the graduation ceremony, we got there and were able to get
seats. The key is to get there early in order to make sure that
everyone with you gets a seat together. While waiting for the
ceremony to start, we could see the soldiers getting off the buses
at the far end of the field and the excitement level started raising
as they were lining up. Finally the band started playing and the
soldiers all marched in and onto the graduation field. There were
then a lot of speakers and some awards given for each company. Then
they all said the Soldiers Creed and some other things (I don't
remember them all right now). Then all the companies marched off of
the field and back towards the buses. That is when the fun began of
trying to find our soldier in the madness. We finally found him and
got to take him back to his company area and sign him out because we
got to take him from BCT to AIT (This is not an option for all
soldiers). Most soldiers get an off post pass for the day to hang
out with their families.
11. Is there a website for his basic training
unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online? There
was a website for his unit but it just had the basic information
like what we could and couldn't send, the graduation date and time
and information like that. It also listed what the soldiers were
doing each week so we had an idea of what he was doing. Pretty much
everything that was on the website was in the first letter we were
mailed from the unit about a week after he started BCT. There were
pictures on the website, but they were all older pictures - none of
hubby or any of the guys he was going through basic with.
12. Any other tips or information?
Its amazing how one little decision in life can make you happier and more excited than you've been in a long time, and also how something that should be somewhat sad can be quite liberating at the same time... here's to the beginning
**************************************** We are currently seeking writers to contribute about their soldier's experience during basic training. Since training, contact and the overall atmosphere can vary greatly from one basic training post to the next, I thought this would be helpful. If you would like to contribute your experience to help other Army family members, please email me this completed questionnaire. Thank you for your help!
Before He Leaves...What You Need To Know & Do As An Army Wife Use this checklist as a general guide before he leaves for basic training.
If your soldier's basic training and AIT includes Christmas, you'll want to learn all about Christmas Exodus. Hint: You'll get to see him again!
Writing Letters During Basic and AIT Learn all about your main form of communication with your Army soldier while he is training.
What You Can and Cannot Send Your Soldier During Training Find out what is permissible to send your Army soldier while he is in training and find out what will get him in trouble.
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