21T Technical Engineering Specialist

 

Your Name (as you would like it to appear):

AM 

 

Your Soldier's MOS (please include code and description, for example "11B Infantry")

 Well, actually, my husband had been in the Army 10 years by the time we got together, I'm going to do this for my own MOS, which was 51T when I went through AIT, but was changed later to 21T when they did the restructuring.  However, its discription remains Technical Engineering Specialist.  What that means in English is Land Surveyor, Soils/Materials Analyst, and CAD Drafter, all in one soldier.
 

When did your soldier attend?

 I attended AIT in 2001.
 

Where was he stationed for AIT?

 I was at Ft. Leonard Wood for both my basic and my AIT.
 

How long was his AIT?

 20 weeks. 
 

What was his training like? Normal schedule? Did he train on weekends? Late at night? Classroom or field based?

 I had PT at like 0445, and then chow, and was on the cattle truck to school at, I believe 0700.  I was at Brown Hall (the schoolhouse) until about 1700 each day.  After that, for the first couple months, when I lived in the AIT barracks, I would have to be there, on a fairly regimented schedule (not as bad as basic or anything, but still  somewhat strict)  and after I'd been in my company for a couple months, my class was allowed to move across the street to the prior service barracks.  Once we moved there, we were pretty much allowed to do whatever we wanted after duty hours were over.  We still had strict rules (which we usually broke) but we didn't have nearly the supervision as when we lived in the AIT barracks.  We could use the phones, eat junk food, go out to dinner if we wanted.  It was good times.

 

Did you get to see him during AIT?

 I was a single soldier, so this one really doesn't apply to me.  However, we had a couple married people in my platoon, and I can't recall anyone's spouse coming to visit.  That would have been wierd, and I'm pretty sure there wouldn't have been much time at all for them to spend together, so it would also be pretty pointless, too.
 

How often were you able to communicate with him? By phone? Email?

For the first couple months, we had almost no phone privileges.  I think I called home once every other week or so.  I could have probably called home every day if I wanted AFTER the first couple months, but I didn't want to.  I'd call my parents maybe once a week.  You've also got to remember, by the time I got phone access whenever I wanted it, it was winter, and winter in Missouri is cold.  Far too cold to be sitting outside on some pay phone on any kind of a regular basis.  Email was pretty much nonexistent.  That may have changed since I went through, but the only way anyone could email is if they went to this internet café in the PX while on their weekend pass (if still in the AIT barracks), and paid for some time on the computer. I did not send one single email the entire time I was at Ft. Leonard Wood.
 

Describe the graduation ceremony.

 It was a fairly simple affair that was held one evening after chow.  No families attended except the uncle of one of my classmates, who was stationed at a base not too far from there, so he just made the drive over after work.
 

Any other tips or information?

Yeah.  If your family member goes to Basic and AIT at the same post (in separate companies, not OSUT), do not expect to spend any time with them after their Basic graduation.  After my graduation, I was back in BDU's and in the back of a deuce on the way up the road to my AIT within 15 minutes.  Plan to spend an extra day after Basic  graduation if your family member is going to AIT in a different company on the same post as they went to basic on.  The reason for this is that they may be able to get a pass to leave their barracks after they're done with all the initial business of getting into their new company.   I remember, one married soldier in my company actually got to spend a 3 day weekend with their spouse after they got in processed into the company.  We arrived there on a Thursday.  That soldier was given a pass until Sunday evening.  Yet another reason to have a somewhat flexible schedule when it comes to graduation timeframe.