Today we shipped downrange to our basic training unit. I was assigned to the 1st platoon of my new unit, a few miles away on Fort Jackson.
We began by lining up with our duffel bags and civilian bags, and marching up a hill to board white busses. Our Drill Sergeants met us at Reception and accompanied us to our basic training units. I know everyone was scared to be riding the busses. When we arrived at our destination, we were told to get off the busses, now! There was a lot of yelling and "hurry ups" as people struggled to carry all of their luggage with them. The one recruit nicknamed "Barbie" seemed to have it the worst, as she had a full complement of civilian luggage with her... at least 4 suitcases!
We carried the bags for what seemed like a long distance, and assembled in an open field that was sectioned off into areas with white tape. The Drill Sergeants had us line up by platoon order. We were given the task of lining up our bags in a particular way in alphabetical order. Of course no one was able to do it in the alloted time, and we were administered a relatively mild smoking each time. Eventually everyone was able to comply. The Drill Sergeants then introduced themselves, and were were issued canteens. All in all, this was not what I expected. The "shark attack" that I experienced during my first basic training almost 10 years ago never manifested. Today's Army BCT seems to be much kinder and gentler than it has been in the past.
We then proceeded with our bags to the company area, where we were divided by platoon. Here we had to undergo yet another shakedown, and dump the contents of our bags onto the ground. The Drill Sergeants called out a list of everything we were supposed to have, and everything else was supposed to be put away. Afterwards, we carried our civilian bags, which included anything "contraband" (i.e. civilian clothes, cell phones, electronics) and put them away into a locked closet in the barracks. We were then shown the rooms that we would be staying in for the next 9 weeks, and given information about what would be expected of us during our time in BCT. This turned out to be another long day, and we didn't get a lot of sleep that night.
We began by lining up with our duffel bags and civilian bags, and marching up a hill to board white busses. Our Drill Sergeants met us at Reception and accompanied us to our basic training units. I know everyone was scared to be riding the busses. When we arrived at our destination, we were told to get off the busses, now! There was a lot of yelling and "hurry ups" as people struggled to carry all of their luggage with them. The one recruit nicknamed "Barbie" seemed to have it the worst, as she had a full complement of civilian luggage with her... at least 4 suitcases!
We carried the bags for what seemed like a long distance, and assembled in an open field that was sectioned off into areas with white tape. The Drill Sergeants had us line up by platoon order. We were given the task of lining up our bags in a particular way in alphabetical order. Of course no one was able to do it in the alloted time, and we were administered a relatively mild smoking each time. Eventually everyone was able to comply. The Drill Sergeants then introduced themselves, and were were issued canteens. All in all, this was not what I expected. The "shark attack" that I experienced during my first basic training almost 10 years ago never manifested. Today's Army BCT seems to be much kinder and gentler than it has been in the past.
We then proceeded with our bags to the company area, where we were divided by platoon. Here we had to undergo yet another shakedown, and dump the contents of our bags onto the ground. The Drill Sergeants called out a list of everything we were supposed to have, and everything else was supposed to be put away. Afterwards, we carried our civilian bags, which included anything "contraband" (i.e. civilian clothes, cell phones, electronics) and put them away into a locked closet in the barracks. We were then shown the rooms that we would be staying in for the next 9 weeks, and given information about what would be expected of us during our time in BCT. This turned out to be another long day, and we didn't get a lot of sleep that night.
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