OSUT at Fort Benning Tips *11B*

As the title says, i'd like to know some last minute things that would be helpful to make this a bearable experience. If y'all were able to pack additional things in y'alls packing list, what should i buy extra? I was thinking underwear and socks for the most part, baby wipes will work as well i believe.

Thanks again for the input, experiences would be nice to submit as well so i can know what to avoid.

 

You don't need to bring anything except the clothes on your back, hygiene kit and your paperwork. They will make you buy pretty much everything at the Px at reception battalion. Just show up in jeans and tennis shoes and a neutral shirt...nothing to call attention to yourself.

The more crap you bring, the heavier your bag will be when you are holding it over your head getting smoked lol. I brought a small gym bag, a friend brought what was basically a suitcase and he had a rough zero day.

Good luck! It's not as bad as they say and you'll come out a better person on the other side

 

Damn it lol. Im going to find the smallest bag i have and bring that joker with me... I hope to be transformed, this is my last day or 2 on TW till i ship off on Wednesday; 3 months without TW will be intresting lol

 

Oh yeah, you'll be fine. Basic is too easy now and you'll meet some great people. Use your wish-list for duty stations, a lot of people say its bull.... but I got my second choice.

Like Mike said dont bring too much attention to yourself and don't bring in contraband, you'll get caught and the rest of your platoon will hate you when everyone is getting smoked.

Have fun, 11B all the way

 

I was planning on bring stamps and envelopes. That wouldnt bring attention i'd hope?

I still have to

-Learn the army song
-Learn the 3 general orders
-Rank structure
-Solider's Creed

I'll do this during reception i hope.

 

Bump!

 

Stamps and paper/envelopes is okay to bring. Don't worry about bringing a ton because you will get opportunities to go to the px for supplies every few weeks.

They will drill the creed and stuff into you at reception and beyond but you are smart to start working on it now. Only other thing I would suggest is get some good sleep the night or so before you ship and start drinking water now, it will be worse if you show up hungover or tired. Reception is really not that bad, the DS are serious but not usually interested in messing with you unless your group really Fs up (for instance, one group at my reception got destroyed because someone spit on the DS's car...bad juju).

 

Advice from a retired 11B: You really don't need to bring much; maybe a complete shaving/hygiene kit, some photos of loved ones, and that's about it....pretty much everything else you need will be issued to you or you will be afforded the opportunity to buy at PX.
The most important thing you could bring is a strong, positive, team player state of mind. The main part of basic training is just a big psychological mind game,....their goal is basically to break you down, "delete" a lot of your 'civilian' mentality and reprogram you w/ a military mindset. Depending on how you were brought up and just how much of a "couch potato xbox generation" you are basic training is going to suck, it is designed to,.....you just have to suck it up, or "embrace the suck" as they say in the military. It's very natural for people to be nervous, scared, or anxious of the unknown and the best way to combat those feelings is to maintain a strong 'can-do' state of mind. Makes me think of a quote I saw years ago on a church sign, "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right." The military truly is the premier organization for teaching leadership and no one does it better. I've worked both sides, military and civilian, and the knowledge, abilities, and dedication of military leaders to perform their role far exceeds what I have seen of their civilian counterparts. Like anything else in life it's going to be what YOU make of it,....whether you serve 3 years or 20 plus. The GI bill alone makes service worth it.....not to mention all the life experiences you gain from exposure to so many different people and places. Good luck, stay strong minded, and keep us posted!

 

1. Dont sleep under the covers in your rack, sleep on top in winter PTs or with the woobie. That way you dont have to make the rack in the morning. Just tighten it up and enjoy the extra 5-10 min.

2. If you got a tiny bladder life will suck. Drink tons of water, learn to guzzle water now.

3. Dont bother wearing underwear in basic. The sand will wreak you.

4. Treat all scratches, cuts, ingrown hairs ect ect with hand sanitizer (all they let you have) Use your sewing needle to open up infected areas to treat. Skin infections are very common, take care of your body.

5. Take care of your feet

6. Use Vaseline or coco butter to grease your thighs, gooch, balls, everything that rubs before rucks. (not runs, you will most likely end up in the sand.) And when i say grease up i mean gob it on, cant have to much.

7. Heat rash- scrape hard with ID card, scrub, rinse, repeat (not fun but needed)

8. Get tight with your battle buddy early

9. MREs- avoid the omelet at all costs, Peanut butter packets are like gold.

10. Learn to shovel food, when i was in you had about a minute from when you sat down till you had to get up. Lots of guys didn't finish their food the first week or so.

-most of this doesn't really apply to 30AG

 

Yeah, hopefully my group doesnt end up like that, i'll do my best to try and be friendly with the people im with.

I have lead a fairly disciplined life so far thanks to my parents; I work, i pay for my own stuff(most of the time) i clean up behind my self, i make sure my room/truck stays pretty clean whenever possible. I understand that it will suck but im going to go through it with a positive attitude. I'll be fine i think if i do just that.

Whats that?

I wasnt expecting the underwear thing or the vaseline thing, everything else was sorta expected.

Thanks again! ._. the omelet MRE will be avoided at all cost.

 

Hmm.. -When your sitting on the wooden benches, don't freak out haha.

-Pay attention to detail

-Don't quit, it sounds cliche but if your a dude that gives 100%, you'll be fine. Your body is capable of way more than your mind lets you know.

-Don't be the guy that bitches about everything, everyone with you is going through the same stuff, and countless others have before you.

-In the same mindset, that should tell you that it's nothing to be scared of, MANY others have done it before you.

-Sleeping on top of your sheets is a great tip, just fix up your corners and folds in the morning and you're good to go.

-Always look busy, downtime is a DS' favorite time to come mess around with joe.

-A "go with the flow" mentality is key, not just for basic but for an infantryman in general. Instructions and tasks will changed 5x in a minute, and you'll go through a ton of monotonous things the first few weeks.

-Who knows if they still do this, but if you're doing a shower drill, start soapin up while you're in line.

-I think this has already been said as well, but stay hydrated!!

Good luck to you, it's only the beginning!

 

haha yeah, you will undoubtedly become very familiar with the term "monkey butt".

Oh, and make sure when you're fitted for boots, they fit right! You wont have many chances to DX and get better fitting ones, so do it right the first time.

You will get blisters on your feet regardless, I would stray away from moleskin on ruckmarches, some love it, but in my experience, it just peels off and makes things worse.

 

What about the benches... lol

thanks for the tips! I drink nothing but water for the last 2 months so i should be good in that respect

I'll be prepared for inconviences to pop up and adjust accordingly

I dont complain about stuff and if anything, i'll prob welcome the challenge.

 

bump

 

Do pushups. Lot's of pushup's.

 

gotcha.

 

X 2 on the push ups. Also, be prepared to run alot. I had real rough DS when I went through basic,he had a saying I still remember to this day, 36 + years later. During PT he would yell out " I'd rather hear a fat boy fart,than a pretty girl sing. " LOL

 

dont forget flutter kicks, side straddle hops or the dreaded front/back/go

 

Or the Monkey Fucker

 

Bump. hope you doing good at basic cham!