Well, got my projection....

[pfdr1991]

hahaha that **** is the truth. I've been at Bragg for 3 yrs, ETSing in 4 weeks thank god. If there is anything I learned, it is don't take California for granted.

[NiteQwill]

If you jump, it's a good place to stay current.

If you jump, consider jumping on the civilian side as well. Lots of DZ's in the area. Consider selection in the Army GK and you can be a rock star on TDY for the rest of your career ($$$) - (I chose a different career as a officer but would have done it in a heartbeat looking back on it).

There are good 3-gun competitions in the area that should keep you busy as well. NC gun "permits" are screwy but definitely better than California.

Stay away from the locals, Fayetteville, etc. Your free time is best served in Charlotte, the coast, or at your local gun range or dropzone.

Good luck and have fun running for PT. A lot of running...

[xmikex]

I hope that since I'll be with 3rd group that I won't have to deal with to much BS.

[chris]

stay away from Gatorade bottles in freezers.

I hope that since I'll be with 3rd group that I won't have to deal with to much BS.

that doesn't mean you'll be safe from man games in the military. SF is perverted to the 10th degree. of course that depends on the team you may end up working with.

[geoint]

I saved this Reddit post from a while back since it perfectly described my time at Bragg. Enjoy your time!

"I'm not infantry but...oh wait yes I am. I don't know you or anything about you but let me look into my crystal ball: You will go to PT early as ****, probably run a long distance and then be released to go back to your barracks for a quick shower/jack session. You will change and eat breakfast. You will have an omlette with ham and cheese and probably a Monster because you decided to stay up and play COD til 0400.
Then you will have a 0900 work call where you will show up to the company area for formation. Your morning will consist of either details or training (or sitting around doing nothing depending on how hungover your leadership still is at that point). Then you will be released for lunch. You will probably eat some form of chicken. Then you will return and do the same thing in the afternoon only it will seem gayer than it did in the morning. Then around 1700 you will be released for the day and if you are anything like my PVT's you will go back to the barracks and drink to excess before getting caught masterbating in an inappropriate place. Then your PL or PSG (whichever one is the least drunk) will bail you out of jail. You will then wake up the next morning and do it again.
Once a month or so you will spend a week in the field wondering why you wanted to be infantry. Then every other year or so you may deploy and you will remember why you wanted to be Infantry. At some point you will marry a fat chick just to move out of the barracks and then get a divorce when she sells your dog and blows your buddy on Rear D while you're on deployment. You will also get a lame *** tattoo that you think makes you seem tough even though everyone in the company knows you're a *****. Finally, you will buy a Challenger that you can't afford, run up $30,000 in debt just in time for your discharge for pissing hot on a UA.
20 years later you will be diagnosed with jaw cancer because you spent every minute of your 3 1/2 year military carrer with a dip in your mouth. You will probably dip Skoal Mint. Or maybe Wintergreen. Enjoy!"

If you just tone down the PT, that could be any other unit in the Army.

[xmikex]

Any insight into how PT will be? Heard a lot of running and stuff but will it be different with an SF unit? And anyone care to give me what they did usually for pt while at Bragg.

[ChuckDizzle]

Any insight into how PT will be? Heard a lot of running and stuff but will it be different with an SF unit? And anyone care to give me what they did usually for pt while at Bragg.

Not a clue for support units at Group, over at the 82nd it was pretty much a long run on Monday with a little bit of push-up/ab work on top. Tuesdays would be a lot of push ups and calisthenics. Wednesdays for us was a ruck march (minimum of 12 miles). Thursdays could be a lot of fun, something unusual like combatives, obstacle course, buddy carries, sand bag/fuel can PT, hill sprints. Then Friday is a slow as hell 4 mile (36 minute pace) unit formation (at least company sized) run down Ardennes Drive and back.

[BillyGoatCrawler]

I saved this Reddit post from a while back since it perfectly described my time at Bragg. Enjoy your time!

"I'm not infantry but...oh wait yes I am. I don't know you or anything about you but let me look into my crystal ball: You will go to PT early as ****, probably run a long distance and then be released to go back to your barracks for a quick shower/jack session. You will change and eat breakfast. You will have an omlette with ham and cheese and probably a Monster because you decided to stay up and play COD til 0400.
Then you will have a 0900 work call where you will show up to the company area for formation. Your morning will consist of either details or training (or sitting around doing nothing depending on how hungover your leadership still is at that point). Then you will be released for lunch. You will probably eat some form of chicken. Then you will return and do the same thing in the afternoon only it will seem gayer than it did in the morning. Then around 1700 you will be released for the day and if you are anything like my PVT's you will go back to the barracks and drink to excess before getting caught masterbating in an inappropriate place. Then your PL or PSG (whichever one is the least drunk) will bail you out of jail. You will then wake up the next morning and do it again.
Once a month or so you will spend a week in the field wondering why you wanted to be infantry. Then every other year or so you may deploy and you will remember why you wanted to be Infantry. At some point you will marry a fat chick just to move out of the barracks and then get a divorce when she sells your dog and blows your buddy on Rear D while you're on deployment. You will also get a lame *** tattoo that you think makes you seem tough even though everyone in the company knows you're a *****. Finally, you will buy a Challenger that you can't afford, run up $30,000 in debt just in time for your discharge for pissing hot on a UA.
20 years later you will be diagnosed with jaw cancer because you spent every minute of your 3 1/2 year military carrer with a dip in your mouth. You will probably dip Skoal Mint. Or maybe Wintergreen. Enjoy!"

This.^

AND DON'T GET MARRIED OR BUY A GOD DAMN CAR FOR A RIDICULOUS RATE. Seriously. Get the Car. Screw it. BUT DON'T GET MARRIED. Living off post won't be so cool when you realize it was a mistake.

And stop worrying so much. Just go with it.

[Porter707]

Ohhh, good 'ole Bragg. Like others have said, Fayettenam is a **** hole. Avoid anything around there, unless you're going to Sharky's for $.25 pitcher Tuesdays (if it's still going on). If you want a girl go at least an hour from post, every weekend put in a pass (whether you go or not, keeps you out of the **** **** games). Raleigh's a good time, Myrtle is a good time, Chapel Hill has some awesome Halloween parties.

Remember there's only 3 types of girls in Fayetteville: Those that were born there, those that were left there, and dependas!

[Mr.Caketown]

I hope that since I'll be with 3rd group that I won't have to deal with to much BS.

If you are going in as E4 and below you probably will but it will make more sense than some of the other BS i had to do. SF groups are a whole different animal than the reg Army. Bragg isnt too bad but Fayetteville sucks fat flaming donkey dong. Its like a big ghetto. Most people leave Fayetteville on weekends. That reddit post hit the nail on the head tho , expect deployments every other year

[ptmn]

I kind of liked it at Bragg. 18 Series MOS. As stated by others, most of Fayetteville is a dump, but there are a few good places. I stayed in Raeford, which is an easy drive to the post, but a very nice area. Take advantage of the Cumberland County Fairgrounds gunshows. They are WAY better than any gun show here in California.

I was there 95, 96, 97 for training (SWCS), and back then, you could stop by the Provost Marshalls office and purchase up to 5 certificates that would waive the waiting period on pistol purchases. You basically did your background check then, got the certificates, then presented them at the gunshop. Jim's Pawnshop was the biggest gunshop in the area. He had some pretty good stuff. Not sure if that is the case anymore, since its been almost 20 years when I was there (been back there several times for TDY).

While your out there, enjoy the nightlife at Mickey's on Bragg Blvd if its still there. Bragg is what you make of it. Lots of soldiers show up and just hang out and mope about it sucking and that there aren't enough women. Trust me, there are plenty of good looking women out there if you have enough game.

While your at Group Support, you should really think about getting in shape and working on your rucksack marching times. Once you get them squared away, put in for SFAS/SFQC. If you make it through, you will have lots of fun. I'm an E-8 with +26 years in service and I would stay in even longer due to the fun, unfortunately, some combat injuries, titanium, cadaver parts and synthetic pieces in my body are making it too hard to keep jumping every quarter

[Mr.Caketown]

I was there 95, 96, 97 for training (SWCS), and back then, you could stop by the Provost Marshalls office and purchase up to 5 certificates that would waive the waiting period on pistol purchases. You basically did your background check then, got the certificates, then presented them at the gunshop. Jim's Pawnshop was the biggest gunshop in the area. He had some pretty good stuff. Not sure if that is the case anymore, since its been almost 20 years when I was there (been back there several times for TDY).

I left there in the end of 2013 and it was still the same way. You go to the Provost and get a clearance paper , then you take that to the courthouse and wait 3 days. Its $5 per certificate and you can get up to 5. Jims is still the biggest gunshop/pawnshop but they are ridiculously over priced. There are a couple of other small shops in the area that i used to buy stuff from. Only good thing about Jims is the shooting range

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I saved this Reddit post from a while back since it perfectly described my time at Bragg. Enjoy your time!

"I'm not infantry but...oh wait yes I am. I don't know you or anything about you but let me look into my crystal ball: You will go to PT early as ****, probably run a long distance and then be released to go back to your barracks for a quick shower/jack session. You will change and eat breakfast. You will have an omlette with ham and cheese and probably a Monster because you decided to stay up and play COD til 0400.
Then you will have a 0900 work call where you will show up to the company area for formation. Your morning will consist of either details or training (or sitting around doing nothing depending on how hungover your leadership still is at that point). Then you will be released for lunch. You will probably eat some form of chicken. Then you will return and do the same thing in the afternoon only it will seem gayer than it did in the morning. Then around 1700 you will be released for the day and if you are anything like my PVT's you will go back to the barracks and drink to excess before getting caught masterbating in an inappropriate place. Then your PL or PSG (whichever one is the least drunk) will bail you out of jail. You will then wake up the next morning and do it again.
Once a month or so you will spend a week in the field wondering why you wanted to be infantry. Then every other year or so you may deploy and you will remember why you wanted to be Infantry. At some point you will marry a fat chick just to move out of the barracks and then get a divorce when she sells your dog and blows your buddy on Rear D while you're on deployment. You will also get a lame *** tattoo that you think makes you seem tough even though everyone in the company knows you're a *****. Finally, you will buy a Challenger that you can't afford, run up $30,000 in debt just in time for your discharge for pissing hot on a UA.
20 years later you will be diagnosed with jaw cancer because you spent every minute of your 3 1/2 year military carrer with a dip in your mouth. You will probably dip Skoal Mint. Or maybe Wintergreen. Enjoy!"

The above is 100% pure comedy gold. My active duty time was limited as I was a reservist, but I was at Fort Jackson for about 7 months and got a sampling of Korea and Germany and a deployment to GTMO Cuba. Every post (except Cuba) was ringed with used car lots, cheesy nightclubs, and tattoo parlors. Chewing tobacco and credit card applications are everywhere.

[xmikex]

Thanks for all the input guys really appreciate it. I know that I'm going to have to do some good pt and while I'm not in te shape I want to be in I feel that I am still in good shape. Last pt test I took I scored 90 and above in each event and I am only getting better. Te real thing that kills me is the run, I don't like running and I can't seem to get faster at it. My fastest time has been 13:45.

I am 26 and married so no skanks for me or hopefully bad buying choices I have a car paid off and having been saving a lot since basic and ait.

[ChuckDizzle]

Thanks for all the input guys really appreciate it. I know that I'm going to have to do some good pt and while I'm not in te shape I want to be in I feel that I am still in good shape. Last pt test I took I scored 90 and above in each event and I am only getting better. Te real thing that kills me is the run, I don't like running and I can't seem to get faster at it. My fastest time has been 13:45.

I am 26 and married so no skanks for me or hopefully bad buying choices I have a car paid off and having been saving a lot since basic and ait.

If we were trying to shave seconds off a two mile time we would focus on sprints, hills, and last man up/interval runs. Anything to take you out of your comfortable stride and pace. You also might benefit from a few sessions with a running coach to work on your stride. Running is a whole body exercise and you might be losing efficiency in your upper body and core.

I went to one once and she had me run at different speeds barefoot on grass so I could feel the difference in how my feet impacted from proper stride vs. improper. Found out I wasn't twisting or using my arms enough to make the most of each step.