Headed to Ft. Benning for BCT

[DBK]

Anyone ever gone there? From what I understand it's the toughest place for Army BCT, but I'm sure I'll be glad I went there after the fact.

If shooting an M-16 is like shooting an AR, I know I'll be qualifying as an Expert.

Headed to Ft. Sam Houston afterwards for 68W AIT and then volunteering for whatever Afghanistan deployment I can find with the Guard.

[bobfried]

Damn I had to Google 68W, it's still weird to see medical MOS not be in the 91 series.

During BCT, remember one thing: YOU DON'T KNOW JACK!

Don't volunteer for anything, don't stand out, don't be a leader, don't be a hero and don't be a smart ***. The more you blend in the better you will be, if you think sucking up and being the poster boy will get you anything in BCT your gonna get ream. It's the place where they break you down and build you into what the Army wants, NOT a place where you want to excel. All the "stud" in my platoon ended up crying in the corner at one point or another, one of the guy I left to BCT from MEPS with was in that group. He kept on bragging about how he was a Varsity wrestler and it was easy for him, soon enough he got smoked so hard he literally broke down and cry for an hour, he stopped raising his hand to demonstrate after that. I was also a varsity wrestler, matter of fact my coach was a retired Colonel and assistant coach was a Force Recon Marine. They told me to STFU and do what my uniform was designed for....BLEND IN.

Don't know much about Benning but I can say Ft Sam is the best place to be in the Army when your 18 and single. Once you get some liberties it's great, usually combat medics gets it pretty hard there versus the other MOS. Your gonna learn to love the Hacienda and the PX. Be sure to make it out to San Antonio and check out the Riverwalk, that haven't changed in decades and anyone that's been to Ft. Sam will share that memory with you. Be careful about alcohol and the opposite sex when you get to Ft. Sam, compared with a combat arms intensive place like Benning your gonna be in for a shock. Let's just say if Benning was a monastery than Ft Sam is a whore house; and no I am NOT exaggerating.

I have a buddy at BNOC right now in Ft Sam, he said it's the same when he went through his AIT almost 15 years ago.

[Requiem]

Anyone ever gone there? From what I understand it's the toughest place for Army BCT, but I'm sure I'll be glad I went there after the fact.

If shooting an M-16 is like shooting an AR, I know I'll be qualifying as an Expert.

Headed to Ft. Sam Houston afterwards for 68W AIT and then volunteering for whatever Afghanistan deployment I can find with the Guard.

The AQT is mostly speed-related.... make sure you can change mags fast and take positions fast if you want expert. As a Marine, I had the advantage of slow fire most of the time except in the sitting position. Good luck. I myself will be at Ft. Benning sometime in the next few months for jump school. Take care.

[shooterdave]

i went to ft benning last year i graduated on valentines day. i'm a 92y. some tips don't volunteer for anything usually its a trap to get the know it alls. qualification isn't that easy i thought i knew everything. the m16a2 we had ranged from barnd new or arsenal rebuilt all the way to VERY well used. mine was in the middle and they are usually mixmasters with say fn uppers and colt lowers and vice versa plus a few recycled m16a1 lowers for good measure. the boot camp itself isn't that hard it's more of a mind game than anything else. just blend in and don't act like you anything. the AQT usually requires a few tries but some people are better at it than others it's different than just shooting at paper. good luck.

[SuperSet]

DBK, make the most of it and enjoy your time at Sand Hill. The first part is the hardest starting with the whole 30th AG BS. Once you go downrange, you'll see quite a bit of PT so I hope you've been running. Other than that, there's nothing really that difficult except all that damn running. Good luck and thanks for serving.

[dwa]

just be quiet do what your told, an m16 will be exactly like an ar however your weapon will probably be beaten up pretty bad. don't volunteer for anything don't sass back to anyone and assume everything you do is wrong when confronted by a Drill. a good answer for when you screw up (everything you could possibly do is a screw up remember that its a recurring theme) No excuse drill sergeant.

[11Z50]

Thank you for your service, young stud. Ft Benning, like Parris Island, and other places is the birthplace of many real men. It's like going to Yale or Harvard in a man's world.

You will soon embark on a journey that you will never forget, and will define who you really are.

Stand in the back row and STFU.

Good luck!

an ancient one speaks....

[Maddog5150]

Hot and humid. I graduated from Benning in August then les in September after jump school. I spent 19-20 weeks there and it was the best time of my life.

[Whitesmoke]

ahh...Sand hill and VD Drive (Victory Drive)....man I'm getting old...I havn't been there since 1991! The barracks were all almost new then...I went to basic and AIT there when I was 17. Went to my first strip joint and drank in my first bar in Columbus during a 4th of July weekend pass...

[11Z50]

Benning is a place that is good and bad for me.......early on it sucked, but got better in later visits. I went to many schools there, and as you progress in your career, you go to training like Master Gunner and Sniper School. My last time there it was for my son's graduation, Version 3.0 Infantry....

Benning's school for boys produces real men that this country needs. I am proud to call Benning real beginning, as thousands of others have.

[damndave]

i went to basic training there in 1998. when are you going? i was there in july and boy that is a rough time to be there. too hot and humid. during the tail end of it, it was raining a lot. i was part of 2nd batallion 54th inf. i think it was nick named hells kitchen.

just be quiet and dont volunteer for anything. when a drill sgt asks...you were wrong always. just do what you are told and everything will be fine. i dont know if its the hardest, because i dont have anything else to compare it with.

just be physically fit to run a few miles. rest is pretty easy. definitely the roughest part is the road marches. if i can remember correctly, the longest one we did was 18 miles

[DBK]

Thanks very much for all the replies, everyone. It really is encouraging.

I leave in about 2 weeks, so I suppose the weather won't be as bad as it could be. Guess I got lucky in that regard.

[Manic Moran]

Don't volunteer for anything,

Although this is rule #1, rule #2 is 'volunteer.'

Two reasons.

Firstly, if you never volunteer to do anything, this will be noticed and you'll pay for it.
Secondly, there are the occasional plum assignment which you won't get unless you volunteer for them. For example, in Basic I volunteered for the platoon admin position (Housemouse, it was called) the first night. Best move I ever made.. while the rest of the platoon were being beasted, I got to sit in the DS's office filing paperwork whilst I heard the dulcet tones of "DOWN... (Attention to detail).. UP... (Teamwork is the key)..." Sometimes they don't tell you if it'll be good or bad when they ask for volunteers, it just comes down to dumb luck.

On the other hand, if you volunteer for everything, you will be viewed as a suckup and attract the wrong attention anyway.

From what I understand it's the toughest place for Army BCT

There is an argument that says that Knox, being the other main training post for front-line soldiers, might be tougher. The problem with Benning is that it's a very high-profile post, and tends to be under tighter scrutiny, not least from the politicians.

Of course, when Knox and Benning merge, it'll be irrelevant anyway.

Enjoy yourself!

NTM

[thebloodsonthewall]

I wish you the best of luck. I will be leaving for Benning on June 23.

[mr. wonderful]

Yeah im leaving for benning as well in august, then ft sam