BMT: aka Simon Says.

So at the end of my last blog, I had just jumped in the car with my recruiter (with my dad fuming at his choice of wardrobe), and was heading off to MEPS again. I had gone through all that crap before, it wasn't any different (sans awkwardness), and the swearing in.

To be fairly blunt, it was little more than just standing in a room with some other people, holding your right hand up, and repeating after a guy that's standing next to a flag. Afterwards, we were herded into a room where we signed some papers. It was at this point that I looked at the signature block and got a bad feeling. Because I was rushed through the process at the time, I didn't get more time to think about it, so I gave my John Hanckock and scurried out to the waiting bus outside.

Like my other blogs, I'm going to be pretty vague at times. You gotta remember that I was 18 at the time, and honestly, scared shitless.

The bus took us back to the same cheesy hotel that I was staying at before. I was again roomed with someone going into the Army, but this guy bounced out of the room after he dropped his shit. I didn't see him until I had to wake up in the morning, where he hadn't even made it to the bed, passed out on the floor. I didn't think much of it, grabbed my shit and headed to the airport.

I don't know how many of you have been to LAX before, but it's not exactly the smoothest ride to get in or out of there. Since it's in LA, you expect traffic. But it's not exactly small either, so if you're paying attention to traffic and not the signs, it's easy to drive around in circles before you realize it.

Well, traffic was still bad at like 7 in the morning, and we were shooed into the airport where we all checked in and sat at the terminal, heading to San Antonio, Texas. I can't remember how long we were sitting there, and honestly, the entire LAX experience was more or less blurry, until I landed in San Antonio.

They had informed us something about a USO, so we, being clueless recruits, meekly followed the signs over to the USO where, we saw a TON of people sitting on the floor. Somewhere in the distance, I saw someone in uniform telling us to pick up our roller bags on the floor and to carry them. I wasn't in the mood to get in trouble or yelled at (at this point, it was evening, there might have been a pit stop or something somewhere, I don't remember), so I picked up my bag, and sat it next to me as I sat down behind someone in the middle of the hall next to the USO. Several hours passed, and people slowly trickled into our deathly silent hall. At one point, the uniformed person yelled at some female who didn't hear her say to pick up the roller bag. That gathered some attention, and the faces turned back forward as quickly as they had turned around to watch.

Some time afterwards, a bus came and shuttled us off to Lackland Air Force Base. It's somewhere in the heart of San Antonio, but I couldn't remember the bus ride at all-I fell asleep in the middle of it. When I woke up, the bus was slowing in front of a building with some uniformed sergeants with brimmed hats. I had arrived at Basic. And was promptly greeted with screams to get off their bus.

Before I go further, I'll disclaimer something. There are rules as to what I can and can't talk about. Obviously. However, the guidelines concerning these taboo subjects are fairly vague, and I can't tell if I am allowed to say it or not. So I'll give the Wikipedia entry (hey, it's open to the public), and try to elaborate afterwards from there.

Due to how extensive it ended up being, I'll split up the blogs from the Wikipedia version and what I went through back when I went through BMT. Otherwise, it'd just be retardedly long.

Lackland Air Force Base conducts the Air Force's only enlisted recruit training program, ensuring orderly transition from civilian to military life. Recruits are trained in the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in an Expeditionary Air Force. This includes basic war skills, military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values and a comprehensive range of subjects relating to Air Force life.

More or less the book answer of what Basic consists of. At the time that I came in to the Air Force, BMT was 6 weeks, compared to the 8 and a half that they implemented a couple years back.

Military Training Instructors or TI's are the instructors that are responsible for most of the training that takes place in BMT. They accompany trainees throughout the training process, instructing and correcting them in everything from correct procedures for firing a weapon to the correct way to speak to a superior. They are known for their campaign covers typically called "Smokey the Bear" hats.

Examples:

This is about right.

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This is what you'll see these days.

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Don't expect her to be your TI (anymore).

The TI is what your "big brother/sister" so to speak. They'll tell you what to do in your trip through BMT (and have no issues pointing out when you're wrong). You most likely will not change TIs through your trip, barring special circumstances.

There really is no typical day in Air Force Basic Military Training.

There is truth to this statement. Wikipedia goes on and lists a very broad idea of what a typical day in BMT looks like.

0445: Reveille (wake up)
0500: Downstairs in Formation (Get ready for PT)
0500-0600: PT (This will alternate. One day you will run, the next day you do aerobic exercises.)
0600-0615: Breakfast
0630-0745: Dorm Setup (Make racks and make sure everything is in order)
0800-1100: Drilling, classes, records checks, shots, uniform issue, etc
1130-1230: Lunch
1300-1700: Classroom/Dorm instruction (Mail call is performed during this time)
1700-1800: Dinner
1900-2045: Set up the dorm for nighttime
2100: Taps (Lights out)

I guess this is fairly accurate to an extent. The day is more or less laid out for you before you even start it, however things WILL change. For example: Lunch for an hour? HA.

All trainees now ship out to Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, every Tuesday. As the first uniform issue is not until the following Thursday or Friday, trainees will be wearing civilian clothes for at least one full day, and possibly two days. During this period, the trainees will be referred to as Rainbows, because of the flight's bright and varied clothing colors[3]. Trainees will undergo a urinalysis test a day after arriving. Any trainee that fails the drug test will immediately separated. The trainees are given the opportunity to phone their next of kin and inform them of the trainee's safe arrival, then are searched for contraband. From here, the males receive their first military haircut, where they are left essentially bald. Females are instructed in the authorized hairstyling, which allow hair to be short enough to not touch the collar or in a bun. The remainder of receiving involves completing paperwork, issuing an M16A2 service rifle, receiving vaccines and medical tests, storing civilian belongings and taking an Initial Fitness Test.

Zero week in itself, I believe only occurs if you arrive in the middle of the week, as opposed to the beginning of a week, where you would be placed into Week 1, where you would just do the shit in Zero week at a faster pace. It's a lot of running around and getting signatures. As you go through Basic, it's obvious who's in Zero week (well, they're wearing civilian clothes IN FORMATION because they haven't gotten uniforms. It's obvious when you think about it).

Also, remember that hair cut intro to Full Metal Jacket? Yeah, that actually happens, and it happens here in Zero/1st week.

This is the Pre-Deployment Phase. Here trainees will sit down with a job counselor and are shown a list of jobs they qualify for, and that are available, and are instructed to prioritize that list in order of preference. The job counselors then take the preferences, and the preferences of all of the other recruits in the same week of training that are in the same guaranteed aptitude area, and try and work it out the best they can to give everyone the preferences they want. Those who enlisted with a guaranteed job will not go though this process. During week two and three, trainees undergo extensive training with the M-16. Trainees will learn and practice the rules for safe use and handling of the weapon. They will also receive training in how to assemble, disassemble, clean, and repair the M-16. During week two, trainees also learn and practice integrated base defense, tactical movement, firing positions and force protection, using the M-16 in several practice scenarios. Week three focuses on self-aid and buddy care. In Week #4 trainees will go though the obstacle course. The Air Force Obstacle Course consists of 20 obstacles, designed to test your strength, endurance, and will power. The course also encourages team-building, as the trainees waiting to tackle an obstacle cheer for their flight mates. Trainees climb over, under and around obstacles. Also in Week #4 trainees will have lessons on how to counter threats such as terrorism, biological and chemical weapons and security breaches. During Week #5 trainees will participate in pugil stick fighting. Trainees will wear protective gear and will constantly be watched by the TI to ensure no one is seriously injured. During week five, they will visit the firing range, where they will fire and qualify using a M-16 rifle. During the actual firing, trainees will fire a total of 80 rounds at a man-sized target at 75 yards, 180 yards, and 300 yards in the standing, sitting, kneeling and prone positions. The qualification course is broken down into three phases. Phase I is Battle Sight Grouping and Zero. During this phase the trainee is "sighting in" the rifle. After each shot group, the trainee and the instructor will examine the target. The instructor will give the trainee advice (breathing properly, jerking the trigger) to correct anything that they are doing wrong. Additionally, the instructor will tell the trainee how to adjust their sights, to correct their grouping. All of the shots in Phase I are in the prone position. The targets for this phase are all man-sized targets at 75 yards. Phase II is the practice phase. During the practice phase the trainee will fire a total of 24 rounds from 4 different positions. Each round is timed, and the trainee will have to reload a fresh magazine during the round. During the practice round, the trainee fires at a man-sized target at 180 yards. All shots will be fired in the prone, kneeling, sitting and standing position. Phase III is the qualification phase. Trainees will fire a total of 40 rounds at a man-sized target at 300 yards. To pass the qualification course, the trainee must hit the target at least 20 times. Those who hit the target at least 35 times qualify for the Small Arms Expert Ribbon. A total of 40 rounds will be fired in this phase.

At this point, you hopefully have stuff down. Chow hall procedures, how to set up your dorms, recognizing ranks to an extent, etc. You'll be given a little more wiggle room as to the timing on stuff (at this point, you would have had people volunteered [or voluntold] to be the leaders of the flight you're in), and the flight leaders will more or less begin to take charge whenever the TI isn't around. Keep you doing the right thing, and such.

I didn't go through all the anti-terrorism stuff, so I can't comment on that. I also fired at a different point in Basic.

The BEAST, or Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training, is the final test in BMT. This represents the culmination of all the skills and knowledge an Airman should possess. These skills and tactics the trainees have learned will be put to test in realistic field training exercises and combat scenarios.

It is a grueling and intense 96-hour exercise that will push the trainee to his or her limits. The trainees are required to wear body armor and helmets and carry at all times their rucksacks, three MREs, a flashlight, full chemical MOPP suit and gas mask, two canteens and an M16. The site has four zones — called Reaper, Predator, Vigilant and Sentinel — that simulate self-contained forward operating bases. Each zone is a ring of 12 Army field tents — 10 for barracks, plus a command post and hospital tent — centered around a three-story observation tower and a hardened briefing facility that serves as an armory and bomb shelter. The zone is defended by five sandbag defensive firing positions, and trainees control access to the zone through an entry control

Uh... when I went through, it was called Warrior Week, and it was a straight 7 days.

Trainees will see what Airmen on convoy escort duty endure on a daily basis - incoming mortar rounds, complex attacks, roadside bombs, car bombs, and unexploded ordnance. They'll be taught how to identify potential threats and who to report them to in their chain of command. BEAST week will be entirely devoted to scenario training. As they take advantage of more field time to hone their newly acquired infantry skills, the trainees also will have more hands-on instruction in buddy care, culminating in a final exercise on the last day of the exercise. The BEAST site includes a 1.5-mile improvised explosive device (IED) trail littered with simulated roadside bombs. Trainees learn to spot IEDs and then use the trail in training scenarios. For example, under one scenario, trainees make their way down the "lane" in tactical formation, trying to identify IEDs from the other debris such as soda cans. At the end of the trail, trainees are broken into teams of two "wingmen," and negotiate a combat-obstacle course (low-crawl under netting, hide behind walls, roll behind bushes and timbers, strike dummies with the butt of your rifle, high crawl 60 yards through deep sand up a 40 percent grade). Teamwork is stressed, as the majority of tasks are completely impossible without it; each group must succeed or fail as a whole. The others will result in failure unless every trainee passes through together, requiring the team to aid its fellow trainee(s) who struggle in the accomplishment of the given mission. On the last day the trainees begin their final march. Once done, the trainees will go to the chow hall where they are permitted to eat anything and have as much as they want.

OK, seriously, it makes it look far more entertaining than it actually is. The important thing that you'll be thinking about at the time is how you only have about 2 weeks left of this shit. Or I would assume.

Week seven of BMT focuses primarily on post-deployment training. During this week, you'll receive intensive classroom instruction about the difficulties many military members face when they return from a deployment, such as financial management, family issues and alcohol abuse. Trainees will also continue to practice drill and have dorm inspections. Trainees will also learn about Air Force history and heritage during this week[13]. The final physical fitness test is also given this week. Failure to pass the final the PT test will result in the trainee being "recycled" for a couple of weeks to an earlier flight, thereby giving the trainee more time to get into shape. At the end of week seven, trainees will be given their final uniform issue, including their dress uniforms.

In my opinion, here's the most stressful time. It was crunch time on studies that you had throughout BMT, as well as the PT test. If you fail here, you get held here and have to do it longer.

It's like my TI told me. The fastest way out of BMT is to graduate. If you get hurt, you don't do half the shit people that didn't get hurt do, but you'll get pushed back in time, and have to do it all over again ANYWAYS. And if you attempt to do something stupid to get yourself kicked out, you'll be held over and watch multiple teams graduate (including yours) while your stupidity is looked over, after months of you stuck there doing dumb shit.

At the beginning of graduation week the trainee will be given their job if they haven't already received one. The final written tests will be taken. Each test is 100 questions, and the trainee must score a minimum of 70 percent to pass. In order to qualify as a possible honor graduate, the trainee must score over 90 percent on each test. The tests cover everything the trainee has learned during basic training. All trainees will participate in the 2.5 mile run known as the Airman's Run. (They will tell you later that the run is actually 3.5 miles) The run is a victory celebration of the challenges overcome and esprit de corps gained by Airmen during training. Friends and family attending the basic training graduation events will be able to watch. The day before graduation the Airman's coin ceremony will take place. Trainees will be presented with the Airman's coin. When the trainee is awarded the Airman's coin, they are no longer a trainee and have earned the right to be called an Airman. Many Airman consider this to be one of the most significant events in their career. The next day is the graduation parade. The flights will pass in review, take their final oath of enlistment and are then dismissed. This marks the end of Air Force Basic Military Training and the beginning of an Airman's career.

It's more or less right. It's a lot of tradition and, again, it's stressful. There's higher rank everywhere and even your TI is starting to stress at this point (remember that his job is to make you look good. If you look stupid, what does that say about the job he did?).

Because it details what you do these days, my experiences were different. I was more or less rushed because my time was shorter, I was issued a different uniform than now (I was given BDUs [read: Green/brown fatigues] vs todays ABUs [You can see an example above in the TI picture]. I'll blog about what I went through in my BMT experience later.

BMT: aka Simon Says.

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