Chapter 10

:: Monday, April 25, 2005 ::

This is an email that I sent to my friend's sister because she is writing a paper in her class over soldiers and since I haven't posted in a few days, I thought this would be a nice touch.

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The difference between basic and AIT is so drastic that it took my breath away. I left a world of complete deadness to the world and stepped into a barracks full of CD players, cell phones, and the internet at Fort Lee. It makes you realize what things you take for granted. Anyway, the change is quite rediculously drastic. Especially the setup.

See, in basic training, the whole company (240 soldiers) start training at the same time. There are 4 platoons and they train together. At AIT, at least Fort Lee, the company trains differently, depending on how long the platoon has been there. For example, I got to Fort Lee 1 September. When my platoon first started training, there was another platoon about to graduate. We were replacing them. Two weeks later another platoon graduated and another platoon came in. So not one platoon in the company was doing the same training as another. So the privaleges were different also.

The first weekend you aren't allowed to leave the company area. You can listen to your CD players and whatnot, but you can't leave the company. The next two weekends you are allowed a 'Blue Pass'. At that point you can leave the company area, but not leave the base. You can go to the PX, the movie theatre, Burger King, everything ON POST. The next weekend is a 'Buff Pass'. You are allowed to leave the base, but you MUST stay in your Class B uniform (green pants, off-green shirt, nametag, medals, ribbons) or Class A uniform (Class B with everything pinned onto Coat), depending on the season. You have to return to your company area by a certain time (at my company it was 2000 on Saturday and 1600 on Sunday) or your privaledges would be revoked. The next three weekends are 'Buff and Return Pass' weekends. This is where the soldiers are allowed to leave post and stay off post all weekend, but be back in quarters at 1600 on Sunday, 12 hours before the next training day.

On holidays, soldiers are allowed to leave at 0900 on Saturday, assuming that they are given a GO on their platoon quarters cleaning standards. If the holiday is a Monday, then the soldiers aren't required to return to the company area until 2000 because the next day isn't a training day. If the holiday is a Friday, training is suspended that day, but soldiers are not allowed to leave the company area (Some companies allow their soldiers to leave Friday night and not return until Sunday evening. It is to the Commander's discretion.)

On weekends that aren't holidays (MOST), soldiers are allowed to leave at 1300 on Saturday and return according to their pass guidelines, assuming they are given a GO on their platoon quarters cleaning standards.

The training is quite different from basic also. Most of the training for my MOS (92Y, Unit Supply Specialist) is done in classrooms. Reading manuals, studying Army regulations, and learning the automated system. Whereas in basic the training is in the field, every day after week 3. There is one week of field training for my MOS in which we experience how to keep a unit supplied in the field, along with weapons maintenance in the field. Then back to the classroom.

This is all relative to my experience at Papa Company in Fort Lee for my MOS. Training is different for Infantry who spend the entire time in the field, Artillery who spend most of the time in the field, and Admin guys who only have four weeks of training. Even at Fort Lee, the training is different from 92Y to 92G (Food Specialists) who cook all day to 92W (Water Purification) who purify water all day. Plus, the companies are different. Papa Company was more lax than Mike Company, even though they were the same MOS. So this is ALL RELATIVE to me. The Army is very diverse and each soldier, platoon, company, battalion, brigade, and command are different.

The hours we lived were similar to basic, just minor changes. Here's the schedules.

BASIC COMBAT TRAINING

0500 -WAKE UP

0500 -0545 HYGIENE

0545 FIRST FORMATION

0545 -0600 MOVE TO PT FIELD

0600 -0700 PT FORMATION

0700 -0715 MOVE TO COMPANY AREA

0715 -0730 PREPARE FOR BREAKFAST (CHANGE INTO BDUS)

0730 -0830 BREAKFAST

0830 -0900 DRAW WEAPONS, MOVE TO TRAINING AREA

0900 -1200 PERFORM TRAINING TASKS

1200 -1300 LUNCH

1300 -1700 PERFORM TRAINING TASKS

1700 -1730 RETURN WEAPONS, MOVE TO COMPANY AREA

1730 -1830 DINNER

1830 -2030 PSG TIME (MAIL CALL, ADDITIONAL PT, LECTURE, CLASS, ETC)

2030 -2100 LAST FORMATION

2100 -LIGHTS OUT

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ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL TRAINING

0430 -WAKE UP

0430 -0530 HYGIENE

0530 -0630 PT FORMATION

0630 -0730 BREAKFAST

0730 -0845 HYGIENE

0845 -0900 MOVE TO INSTRUCTION BUILDING

0900 -1200 PERFORM TRAINING TASKS

1200 -1300 LUNCH

1300 -1700 PERFORM TRAINING TASKS

1700 -1730 MAIL CALL

1730 -1830 DINNER

1830 -1900 INSTRUCTION, LECTURE

1900 -2000 PERSONAL TIME

2000 -2030 LAST FORMATION

2030 -2100 LIGHTS OUT

Of course, this is assuming regular days. In basic, sometimes you woke up early because you had an early road march that morning. Or early just because the drill sergeants were pains. In AIT, that was pretty much the schedule. Sometimes not so exact as there would be some slow periods, but that was pretty much it.I think this is about all that you wanted. If there is anything else, just let me know.

Private Benjamin E. Walcutt
US Army

:: Ben 1:28 PM [+] ::
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