I know it's a little late, and you've probably learned a little by now, but here's some pointers from me, 6 year Air Force vet & Retiree:Originally Posted by Survival Wreaks
1. YES SIR/YES MA'AM
2. do NOT cut your eyes... ever
3. do not MOVE an inch of your body unless asked to
4. eat bananas with breakfast (and dinner if you can stomach it)
NOTE for number 4: I was lean and small... I never had to work out... basic training took a toll on my body. It made me stronger, but for the first three weeks I could not sit, stand, or lie down without it hurting... EAT THE BANANAS! The potassium helps a lot.
5. STUDY! - If they give you reading material, and you're not doing anything, pull it out and memorize it.
6. give it your all. If it takes chanting a loved one's name, do that, but never give up.
7. all things pass. What I liked to do was play the "lunch game" as we came to call it... by the time lunch rolls around, your day might as well be over. So at lunch time every day, just tell yourself that your day is winding down... and it will... a lot faster
8. you might tell a few people in your basic group that you'll keep in touch. You might tell that to people in your AIT class as well... good luck with that. You'll meet LOTS of new people in the service. Keeping in touch with everyone you meet is hard work. Hold your friends close, but don't beat yourself up if an acquaintance becomes out of touch over the years.
9. KEEP YOUR SHIT OFF FACEBOOK! - As part of OPSEC and general "do not fucking do that" guidelines go... little to NO (preferrably no) pictures of you in uniform on facebook.
NOTE on 9: I wore a dress combination for my wedding, and who's NOT putting pics of their wedding online? The point is this: your unit/base patches, while not secret, could give away a good bit of intel. Keep your military stuff off of facebook, and while you're at it, set your profile to private, and make sure all of your "about me" stuff is private as well.
10. Do not overeat. I made the mistake of getting a hamburger for dinner every night once I was in tech school (AIT) for you. DO NOT do that... you worked hard in basic to get your body in the shape it's in... keep it that way.
11. DO NOT shave your head before you go to basic. Trust me, just dont (coming from a guy who wore his bald anyway but still got a boot rammed up my ass for it)
12. flat tops are stylish. I wore a high & tight flat top for the first few years I was in. It's in regs, looks good, and who doesn't love a good Guile look? (street fighter)
13. Once you're on the job, study your ass off. OJT is going to happen, but when it's over, don't get complacent. READ. REVIEW. Eventually you'll get to the point where you test for promotions or other special things... you want that knowledge to be burned into your brain.
14. Do not make excuses for not having enough time for school. College is FREE while you're in the military. DO NOT wait until you find out you're getting out of the force to decide to go to college... that GI Bill runs out very very fast. We love you here, but school first. You could literally get a degree during your first 2 years once you get to your base and OJT is done with.
15. This is my final tip. Take it how you want it, but I want to make sure you understand this. SAVE YOUR MONEY. When I went in, I was married. We got into base housing. That's not how it works for single people (idk your situation, but still). For single people, there is a requirement (rank and time based) for you to live in barracks (the dorms). All meals are free (dining facility). PT is free, so don't waste money on a gym ... oh there's also going to be a gym on your base. Your bills will consist of:
-car payment?
-car insurance?
-cell phone
-cable/internet if you so wish
My point is this: if you keep it to the minimum, your checks will fatten your bank account. I've seen too many kids come in, buy huge tvs, computers, cars, etc and either end up so far upside down that administrative action was taken against them, or spent so much and were upside down that they were forced by their first sergeant to have a yard sale to salvage just a tiny bit of face... OR ... get a girl, dump every cent on her, and when the time came to move out of the barracks, the financial situation for them was so harsh that it took friends and family to keep them afloat. In the Air Force, if you came in as an E-1, by the time you were and E-3 and kicked out of the dorms, you'd have enough bankrolled to put down a payment on a house. Just saying.
I hope everything works out for you. Sorry for the long winded post. I care about my brothers in arms. I don't want to see anyone slip down a hole they can't recover from. Much love, brother! Good luck!
~The Shiv
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