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Coping With Your First Day of Basic Training
By Michael Volkin
If you have been to basic training, you will always remember your first day: lying in your bunk on that first night, thoughts rushing through your head, your mind scrambling as you tried to remember everything your Drill Sergeants taught you. Your muscles and mind were fatigued. On that first night, you felt helpless, alone and at the bottom of a very big hill to climb.
For those of you who are planning to enter the military, I will tell you this: Your first day will be the worst. You will be homesick in an unfamiliar environment, and you will not see an end in sight. This will be the time where you need to be mentally tough. Remember, take your days one at a time, because looking at the entire basic training period ahead of you will be very difficult.
In my book, the Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook, I interviewed many soldiers and wrote about their first day of basic training. After I wrote this chapter, I discovered something very important: No matter where these recruits went for basic training, their experiences were very similar, and encompassed basically the same aspects. In this article I will explain what others go through on their first day of basic training, and most likely what you will be going through. You'll also find pieces of advice to help you make your first day much more enjoyable.
The Pick-Up
This takes place after the Reception Process (when all your paperwork and medical tests are completed). A bus or "cattle truck" will pick you up. You will be packed in a crowded vehicle, and you may or may not have Drill Sergeants on board. If there are Drill Sergeants they will either introduce themselves, tell you to be quiet or ask you to sing the star spangled banner as loud as you can. Drill Sergeants look intimidating, but do understand, they cannot physically hit you.
Tip: Try your best not to show off or stand out at this point. There is always one person on that ride who tries to show he/she is different, and it doesn't bring the right results.
The Drop-Off
When the vehicle stops, you and the other recruits will be asked to get out as fast as you can. At this point, you may be asked to do a number of various exercises. For example, on my first day, when I got out of the vehicle they asked 150 other recruits and me to line up and place our luggage in a perfectly straight line, in alphabetical order, in under 3 minutes (which is 45 seconds in Drill Sergeant time). Since it's pretty much impossible for 150 strangers to know each other's names, we were forced to do exercises because of our failure to complete the mission. You will fail the first mission you are asked to accomplish; it is designed that way. The purpose of basic training is to turn you from a civilian to a soldier. In order to do that, you need to realize how difficult it is to become a member of the strongest military power in the world. You will be broken down, and built back up.
Tip: At this point, you need to show your Drill Sergeants you are capable of handling physical activity. Mentally prepare for physical activity when you wake up in the morning on the day you will meet your Drill Sergeants. Also, don't be let down when you fail your first mission -- that's what the mission is designed for, failure.
The Meet and Greet
After the exercises you will bring your luggage up to your bunk and meet the members of your platoon. You are all strangers now, but rest assured, you will know a little more -- maybe even more than you care to know -- about each and every member of that platoon when basic training is over.
Tip: I cannot stress how important it is to get the rest of the members of your platoon to like you. Don't order people around and don't be too passive; come off as a team player. You can accomplish this by asking each person in your platoon a personal question such as "Where are you from," "What sports do you like to play," anything at all. Personal questions show others that you're interested in them, and they begin to respect you because of that.
Lights Out
Despite your physical fatigue, you will probably have trouble sleeping on the first night. Your mind will be shuffling through many thoughts. Before you go to bed, make sure each member in your sleeping area is prepared for the next day. Often, recruits will need help preparing their uniform or finding certain items. Offer your assistance -- your favor will be appreciated, and returned in the future.
Tip: Keep the big picture in mind. Remind yourself why you joined the military, and how proud everyone will be of you when you return. Mental toughness is 99% of surviving basic training.
SGT Michael Volkin is the author of The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook, available at http://www.ultimatebasictraining.com.
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