The physical demands of Basic Training are no joke - you’ll need to be in tip-top physical
shape to handle the gruelling marches, pass the difficult physical fitness evaluations,
and, of course, survive the notorious Hell Week at the end. But surviving is
much more about your mindset than your physical fitness - Basic Training is only 20% physical,
and 80% mental. So, do you have what it takes to survive Basic Training? Let’s find out...
Basic Training is designed to psychologically “disassemble the civilian” and turn you into a
physically fit, proud and dedicated soldier. It’s intended to test your ability to handle
extreme physical and mental stress while teaching you the particular rules and customs
of your chosen branch of service. Military life in general is famously routine and hierarchical,
and Basic Training is an extreme version of this - it’s a time to weed out those
who can’t adjust to the demands of military life before resources are wasted on them.
A hallmark of Basic Training is that there is always someone telling you what to do,
when to do it, and how to do it right. The role of your Training Instructors, or T.I.s,
and Drill Instructors, or D.I.s, is to adjust your attitude to the military way of thinking and help
you develop self-discipline, sacrifice, loyalty and obedience. And, unlike in a civilian job,
disobedience won’t just get you fired - it could get you sent to jail.
There’s no denying it - Basic Training is tough, and it’s tough on purpose. So, how can you
best prepare yourself to not only survive Basic Training, but thrive in it? Of course, making sure
you’re in the best physical shape possible will make your Basic Training experience less shocking,
and some familiarity with firearms won’t hurt, either. Take the time to look up the standards
for your branch’s physical evaluations and make sure you can muscle out at least the minimum
requirements. Running and boot-camp style workouts are a great way to get into shape for Basic.
Do not expect to get fit at Basic - that’s a major rookie mistake. Bastic Training is intended to
test your limits, so being in top physical shape before you head to Basic will mean you can focus
more on surviving the mental challenges than on keeping up with the physical ones.
Mentally preparing for Basic Training is probably the harder challenge.
No matter how well-prepared you might think you are, it’s impossible to fully prepare for
the mental challenges of Basic Training, since it’s specifically designed to test your ability
to handle unexpected challenges. Taking some time to learn basic military history,
terms and customs before Basic will help you thrive in the classroom portions of your training.
Strong teamwork and leadership skills will also give you an edge - Basic Training is designed to
teach recruits how to work as a team, and focus on the we instead of the me. But be careful that
you don’t stand out too much - being too good of a leader can put you at risk of being singled
out by your D.I. and becoming responsible for the performance of your whole squad.
Basic Training is first and foremost a test of your discipline. Basic can’t make you
more disciplined, but your D.I.s can definitely make you wish you were! Coming into Basic with
an attitude of obedience and discipline will be easier if you remember that it’s temporary,
and it’s not personal - just keep your head down, focus on the task at hand,
and don’t procrastinate, and you just might make it through unscathed.
The last thing you’ll want to do before you go is make sure you’ve made arrangements
for the day-to-day details of being away from home for months of training. Your
contact with the outside world will be severely limited during Basic Training,
and you won’t have the option to leave to handle any issues that arise,
unless you want to quit altogether. Who will take care of your home, pick up your mail, and
make sure your bills are paid while you’re away? Taking some time to plan for these things will
free you up to focus on surviving Basic Training without worrying about what’s happening at home.
You’ll also want to let your friends and family know how they can contact you, and what the rules
are for mail - for example, any gifts or care packages will likely be confiscated, and anyone
writing to you should be careful not to use any military title that you haven’t yet earned.
Now that you know how to prepare for Basic Training,
let’s find out what you can expect when you arrive. The Army, Navy,
Air Force and Marines each have their own training curriculum to prepare you
for the unique demands of each branch. But since Basic Training is each branch's first opportunity
to turn civilians into military personnel, there are some commonalities in their Basic Training.
Physically, all branches will require recruits to be able to run at least 1.5 miles, complete a
minimum number of push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups, as well as be able to march long distances
carrying a heavy pack. Daily runs or aerobic workouts will become a part of your routine no
matter which branch you choose, alongside endless drills, like barracks inspections and standing at
attention for what might seem like hours, all designed to test your obedience and discipline.
These drills will be your first chance to witness an instructor go ballistic on recruits,
so attention to detail in these areas will be key in making sure you aren’t the focus of their rage.
Any form of Basic Training will also have a classroom learning component,
where you’ll focus on military history, the legal side of warfare, and the values and customs of
each particular branch. Don’t be tempted to think of this as the “easy” part - there will be exams,
and it will be every bit as important to pass these tests as any of the physical ones.
And, of course, no Basic Training would be complete without extensive weapons training.
You’ll learn how to assemble and disassemble your weapon, how to sight targets at various distances,
and spend plenty of time working on your marksmanship. By the end of Basic Training,
you should be so familiar with your service weapon
that it will seem like an extension of your own body.
Beyond these similarities, Basic Training for each branch of the military is unique
to the demands and goals of that particular branch, and you’ll face countless challenges
throughout your training to test your readiness to serve in that branch.
The U.S. Army’s 10 week Basic Training course consists of 3 phases. During the first phase,
the Red Phase, you’ll learn the fundamentals of soldiering, army history and values,
and get your first taste of the physical and mental demands of army life with endless drills,
inspections and tactical marches. Once you move on to the White phase you’ll get training in
weapons and marksmanship, as well as navigation training, which will come in very handy later on.
If you make it to the final Blue phase, you’ll have the chance to get your hands on machine guns,
grenades and other advanced weapons. You’ll also be expected to complete
a 10 to 15 kilometer tactical march with a full pack without complaint.
Basic Training for the Navy is only 7 weeks long,
but don’t let the shorter duration fool you - it’s every bit as brutal and demanding as
the Army’s 10 week course. On top of classroom training, tactical marches and endless drills,
the early days of Navy Basic Training will include extensive weapons training on the
M16 rifle and 12 gauge shotguns, along with a uniquely-Naval physical standard - swimming.
The hardest part of Basic Training for any Naval recruit is during week 3, when you
will board a ship for the first time. The ship will be land-bound, but that won’t make it any
easier on you as you get some hands-on experience in the life of a seaman. On top of maintaining
your fitness and discipline, you’ll also need to internalize a whole new set of seafaring customs,
memorize ship vocabulary, learn to identify ships and aircraft, and become skilled in the art of
semaphore, or flag signalling to communicate with other ships. At sea, a ship and her crew
must be able to handle any type of situation with only the resources on board, so you’ll
also gain first aid certification and rescue training. You’ll also need to be prepared for the
greatest potential danger on a ship - fire - and practice fire prevention and firefighting skills.
If the Air Force is your calling, you’ll head to San Antonio, Texas for an 8-week Basic Military
Training, or BMT course to find out if you’ve got what it takes to join the Air Force. Just
like with the Navy, the specialized knowledge required of Air Force service men and women
will be the hardest part of Basic Training. You’ll spend countless hours learning about
the law of conflict, mental preparation for combat, and aerial terminology and operations,
all while being subjected to endless drills, marches,
inspections and workouts designed to push your mind and body to their limits.
If nothing you’ve heard so far seems like that much of a challenge to you,
then the Marines might be just the branch for you. Just to qualify to attend Basic Training,
you’ll need to pass an Initial Strength Test - if you can meet the minimum standards for push-ups,
pull-ups, sit-ups and running, you’ll earn the privilege of undergoing an intense 13-week Basic
Training experience. On top of the usual discipline, fitness and classroom training,
you’ll also need to pass a daunting swim qualification and complete combat
water survival training. Prepare for endless hours treading water in miserable conditions.
You might think that if you’ve made it this far in Basic Training, the worst must be behind you,
but you couldn’t be more wrong. Welcome to Hell … Hell Week, that is.
Before you can graduate from Basic Training and earn your place alongside the proven
members of your chosen branch of service, you’ll need to prove yourself in a final,
gruelling test of strength, endurance and mental toughness.
If it’s the Army you’re hoping to join, before you can graduate from Basic Training
you’ll have to survive a field training bivouac, an endurance exercise that will tie all of your
training together and test your ability to survive in the elements with minimal gear and find your
way to safety with nothing but an old-fashioned map and compass. You’ll also have to pass a final
Fitness Test and the End of Cycle Test with 212 individual tasks that you must pass to graduate.
If you’re drawn to the life of a sailor, the Navy will submit you to a final test
of your seaworthiness. The Battle Stations Test will incorporate everything you’ve
learned in the last few weeks into 12 shipboard scenarios that must be completed flawlessly.
The scariest part of the Navy’s Basic Training, though, has to be the Confidence Chamber.
You and 100 other recruits will line up in a sealed chamber wearing gas masks, while a tear
gas tablet is lit in the room. Then, one by one, you’ll each remove your mask, throw it in the
trash and recite your name and social security number before being allowed to escape the gas.
Only after you’ve passed these gauntlets will you receive your official Navy ball cap,
which tells the world you are no longer a recruit, but a full-fledged Navy sailor.
If you have your eyes on the skies, the Air Force’s BMT obstacle course will tie
together all that you’ve learned over your training, from tactical
skills to marksmanship to assault exercises. Finally, on the last day of Basic Training,
you’ll complete the infamous Airman’s Run, a 2.5 mile run that you’ll do under the watchful eyes of
the hundreds of friends and family members who have come to witness your graduation ceremony.
Like the Marines themselves, their version of Hell Week is in a league of its own.
The Crucible is a 54 hour exercise that recruits must complete on only 8 hours sleep and
2-and-a-half MRE rations, or Meals Ready-to-Eat. The event starts at 3am with a 6 mile road march,
the first of many marches that will total 40 miles in less than 3 days. Between gruelling marches,
recruits will compete in 4 separate 4-hour tests that might include crossing a precarious rope
bridge with gear and ammo, running to firing stations and engaging pop-up targets with
limited rounds, and battling other recruits with a padded pole-like weapon called a pugil stick,
among other obstacles. Finally, totally exhausted and ravenously hungry, The Crucible ends with
another 9 mile march, and at the finish line, successful recruits immediately receive their
Marine Corps insignia and the honor of being called “Marine” for the first time.
Now that you know what it takes to survive basic training,
be sure and share your thoughts in the comments. Do you think you could
survive basic training? Which branch’s basic training seems the most gruelling to you?
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