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Step 9: Get ready for bootcamp
Boot Camp Tips
Before you go to boot camp, be sure you have taken care of the every-day issues in your life. Check with your recruiter if you have questions or are unsure about how to handle any of the following matters:
Who will receive your mail?
Does your family have access to your finances? Bank accounts, etc…
How will your bills be paid while you are gone?
Does someone know what bills are due and when?
What other things could pop up in the time you are away?
Does your family know whom to contact in the event of an emergency?
Have you set up a bank account prior to your arrival?
Here are some great tips for once you begin boot camp. Follow them and you'll be in good shape to pass!
1. Shut Up and Listen
The basic rule of thumb is that recruits should be seen and not heard. Another way of putting it: when it comes to your Drill Instructors, don't speak until spoken to. They will make every effort to get you to react by verbally assaulting you, your integrity, and even your family. It is a trap, and you need to resist falling into it. Show mental discipline. Despite the fact that the insults seem personal, you must remember that they need to see how much you can take mentally, so resist the temptation to tell your Drill Instructors to go to hell.
2. You Don't Make the Rules
Don't argue with your Drill Instructors, EVER! There is no way on earth that you will win, and it will no doubt cost you in terms of extra PT. In the battle of wills, they hold a decidedly unfair advantage. Back on the block, before boot camp, you may have heard a lot from others who have been through it, so you may be tempted to think you know a lot. No matter what you think you know, you don't.
3. Pick Me
Be careful what you wish for. Standing out can have its rewards, but it is a double-edged sword. You won't likely be asked to volunteer for a leadership assignment, like squad leader, but if they pick you, you will find yourself responsible for not only your own performance but also those in your squad. You may even be punished for their screw-ups. If you are struggling, you should not seek out any extra responsibility. But, if you are picked, just say "sir yes sir" and do your best. Resist the temptation to decline, since this is one of the ways Drill Instructors have to find out what you're made of, and how you respond to stress. Lastly, don't lose faith if they fire you, because they most likely will, and often for something minor, or for no apparent reason. Maybe you fouled up, or maybe they just want to test someone else. Move on and don't let it demoralize you.
4. Prioritize
In Boot Camp your life is going to be broken down into two piles; things you want to do (like sleep, read or write mail, talk with your buddies) and things you have to do (shine your shoes, roll your laundry, buff floors, scrub toilets). The temptation will be strong to slack off and procrastinate. Don't. Take care of what you have to first. Remember, the military will not make you disciplined, but your Drill Sergeants can make you wish you were.
5. Stay Focused
Boot Camp is 80% mental, and 20% physical. Don't get discouraged or give in to the temptation to give up (namely because quitting is not an option.) Don't look too far ahead and stay focused on the task at hand.
6. Help Your Buddy
You will live, eat, sleep, fight and die as a team. That Army of One stuff is a bunch of bologna. The sooner you learn to work as a team, the sooner life will get better for you. Boot camp is about being part of the team; individuals are weeded out and swiftly taken care of. You need to be focus on the "WE" aspect of everything you do.
7. Break the Rules at Your Own Risk
There are very few rules (no smoking, no going to the movies, no drinking alcohol, etc.) unique to Boot Camp, but they do expect you to follow them. Failure to do so may convince the military that you are not worth wasting time or resources on. At the very least you will find yourself poorer financially and more invigorated physically.
8. Do Not Question the Logic Behind What You're Doing
Just about everything you will do in Boot Camp has a purpose, even if that purpose is nothing more than to confuse you. There will come times when you will want to question why you are doing something, which, in your opinion, is stupid and a waste of your time. Resist this temptation; first off you don't have the rank, authority, or experience to question what's going on, and second, Boot Camp is a one-size-fits-all method and so it never sits well with anyone, so just suck it up and remember point #5.
