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BMT: Zero Week

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Zero week was and will be the WORST week of BMT in the history of BMT. There- I said it.

A lot of people say they don’t remember much of Zero week- I made sure to write down what I could while it was happening so that I could go ahead and blog about it later. Don’t ask me how I got away with this because I am not entirely sure (LOL). Here’s the gist of it:

MEPS/Getting to Lackland

So I will start with waking up the morning of November 19th, 2018. I woke up feeling a giant mix of emotions: nervous, excited, scared, happy- you name it, I was feeling it. I had my bags packed and was to drive up to the MEPS hotel. I had my mother drive me up and she ended up getting a room and staying. My brother, his girlfriend, my mother and I went out to dinner for what would be the last time for a short while. I kept it low-key that night and remember feeling like I couldn’t eat much because I didn’t want to be over at my weigh in the next morning. My roommate at the hotel was a girl heading to Navy boot camp so we shared the nervousness. I asked her what her job was and she told me she was going to be a Corpsman and that she would be going to Tech School at Fort Sam Houston. I told her that’s where I was hopefully going, as I was Open General hoping for Aerospace Medical Service (Which I in fact did get the job I wanted and am now at Fort Sam, with my Navy friend! Funny how that worked out). The next morning I was up early as heck. It was like any of my other times going to MEPS, we ate breakfast downstairs and then hopped on the bus. When we got to the MEPS building we went through the same routine. They did a final physical exam just to make sure nothing had changed and I signed my official contract and some more paperwork. My mother came to watch me officially swear in and say goodbye. We cried together and it was definitely a tough moment for me. She left shortly after and I waited with the other shippers for our bus to the airport. I had to fly solo despite having a few guys shipping to Lackland with me, so that sucked. I met some more Air Force peeps when I got to my layover which was nice. When I arrived to San Antonio, I didn’t really feel nervous. I felt ready to get this sh*t over with. I ended up getting off of the plane and heading straight to the food court- which was pretty much closed. There were HUNDREDS of trainees just waiting around. I ended up finding five or six of my friends from the Group Me I was in before I shipped out. For those of you who don’t know what Group Me is, it’s basically a chat group app. I was in a BMT Shippers group on Facebook and it was the thing to do- to make a Group Me and get to know other people shipping out the same date as you. So my Group Me ended up with around 50 people and we had chatted for a few months before shipping out. Almost 10 of them ended up being in my flight which was awesome. I ended up seeing a handful of them throughout my BMT journey and even more from the group here at Tech School. Anyways, I snagged two of my Group Me pals and we checked in with the Sgt that was taking everyone’s names and we had a seat on the benches. When the next bus came it was our time to board. The three of us were so nervous but so excited. The bus driver nicknamed “Coach”, I will never forget him. He gave the most inspirational, motivational speech I had ever heard in my 25 years of living and it was EXACTLY what all of us needed in that moment. We pulled up to the PRC (Pfingston Reception Center) which is basically a giant auditorium. Surprisingly there was not much yelling, just a lot of “HURRY UP LETS GO”. We all piled into the auditorium and it was pretty much dead silent, and awkward. Every couple hours or so, they would have a list of names up on the projector and that was your flight. We got to the PRC around 10pm (I think) and we didn’t get our flight until probably around 2 or 3am. After we had our flight together, they brought us to a room where they issued us our backpacks (Backpack Initiative- has some toiletries, and other necessary items) and our Apecs jackets. After that, we were told to sit in a line in the hall. It felt like we sat there for an hour. Then, the moment we all were waiting for: Our MTI walked in to pick us up. He was every trainee’s nightmare honestly. This was where all the yelling came in. He yelled and screamed at us until 5am, which was when we finally go to goto sleep. Before we went to sleep, we went to our dormitory- we got lucky and lived in Disneyland. We went to our wall lockers, figured out our beds, took our showers (which wasn’t as awkward as I imagined but was SOOOO cold) and finally went to sleep. A lot of us were hoping they’d have mercy on us and let us sleep, but boy were we wrong. They woke us up at what would become our new wake up time: 5:45am. Yup, 45 minutes of sleep.

The First Week: Zero Week

The first day of BMT was the LONGEST day of my life, no exaggeration. We started our day with chow. The MTIs were scary as hell. Here I was thinking Texas would be warm, It was cold as hell. Pro Tip: Grab two waters or get your ass chewed. We had our first uniform issue within the first two days which was nice because we looked ridiculous with these huge Apecs jackets and civilian clothes. It screamed “I am new”. There was LOTS of marching. We also got a BX run and our pay cards were issued. Dinner we got protein bars which was a nice treat. The rest of the week was appointments and briefings. We had our first inspection, got to call home and read our script with our address. After that we locked up our civilian luggage and turned in our cellphones. The second day was when we had urinalysis, blood draws, immunizations and what not. I believe the third day we went back for the peanut butter shots- I’m allergic to penicillin so they gave me azithromycin to take twice every Saturday. We also met our other MTI who was also a male day two. By day three, the chow hall was a less scary place which made it easier to eat- probably also because it was Thanksgiving. We had a second BX run zero week which I heard was not typically the case but hey we were happy to be away from the dorms any chance we got at that point. The biggest lesson I learned that week was DO NOT write letters. They will find them and they will tear you apart. I specifically wrote in my notes “Saturday got yelled at for having a letter written in my notebook”- I am laughing hysterically at this now LOL. Oh you also are assigned your flight “jobs” (basically chores). I got picked to be the 4th Element Leader, FANTASTIC.

Well that’s all I really have for Zero Week. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below or email me! I look forward to writing more the next coming weeks about the rest of my BMT experience.

Air Force

I am an Airman

I made it! I graduated Basic Military Training and boy does it feel amazing.

I graduated BMT January 18th 2019. As you can tell that was a few weeks ago. I have been so busy getting my life together and settling into Tech School life that I haven’t had a chance to blog. I have so much to say and plan on writing as much as my schedule allows these next few months. I also will be uploading some BMT specific vlogs on my YouTube channel as soon as I can. Three major things I want to say in this quick post are:

  1. I got the job I wanted!!! If you’ve been following me you’d know I went in open general with civilian medical experience. Well I got Aerospace Medical Service (4N0X1)-my top pick! So I am now at Fort Sam for Tech School.
  2. Two weeks into Tech School and I already know my first duty assignment! I won’t say exactly where BUT I will say that it was on my “Dream Sheet” so I am psyched to say the least.
  3. If you are getting ready to ship out to BMT I just want to say don’t listen to what other people have to say about the experience- it is what YOU make of it.

Stay tuned!

Air Force

Packing for BMT

7. MORE. DAYS.

I cannot even wait. I am so excited and the anticipation is killing me. I have already met around 40 people, all shipping on the same date as me- two of which are shipping from the same MEPS location! I can’t wait to meet my future brothers and sisters.

I just uploaded a YouTube video of what I’m bringing to BMT. Here is a complete list of all of the items:

  • Duffle Bag (Checked Bag for liquids over 3.4oz)*
  • Drawstring Bag (Carry On for important stuff)*
  • 6oz Shampoo
  • 6oz Conditioner
  • Leave in Hair Serum
  • 6oz Hair Gel
  • 6oz Face Wash
  • 2 Bars of Soap
  • Soap Dish/Container
  • Travel Size Sunscreen Lotion
  • Travel Size Hand Sanitizer
  • Bath Mitt (instead of loofah)
  • Nail Kit
  • Razor
  • Eyebrow Razors
  • Tweezers
  • Deodorant
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothbrush Cover
  • Toothpaste
  • Hair Brush
  • Hair Combs
  • Bobby Pins
  • Hair Elastics
  • Hair Donut
  • Makeup (For Graduation/Pics)
  • Facial Wipes
  • Feminine Wipes
  • Pads (Sanitary Napkins)
  • 6 Sports Bras
  • 2 Padded Bras- One Black, One Nude
  • 8 Pairs of Underwear
  • 2 Pairs of Socks
  • 2 Pairs of Spandex Shorts
  • 3 T Shirts
  • 2 Pairs of Pants
  • Blouse (for Graduation Weekend)
  • Closed Toe Shoes (for Graduation Weekend)
  • Small Photo Album
  • Watch
  • Notebook
  • Lint Roller
  • Shoe Insoles
  • Running Sneakers (with insoles)
  • Binder with Important Documents (Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Resume, Certifications, etc.)
  • Immunization Records
  • Other Important Documents such as Contract
  • Driver’s License
  • Debit Cards
  • $20 Cash
  • Cell Phone
  • Cell Phone Charger

*I am planning on checking a bag (see YouTube video for more info)

It seems like a ton of stuff BUT it doesn’t look it when packed. Also I’d rather be over prepared than under. Most of the items I am personally packing will be provided by the Air Force through the backpack initiative. My recruiter let me know this tip: Anything you don’t used from your backpack initiative can be returned to the exchange/mini-mall and the money will be put back onto your card. If you want to see the official Air Force BMT Packing List and for more information on Air Force provided items click here.

Air Force

I Got a NEW Job and Ship Date

Alright….. so if you read my Quick Ship Update, you know that I’ve been waiting on a new ship date and job since I was taken out for October 2nd- and I finally have one.

I will be shipping to BMT November 20th under a guaranteed General Aptitude job area (aka open general). I definitely have mixed emotional about the whole open general thing BUT I’m just going to have faith that everything will work out the way it’s meant to be. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about recruits going in under open contracts and ending up with jobs that they hate. I’ve also heard a lot of reassuring stories about recruits ending up with medical jobs or jobs that they wanted. I’ve heard so many mixed things that I’m just going to have to go and find out myself. Fingers crossed this is how I will get the job I originally wanted- Aerospace Medical Service. I’ve also heard that going in with an open contract increases your odds at getting a medical job. Again, we’ll have to see. So I guess for the next few months I will be focusing on getting myself in shape the best I can to prepare myself for eight weeks down at Lackland. There’s also sooooo many other things I have to do- sell my car, pack up my room, pack for BMT; just to name a few 😉

Air Force

I Have a Job and Ship Date for BMT!

Shit is getting real guys! Yesterday I got a job and ship date for the Air Force. My job will be Fusion Analyst and I am shipping to BMT October 2nd. I also was put onto a quick ship list- meaning if any earlier slots open up my recruiter will let me know which means my job and ship date is subject to change. I’m kind of freaking out; I’m feeling excited, nervous, happy and worried. I still can’t believe I am actually doing this. I have wanted to do it for so long and it’s finally happening.

A lot of you may be thinking, what the heck is a Fusion Analyst. Well, that was my reaction too even though I did add it to my preferred jobs list. In short, a Fusion Analyst is responsible for acquiring and analyzing intelligence information. Ultimately it is a high security clearance job so there’s not much detail. Read more about the Fusion Analyst job here. I am excited to learn more about this job and experience it first hand.

As for my ship date- I had chosen October 1st as my preferred ship date at MEPS so this is perfect. This also means that if everything stays on schedule and I get through BMT without any issues, I will be in Tech School for Christmas and might have the chance to come home for around ten days on Exodus. One of my biggest worries about BMT is the weather- Basic Training is in San Antonio, Texas at Lackland Air Force Base. Everyone has told me Texas is miserably hot and humid. Luckily it seems like October is when things start to cool down, and even more so in November.

I should graduate by the end of November, if I make it through.

I am excited to see where I’ll be this time next year. Are you shipping soon? Any questions? Drop a comment below!

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