So I was gone alllll summer. I was at Fort Jackson for Basic Combat Training. I graduated from it on September 1, 2011 and since I am still in high school, I didn't go straight to AIT. For roughly 10 weeks, I made the bay my home and my battle buddies my family. I was sooo nervous on the airplane and I grew even more nervous and anxious as us, recruits, boarded the bus to take us to Ft. Jackson. I didn't know what to expect at all. I mean, I researched quite a bit about Ft. Jackson beforehand but research has got absolutely NOTHING on firsthand experience.
Reception lasted about three days and maaaaaan did I hate reception. It was so long, boring, and just ewwww. The girls constantly yelled, argued, and bickered about petty things. That kinda crap gives me a headache. I wasn't used to wearing those boots. Breaking them in is a long, painful process, especially cos I had a giant cut on my foot prior to heading off to Ft. Jackson.
I loved BCT itself though. I thought the people in my platoon were pretty amazing. I wouldn't have traded them for any other platoon in the battalion. I thought it was sooo much fun. Really. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I absolutely loved the obstacle courses. Those things are absolutely amazing. I swear it's like a giant jungle gym for big kids.
I thought my drill sergeants were pretty funny and cool once I got to know them. I was hella scared at first. I did get in trouble for minor things though (lol like dancing). And I did get really sick during the last two weeks. I was coughing all over the place, I got pinkeye, my back and my leg hurt were in pain, my throat hurt like hell, my feet had giant cuts on the heels, and I had blisters on my toes. So during that final PT test, I was a messed up little mofo but luckily I still passed.
I miss my battle buddies a lot though. Making friends with the people in my platoon and even outside my platoon made BCT sooo much easier. I really could not have made it out without them.
The one thing I really strongly disliked doing were the rucksack marches. Actually, they weren't too bad, it's just that I'm short so it's hard for me to keep up with people with longer legs. I feel like I speedwalk the whole darn thing. For some reason I messed up my feet really bad during the last march we did, which is really weird cos my feet never got that messed up before. I even wore my Foxriver socks and lots of moleskin.
Oh well...And even with all the uneventful things that happened to me, I can still say it's an experience of a lifetime. I don't regret going at all. I am actually kind of "baysick" right now. I miss my battle buddies so much. I'm back in school and it feels so repetitive. At least when I was in BCT, I was doing something different everyday. Everyday was full of surprises.
I remember all my battle buddies and I talking about going back home to the "reality" aka "the civilian world" but now I wish I could go back in time and do this whole thing all over. I didn't argue or fight with anyone in my platoon. In fact, I got along with every single one of them. I think about those guys every day and wonder if they miss BCT as much as I do. It's weird, I definitely did not think I would miss Ft. Jackson at all. Sandy, sandy, sandy Ft. Jackson. And did you know that I truly despise sand?
Here's a glimpse of one of the events at BCT. It was the very first obstacle course/event our company did.
Victory Tower
Money, money, money
Every day you work hard to earn money. Then you keep on saving it. What is the point of saving all the time? Eventually, you're going to die and you won't be able to make use of your hard-earned money. You should just spend it (not like a spendthrift) and be happy. Use that cash (wisely) and have fun with it!