Stationery/Letters During Beast

DMAC09

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I've heard a lot of stories about packages and pictures and colored envelopes being sent during BCT, but do they actually open all the mail before it's handed out?

Does it matter if someone sends you a letter on stationery that's not necessarily plain 'ole white paper? And do the letters I send have to be on regular paper & in regular white envelopes?
 
I am pretty sure that opening other people's mail constitutes as mail fraud, at least that's what they told us at orientation. I have heard the same thing you are talking about though, and it might be true that flashy stationary and pictures get you unwanted attention.
 
ya, thats what i have heard also. But i was told that as long as its in a sealed envelope, not a package, it wont be touched......:wink:
 
Each flight/squadron is different. First; no one is going to open your mail. Don't send packages, wait 6 weeks and have that sent then. Envelopes/letters are private and no one will touch it. However, once it is open, if someone sent you pictures and such, they could be confiscated until after BCT. Again; each squadron is different. Packages they'll hold for you and won't deliver until after BCT. You don't want packages held at that time. Just send them after BCT.

FWIW; the academy encourages letters. LOTS of them. They understand what you're going through. They want you to keep in contact with home. I do have some suggestions if you like.

1. Prior to leaving for BCT buy a lot of post cards. Give them to your parents, friends, girl/boy friend, etc... Whoever might write to you. Bring a couple for yourself. When they write you, have them include a post card in the envelope that is already addressed and a stamp on it. You are not going to have a lot of free time. The time you have, you will be tired. It's convenient to fill out an already ready post card. Fill it out and drop it in the mail. You won't have a lot of time for writing long letters. You can; just that you're going to be tired/busy.

2. Remember that your family/friends are not going to be able to feel what you feel when you feel it. What I mean is; you're going to have plenty of days where you question being there and believes the place sucks. This is natural. And 10 minutes later, you will feel better and be glad again that you are there. DON'T write the post cards when you're in a "Mood". Either wait until you perk up a little or concentrate on the positives of the academy. Your parents and friends will only be getting letters every few days. One depressing/down post card and make for a terrible few days for your parents/friends.

3. Unless your parents/friends have been through BCT, and even then, they can't understand what you're going through. Nor the why. So, don't write things to them that are negative in a way that's going to tempt them to give you advice or opinions. Unless they've been there, their opinions/advice aren't going to be valuable. And they will recognize your discouragement. If you've got the need for advice, talk to others in your flight. That's the whole concept of the military. To work it out TOGETHER as a team. Your parents/friends can give you words of encouragement, but they aren't part of your team.

Best of luck. You'll have lots of fun. Later... Mike....
 
colored paper is not as big a deal as colored envelopes. it's more embarrassing to your basic than anything else.

and no one else can open your mail, but if they feel that some contraband may be inside, they can have you open it to make sure. ie, if they feel the envelope and think there's a picture or a piece of gum, or worse you can see it through the envelope, they can have them open it and confiscate that item.


on that note, i encourage parents (or future basics) to self address envelopes to yourself with stamps and pass them out to friends. they'll be much more likely to write that way and send the proper envelopes. additionally, i would pre-address evenelopes with stamps to home or friends or whoever you plan on writing. its nice to write letters, but saving a couple minutes addressing and stamping envelopes helps a lot.
 
If your basic has a favorite comic strip, send it to them.
Jokes and comics always brightened my basic day.
 
We copied pictures from the scanner onto regular printer paper and wrote out letters on that. One twin's squad confiscated them, the other encouraged them.

Colored envelopes for both were a huge NO-No!
 
We ordered plain envelopes with our cadet's address pre-printed on them. Then we put stamps on all of them, and handed out packs of 10 to everyone at our son's graduation party ,with a note saying how important mail would be for him during BCT. We put the dates that he would be in BCT in the note, and encouraged everyone to write at least 10 times during the 6 weeks. Needless to say, he got a lot of mail.

Stealth_81
 
One thing we did which our cadet and his flight really liked; and his cadre didn't mind at all; was we took pictures that the AOG/Webguy posted of the flights during BCT and posted on the internet. We copied the jpg and attached it in as a word doc with our typed letter. This way our son could see pictures of himself and his flight in formation, obstacle course, eating, etc... It always makes you chuckle to see the expressions on your face. And because it was pictures of basic, the cadre didn't mind it at all. And because it was attached as part of a document, they didn't confiscate anything. later.... mike.....
 
Please send me your PO box numbers so i can send pretty pink envelopes with perfumed letters inside (seriously)

It makes for a good time i promise!
 
he's got a point :) sometimes, being interesting is a good thing. i laughed every time i got mail because of somethin my family or friends sent to me
 
One thing we did which our cadet and his flight really liked; and his cadre didn't mind at all; was we took pictures that the AOG/Webguy posted of the flights during BCT and posted on the internet. We copied the jpg and attached it in as a word doc with our typed letter. This way our son could see pictures of himself and his flight in formation, obstacle course, eating, etc... It always makes you chuckle to see the expressions on your face. And because it was pictures of basic, the cadre didn't mind it at all. And because it was attached as part of a document, they didn't confiscate anything. later.... mike.....

Thats great I am going to ask my parents to do that.
 
Probably shouldn't let people send you post cards unless they want them to be read. When i was in BMT during Airmen's time one day when my TI was handing out the letters, one of my wingmen got a postcard in the mail from his girlfriend that at one point read "sorry your TI's such an *******". And TIs always read postcards aloud to everyone just to embaress us. Happened to me a couple times. But I've never been to BCT so im not sure how things work there.
 
Probably shouldn't let people send you post cards unless they want them to be read. When i was in BMT during Airmen's time one day when my TI was handing out the letters, one of my wingmen got a postcard in the mail from his girlfriend that at one point read "sorry your TI's such an *******". And TIs always read postcards aloud to everyone just to embaress us. Happened to me a couple times. But I've never been to BCT so im not sure how things work there.

Not uncommon for postcards to be read aloud here too.
 
...but so entertaining!
(for both the cadre AND the flight)

...not that I would do that, as it's still pretty rude.
 
training instructor. what they have at "real" basic. and you'll see a few around here sometimes.. with the big black cowboy-hat lookin things. very very scary
 
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