End of BCT

1

17cadet

5-Year Member
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Jul 18, 2013
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When is the official end of BCT? When do they return from Jack's Valley? Do they get their phones back at this time or Acceptance Day or after?
 
I can't give you an official reply, but our cadet got his phone back after Acceptance parade. They, of course, had to attend the football game on Saturday, but he did leave for the night, returning to USAFA the next morning for the game. After the game, he was clear until Monday at 1900.
 
Phones are a matter of squadron discretion. Some C4Cs get their phones back on A-Day and others not until Thanksgiving. My daughter got her phone back for A-Day but had to give it back after the few hours after the A-day parade. She then got it back the Thursday night before for Parents Weekend but then had to give it back on Monday night. She got it back maybe a month after that and then had to return it due to the C4Cs in her squadron not doing well on something, I believe. I seem to recall that she got it back for good sometime before Halloween. Then they locked them up for Recognition as well.
We ended up being able to correspond right before A-Day via email because she had her email by then and could let us know what she wanted us to send her.
Hope that helps.
 
17cadet said:
When is the official end of BCT? When do they return from Jack's Valley? Do they get their phones back at this time or Acceptance Day or after?
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They will march back from Jack's Friday and into academic squadrons Saturday, They may have their phones on A day but only for few hours most likely.
 
When my boys went, some didn't get their phones till Thanksgiving, and it was indeed up to the individual squadrons. Actually, I had the only kids in America who did not own cell phones at that time, so there was no huge change.

Remember reading about cadets in the 1950s/60s who spent Saturdays writing required letters, WAXING THE FLOORS (can you imagine?!), and getting ten minutes to call home once ever couple weeks. A lot different than now.

Pretty certain there were no parents calling the academy about mail/phone issues then.
 
fencersmother said:
When my boys went, some didn't get their phones till Thanksgiving, and it was indeed up to the individual squadrons. Actually, I had the only kids in America who did not own cell phones at that time, so there was no huge change.

Remember reading about cadets in the 1950s/60s who spent Saturdays writing required letters, WAXING THE FLOORS (can you imagine?!), and getting ten minutes to call home once ever couple weeks. A lot different than now.

Pretty certain there were no parents calling the academy about mail/phone issues then.
Click to expand...

Back when it was hard.....
 
We heard the march to and from Jack's Valley used to be done barefoot, in the snow, uphill....BOTH ways. :wink:
 
fencersmother said:
When my boys went, some didn't get their phones till Thanksgiving, and it was indeed up to the individual squadrons. Actually, I had the only kids in America who did not own cell phones at that time, so there was no huge change.

Remember reading about cadets in the 1950s/60s who spent Saturdays writing required letters, WAXING THE FLOORS (can you imagine?!), and getting ten minutes to call home once ever couple weeks. A lot different than now.

Pretty certain there were no parents calling the academy about mail/phone issues then.
Click to expand...

I can imagine it pretty well. We still wax our decks at USCGA (usually before inspections) as well as buffing the decks (done every day). I'm not sure if this applies to USAFA but we always joke here that if the Academy doesn't work out for someone, they could easily be hired as a professional janitor. I'm sure LITS has memories of this as well.
 
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fencersmother said:
When my boys went, some didn't get their phones till Thanksgiving, and it was indeed up to the individual squadrons. Actually, I had the only kids in America who did not own cell phones at that time, so there was no huge change.

Remember reading about cadets in the 1950s/60s who spent Saturdays writing required letters, WAXING THE FLOORS (can you imagine?!), and getting ten minutes to call home once ever couple weeks. A lot different than now.

Pretty certain there were no parents calling the academy about mail/phone issues then.
Click to expand...

That would have put them at West Point, as USAFA didn't exist -:
Couldn't help myself....dad was 52.
 
how to address the basics after bct

are they still basic cadet xyz or can we use c4c xyz in mail now? mailing out care packages and letters today.

when do they move to their new rooms?
 
They are still Basic Cadet XYZ until A-day -- but if package or letter will arrive on A-day, you can use C4C.

Room moving this weekend when the rest of the cadet wing reports back, but they will still move around the T-zo with their flight (their Academic Squadron). Don't have free movement on the T-zo til after A-day.
 
Most packages just get sent here as

[First] [Last]
PO Box [Number]
USAF Academy, CO 80841

No one will be checking their mail so it doesn't matter and you certainly won't get in trouble for a letter or package lacking a C4C
 
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