Form 341

C

CBJ

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Jan 25, 2021
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Received a letter from my son saying he has received 3 form 341s since he arrived on June 24th. He also said that if they want to get rid of him, they are going to have to drag him out of there so I am not worried about his dedication or motivation. Is this normal? Signed - a parent looking for reassurance.
 
I went there in 1985, a upperclassman could not stand me and told me everyday that my paperwork was ready to kick me out, in BCT, it was all a game…don’t worry about it…
 
A Doolie will not get booted due to 341’s written by a ‘23 Cadet. It takes quite a bit and would involve the active duty officer and/or NCO.
Nothing to worry about at this point. Best advice is to do what he’s told, hold his tongue, and work Hard through the next 4 1/2 weeks.
 
341’s literally mean nothing. I got some negative 341’s - and I know a guy who got around 25 negative 341’s. They mean nothing. The 21’ers were telling me that they used to get 5 bad ones in a day. Not a big deal. They’re just a rebuke or a praise during basic.

In fact, they actually abolished the 341 as a cadet thing - so they literally only apply during basic. Don’t worry about your DS :)
 
TLINAU2230 said:
341’s literally mean nothing. I got some negative 341’s - and I know a guy who got around 25 negative 341’s. They mean nothing. The 21’ers were telling me that they used to get 5 bad ones in a day. Not a big deal. They’re just a rebuke or a praise during basic.

In fact, they actually abolished the 341 as a cadet thing - so they literally only apply during basic. Don’t worry about your DS :)
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Thank you so much, working on this process of separation. I know he has to be a fully functioNing adult but that just takes all the control away from me so I tend to overthink what he is writing in his letters.
 
CBJ said:
.... so I tend to overthink what he is writing in his letters.
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Try to remember the letter is written at a point in time and things could rapidly change for the better 5 minutes after your DS seals the envelope. (also keep that in mind if you see a picture of him and he looks beat - again, a point in time)

During our DS BCT we got a really down letter and of course worried about it until we got the next one which said something like "sorry about that last letter, today is much better and there is no way they are going to beat me at this"

Hang in there
 
greentrees said:
Try to remember the letter is written at a point in time and things could rapidly change for the better 5 minutes after your DS seals the envelope. (also keep that in mind if you see a picture of him and he looks beat - again, a point in time)

During our DS BCT we got a really down letter and of course worried about it until we got the next one which said something like "sorry about that last letter, today is much better and there is no way they are going to beat me at this"

Hang in there
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I cannot emphasize @greentrees post enough. In the moment, your DS will experience his best and worst moments, but they will not last forever. The same goes for phone calls after he (potentially) fails his first exam, gets a lower grade on a paper than expected, flubs a uniform inspection, or didn't score as well on his PT test as he hoped. You/your family are his only third-party outlets for venting as he goes through this experience with the rest of his class, so its his opportunity to get the thoughts in his head down on paper and out of his mind. That will not change when letters turn to phone calls and phone calls turn to video calls or the exciting in-person visits. To be honest, I would say I vented to my parents fairly often while at CGA and still do as an active duty officer. They've learned to take a lot of it with a grain of salt, support me as I process those experiences, and give me advice when I ask for it or need it. Now, my husband does a lot of the listening as I do for him, because we trust the people we love to listen without judgment.

Do not be surprised if you get another letter that echoes the above. He will look back on this all with pride in what he accomplished, and laugh at most of it, as it really is humorous from the outside. Have faith in your DS and continue to adapt to that loss of control, it'll get easier as he grows into his new role at USAFA and develops into the confident adult you raised him to be.
 
341s used to come in a bound stack similar to a glued notepad. When we started BCT, our cadre ripped three of the stack for each of us so if we got in trouble we would be able to turn one in. After turning one in, you had to get a new one since you were required to have three on your person at all times. Well there was a girl in my flight that was getting them pulled so often that the cadre got fed up with giving her a new one on a fairly consistent basis so they just gave her the stack and if the rest of the flight needed a new one, we had to go to her. She ended up graduating the same as everyone else. This is just a long way to say they are relatively insignificant.
 
From the way you phrased your post....

HE IS CRUSHING IT!!!

Agree with all above posts on BCT headgames, meaning/no meaning of 341s. The FACT that he is telling you means he is very open to sharing, and has the self-confidence not to hide things. The FACT that he says that they'd have to drag him out...he's got the determination and drive to succeed!

Parent perspective (or lack thereof) & advice:
BCT will do funny things to you as a parent. It's entirely OK to be irrational and fixate on something and worry like you've never experienced. It's normal. It's because we aren't familiar with this, most of us went to State U! The question is are you "staying on your side of Northgate", and if so, then you are and he are fine! I got up several times at night, completely beside myself that my DD's squadron missed out on poptarts and were late to the store when school supplies were being wiped out. Sitting here today, that is completely irrational and ridiculous. So....you are not the only parent that will go through the BCT Parent Rite of Irrational Worry Passage.
 
The only form to be concerned about is a Form O-96 being filled out improperly.

Otherwise your basic should be reporting
Fast
Neat
Average
Friendly
Good
Good

(yes this form no longer exists)
 
In AF BMT the 341 was very much a mind game. You had to carry two at all times and the last thing you wanted to hear was "Give me a 341!", or worse yet...a 682 (two 341's). I never saw anything happen with them.
 
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I had quite a few form 341's during basic. All but one of them was for smiling and/or laughing at attention. The cadre make it sound as though you are getting brought up on a UCMJ article every time you get one, but they aren't a huge deal. If you get too many in the academic year you can get a form 10 which is actually serious and can have demerits attached. And yes, for me every meal at Mitches has been fast, neat, average, friendly, good, good.
 
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