My 2015 NC will be doing CBT soon enough.
I would like some SPECIFIC advice from current Plebes or others
regarding any helpful items and/or necesities he should bring
For example:
--Broken-in Boots and shoes...OK, exactly what type, high and low?,
and where can I get them.
--A good sturdy watch (or two)...OK, I got him a tough Swiss Army model
--A decent Leatherman multitool or variant...any "Best of" suggestions?
What else can you all add?
Thanks
Hi, I am a plebe at WP
-Boots and running shoes that are broken-in help a lot. I have Altama boots but have heard Belleville get high remarks from nearly everyone I talked to, if company was what you meant by "type." They are all made based on the same design the US government issues the companies and I think its more important to just get the boots that are most comfortable. You can get them at PXs on military bases if there are any near you. I don't know if there's anywhere else you can get them, other than online, which I discourage.
-Digital, robust watch that can take a beating. You shouldn't spend more than $30-$40 on a watch
-A Leatherman with 10+ tools is very handy but not necessary
-Babywipes are handy too, since you might go a day or two without washing
-Foot powder helps with blisters by keeping them dry and helps them smell better.
-Moleskin saved my life. They prevent blisters. I wouldn't have been able to finish half the things I did in boots without them.
-Bandaids and anti-bacterial cream are handy as well. The last thing you want is an infected cut. Things like this and moleskin are provided by the medics and should be by the chain of command, but I found it very, very useful to have them on me and apply them immediately without having to ask someone or get up and find someone with them.
-A flashlight will save your life when you need to find something in the dark or make your way safely to a secluded area to take a leak. There were some days when we slept out in the open and having to fumble for something you need in pitch-black darkness is pretty bad.
-Warm blankets, water resistant if possible. I remember shivering in the dark when we slept out in the open, falling asleep, and then waking up with all my clothes and gear soaked because it rained overnight. It can get very miserable.
-Extra socks and underwear. My SL took us to the C-store because some of our guys had used up all their socks and had to go buy extras.
-A way to get conditionined to extreme heat? We had many, many new cadets simply drop out because they could not acclimatize to the 100+ degrees temp we had for many days or became a heat casualty because of the extreme heat we had last summer. I was one myself and its not fun.
-A sense of humor. West Point is not the real Army and most of the cadet leadership are only two, three years older than new cadets. They're college kids, not drill sergeants. It wasn't until near the end that I noticed a lot of the things they do is sometimes simply because they're bored. They are also sometimes much softer than the hardass image they try to convey (and sometimes fail to) outside of CBT. If you do screw-up and get yelled at, fine. You screwed up and you're paying the price and honest mistakes should be taken seriously. But there will also be many times that there really isn't a a point to yelling other than to scare new cadets. By keeping this in mind and understanding that most of the cadre are college kids confined to 3 weeks of screaming at people, waking up at 4 am, and doing PT. They want to have fun too and they often get it with the new cadets. It makes it far easier to tolerate and sometimes can even get amusing for you. We often noticed mistakes and failure on their part too - it is as much a learning experience for them as it is for new cadets. So don't take everything too seriously!
-Blueberries! Eat a lot of them before your son comes to summer training. Apparently, there are medical studies that show that they help with being able to memorize the crap that your son will have to memorize. This may or may not be true (I think it helped...I think blueberry bushes grew in my stomach because so many blueberry seeds matured in there. And I was fantastic with memorizing), but it could help and blueberries taste great anyway.
-And most of all...a positive, sharp attitude and physical fitness! Having a good attitude will help you stick it out till the end and it just sucks being the one person always slowing the squad down. A good attitude makes everything much more bearable and even enjoyable.
There will be a package of some kind that will be mailed to you with a helpful packing list if you haven't received it already. Good luck to you and your son!
-CS