Questions for a Freshman Cadet

[DK6732]

False! Bring as many pairs of compression shorts as you can stuff in your bag. The USAFA issued underwear is horrible. By the second week of BCT, half of the guys in my flight had to duck waddling everywhere they went due to extremely painful chaffing.

It really is that bad. My cadre didn't care what we wore. So bring it, and if you end up not using it, then you will at least have it after basic and won't have to wait for your stuff to get mailed out.

 

[KveTina]

Thanks for all the advice so far!

I hope this isn't too silly of a question, but

Girls - practice putting your hair up in a bun quickly. They'll make you take it down then time/watch you put it back up. Also - get all the shots you can, while at home!!

What kind of bun? For CAP, I usually braid my hair, twist it around, and then hold the bun in place with bobby pins and a lot of hair spray, but I definitely would not be able to do that quickly. Can you just roll your hair up in a messy bun, or what?

 

[Strike Eagle]

Can you just roll your hair up in a messy bun, or what?

I'm pretty sure it has to look good with no stray hairs hanging out.

 

[Jezzie]

Guess I can't speak for the guys on that one lol

 

[pn298ab]

If you have been told (or encouraged) to wear that Hawaiian Shirt (those 40 some odd of you), wear it.

If not, don't worry about it. You'll find out what it is when you get here, should you be fortunate enough to have one of them in your flight.

 

[DK6732]

I have two in my squad right now. They had a blast on I-day!

 

[Jezzie]

KveTina, you can't have stray hair, as someone mentioned, and it needs to be neat. Many girls do the braided buns, so that the hair doesn't fall out of the bun or look messy, and so that it stays put. Definitely bring hair spray. Probably not bring the aerosal kind as that would run out faster than the other spray kind.

Bobby pins might not be the best method. Every girl is different, but usually we'd stock up on rubberbands and rubberband our buns to death. Also, you'll be on your back doing a lot of flutterkicks and having a bun of bobby pins might hurt the back of your head. If you want to practice now, then give yourself about 1 minute to put your hair up, and then do some high knees/run/jumping jacks to see if it stays. Truthfully, it's only I-day that you need to put your hair up at the speed of light. During basic, I would put my hair in a pony tail, braid it, hair spray it, in the morning i'd wrap it and rubber band it. Sometimes, my roomates and I would just make the buns at night and just add extra hairspray in the morning. You get used to it pretty quick.

3. things:
1. there's always the sock bun method, cutting/rolling a sock to roll your hair around. you can probably google that. if not, PM me and I can tell you how.
2. make sure, when at home, that your bun is not more than 3 inches any way. Mine was during basic and they didn't make me cut it but it was a pain to deal with.
3. Bring a ziplock bag fulllll of rubberbands. and make sure they're the same color as your hair. you lose rubberbands easily and quickly, so make sure you have plenty.

hope that helps =)

 

[Christcorp]

Nair!!!

Shampoo heavily with; rinse thoroughly; repeat as required.

Wasn't there a thread about women in combat; identical standards; etc...

 

[luckymacy]

I have two in my squad right now. They had a blast on I-day!

huh???

 

[aglages]

If you have been told (or encouraged) to wear that Hawaiian Shirt (those 40 some odd of you), wear it.

I have two in my squad right now. They had a blast on I-day!

At some point prospective Basics need to question the quality and motivation behind some of the advice given on ANY internet site. Just because some posters are current cadets at the USAFA does not mean that their advice is well intentioned or accurate. I would recommend NOT wearing an Hawaiian shirt when you report for I-Day. Instead of attracting attention to yourself try to "fly under the radar" and blend in. Just my opinion....

 

[bsa07eagle]

lol, doing silly stuff on I-Day and all throughout basic will suck at the moment, but it is so fun to look back on. The people who do that kind of stuff are the people who have the most fun during basic.

Later,

Brian

 

[aglages]

The people who do that kind of stuff are the people who have the most fun during basic.

Sounds like a great way to have more fun during BCT! What kind of good times can the people who wear Hawaiian shirts to I-Day expect to have?

 

[bsa07eagle]

No, seriously. I'm not saying this to get people beat more, but I wish I would have worn the "shirt" we made (there are a couple guys on here who know what I mean). I would have gotten yelled at more that first day (but I already got that covered). I regret not doing something because I took basic too seriously. Would it have sucked for a couple days? Yes, but so did a lot of things that me and my squad mates laugh about now (Isn't that usually true about funny things in life).

Later,

Brian

 

[bsa07eagle]

Also, what I meant about people having "fun," are the people who had the best attitude about basic and kept the rest of us laughing.

Later,

Brian

 

[aglages]

I would have gotten yelled at more that first day..

Would it have sucked for a couple days?

If you wish you would have done something differently then by all means share your experience. My only issue is that you and a few others seem willing to encourage prospective Basics to do something without advising them of the consequences of following your advice. Now that they know the WHOLE story they can decide if wearing an Hawaiian shirt to I-Day (and taking the increased "beatings") is something they want to do so they and their squad mates can laugh about it later. If I were a Basic I'd worry the only people laughing during BCT would be the people who gave me this advice. Just my opinion....

 

[Bullet]

OK, since we’ve hit upon the “how to bring attention to yourself during I-day and the rest of BCT” discussion” which starts every year about this time (and reaches a frenzy come April / May), please allow me to give my $0.02 on the subject.

(Granted, this is from a guy who 1) isn’t a freshmen like the OP asked for, and 2) did not attend the AFA.)

When it comes to “getting attention” at I-day and BCT, don’t be “THAT guy (or gal)”, and instead strive to be “THE guy (or gal)”.
What’s the difference? THAT guy (or gal) is the person who draws attention to him/her self for all the wrong reasons. Typical reasons:

1) Gets off the bus wearing clothes that are either so stupid (i.e. a shirt that says, “I’m here to kick butt and chew bubble-gum, and I’m all out of bubble-gum!”, or “Operation Code Pink Rally for Peace: Aug 2005”), or so arrogant (i.e. a shirt that has a military logo on it or says “Future Weapons School Grad” on it) the cadre quickly commences an attitude adjustment.

2) Has an attitude of “I was the Valedictorian at my HS, All-state QB, Westinghouse Finalist, and Homecoming King combined. My poop doesn’t stink, and I’ll quickly point that fact to you and the rest of the other cadets (who I think are below me)”, or “My lawyer says you can’t do this to me.”

3) Looks out only for #1 and not the team. Finishes the run first, stands off to the side to stretch afterwards. Never volunteers for anything, because he would rather let his fellow cadets screw it up and take the fall (or worse yet, volunteers for EVERYTHING because he / she wants to show the cadre they ARE #1). Refuses to come out from “under the radar” for anything, even if it lets a team-mate down.

4) Doesn’t LISTEN. We ALL make mistakes, and the cadre expects that. They also expect you to LISTEN and LEARN from your mistakes. If you are un-teachable, you are not qualified to lead. Even worse if the root cause is simply that you don’t LISTEN.

5) Gives up at the slightest challenge. Again, we ALL fail and make mistakes sometimes. Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and keep going. THAT is what earns you respect from the Cadre.

6) Gets down on their team-mates instead of being the support system for your team-mates. Your team-mates will make mistakes as well. Don’t be the one who yells at them to get their act together, be the one who encourages them to improve. Better yet, be the one who SHOWS them how to improve or carries them across the finish line.

So, what is THE guy (or gal) like?

1) I think I mentioned “team” a few times. Be a team player; be the first to crack a joke to get your team-mates spirits up, the first to go back and run with a team-mate who is lagging, the first to hug your team-mate when they do something good, and the first to pat your team-mate on the back and say “get ‘em next time” when they screw up.

2) If you and your team-mates want to do something together to build team spirit, even if you know it will get you all in trouble for a little while (like everyone showing up in Hawaiian shirts), do it and accept the consequences. But do it as a team, or don’t do it at all. And don’t do something illegal or against the rules, just something “out of the ordinary”.

3) Be the one who listens to your team-mates when they are down and gives them that little extra TLC to lift their spirits. Share a cookie, if you have one.

4) Volunteer once in a while. Show them your willing to lead because you see it as an opportunity to learn the correct way to lead.

5) Be a friend besides a team-mate.

6) Did I mention you should be a team-player?

Well, those are just some quick thoughts. My last thought is: “You set a dream / goal for yourself. No one pushed you into this situation (hopefully). BCT and I-day are temporary obstacles to that goal. Granted, they may stink RIGHT NOW, but isn’t your goal worth it? I knew EVERYDAY I was wearing the uniform was worth it to me, even the bad ones. Just see these obstacles today as something that will make achieving your goal worth it all the more…

 

[aglages]

Excellent post Bullet. Thanks for the advice....I will pass it on to somebody that might be able to use it.
BTW - you don't know where I can pick up one of those bubble-gum or code pink rally shirts.....do you?

 

[pn298ab]

That's right, do it as a team. Not sure if I would have done it had I been the only one. The consequences are not bad at all. All they can do with you the first couple days is yell at you. If you can't take a yelling, well, you'll get used to it eventually.

Additionally, you would have changed out of the civilian clothes prior to entering the squadron, or the flight, where it's the actual people training you. Even then, they probably won't remember you with the large numbers of people. You also would have gotten your hair cut.

Right now, probably only the guys I was with remember that I did it with them. Everyone else hasn't a clue. The person that said that they would remember me and find me later on never did. I saw that person a couple months later, was right next to the person, hadn't a clue who I was, other than just another 4-dig.

So, the Hawaiian shirt thing is a tradition of one of the prep schools. Those who went to that school should have already been informed of the dangers of it, which is none. They can't touch you without your permission. The task is obviously optional. About half our class did it. Some of the others that didn't do it wish that they did.

It's all shock and awe, don't let it get to you.

 

[Jezzie]

After all this back and forth, there's one thing i want to add to what Brian has been saying.

Sure the results from wearing that shirt might not be fun, but it's worth it. Looking back on basic, the things you remember are the hilarious things. Things that often time earned you a beating. Wearing a hawaiian shirt, showing up hours early, wearing cowboy boots, screaming answers and basic responses at the top of your lungs right back at the cadre, etc. Small things that make it memorable.

People like the "All-Star", "Box Boy", "Mattress Boy," and others are infamous and are still talked about and laughed about today. Why? They dared to show a little individuality (and in some cases stupidity) during a time when conforming was stressed.

If you're too serious about basic, as Brian said, you'll be missing out on a lot.

My classmates and I are still sometimes laughing to the point of tears over things.

I know, as a parent, you dont want your child to go through any more hell than they have to, but it's character building. If you want to fall out in the hallway with your PC shorts up to your ribs, and a straight face, on the way to morning PT, then do it!! Better humor (even the cadre sometimes can't help but laugh) than always being scared. Fear will get you nowhere.

Remember- cadre are people too. Our cadre told us that sometimes, they'd have to stop screaming, mid-sentence, just to run to a different room and laugh their heads off at the stupid stuff we did. Basic is what you make it, so make it memorable.

(That said, don't do stuff that's disrespectful. Bad idea...)

 

[luckymacy]

False! Bring as many pairs of compression shorts as you can stuff in your bag. The USAFA issued underwear is horrible. By the second week of BCT, half of the guys in my flight had to duck waddling everywhere they went due to extremely painful chaffing.

He, he, he, that's a hilarious visual. Seriously though, you are allowed to bring a ton of underwear/compression shorts and they'll let you use them and not count them as contraband? Is there a color requirement like they must be all white or what?

I hear it's often freezing cold during BCT 1 in the early mornings when you have to get up and run with your running group and you're not allowed to wear warmup gear. Is that right? Can you wear a T shirt under your normal shirt to stay warm? Do they even issue warm up gear? Since no one is going to be sleeping under their sheets, if they can get away with it, what do you have to sleep under to keep warm if no warm ups?

Let's see if I understand this, personal items like tooth brush, tooth paste and deodarant are things YOU HAVE to bring and bring in enough quantity to get you through couple/few weeks until you are allowed to hit the cadet store? And at the cadet store, it's cash only? Everyone keeps saying bring cash, you can't use your own credit/debit card there from home? Can you bring and use your own comb, finger nail clippers, dental floss (yeah, I'm maybe getting ridiculous but just pushing the boundary to figure out where the line is...).

TIA