When I got to Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas I found out that not all recruiters are the same. Some recruiters actually lied to the recruits coming in. Some of the women that I was in basic training with complained that they were not prepared for basic training because their recruiter lied to them about what to expect. I realized that I was blessed with an honest recruiter who prepared me well and there was only one thing that he told me that was not right, but it was more ‘misinformation’ instead of a lie.
My recruiter gave me a list of items that I needed to take with me to basic training and I asked him how I should pack; how many clothes… he told me to pack two weeks’ worth of clothes. Since I did not have a suitcase at that time, I borrowed one from my parents and it was a big one. It was very heavy and with the added weight of my clothes and items from the list, it was really too heavy for me to carry for any length of time. It wasn’t a problem getting to the Greyhound bus since my dad carried it for me and then once I was in Atlanta one of the fellas going to MEPS with the small group of us from my hometown, offered to carry it for me from the bus station to the hotel and the next morning he also put it on the bus to MEPS and then from MEPS to the airport. This was in 1995 long before luggage came standard with wheels.
However, all that changed when we got to Texas and the Air Force Drill Instructors met us at the Airport. After they yelled at us for a while on how to line up correctly and how pathetic we were, etc. we were told to pick up our luggage and RUN to the waiting bus outside. I didn’t have anyone to help me this time… I had to find strength from somewhere and pick up that huge suitcase and run with it. At one point I tripped and fell over the suitcase and skinned up my knee really badly. It hurt like crazy and was bleeding thru my jeans, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.
So, if I had to say the one thing my recruiter didn’t really tell me straight facts on was the amount of clothes that I would need. I would say don’t bring any clothes or only bring enough to fit in a backpack because what happened was once I got to basic training, they had us get the items from the list out and then they packed away all of our luggage and locked it in a closet the entire 6 weeks of basic training. After basic training, I went straight to tech school for 14 weeks and during the first few weeks we were not allowed to wear civilian clothes or leave the base. It was only after we were allowed to leave the base and wear civilian clothes, that I was also allowed to take a bus home one weekend in order to pick up my car and drive it back to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi where I was attending tech school. So really, I just needed the one outfit to wear to go home and pick up my car. I could have picked up my other clothes at that time and taken any size luggage because basic training was over, and I wasn’t being yelled at anymore or made to pick up my luggage and run with it. I learned a hard lesson that day and it is one that has served me well over the years… to this day, I do not own any suitcases or luggage that I cannot pick up and run with it. Even when picking out luggage to give as a gift, I always have that in the back of my mind.
In basic training there was also a big scandal regarding several of the ladies in my flight who reported that they had a personal relationship with their recruiter. Somehow our Drill Instructors found out and they called a meeting with us and asked us all to report any such relationships because they were illegal in the military and in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Fun in Tech School in Biloxi, Mississippi (1995)
This little red car was my ride back then. My brother and sister came to visit me while I was in tech school. My tech school was in Biloxi, Mississippi so we had fun on the beach and at the casino. Here I am with my brother, Bo outside of Treasure Bay Casino.
Here I am with my sister, Sherry in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Treasure Bay casino.
Sherry and Bo at the slot machines at the Treasure Bay casino in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1995 when they came to visit me while I was in Tech School right after Basic Training and before I went to my first duty station.
Blogs by BG 