What Army Recruits Go Through At Boot Camp

[Applause] this is army boot camp before they join the United States Army all recruits have to graduate from a 22 week program known as one station unit training also known as oh sit it happens here at Fort Benning a 182 thousand acre military installation that straddles the Alabama Georgia border about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta every year more than 18,000 soldiers graduate before joining the more than 400 70,000 people actively serving in the Army although most of the recruits that we saw during our time there were male recruits trained together in gender integrated platoons these young men and women that volunteer to serve they show up to us as civilians and then we take them through a transformative process to turn them in they sold on a rain-soaked week in February we spent four days inside the Army's maneuver center of excellence which trained soldiers to serve in the infantry and armored branches we saw different companies at various stages of training on day one new infantry recruits on a bus from the Atlanta Airport arrived at the 30th AG battalion headquarters where all new recruits are received the minimum age to enlist in the Army is 17 and the maximum age is 35 the base salary for an entry-level private is about $20,000 a year once they're off the bus the first order of business is establishing the code of conduct very short you treat everybody with dignity and respect regardless of race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation and all other protected categories yes sexual assault is any unwanted physical contact and a sexual nature so if you put your hands on another individual and you're not instructed to if you're not saving their life and they file a sexual assault and it comes down that you put your hands on this individual when you weren't supposed to that is gonna be on you you'll get kicked out of the military and you'll probably have to file as a registered sex offender do you understand before they go inside the new recruits learn some basic commands and standing positions everyone look down at their toes you should be able to fit a slice of dates in between your toes if you look around they're gonna see you cuz you're taller all the same the recruits grab the snack that's waiting for them inside consisting of a fruit cup sunflower seeds a granola bar and a juice box make no mistake about it their journey you are embarking upon will not be easy like we won't be here if we didn't think you couldn't meet the challenge after being welcomed recruits begin what's known as processing which can take one to two weeks before their actual training begins by yourself first they're given one last chance to discreetly dispose of prohibited contraband like drugs alcohol tobacco and inappropriate photographs [Music] recruits get rid of contraband in an amnesty room where they dispose of it by throwing it down a metal chute the next morning the recruits report to the barbershop we're one barber has worked at fort benning for almost 60 years been here ever since 1963 that's a long time I should have been a retired a long time ago but I wake up in the morning now we want to come out here recruits are issued uniforms they receive a series of immunizations and vaccines and get their official photo taken along with myriad housekeeping details that fill up their one to two week stay in processing that is until processing ends and the time for training finally arrives we found a company of recruits about to begin training in the armored school oh the bridle these recruits are about to be picked up and taken to their barracks where they'll reside for the rest of their training [Music] this is the last chance for recruits to change their minds before training begins like one recruit who decided to stay behind this short bus ride from processing to their new barracks will be the most peaceful moments these recruits will experience for a while what happens next is known as the shark attack little shock to the system so we can break them down to build them back up we're breaking a lot of habits from the civilian world and nothing better than a little shock to the system to establish that that drill sergeant is in charge to let us start our training the recruits spin much of the shark attack holding their heavy ruck sacks above their heads which takes a physical toll about 20 minutes the intensity begins to subside and the drill sergeants tone changes for training officially begins after the shock and awe of the shark attack things do appear to calm down we found this group of infantry soldiers in week 11 of their training practicing on the firing range the mood was much more relaxed their conversations with their drill sergeants are conducted at normal volumes like when this drill sergeant educated the recruits on the meaning of the military expression ate up you don't want something you don't write you want something fresh you break the seals like right okay that dynamic changes because we want the soldiers to become more critical thinkers at that point we are turning into more coaches and mentors we dial it back a little bit so we don't want them frightened we want them to be comfortable and in a state of mind that is receptive to learning and performing at that level up to 241 hours of infantry OSA are devoted to marksmanship where recruits fire about 2,500 rounds using the m4 carbine as well as the m249 squad automatic weapon or saw we create with allottee we create expert marksman at their individual weapons because as an infantry soldier that's what we're asking them to do recruits get one of the most painful parts of training out of the way early once we check yourself you will not touch her promise this group of infantry recruits was exposed to CS gas or tear gas in week one of their training [Music] stop gonna play come back against all the recruits spend about five minutes inside the gas hut upon exiting the gas hut the recruits are told to flap their arms like birds to remove excess gas from their uniforms according to a drill sergeant the effects of the gas begin to wear off after about four minutes some training moves indoors like combatives where recruits learn hand to hand self defense tactics I'm trying to teach them achieve a dominant body position get out of one negative position and then switch roles but they end up having the upper hand in a fight during combatives training recruits warm up with a particularly painful looking exercise referred to as the EO while laying on their backs they have to engage their core to wiggle across the entire room they use the momentum shoulder blades their core the help them create space warm up the body recruits work up a major appetite during training but fort benning is big and they're not always within range of the dining facility when they're training in the field recruits are issued MREs which stands for meal ready to eat each comes with an entree like this vegetarian pasta with taco sauce along with an assortment of items like mixed fruit and energy bar and this instant french vanilla cappuccino recruits just add water shake it up and enjoy once their fortified recruits return to their training recruits spend up to sixty hours in training known as Mount which stands for military operations in urban terrain infantrymen are expected to fight in different types of terrain and survive and win the fight right now they are getting their first taste of what that's like in an urban environment rolling tea all right coming up in operations across Afghanistan and Iraq we are conducting clearance operations and it's applicable wherever we go it's important for the future soldiers muscle memory because they are working as a team with minimal communication when they have to understand how that coordination works together after 22 weeks of training these infantrymen are ready to leave Fort Benning friends and family gather to watch their soldiers graduate on Inouye field [Music] they look like soldiers they act like soldiers they're carrying their head high I have trainees that were not alive when 9/11 happened that's pretty powerful that I still can find American citizens that want to volunteer to serve their country when we continue to ask them to go to combat these new infantrymen don't have long to greet their loved ones or say goodbye to their friends before leaving Fort Benning to begin their service in the United States Army

Channel: Business Insider

Views: 5,408,197

Rating: 4.8828254 out of 5

Keywords: Business Insider, Business News, boot camp, army, military, us military, defense

Id: HYbbmatf6w4

Length: 13min 22sec (802 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 16 2020

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[u/PettyOfficerMarx]

Nothing radicalized me more than my time in the Navy. I remember once in bootcamp somone in my division peed themselves after being up for 2 days and not being allowed to use the bathroom for 5 hours. The RDC (Navy Drill Instructor) then humiliated her in front of hundreds of other recruits. At one point I remember him yelling "No one cares if you live or die. Either fix yourself, or go and die". Dehumanization was common and encouraged. Right wing extremism was the norm. The whole system was bassically a meat grinder, all for arms manufacturers profits.

[u/cidroja1312]

This ain’t shit. When I first got off the bus, one of the drill sergeants had a fucking gun in his hand. I was physically thrown into the metal frame of a bunk bed by a DS.