1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear)
Jennifer A.

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?
Fort Jackson, S.C.

3. When did your soldier attend basic training (please include the year)?
May-July 2010

4. How often did you hear from him (phone and letters)?
I received about 3 to 4 letters a week and a total of 4 phone calls the entire time. However, many of the other other companies received alot more phone calls, but my husband just happened to be in a very strict company who only let them call for phase changes and when they first arrived. All the families in his company never had a call longer than 5 minutes, and only received 4 calls.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?
About 2 days after he arrived at reception he was able to call.

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address from him?
It took about a week to get his mailing address and about 2 weeks before he recieved my first letter.

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?
I only sent letters and he was allowed to have 5 pictures, but others sent care packages. They were not allowed to send any food, anything scented, reading material, etc.

8. When did you receive information about family day and graduation?
At about week 6 I received a graduation letter. but they had information on family day and graduation as fast as week 2 on the facebook site.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.
He had a family day. We were able to meet with him in the afternoon and spend the day on base with him. That was it. No special ceremonies, no show on the field, nothing like what I’ve heard other families describe. We waited in a building till the soldiers were released to families.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.
Graduation was at Hilton field and was very moving. The only issue was that in South Carolina in July it is extremely HOT!! Everybody seemed smart and wore cool comfortable clothes, nothing dressy. It was so bad that soldier went down with heat exhaustion during the ceremony.

11. Is there a website for his unit? Did you find a place online that has pictures from his basic training?
There is a facebook site for his battalion that had updates and photos. It was nice because we were able to get updates from drill sergeants and see what they were learning while they were there.

12. Any other tips or information?
Try not to get disappointed if you don’t hear from them. Trust me they are working hard. The facebook site was a blessing and a curse for me. A blessing because I could see what he was doing and how hard he was working, but when families of other companies were understandably excited because they were getting phone calls every week for an hour, the families of our company were getting upset and resentful towards the drill sergeants. I had to keep reminding myself not to take it personal, that the drill sergeants were all different, and some felt that phone calls to home were a distraction.

1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear): Jamie H

1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear) Jenn

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training? Fort Leonard Wood, MO

3. When did your soldier attend basic training (please include the year)? April 7-June 17, 2010 for BCT, AIT is also at FLW until Aug 6.

4. How often did you hear from him (phone and letters)? Quite often. He called almost every Sunday, the time gradually increasing from 10-20 minutes in Red Phase, to 30-40 in White, and close to an hour while in Blue. Also, I received a pack of letters weekly

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time? The day he left. He called at midnight for 30 second to tell me he made it safely

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address from him? About a week and a half, via phone call. The official letter came after he’d been gone 3 weeks already.

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him? I was told send him only letters and photos (no risqué photos!). Any food, candy, reading material other than a Bible would be confiscated.

8. When did you receive information about family day and graduation? About halfway through BCT.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe. It was the same day graduation. He had an off post past until 2100 hours.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony. Almost 200 soldiers in less than an hour and a half! Each platoon went up with a different cadence, then the soldiers stepped forward one by one to state the name and hometown (my husband was the only one not from a US state/territory- he’s Canadian). They had awards, songs, and drill sergeant introductions. In the beginning was a video of different things they had experienced during their training. We sat near the front on the right side of the center section (all the soldiers were in the right section!), and got some pretty good photos! Then we followed them to the gym where we were able to sign out my husband and another soldier whose husband and daughter had not shown up.

11. Is there a website for his unit? Did you find a place online that has pictures from his basic training? They gave us a website in a letter to view pictures, but it never had pictures up…

12. Any other tips or information? Get to graduation early, but not too much. I had been told to get there by 7am, but I had heard it from so many people going, that we got there at 6:40. The roads we needed didn’t even open until 6:45, and they wouldn’t let us in Baker Theater until 8. A line formed around 7:30. Bring cash if you want to order the videos, or checks. They don’t take credit cards at the ceremony/reception site. If possible, know where you are taking your soldier during their pass beforehand. There’s not much out there in FLW, and most of the restaurants got crowded fast!

Of course, send lots of (encouraging!) letters during the course of training! My husband’s platoon had to do 10 pushups for each letter they received, and an extra 5 if there were any mistakes. He needed to work on his anyway, so some day’s I’d send a packet (if he had requested items), a letter, and a card, all separately! His family and friends were also writing, so one day, according to his DS, he had to do 100+ pushups! He was known for only doing them correctly during mail call!!!

Take your phone everywhere! He told me Sundays were the day to call, so whenever I was with anyone on Sundays, I’d tell them- If I run out excitedly for a phone call, it’s my husband’s only chance to talk this week! I missed a call once, but by a minute or two, and was able to call him back since he had called from his cell phone, not a pay phone.

For AIT- when they can have their electronics back to use in their daily free time- remind them to ALWAYS lock them up, even if only gone a couple minutes!!! My husband’s “Truck” has had several incidences of theft occurring, usually during formation. They suspect another truck, but the 1^st Sergeant won’t do anything about it, since they weren’t locked up.

1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear)

Lackey

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?

Ft Jackson SC

3. When did your soldier attend basic training (please include the year)?

April 2010 – June 25 2010

4. How often did you hear from him (phone and letters)?

Phone calls varied if they got into trouble or not but letters were about once every other day.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?

I herd from him a week after leaving in reception

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address from him?

Two weeks

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?

There were a lot, no colored or odd envelopes and DO NOT send things overnight it goes to a different post office and actually takes longer then sending it normally.

8. When did you receive information about family day and graduation?

About two or three weeks after he left

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.

Yes, it was really hot in the month of June and not a lot to do on base ( you can not leave base with them). Bring A LOT of water and sun screen and get there EARLY. The ceremony is really short and there are a lot of places to go shopping. Just take your time and enjoy the day, it goes by quick.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.

There ceremony is pretty quick , get there EARLY because the stands become jam packed. You Will have to walk to the other side of the field at the end to meet you solider so It does not matter where you sit.

11. Is there a website for his unit? Did you find a place online that has pictures from his basic training?

His unit had a FB page that was sooo helpful and they post picture and updates weekly.

1-61st Roadrunners

12. Any other tips or information?

Always write them , they count on your letters.

Don’t expect much , they tend to just tell you about their day

Make friends ! They are so helpful and you get to meet on graduation day ! I made many friends and two I have kept even though our other halves have gone separate ways,

Do watch what you write and post on things, you can and will get them into trouble if their DS’s read them

And always remember to keep your head up , you may feel down but it gets better !!

Please assist other Army families in knowing what to expect from basic training by completing this short survey to be published on the site. This is only a guide; please add any information you deem to be relevant.

Please email the completed survey to me at staceyATmarriedtothearmyDOTcom

1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear)

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?

3. When did your soldier attend basic training (please include the year)?

4. How often did you hear from him (phone and letters)?

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address from him?

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?

8. When did you receive information about family day and graduation?

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.

11. Is there a website for his unit? Did you find a place online that has pictures from his basic training?

12. Any other tips or information?

1. Your name (as you would like it to appear on the website): Emily

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?

Ft Jackson, SC

3. When did he attend basic training?

Feb-April 2010

4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and letters)

Letters: He’s not a fan of writing but he tried to write to me every few days. I averaged 2-3 letters per week

Phone: In reception he called every evening. Once they started red phase no calls until white phase and then we only got calls every few weeks. The entire BCT portion I received a total of 5 phone calls, mostly from the last few weeks.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?

They had him call once he got to reception

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address for him?

They had him call as he started red phase to give out their mailing address. It was a 60 second phone call and I couldn’t understand what he said so I took the information I got from him and looked at the Ft Jackson website to piece together his address. I received the first mail from him about 3 weeks after he left.

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?

YES! They could not receive anything really except for letters, pictures and a few personal items such as band aids, cough drops, etc. I would suggest asking your soldier what you can send since even flavored cough drops were considered candy and NOT allowed. He had to do push ups for each piece of mail received, more push ups for bigger packages.

8. Were you sent information about family day and graduation?

I may have gotten a small information pamphlet in the mail but most of the information came from Facebook. His Battalion, 3-13, used Facebook to post graduation information.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.

Yes. It was wonderful to spend time with him. They had a short ceremony in the morning outside. At the end of the ceremony all the soldiers had to stay in formation until their family came down and found them. My husband was able to tell me where he was so I found him quickly. Other soldiers had to stand there for up to 20 minutes before their families found them. They are arranged by company A-F left to right as you’re looking at the field. Each company is arranged by platoon 1-4 left to right. I recommend taking binoculars to find them easier during the presentation. Luckily for us only half of the Battalion was graduating that week so only 3 companies were present. We had to stay on Post for all of family day but it wasn’t as crowded as usual although we saw the line for Burger King and it looked ridiculous. Someone last year recommended taking a picnic to Twin Lakes and we decided to do that. We had come from California so the night before we went to Super Walmart (about 1/2 mile outside gate 2) and picked up a tiny bbq grill, some hot dogs and other snacks (also a dollar tree store near walmart). Twin lake was beautiful. They have many picnic tables and some of the larger pavilion areas do have bbq grills though there aren’t very many of those. There are two entrances to the lake on the right side of the road. We took the second entrance and drove around to the back of the lake. Very beautiful, quiet and not crowded. We were there most of the day relaxing and picnicking. Not a whole lot to do so if you get bored easily take some books or games. We just enjoyed talking and took a nap on the grass. In the evening we went to the company dinner at the NCO club. They had a standard buffet for $7 or an upgraded buffet for around $10. We ended up doing the upgraded but all they had was some ribs, ham, rice and potato salad. No salad or anything fresh. Some of the Drill Sergeants were there meeting families so it was a great opportunity to meet them and some of my husbands buddies.  He had to be back in formation at 9:30pm at the barracks. We watched them do push ups and then they asked the families to leave for the rest of the night.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.

There were a lot more people there for the graduation ceremony but getting in through the gates didn’t seem to take as long. I would still go early though. The graduation took longer and instead of meeting the soldiers on the field they had them march off to the far right of the field. After we were excused to go find them my husband was able to call and find me. I would definitely recommend setting up a meeting place since I never would have found him without him calling and he really wasn’t suppose to call. We went as fast as possible to his barracks to sign him out. There was already a bit of a line to sign him out when we got there and it takes awhile to get through. Basically the spouse or parent has to sign a paper with name, contact information, etc and then show driving registration or some other similar paperwork. We had a rental car so we just showed them the rental car agreement. We were switching rental cars so we were a little worried they would see our rental car agreement expired that day but they didn’t really look at it, just wanted to make sure you had something on the vehicle you were driving.

11. Is there a website for his basic training unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online?

Yes. Ft Jackson’s website is http://www.army.mil/info/organization/jackson/. The BCT unit pages can be found here http://www.jackson.army.mil/sites/bct/. Use the drop down menus near the top to find the unit pages. From there I was able to find his unit page. Most companies do not keep current information on their unit pages but ours updated it about every week or two. Facebook had the best information for his Battalion. I was able to find a Facebook link at the bottom of his unit page. His Battalion also used twitter, again I found it at the bottom of his unit page.  Not really any pictures of his training, but the twitter updates were fantastic!

12. Any other tips or information?

The night before family day we went on post to get the lay out and find Hilton Field. We drove through the main gate and they gave us a pass for the car. They also said for graduation you could go through any gate although the official information will tell you to go through gate 4. We did go through gate 4 in the morning and it was already backed up by 7am. We got through in plenty of time but again only 3 out of 6 companies were graduating so it was half as crowded. Definitely get there early to make sure you won’t have any problems being delayed at the gates. Make sure you take a map of Ft Jackson with you. Here’s a link to a basic map http://www.jackson.army.mil/images/cant_grad1105.pdf . On this map twin lakes recreational area is across the road from Red # 4 Heise Pond. Also the soldiers’ cell phones were locked up most of the time and they did not permanently receive them back until the day before family day.

1. Your name (as you would like it to appear on the website):
Amanda

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?
Fort Sill, Oklahoma (E BTRY 1-40 FA 4th PLT)

3. When did he attend basic training?
January 7-March 12, 2010

4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and letters)
I got letters once or twice a week, and phone calls once a week if I was lucky. His DS was very old school and didn’t like them to have phones, so the calls were usually about 4 or 5 minutes long. The longest call was only 15 minutes.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?
I got a few phone calls right away while he was still in reception, and then I didn’t hear anything from him for almost 3 weeks– I was ecstatic when the first letter arrived!

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address for him? About 3 weeks.

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?
Yes, all listed on the battery website (which you can find at http://sill-www.army.mil – look for the link that says “Training Units” and follow from there). I never sent him anything but letters/cards because I didn’t want to get him in trouble.

8. Were you sent information about family day and graduation?
Not directly (I’m only the girlfriend ^_^). His mom received information, but forgot to give it to me before my trip. This is where the website is incredibly useful– everything you need to know about graduation will be posted online a week or two before the event.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.
Family Day took place on post the day before his graduation, and while it was fun it was also kind of a waste of time. The families were told to arrive by 8:45 am, but when we got there his commanders told us that the event didn’t start until 11! They claimed to have “changed” the time, but my boyfriend told us later that while we were waiting, they were cleaning the barracks one last time >_<. There were several ceremonies inside the Gunner’s Inn, including recognition of superior performance and promotions. We also watched a slideshow of some of the highlights of training.

Afterwards they had us move to bleachers that had been set up out on the field. Our soldiers marched in, and performed some demonstrations for us. It was actually kind of funny– sort of a before/after look at their training. Of course, I was mostly looking for my boyfriend… it took almost the whole demonstration to locate him in his platoon! We also witnessed a naturalization ceremony for 4 soldiers, which was pretty inspiring. After the demo they sent the soldiers back to the barracks to change into their Class A’s (which took FOREVER), and then sent them out in two groups and released them on pass. All told it was a little after noontime when we finally got to leave with him. We went to lunch, visited some museums, shopped at the PX, and then he and I went off on our own to have a date. He had to be back at the barracks by 8:00 pm, but be sure to get them there by 7:45 for final formation.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.
The graduation was fantastic! We arrived at the McMahon auditorium a little after 9 am so that we would be able to get good seats, and we could see all the soldiers inside walking around (the building has huge glass doors/windows in the front, so it was easy to spot him as he walked by). We waved and made faces and generally embarrassed him ^_^.

They let us in a little after 9:30, and the soldiers were all seated in the auditorium, completely silent and looking forward. We spotted my boyfriend right away and took seats in the aisle across from him, so we could take pictures. We got him to wave once or twice, but mostly he behaved himself. All during the ceremonies you are welcome to walk around and take as many pictures as you like, and the soldiers can’t do anything but sit there! A brass band played some music, there were the usual comments from cadre, and they whipped through the actual graduation (say your name, get handshakes, sit down). I have to admit, though, I almost cried when they recited the Soldier’s Creed, all together. Very powerful. Then they showed us a video with footage from training– I got to see my boyfriend throwing a grenade! It was funny because they told all the new soldiers to say “Hooah” every time a new activity was shown. You’ve never heard “Hooah” until you’ve heard it from 150 people all at once! At the end they dismissed the soldiers from the auditorium, while they were marching in cadence (something about “Drill Sergeant why don’t you leave me alone/why don’t you let me go home ^_^). They made them form up by platoon outside, wait about 2 minutes, and then they were released to us on pass again. They were done by 11 am, but like Family Day that had to be back on the Drill Pad for final formation by 7:45 pm.

11. Is there a website for his basic training unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online?
The website can be found from the Fort Sill website, but it was only marginally useful. His commanding officers were kind of disorganized, so there were no newsletters until he was almost finished (and even then they posted them all at once), and they never posted photos of the training.

12. Any other tips or information?
Take money with you on Family Day/Graduation if you want a platoon or battalion t-shirt, DVD of the training exercises, or a copy of the slideshow. Be sure to check with your Soldier first, though– my boyfriend already had copies of his formal portrait, the DVD slideshow, and 2 platoon t-shirts. His parents bought a yearbook ($15) and a copy of the platoon photo ($?);  I bought a battalion t-shirt ($15).

Be sure to leave earlier than you think you need to for both events– parking lots fill up fast on post, and also the signage is confusing (I got lost on my way to the Gunner’s Inn– follow the map they send you!). Most of all, just enjoy every second that you get to spend with your soldier. Those two days go by so fast, and then they’re off to AIT!

1. Your name (as you would like it to appear on the website): Jessie

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training? Fort Leonard Wood, MO

3. When did he attend basic training? January 6, 2010- March 11, 2010

4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and letters) Letters almost every day once he was able to write.. done with initial processing. Phone calls ranged from 10-30 minutes every Sunday afternoon (starting the second Sunday). On Superbowl Sunday they had their phones almost all afternoon so we talked for a few hours!
5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time? The Saturday after he left he called and I missed it. He only had like a minute to talk anyway but I was very upset and cried awhile. So he just had to leave a voicemail.

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address for him? The second Sunday he was gone he was allowed a phone call and gave me his mailing address then, so about a week and a half.

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him? Yes, no sweets, no risque pictures… In general I wouldn’t send something if I doubted he could have it. Things he asked for included vitamins, Aspirin, cough drops (it was dead winter), and postage stamps.

8. Were you sent information about family day and graduation? He sent me information about times and dates, but I never received a formal invitation for some reason, even though I am his wife. Closer to graduation he will know specifics.

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe. Yes! It was held in Shea Gymnasium at 2:00pm the day before Graduation. They let all the family in to sit and then marched the soldiers in singing cadences. They went over the pass rules and then released the soldiers to find their family members. I signed him and two of his friends out and we went all over post, they couldn’t leave the post. We spent alot of time at the PX, there is a Starbucks, Commissary, lots of little places to spend time with your soldier. However, they are not allowed much PDA (besides a hug when they first see you) so don’t be mad at him if he doesn’t kiss you in public. We had to have him back at the barracks by 7:30pm, but don’t walk him all the way there or he’ll get into trouble.

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony. It was great! It was held at Baker Theatre at 11:00am. There is an intro, then the soldiers are marched in singing cadences again, after that we were able to see a slideshow of all their training (you might cry! lol) Each platoon was then called up on stage singing different cadences. One by one the soldiers yelled their name, rank, and where they were from. You are able to run up front and take a better picture if you are close enough to stage. It was very dark though so bring a high-quality camera. Then they take the oath again and are taken outside for another formation. I signed him out again and we were able to go off post until 7:30 pm! Then we had to say our goodbyes outside the barracks. I would suggest getting there early for good seats, at least by an hour.

11. Is there a website for his basic training unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online? I’m not sure, I was never given one.

12. Any other tips or information? Write to him daily! I know everyone says this but it means the world to him when he hears his name called at mail call. I wrote him a letter for every day he was gone (even before I had an address!) because I just couldn’t stand to get a sad letter from him saying he was passed over. Also send him pictures every week or so, just two or three, here and there. If you plan on attending graduation make sure to book your hotel as soon as you know the dates! They fill up really quickly.

1. Your name (as you would like it to appear on the website): Lindsay

2. Where did your soldier attend basic training? Fort Leonard Wood, MO

3. When did he attend basic training? he left January 4th 2010 he will graduate AIT April 23rd 2010

4. How often did you hear from him? (Phone and letters) so far i have only received about 5 phone calls. the first was when he first got there, it was about two minutes just to let me know he arrived safely. the second was probably two days later letting me know that he was almost out of reception and would be starting basic training. the following two were under 10 minutes, then the last one I got was for about an hour. they were given a 6 hour pass to go do whatever.

5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time? the day after he left

6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address for him? about two weeks

7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him? letters, g-rated pics, and cough drops ( halls )

8. Were you sent information about family day and graduation? yes

9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe. he will have family day the day before his AIT graduation. he is doing OSUT and there is no graduation in between. although I did get to fly up there last week while his company received a 36 hour pass, and he got to spend the night with me in my hotel room off base!

10. Please describe the graduation ceremony. I’m sorry but graduation has yet to come, but it will be soon! I’m sure it will be wonderful!

11. Is there a website for his basic training unit? Is there a place to see pictures of his training online? yes check out Fort Leonard Woods homepage at http://www.wood.army.mil/wood_cms/grad/2856.shtml   …..there is also a very nice Facebook page that will help you meet and share information with people that are going through exactly what you are. its very helpful.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/fortleonardwoodmissouri?ref=ts

12. Any other tips or information? just try to write them supportive letters every single day and send as many pics as you can ( like one every couple of letters, don’t over do it though ) and talk with people that are going through the same thing you are. share ideas and tips with each other and be supportive of one another.