Beginning July 1, 2010, soldiers in Army basic training will undergo a different kind of basic training. Check out these changes.

1. Basic training is now ten weeks instead of nine.

2. The rifle marksmanship portion of basic is extended with more time on the range and more bullets fired.

3. Soldiers now undergo 22 hours of combatives training and are learning to fight from their feet instead of the more traditional wrestling type fighting on the ground.

4. More up-to-date medical training is taught and learning the IV stick has now been eliminated.

5. Physical training is being changed with less emphasis on push-ups, sit-ups and long distance running. Focus is being placed on conditioning muscles that would be used to carry heavy equipment in a combat situation or pulling a buddy out of harm’s way.

6. The bayonet assault course is a thing of the past and is being replaced with more pugil and combatives training.

7. More focus on Army standards and values.

8. Physical therapist and athletic trainers will participate in initial training to help soldiers achieve higher fitness levels while avoiding injury. More focus will also be put on nutritional requirements.

What do you think about all of these changes? We’d love to hear from Army soldiers or Army spouses who have undergone the new changes at basic training. From our point of view, it sounds like a good thing (minus the extra week away!). There seems to be more specific training and it seems to be changing with the needs of the environment that we’re being presented with in deployment situations overseas.

We’d love to hear your thoughts – leave us a comment!

This week by week information is adapted from the Guide for New Soldiers and Their Families, which is published by the U.S. Army.

The first stop for Army basic combat training is at reception. This can last for a few days or possibly even a few weeks. Many Army soldiers describe this phase as incredibly boring. For the sake of your soldier, hope that he moves quickly from reception to BCT.

During the first few weeks of BCT, he is under what is referred to as “total control.” In this phase, he will have very little free time, his showers and meals will be timed, and he will have little contact with his family outside of mail. After he makes it successfully through the first few weeks, he will begin to earn privileges – to shower for more than two minutes, to earn passes for a few hours or for the majority of a day, to earn phone privileges and his food choices will be expanded. His freedoms will continue to expand as long as he does well. Keep in mind that privileges for the entire company can be taken away with the mistake of ONE person in the company.

Please keep in mind, this is only a guide. Training can be adapted or changed as needed as far as the schedule is concerned by your soldier’s drill sergeant.

During week one, he will:

§         Be introduced to the seven core Army values

§         Take his first APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test)

§         Learn how to march

§         Learn how to prepare his barracks

§         Practice Drill and Ceremony

§         Learn Special and General Orders

§         Learn the Military Justice System

§         Learn how to disassemble, reassemble, clean and sight his M-16A2 rifle

During week two, he will:

§         Learn unarmed combat skills

§         Learn first aid

§         Learn map reading and navigation

§         Rappel from a 30 foot platform (Victory Tower)

§         Learn the Army value of Loyalty and the importance of teamwork

§         Learn how to set up a tent for a bivouac

During week three, he will:

§         Be introduced to the bayonet and basic bayonet movements

§         Become more familiar with his M16A2 rifle as he practices basic marksmanship

§         Learn to defend himself from chemical attack

§         Continue to improve his fitness through physical training

§         Learn the Army value of Duty

During week four, you will:

§         Learn to respect his fellow soldiers and their accomplishments as a team

§         Continue to practice basic rifle marksmanship

§         Learn multiple target detection

§         Take his second APFT

§         Learn the Army value of Respect

During week five, he will:

§         Qualify on his M-16A2 rifle (earn Marksman, Shooter or Expert badge)

§         Learn the Army value of Selfless Service

§         Learn how soldiers have continuously given of themselves throughout the U.S. Army’s history

During week six, he will:

§         Take his third APFT

§         Become familiar with a variety of U.S. weapons

§         Learn tactical movements techniques

§         Participate in a defensive live-fire exercise

§         Learn the Army value of Honor

During week seven, he will:

§         Take his final APFT

§         Learn the Army value of Integrity

§         Take the confidence course

During week eight, he will:

§         Learn the final Army value of Personal Courage

§         Participate in the Warrior Field Training Exercise (FTX)

During week nine, you will:

§         Prepare for graduation

Of course, along with all of this training, he will also be subject to lots of “smoking.” This is simply where the drill sergeant (DS) makes him do a variety of physical training exercises if he messes up or if someone in his company does. This can range from running to push-ups to flutter kicks. Sometimes his smoking is short and sometimes it can *seem* to last for hours. But it is all a part of making them physically and emotionally prepared for what lies ahead of them.

He may also have to do push-ups to receive his mail. Trust me when I say, he will gladly do push-ups to get his mail. Don’t short him on letters so he can avoid push-ups. He will end up doing them any way for some other reason, the DS will make sure of that. At least this way he gets a reward (your letter!) when he is done.

One final note, I have received emails from many wives and moms who are overly concerned when their soldier is participating in FTX. There is no need for any more concern during these few days than during any other part of their training. As my husband told me, FTX was like a camping trip. That’s not to say it wasn’t demanding but it is not any more so than other parts of his training.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy holding a pen in your hand as this is your new lifeline to your Army soldier as an Army wife.

One piece of advice – write to him every day.

My husband repeatedly told me that letters were like gold. It is their only tie to home or the outside world. After the first week or so, the letters were starting to feel forced. So I just started telling him about my day at work. I also would send him jokes and copies of emails. Each Sunday, I would send him the “ESPN update” with all of the scores. As long as they get letters, they couldn’t care less what they are about. It used to bore him to tears to hear about my job when he was home, but at basic he was thrilled so long as it meant he was getting mail.

On writing not so positive letters…

One thing that there are contradicting opinions about among Army wives is if all of your letters should be completely positive. While I agree that you should try to keep them as positive as possible, don’t cover up your true feelings either. If your car breaks down or the air conditioner at your home quits working, don’t tell him about it if you can help it as there’s not a thing he can do about it. But when it comes to your feelings, letting him know that you miss him and that you have a really hard day once in a while is okay. Once during basic, I wrote my husband a very long letter about how hard the separation was and my feelings surrounding it. I did warn him in the letter that I was feeling depressed and if it was going to bother him not to read past a certain point. After I mailed it, I felt horrible because I thought I was being selfish. But I received the sweetest letter in return with his reassurance. He later told me he was glad that I sent it. Don’t make your husband feel that you can’t function without him but it is nice for him to know that it is harder without him around and he is missed. You don’t want him to think you’re just living it up without him around.

Don’t slack off just because basic is over!

When my husband was in OSUT, basic ended when he came home for two weeks for Christmas Exodus. Once they returned, they were in the AIT phase. My husband told me that their mail decreased dramatically after the Christmas break. Don’t let this be the case with your soldier! I still continued to write every day.

Mail call…

They typically only have mail call a couple of times a week. Because of this, make sure you date or number each letter so he can read them in sequence. If you’re writing every day, he should be getting several at a time! During my husband’s AIT, they had mail call one day and he asked one of the guys to get his for him because he was shining his boots. The guys came back up in a few minutes and said they only had 10 letters to pass out and 5 of them belonged to my husband. But he said he was thrilled!

Many drill sergeants will have the soldiers do push ups in order to get their mail. Some moms and wives have emailed me to tell me they feel horrible that they are causing their soldiers to have to do some many push ups. Well, no need to fret. First, I’m sure your soldier is thrilled to do his push-ups if it means he’s getting mail. Second, he is going to have to do push-ups regardless all during his training so it may as well be for something positive. If he’s not getting mail and therefore not having to do push-ups during mail call, I can promise you the DS will find another excuse for him to get down and push!

So go out shopping and invest in a nice pen, a roll of stamps and a pack of paper. Your husband will never be so happy you decided to spend money!

When your soldier is in training, there is actually a very short list of the things that you can send to him and a VERY long list of what you cannot. Read on to make sure he doesn’t have to do extra push-ups on your account.

You CAN send him:

Letters – You can and should send him lots of letters while he is in training. You can send cards as well as letters. Many soldiers will tell you that any communication from Army wives, family and friends is like gold when they are in training. Do your best to keep your letters positive. Do not decorate the outside of the envelope in any way. No cute sayings, drawings of hearts, etc. He will have to pay in the form of extra push-ups and ridicule if you do this.

Pictures – They are allowed to have pictures with them at training. However, do keep in mind that they have limited space. He doesn’t need the entire photo album, just a few pictures will do. You may want to be sure you are sending him copies rather than originals just in case something happens to them. Also, be careful of the content of your pictures. If it is one you don’t want everyone to see, don’t send it!

Jokes, sports scores, etc. – While you don’t need to send him the entire newspaper, it is perfectly acceptable to send clippings from the paper or print-outs of ESPN from the net. He will also enjoy comics or some humorous jokes. Just don’t send anything lewd. NOTE: In August 2005, I received an email from the wife of a soldier at basic at Ft Benning and she said their DS did NOT allow them to have newspaper clippings. This just shows how much it can vary from DS to DS – be sure to check with your soldier first!

Phone cards – He is allowed to have a phone card with him. Its best to just include this with one of your letters. If at all possible, it is much easier if you give him one before he leaves. If you send a card later, it will be best to insert it in a greeting card as it will be more difficult to detect.

Stamps, envelopes and paper – Whenever I wrote to my husband, I would include a SASE and a few sheets of paper. Since I wrote every day, he never ran out. We found this method to be easier than him taking everything with him in the beginning.

If it is not mentioned above, he can’t have it. Do not send packages to him. There are stories floating around about the soldier who received a package from home full of baked goods (enough to last for several weeks) and the DS allowed him to have the package. He then forced him to eat every thing that was in it at one sitting! Don’t do this to your soldier.

Some Army girlfriends, Army fiancées or Army wives of a soldier may decide to send a pair of sexy panties to their soldier. Well, let me tell you a little story and you’ll think twice before doing it. One girl decided to do this and the DS opened the envelope. He then hung the girl’s panties in the window of the hallway of the barracks so the guys would see the panties each day when they passed by. On graduation day, the DS found the girlfriend of the soldier, handed her panties back to her and told her she had inspired many men during their training. Don’t be this girl!

I hope these tips have helped you in deciding what you can and cannot send your soldier during training. Please keep in mind this is only for training. If he is deployed, the list of what he can and cannot receive is different.

If you’re reading this, I’m sure it is with two important questions in mind:

1- What is it?
2- Will he get it?

Christmas Exodus put simply is a break for Christmas. This break only applies to soldiers who are in some sort of training program, not when they have been assigned to their unit. It is generally about one week before Christmas and continues until a few days after New Year’s Eve. The days for your soldier may vary depending on how the holidays fall.

If you are close enough to where he is training, you can go and pick him up in person. If not, the Army will help to arrange for his transportation home. Be aware that this time off will count against his leave time and if he’s in basic training, he will go in the hole. If you’re like most, you couldn’t care less as long as it means you’ll get to see him. I just mention it because we had to skip one of his block leaves to make up for the days.

I was close enough to Ft Benning to be able to drive over and pick up my husband. Please keep in mind that this is MY experience and yours could vary depending on which base he is at and who his DS’s are. I was told to arrive at 8am to pick him up but it was closer to 9am before he arrived at my car. We were told to go to their barracks on Sand Hill to pick them up. There was a long line of cars filled with anxious Army wives and families that only grew longer as the minutes went by. When the DS’s finally came out, they went to each car and asked who your soldier was. They then radioed for him to be sent out. They will come out in uniform and this is most likely the first time you’ve see him in it. For me, I didn’t even recognize my husband until he was about five feet from my car. Guess that’s what happens when you see lots of soldiers in the same uniform with bald heads.

They are warned against any PDAs and since they’re still in training, they’ll probably stick to it. I got a little hug before he got in the car. But I didn’t get my kiss until he couldn’t see the barracks anymore. I asked him if he wanted to do anything in Columbus before we left and he looked at me like I was crazy and said no, let’s just go home. I think he was ready for his bed.

Those two weeks were great for us! Although it was very hard not to be on a countdown – I was constantly thinking “only xx days until he goes back.” Of course, I’ve been on a constant countdown in one form or another since he joined the Army (until he deploys again, until he comes home, etc.) so I guess looking back, it was a little prep for the future.

It was very hard to take him back. He had to be dropped off at the reception center by 23:00 if I remember correctly. When we got there, I parked at the far end of the parking lot. The DS’s were outside with all of the guys lined up who were already back and they were barking orders. Right back to training mode.

A few years after my husband had his Christmas Exodus, we happened to be returning from a vacation through the Atlanta airport on the day that exodus started. There were soldiers and Drill Sergeants everywhere you looked. I kept telling my husband he should go chat up the DS’s – I again got a look that told me he thought I was crazy. J It was very late at night and the DS’s were still there making sure all of the soldiers made their flights so, rest assured, he’ll find his way back home to you.

Lately, I have received quite a few emails from concerned Army wives, Army parents and Army girlfriends about the first few letters they have received from their Army soldier in basic training. They were concerned because their soldier sounded depressed and was talking about making a mistake by joining. Many times they have written me asking if there is a way out of the contract because their soldier seems so intent on not staying in basic training.

I remember being in their shoes. I remember receiving those same letters in the first few weeks of basic training. My husband wrote to me that he was sorry he was putting us through all of this and that it was a mistake. He sounded very upset with his decision to join the Army. I did the only thing I knew to do – wrote back with words of encouragement and support.

I mentioned these emails to my husband a few weeks ago and commented that it must be pretty common with soldiers in basic. His response? He had never acted that way! I had to laugh. Then I went to find the letters that he had sent to me. He didn’t even remember ever regretting his decision to join the Army. He was surprised at how he sounded in his letters.

When your soldier goes to basic training, part of the “job” of the drill sergeants is to break him down so they can build him back up again in the Army way. For many of our husbands and sons, it is the first time away from family for any significant amount of time. And its definitely the first time away from home while facing such a strict schedule, an entirely new group of people that they’re living with in a confined area and very little communication with those they know and love. It is a tough adjustment. But most make it through and come out a better person for it.

Be sure that you continue to write words of support and encouragement to your soldier. Let them know that you are proud of their decision to serve. Try to give them the motivation that they need to get through those first few weeks as they are generally the toughest. Pretty soon, you’ll notice a difference in their letters and their attitude.

It’s just another hill in the roller coaster ride of the Army!

Your Army soldier has just left and if I had to guess, any mention of the Army or anything patriotic right now brings instant tears to your eyes. Don’t worry, it’s to be expected. When my husband first left, I could see a flag waving in the breeze on the way to work and be in tears. It was somewhat out of sadness but also out of the enormous pride that I felt that my husband had volunteered to serve his country.

The Bad News

I’ll go ahead and hit you with some bad news right off the bat. It could be a little while before you hear from him. By a little while, I mean as much as two to three weeks. My husband was able to call as soon as he arrived at Fort Benning but I missed the phone call. All he had time to say was his address. Thankfully, I received a standardized letter in the mail a few days later with the address because I would have never figured it out from his phone message.

Missing Phone Calls

Speaking of phone messages, I was absolutely devastated when I missed his phone call. In fact, I missed the first three phone calls he made. He called the second time when I was out. After that one, I decided I was never leaving the house on the weekend again. The following weekend, I stayed home all day Saturday and Sunday, jumping each time the phone rang only to be disappointed. On Sunday night about 8:45 p.m., I left to go to the post office to mail his letter. I was gone a total of ten minutes and…you guessed it! When I returned, the message light was blinking. I was beside myself. Not only had I missed his call, but he sounded sick and he was all but begging me to send him mail on the message. The problem was I had been writing daily at that point for two weeks. It killed me to think that not only could he not get me on the phone but he didn’t think I had been writing to him either.

From that point on, if I ever left the house my cell phone was glued to me. The next weekend, I received a call on my cell phone with a number from Denver, Colorado. I almost didn’t answer it but then decided to and it was him. It was showing up as Denver because of being on a pay phone. He was sick, very sick actually, and was able to talk for only about three minutes. But that was the best three-minute conversation I had ever had. I was in the mall when he called and I’m sure the folks around me thought someone was calling to tell me I had won the lottery!

Moral of this story:

• Always be around a phone of some kind that your husband knows to call you on. You can add call forwarding to your home phone for only a few dollars a month and it is WELL worth it. Trust me, miss one phone call and you’ll be adding it too!
• No matter how strange the phone number looks on caller ID, answer it!
• Make sure he has long distance phone cards. Sam’s Club has very good deals on phone cards. I sent my husband off with a 600 minute card. I’d rather him have way too many minutes than not enough. If he didn’t take one with him, put one in your next letter to him. It’s well worth the expense.

Please remember that phone calls do not come very often. I generally talked to him every other weekend for about 5-10 minutes. It’s not much and you never realize how short that really is until it’s the first time you’ve talked to him in two weeks. After basic, it is more likely they will earn a pass. This is their free time to do with as they please (but they can’t leave Sand Hill). Many head to the Recreation Center and eat to the point of being sick – all of those goodies they haven’t been allowed to have. My husband always headed for the closest pay phone. During one of his passes, I talked to him three hours. Needless to say, I was a very happy Army wife that day. Your main communication during his training will be letters.

If you are like most soon to be Army wives, the thought of your husband leaving for weeks or months is overwhelming and a bit unreal. But like it or not, it is going to happen. The best thing you can do is to prepare ahead of time. This is actually very good practice for when he leaves on deployments once he has been assigned to his unit.

Know about the bills

As Army wives, this is one of our main responsibilities. Your soldier will be gone often for training and deployments and it is essential that you can handle the finances. If possible, go ahead and take over this duty before he leaves so you can ask questions if needed. You should know what bills are due each month, when they are due, the amount due and where the payment should be mailed.

Learn how to balance a checkbook

If you’re going to be handling the bills, you also need to be able to balance the checkbook. Your local bank’s customer service representative should be able to help you if no one else is available. Be sure your name is on the account and that you know about all of the accounts (checking, savings, etc.) It is important that you have access to all of these accounts while he is gone.

Get a POA

A Power of Attorney is a document that allows you to speak on behalf of your soldier while he is gone. As his wife (or appointed agent), you can sign in his place and conduct transactions that he would normally have to be present for to conduct. The POA is a powerful document and should be used wisely. There are a variety of POAs available. A general POA is the broadest of them and is the most commonly used. There are also specific POAs that are used for one certain transaction such as buying or selling your home. There is no need to pay an attorney for this. The JAG office can help you or you can find a sample online to modify. The document must be notarized to be effective.

Ask him when he should be notified

It seems silly but this was one thing I asked my husband about before he left. I knew if an immediate family member died, he would want to be notified and come home. What about if it was a distant relative? What about if someone was hospitalized? He told me specifically the kinds of things he would want to know while he was in training and the things he didn’t want to know. It’s an important question to ask. Some of his answers surprised me.

Also, if there is a situation which requires your soldier to come home, you will have to notify the Red Cross. Be sure to discuss this with your soldier as well so you know the correct procedures to utilize.

Draw up a will

This is an important document for him, as a soldier, and for you, as an Army wife, especially if you have children. Be sure to lay out your wishes in writing. This is a morbid task and one that most people avoid. But if the circumstance arises where it must be used, you’ll be glad you have it. Along the same lines, be sure you know your soldier’s wishes for burial. Does he want to be buried in Arlington? Does he want to be cremated or buried? Does he want full military honors at his funeral? These are things that need to be asked now. Like I said, I know this isn’t a pleasant task. Believe me, I’ve had to do it myself. But you need to know.

Memorize his social security number

You will need to know this number for EVERYTHING! Your social security number barely has relevance now that you’re an Army wife. If someone in the Army asks you for your social, nine times out of ten, they’re asking for his not yours.

Do you have other tips? Please email me and let me know.