1. Your Name (as you would like it to appear)
Vanessa H.
2. Where did your soldier attend basic training?
Fort Leonard Wood
3. When did your soldier attend basic training (please include the year)?
April 26, 2010 – June 08, 2010
4. How often did you hear from him (phone and letters)?
He took his cell phone so he called me the whole way to Missouri and called me right before they let him off the bus. He called again for a minute during processing the next day. Then I didn’t hear from him until 2 weeks later on a sunday for about 10 minutes and then every Sunday or Saturday and the minutes were extended.
5. How long was it before you heard from him the first time?
He called the next day after he left for about a minute and then every Sunday after that. The first time was for 10 minutes and then it kept getting longer every week.
6. How long did it take to receive a mailing address from him?
He mailed me letters at the beginning so i got mail from him the second week but I didn’t get a mailing address until the second or third week.
7. Were there any restrictions on what you could send him?
Basically the same thing they tell everyone. Dont’ send anything unless he asks for it. I just sent him letters everyday and some pictures every now and then. I did send some letters Express mail and it would get to him in 2 to 3 days instead of 5 to 6 days.
8. When did you receive information about family day and graduation?
About week 5 and it said that family day would be the same day as graduation and he would be allowed an off-post pass.
9. Did he have a family day? If so, please describe.
It was after graduation and he did get an off-post pass. We went to go eat and then went back to the hotel. He basically just wanted to sit around and be with his family. He was checked out around 1100 and had to be back by 2100. But he went back about an hour earlier and he said they did some push-ups and stuff because some people came back late, but I didn’t get to see that.
10. Please describe the graduation ceremony.
I really liked the graduation. It was inside and they marched down the street and then marched off the stage. They played the Basic Training Video. They sounded off and then there was a speech about family day. It wasn’t that long only about an hour. Then they marched back to the barricks and we had to sign him out. I liked it, it wasn’t boring at all.
11. Is there a website for his unit? Did you find a place online that has pictures from his basic training?
I haven’t looked yet. But I’m gonna try to find it later so I’m not sure if there are any pictures.
12. Any other tips or information?
The best thing was his AIT training was at Fort Leonard Wood so he had a pass on the weekend. So I got to see him on Friday and Saturday after graduation. That was so nice because others had to leave that morning after graduation for AIT somewhere else. It was the best experience to see my husband in uniform and I’m so happy I went to see his graduation. It was also good for him to have his cell phone because now he calls every night. It seemed like it would be forever when he first left but it did really go by fast. Just be supportive and write to him/her everyday while in Basic it really does help you and him.
Hi , will my husband is also in the outlaws he called yesterday an was sooo exhausted:(
My husband recently wrote and told me he was sick. I searched and searched and saw that people were allowed to send phone chargers, stamps, envelopes, and cough drops…. I sent all that in a package, but now am regretting I. Did I just make my husbands next 8 weeks hell?
Rose, to my knowledge, they arent supposed to have some things sent to them. Cough drops, stamps and envelopes are fine….it really just depends on the drill sergeant. My fiancee’s drill sergeant wouldnt let his platoon have ANYTHING sent to them except letters, stamps, and occasionally cough drops.
I once sent my boyfriend cough drops from what i know they HAVE to be menthol or cherry nothing else and he got them. he even asked me for shampoo once and a soap holder so i sent that, it should be fine as long as you don’t send food 🙂 One thing that was really useful for me was that his company had a facebook page so all the families would go and post on there and answer each other’s questions even the Captain would write back so whenever you get the invitation for graduation check for that page, they always post really useful information!
My daughter just left today for BT and AIT-MP . Reading what everyone else has to say makes the stress level less for me. Knowing what to expect when you are in the dark from someone who has already been there is a big help! I will be looking for support and help here when needed.
Thanks
and how do i find the facebook pages that shows pictures and videos of my husband in fort leonard wood mo?
the companies usually have their own fb pages. my fiancee was with foxtrot; they had their own fb page so best thing is to look up his company and see if they have a page; if so, pics and videos will be on there.
Well my boyfriend just left to basic training , and he just purposed to me , so when he gets back were gonna get married.
But my question is: When were married could I leave with him?
ftwoodphotos.com -the website that posts pic of each company
Hey guys, my husband is leaving the day after tomorrow to start his basic training at Ft Leonard Wood. Is anyone else’s husband/boyfriend/wife leaving around the same time? Just wondering, I am having a hard time with all of this! Also, I noticed a lot of people are talking about their husbands bringing their cell phones with them to basic and ait school, but my husband’s recruiter told him not to bring his cell phone. Are they allowed to bring them? We have a newborn baby (he is 9 days old today!) and I would love to talk to my husband whenever possible, even if it is just while he’s on the bus or something. Reading everyone else’s stories are really helping me out but I am freaking out about how much I am going to miss him when he leaves!!!
around what time on sunday are phone calls at fort leonardwood ??
I wish I knew:( my boyfriend is there now he arrived monday February 5th. He called me a week later on Sunday and I missed it by 4minutes…then he called me Wednesday the 13th and I missed it by 1 damn minute. I think the number isn’t going through cause I never catch it ringing. But he left me a voicemail and said he’ll have time to call me on Sundays and if he doesn’t call, for me not to worry. This past Sunday he didn’t call. I’m hoping he will the next…. It’s been almost 3 weeks that I haven’t talked to him. And I can’t even mail him because his mom still didn’t get any information about the mailing address. It’s frustrating to say the least!
My boyfriend just graduated from basic training at Ft Leonard Wood. IF they got to call on Sundays it was anywhere between 5pm and 9pm. I highly recommend finding out if their company has a Facebook page. That’s where I found out a lot of my information about when they would get to call and all the info for graduation. My soldier only got to call 3 or 4 times his last 6 weeks at basic so don’t get your hopes up to get a call every Sunday because you’ll end up just being disappointed.
Im glad to read all the feedback. My fiance just left May 8 to FT Leonard Wood. I can gladly get off the crazy train worried about communication and letters. Recieving his first letter felt like my birthday and christmas all wrapped into one. Then I saw there was no return address.. I felt stuck. He calls me on sunday this time for more then 5 minutes. Writing him everyday has brought me some type of peace of mind. Just cant wait to send him the letters. We started in NY.. I wonder how graduation is going to go for us because he is doing his AIT there as well. How much time in between if any?
Mara my husband is there also! What is his MOS? He left May 6th . And they might have a weekend I between if any!