This information was supplied by Anita. Her husband was prior enlisted and was required to got through WTC rather than BCT. Thank you again Anita!
WTC (Warrior Training Course) for Prior Service Soldiers that decide to go back into the Army. Prior service soldiers do have separate rules and regulations compared to soldiers that are just starting out and our going through basic training.
It is a five week training course in Oklahoma or New Mexico. Basically it is 10 weeks of basic training crammed into 5 weeks. If your solider is going to pass the PT test remember to train before and on their own in WTC. They do not do enough PT in WTC and they wants to make their run. So RUN as much as possible! All soldiers must learn the Soldiers Creed and if they are NCO’s they need to learn the NCO’s Creed. Prepare to road march!
There are Drill Sgt ‘s at WTC and WTC is not as laid back as the recruiter says, so don’t let the recruiter lie to your solider! Don’t expect a phone call from your solider for about 2 to 3 days. For prior service soldiers ONLY they are allowed to bring personal items such as the following:
- Cell phone
- MP3 player or I-Pod
- Laptop
They will need to bring these to keep themselves entertained. If your solider is a smoker make sure he brings several cartons of cigarettes. Make sure your solider stocks up on Airborne because they will share a 60 man bay and once someone gets sick they all get sick. The first pass they will get is usually the first Sunday of the month. Clothing and sales is the first Sunday of the month also. They do not put the privates in the same bay or housing as prior service.
My DH just went through WTC and graduated in April 2010. There have been a few changes since this article was written, thought I would share.
1. There is no NM WTC anymore. Just Ft. Sill. They are given day passes on the weekend now (at least his class was), but they are not allowed to ride in POV (technically). I was able to visit him with the kids, but he had to be back in his barracks by 21:00. He was super-paranoid the entire time about screwing up and getting in trouble.
2. If you can help it, don’t bring your laptop. They don’t like it due to space and theft and there is no wifi or ethernet. HOWEVER, if you have an iphone or the web on your phone, etc you will be the envy of all those who don’t.
3. Based upon what my DH said, it may be difficult to go back in if you were E-5 or up and got back in as an E-3. Apparently a lot of guys have the opinion that they know better than the instructors because they used to out-rank them or something. This is unfortunate. Makes it harder on everyone. Encourage those affected by this to swallow their pride. My DH had a good class, though, they said the best class ever. Fewest failures ever. There was strong esprit d’corp. Makes a big difference.
4. You get “handled” after the new recruits when it comes to everything, paperwork, uniforms, etc. My DH spent his 1st 24 hours in sweats handing out uniforms. No sleep. No shower. Be tough. It gets better at AIT. You are treated like prior-enlisted at AIT and get to have a POV (at least at Ft. Jackson).
5. Be in good shape when you get there! There are people who failed out by 10 seconds on the run, the second try. There are some people who have been there almost a year in Foxtrot. This would very very frustrating to both soldiers and families who just want to move on with their lives….
Hope this helps!
I went through WTC as a sergeant and when you have been deployed 3 times before, it’s hard to take crap from some cadre member who was in junior high school while you were deployed.
You can’t treat prior service guys ( especially NCO’s) like you’d treat some new recruit. I’m sorry, that just doesn’t fly. We served too long and seen too much to take crap from some desk jocky who pinned on staff sergeant with 5 years of service.
Thanks for thwe info on WTC my hubby was Navy for 15 yrs and is now an Army SGT in the reserves and getting ready to leave for Sill on 5 July 2010.. He will be trying to go active after AIT whenever that is gonna be.. Not sure since the new dates are not out yet. But thanks again it really helps..
My husband graduated WTC in May 2010, so I thought I would throw in a few more things that might help.
1. I realize this is minor, but WTC actually stands for Warrior Transition Course, rather than Warrior Training Course.
2. Packages tend to take a long time to get to the soldiers for whatever reason. A husband’s buddy was waiting on a package literally the entire time he was there.
3. If you’re going active duty, you may spend a long time in reception battalion. Guard guys get priority to start their WTC course. The hubby was there for two weeks, but others were there for a month or more.
4. Most Sundays, the soldiers were allowed a base pass starting at 10:00 am. They are not allowed to ride in POV’s or leave the base (except on pass during reception), and they must have a battle buddy with them at all times. There is a shuttle service that picks them up at the barracks and takes them anywhere on base for around $3.
5. I was rather spoiled, as I lived 45 minutes from Ft. Sill, so I saw my soldier every Sunday. I was also allowed to go to church with him even on Sundays they didn’t have pass.
6. There are two batteries they may be in, Echo or Delta. Echo maintains a Facebook page where they post pictures and updates about the training they are doing. I think Delta is starting one soon as well. They sent an email the first week of WTC with the info to find it.
My husband is currently at WTC and it’s not near as bad as everyone has made it out to be. My husband is prior service from the Maine Corps and he said they have changed the PT program since he was last in and he is really enjoying it. I get to talk to him every night for about a hour before formation at 9:45. Then it’s lights out at 10. I’m so thankful that this time away from him hasn’t been as hard on me or my children because we do get to talk to him.
I just recently found out my DH will be going to WTC once his orders are cut from D.C. stating that he’s to report for duty to a recruiter within 90 days. I must say, from the beginning to the end, my stomach was a HUGE knot of nerves and lessened considerably towards the end.
We live about 7 hours from Fort Sill, so I guess that won’t be too bad… but I just wanted to tell you ladies THANK YOU! for posting all this helpful information up. I’ll be a first time military wife, and although I’ve been a military brat, it’s a very different ride being the wife of one.
You guys are all great!
It looks like the WTC program has been suspended for now. Anybody that joins either the National Guard or Army/Army reserves will be going to regular boot camp with everybody else.
Hello,
I was in wtc at Fort Sill back in 2008.
There was a dvd made about wtc back then.
However,I was wondering if your have seen this.
If so would you help a fellow soldier obtain a copy.
My copy was ruined from the results of a flood.
You may also contact me:
865 360 4363
Respectfully
David Boone
God Bless you for all you do!