How to Behave at a Military Boot Camp

"Be all you can be" sounds pretty good when you're watching all those military recruitment commercials on TV. It sounds much harder when you're in boot camp with a drill sergeant yelling 3 inches from your face. Knowing what to expect at a military boot camp can save you a lot of misery down the road. It will also make military boot camp the growth experience it is intended to be.

Instructions

1. Take care of financial and personal details before you leave so you won't be distracted while at boot camp. Make arrangements for your mail to be held or picked up by someone. Also consider how bills will be paid while you are gone and how you will get money while at boot camp. Remember that the length of time you are gone will vary depending on the military branch and could be from 6 weeks up to 4 months.

2. Prepare physically before leaving for boot camp. Make sure you are in shape for the stress your body will experience in boot camp. Contact your recruiter to find out about fitness groups that are meeting in your area that you can join. Plan to train for at least a month before leaving. Military fitness booklets are available online that give specific exercises to complete to prepare for boot camp, by military branch.

3. Bring only authorized items with you to boot camp. Check to determine which items are restricted since all items not allowed will be confiscated and either donated to a local charity, sent home at your expense, or thrown out.

4. Do as you are told without questioning your superiors. The goal of boot camp is to indoctrinate you into the military way of doing things, not to find a better way to do things. While you may think you know how to tie your shoes, if you aren't doing it the military way...it is wrong! Do everything exactly as you are told.

5. Take criticism and stay positive. You will be disciplined for many things during your stay at boot camp. Don't take it personally or make excuses. Just say, "Yes, sir" and take any punishments handed out.

6. Don't procrastinate. Putting things off until you feel like doing them will make you wish you hadn't, since your drill instructor will likely not take kindly to your desire to talk to a friend on the phone instead of shining your shoes until he can see himself in them. Do your required duties first; then if you have time you can do the things that you want to do.

7. Help other recruits, if you can. You are no longer an individual but part of a team. If they fail, you fail. When you get into a real military situation, such as combat duty, you will appreciate the concept of a team.