One time in bootcamp they made us dump out all of our footlockers and the Drill Instructors kicked all our stuff around (keep in mind there were 90 of us in 1 squad bay) and after all our stuff was mixed together they made us flip our racks and take our mattresses outside and then we took our combination locks and we had to lock them all together in one blob. Then they gave us 10 minuets to put everything back and when we didn’t meet the timeline we had to start over
In the Navy we had a day where we had to put our sweatshirt and sweatpants on over our camos. Then strip down and put it all back on in 10 seconds. We probably went at it for almost an hour until we stopped. The point wasn't to complete the task, it was actually impossible, the point was just to smoke us
@@kingcarlos7048 a buddy of mine in air force basic said his MTI's made them go from wearing their pt gear to their utilities over and over for an hour. He said they had maybe 15 seconds each time and were smoked each time.
ALSO! Some NCO's that I've come across are super laxed. I went up to one, went to parade rest to ask my question and he was like "Private.... RELAX..."
It's actually super annoying to NCOs, especially those who haven't been drills, to have a new Private who still thinks he's in basic. They would rather know that you actually understand what they're saying rather than just say "Yes, Sergeant!" on reflex.
Matt, I'm an Air Force captain. One time I was briefing new airmen fresh from basic training and tech school on military justice, and it was funny watching them because they called the room to attention when I walked in and when I left, lol. The whole time they basically sat at attention. They were still in basic training mode. I tried to get them to relax by telling them that I was only a captain, and that I was also prior-enlisted. I understood their feelings because I was the exact same way coming out of basic.
Customs and courtesies are a thing. I always tried to observe them. Calling the room to attention when the highest ranking officer enters is a good thing. Not relaxing when given permission is just bad, unless you are the guidon bearer. Calling attention when the officer leaves, is also in keeping with customs and courtesies. "At ease" applies in the same way as "attention" does to officers. If at some point the officer/NCO just hates it, they will let you know. Keep in mind that only applies to those with whom you work with on a daily basis. If you don't know whom they are, do what is right. When addressing an NCO, as a junior. enlisted person; come to the position of attention before executing parade-rest as parade-rest is a modified position of attention. It's weird but keep it up. When leaving the parade-rest, come to attention before moving out. I did this as E4 and below and it did make a difference in my relationships with those above me.
Best of luck to you. Hope you got some good guys you know to share it with. Stay safe and take care of each other. Don't be afraid to accept help and ask questions.
I did 'Split-Op' Not sure if it is something they still offer, but it allowed you to go to Basic between your Junior and Senior Year, then AIT after graduation. Even though I had not done AIT, I still had to go to my Drills, so when my first Drill Weekend came up, I was very nervous. I expected the NCOs there to be like Drill Sergeants. Instead they were like, "Relax. Do you want coffee? Help yourself right over there, then go sit down at that table with everyone." At the table, privates, specialist and sergeants were all sitting together just chilling. It was a huge shock to me.
Hey Matt, I have had a blast listening to your videos and have learned a lot. My son is in Ft Benning BCT, and when he left, I made a deal with him to show support and being with him in spirit that I would get up at 0 dark thirty and go for a run, then after work go to the gym and knock out some weight training. I also listen to your videos to and from my hour long drive to work. I just feel that I am supporting him and seeing what he is going through and what he got himself into. Lol , thanks again, wish we had more out there like you.
I'm getting prepped for 20th SFG support and then selection. My dad started doing my training program with me a couple weeks ago, which is a brutal brutal program. Said it was "to get in shape" but I know it's actually to support my goals because no one would punish themselves like this for "fitness". It means a lot to new recruits to get that kind of support from family. Keep it up!
@@Roper-cn7wd he made it through 30th AG, he'll be fine. That was the worst for me, standing forever with no idea as to when it would end lol I was C 1-50 at benning
Great vid Sir, got to my first duty station after AIT( Obv after) on Ramstein ( army air defense), and my unit was in the field, so when I got up at 6am by my self next day, got dressed, and stayed in room for couple hours not knowing what to do, was expecting Sgt or someone to come get me or come in room, but Not, lol. Couple hrs go by and finally I went down to CQ ( witch at time had no clue about), so was strange, was so used to basic and AIT ( ft.bliss) where always be told what to do, little stressed in those first few day but caught in quick
I was aw struck when I went to my first drill, went to attention for a 2nd LT that walked up to me and asked me a question. He laughed and said stop. The spc behind me said "he's gonna drop you if you keep doing that." But I am enjoying my time at 634th bsb. Sir, keep doing what your doing. Your inspiring a lot of people going into the military. 👏
Your explanations are very good for soldiers assigned to TO&E or "combat" units such as infantry, artillery or armor. I was a personnel specialist in two headquarters units where my job was not different than virtually any civilian office job. You still did your annual PT qualification, but other than that it was simply office work. (I was NCOIC for officers' records for promotion and processing PCS orders at Headquarters, USATCFA, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma) back in 1968.
@@storn8230 I’m a 25B. made E5 in under 5. Got back from an overseas training rotation a little over a year ago and just extended my contract for another two years.
I hated MEPS so much as well. Mostly bc the guy who took my blood stuck the needle under my vein and had to move it around to actually hit the vein. I'm probably never going to donate blood again after that
iCryptic lol I’m in ait rn fort lee Virginia, keep your head up. I graduated fort jackson Charlie co 2-39 basic will be hell bro so find that reason you joined.
Lol this is pretty accurate only the old school 11bravos will be complaing lol the smoke sessions in a.i.t. never stopped we got the worst pounding ever right after our blue cord ceremony just so we wouldn't forget because we were all guard guys lol and drill sgts were right it's thirty years later and I haven't forgotten it lol keep up the he good work I wish we would have had this content when I was a kid to prep for
80's. Permanent duty stations were chill as long as you had your doo-doo together. if not, you heard the dreaded words "Don't make any plans for the weekend".
November 2001 : My Battery Commander was my PT partner “(Captain). I’d actually sit in the Defac with him because we ate with our PT partner (that was interesting) when asked by a Drill Sgt I recited the order, I didn’t really have a battle buddy. We were an odd numbered platoon and I was the platoon guidon and basically won the lottery for pvts.
At my duty station we never went to 'at ease' for any NCO E-6 or below. For our platoon sergeant and above we did because you don't deal with them that often-usually at formation. If all enlisted did formalities with their squad leaders and NCO's they work with constantly, nothing would ever get done in a working field unit. Our Top was so chill he only worried about it when you went into his office or he happened to walk into your barracks room.
At my First Duty Station when I went to the Mess Hall I stood at Parade Rest and the other Soldiers burst out laughing yelling "Cruit, Cruit". It was Breakfast and I was shocked to see an Omelet and so much other items on the Breakfast Line At my First Duty Station I signed up for Mid Month Pay and not just getting Paid Once Per Month. Not needing a Pass to go off the Base. When I arrived at my First Duty Station I stayed in the Barracks because I thought I needed a Pass to go off the Base. I never saw anyone getting dropped for push ups and getting smoked in the Real Army I was Infantry so when not in the Field we were in the Motorpool doing maintenance on our Tracked Vehicles. In the Air Cav we did Rucking, and long marches. We also did Bayonet Training. We had to clean our weapons and the Crew Served Weapons. We had to practice over and over field stripping the M60 Machine Gun and M2 Machine Gun. We had Dummy Hand Grenades and Claymore Mines we use to practice with over and over. We did Ruck Layouts and TA50 Inspection. Most of the TA50 we never carried and never used
You know what would be a great addition to this "Things to know" series, a video on the various options for going officer, either from enlistment or crossing over from enlisted. I remember the Green to Gold seeming like an attractive option. The Army was definitely big on encouraging retention and advancement when I was in (2001-2009) and I imagine just as much today. They were constantly on me about re-enlistment and also going Warrant Officer. In fact if there's anything you can add about the Warrant program as well, that would also be great.
In Basic and AIT everything is mapped out to the minute. But other than getting up and going to bed at the same time every day is different. One day you will do PT at 0600 the next day it might not be until 1000 depending on who is using the PT field when. But you are doing so much every day that you really do need a regimented schedule to get it all done. Active Army is different. Every unit has their assigned PT space so you don't have to compete with another unit for that space. First formation (PT), breakfast, work formation, lunch, recall (end of day) formation will usually be at the same time every day M-F. Most soldiers eat dinner immediately after recall formation but you can eat any time you like as long as the mess hall is open. You can go in uniform or civilian clothes. What you do is different too. In basic your tasks can change every hour. Active duty you will go to a range, or you will maintain the vehicles and equipment, or you will mow grass, or there will be an equipment or parts inventory, and that will be the thing you do that day. These tasks take longer to do so they give you all day to do it. So the time is still assigned, there's just bigger time blocks.
Had some hurdles to clear and it’s been a long road but I finally took the oath yesterday and shipping Nov 13 as a 19D. Your videos kept my spirits up during this process. Thanks Matt keep up the good work!
My son has been at fort sill since Sept 18 and I didn't know much and what to expect I turned to you tube, you have been a great comfort to me. Thank you Matt for sharing your knowledge!
Other things that get better after basic training: getting to watch more Matt Ward videos. PS. Anyone shipping out November for 12B to Fort Leonard Wood? PSS. Matt, any idea on how long a waiver for astigmatism takes? I know that's pretty specific, if you have no clue, it's all good. Went through meps yesterday, everything is good just need the waiver for my eyes.
Thanks for being so up front about everything. These are such great topics and questions that all recruits should know about going into the army. I wish I had someone honest and knowledgeable who I could have talked when I enlisted in the 90s. I was clueless about all if these things.
That's why the regular Army is looked down upon by high speed units. In Battalion rank was respected. Granted, when an NCO that you worked with daily entered it wasn't a big deal, but any time an officer or senior NCO entered an area the group would be called to attention at ease. Discipline is one of the most important lessons to be learned in the military. After leaving Ranger Regiment and going to 1st Special Ops Command I was astounded by the lack of respect for rank and discipline but after a while I understood the difference in mission and reasons why there was a lax. However the Army as a whole would do well to keep the standards of 75th Ranger Regiment as the standard for the Army as a whole. RLTW.
"1st Special Ops Command" - Pretty sure you mean 1st Special Forces Command, and no one I've ever met who has actually been there ever refers to it as "1st Special Forces Command", if it is ever brought up that they were with or in SF, they simply say something like "I was with Group for a while" or "I was with 5th Group, etc." Not only that but no one I have ever met in the military in general would confuse SF for "special ops" when specifically referring to Green Berets. Unless you were trying to say you were at/in USSOCOM or USASOC outside of the 75th... Not to mention that most of the people that go through SFAS and the Q course fail specifically due to lack of discipline, that and the physical challenges, and if they didn't prepare properly for land nav. Which Batt were you supposedly in?
@@salt5999 I don't get to check comments often but, yes I did mean 1st SOCOM and in 1988 it was on Smoke Bomb Hill at Bragg in the same building as JFKSWC. The unit patch was the horse's head with the lightning bolt behind it. And 5th and 7th Group were both at Bragg at that time but I never said I was in an SF Group. Closest I came to Group was as a "G' in the Q Course during Robin Sage during post support right before I got out. I was originally supposed to go to the Eighty Deuce out of Jump School but during Zero Week (got there a week early from AIT) they asked for volunteers for the "new" Ranger Bn they were standing up at Benning and I went for it. No option 40 or anything. This was class 40-84. I went from Jump School straight to RIP and then into 3d Bn. I was a 96B, I think it's 35F now, in Bn SCIF. MTOE changed three years later, my job became an E-6 position and I went worldwide and wound up at Bragg.
One of our AIT drill sergeant's idea of smoking was rigorous D&C. Nothing corrects bad behavior in a bunch of 18 year old privates like 30 minutes of "to the rear...MARCH!"
Thank you so much for all your videos man, you've helped me realize that the army is the branch for me. All I have to do is lose some weight and then I can enlist!
Another thing to add is with experience in basic and later ROTC, we shouted mottos everytime we came to attention. That's not (thank God) practiced in the real Army. As far as the 5th thing Matt mentions, when I went to Germany after basic/AIT, we didn't do anything in particular during a normal workday. We often just sat around in our team rooms, so I can relate to what we says.
Should do video on why the army promotes based off of points rather than actual potential. Seen too many good leaders and technical experts get passed up in favor of self centered assholes who are more concerned with completing correspondance courses than learning how to do their jobs or be effective leaders. You should not be able to progress your career without doing your job.
In usmc bootcamp i missnamed a seriws GySgt by calling him a drill instructor and he didnt get upset. he gave me a chance to correct myself which was cool of him. i eventually got it right and he went on his way.
Depending on your MOS it's just like a job after all the training is finished and you are assigned to your first unit ( That is called permanent party unit) I had a combat MOS ( Combat Communications) in which most of my time in the regular Army i was assigned to Artillery units. The Artillery units only went to the field maybe 4-5 months per year so that means for 7 months you are back at the barracks ( Home base) where you have PT at 6 am then you have breakfast then you clean your floors common areas like latrines and hallways along with your own personal rooms before work formation. then 1 hour plus for lunch then afternoon formation then the final formation was at 5pm then you were off until 6am unless you had some sort of duty like guard duty or CQ duty ( Command of Quarters) where an E-5 would be in charge of your company barracks during the night (24 hour duty and you are off the next day)and an E-1 to E-4 would be the runner (Assist him) That happens maybe once a month per person. So basically if your not in the field training there is alot of time to kill. Because once to get back from the field your equipment has to be 100% ready (Clean and serviceable) in 24 hours or so. That's why about the training there is always training schedules for morning and afternoon but it's basically to show top( 1st SGT) that your keeping the troops busy but it's not enforced. You have section rooms where your MOS gear is and you just keep busy by cleaning the already cleaned gear or go to the motor pool and p op the hood and run the engines while talking to your buddies who's going to the club tonight (lol) Anyways that's how it was in the 80's. Sorry if it's different now.
If you haven't already, could you make a video explaining the green to gold process? Currently a SPC planning on going to OCS after I have NCO stripes for a while, wanted to see if you had some insight
lol Yeah they are just setting the tone for you guys but like I said the 1st sgt is the "big dog" there. And then they do that just in the morning and when he leaves for the day so. Still not even the same as basic. lol
Sooo true.. Didnt have FRAGOs til i got to my unit. At basic there was none of that.. We would get a copy of the schedule at 1st formation.. And just throw it away cause we would just "roll with it" according to instructions our team leader got from higher up. Lmao. Guard unit was that disorganized
So when I got to the real army my sponsor (a Sgt ) told me they make you call at ease to all nco's at basic to get you used to paying attention to who's entering the room. Made since to me
Dr. Weird Congratulations. Here's a tip, you don't have to listen if you don't want to, but here's a tip: it might be a better idea to join either the chair force or the Navy instead of the Army....for *MANY* reasons. I'm *IN* the Army and I had a decent ASVAB AFQT score (mine was 88) and I had a chance to go in the Air Force but I didn't. I regret it like hell seeing there's so much extra crap we do that the Air Force doesn't.
You'll either be put into 11-B, or 11-C MOS, unless you specifically signed up for Special Forces. Good luck, you're going to need it, especially if Cpt. Carter is your company CO.
actually you do call at ease and attention at a company level.. CQ will normally do it and the battle buddy system is really for when you're overseas.. not garrison
Hey Matt would you recommend going to basic training and then later on doing ocs or rotc or vice versa. Trying to decide what to do and I figured I would ask you. Thank you for all the videos. You are a role model of mine
I'm going to basic (i hope very soon haven't taken my ASVAB's because of my recruiters screw ups so i'm getting a new recruiter tomorrow) i was wondering since i'm still in high school,after basic do i go straight to AIT or will i be sent back home to finish high school?
I don't know what kind of unit you've served in, but it sounds like you've stayed at field grade level units. In a normal company level unit you will call attention for the company commander, but only when he first enters the company building first thing in the morning. At least that was my experience. Same with the First Sergeant; first time he enters the building for the day
Just graduated 15E with the 15Ws. There is a lot of bulshit you have to deal with at A Co. Just to let you know. It will most likely take much much longer than your actual projected AIT time. Up to a year or more just in AIT.
@@dakotawallace782 I'm at fort Jackson right now as a holdover to go to huachuca on Jan 2nd. I have a million questions about ait. At what point can we have povs there?
Got a question, what do you need to do if you wanna be airborne or even get into the rangers? My mos is just 11x hoping I could get those when I got to basic.
Not sure what mean by what do you need. You NEED to get it in your contract if you can. Since you are Infantry they may come around at OSUT and ask about Airborne. Rangers is a different story.
Hey mat i am considering enlisting in the army to do reserves untill i finish my education is there any way i can get over the initial fear of enlisting ps i am a junior in highschool
Be aware that it is typically not easy to go active after enlisting NG or reserve. They will tell you it is, but talk to some people who have actually tried, and an active Army recruiter. Plus you have to still go to basic, and I'm not sure how you would do that as a high school student. I would recommend graduating and actually going active then and not messing with reserves, if that is your wish.
One time in bootcamp they made us dump out all of our footlockers and the Drill Instructors kicked all our stuff around (keep in mind there were 90 of us in 1 squad bay) and after all our stuff was mixed together they made us flip our racks and take our mattresses outside and then we took our combination locks and we had to lock them all together in one blob. Then they gave us 10 minuets to put everything back and when we didn’t meet the timeline we had to start over
In the Navy we had a day where we had to put our sweatshirt and sweatpants on over our camos. Then strip down and put it all back on in 10 seconds. We probably went at it for almost an hour until we stopped. The point wasn't to complete the task, it was actually impossible, the point was just to smoke us
@@kingcarlos7048 a buddy of mine in air force basic said his MTI's made them go from wearing their pt gear to their utilities over and over for an hour. He said they had maybe 15 seconds each time and were smoked each time.
@@clovisursa497 Yeah that's pretty accurate. Seems to be a common practice at every basic training center
@@kingcarlos7048 whatd y’all do???
@@damarkiss they existed. think of it more as training to get dressed fast.
ALSO! Some NCO's that I've come across are super laxed. I went up to one, went to parade rest to ask my question and he was like "Private.... RELAX..."
My platoon NCOs were mostly like "Dude, don't stand at parade rest unless you're in trouble. If I'm yelling at you, lock up. Otherwise, quit it"
Hmm. Must be a POG.
Jayy II sounds like something a pog would say
We called everyone one in our unit by their first names
It's actually super annoying to NCOs, especially those who haven't been drills, to have a new Private who still thinks he's in basic. They would rather know that you actually understand what they're saying rather than just say "Yes, Sergeant!" on reflex.
Matt, I'm an Air Force captain. One time I was briefing new airmen fresh from basic training and tech school on military justice, and it was funny watching them because they called the room to attention when I walked in and when I left, lol. The whole time they basically sat at attention. They were still in basic training mode. I tried to get them to relax by telling them that I was only a captain, and that I was also prior-enlisted. I understood their feelings because I was the exact same way coming out of basic.
Julie Flowers you single ? 😏
Tyler cox Yes.
Customs and courtesies are a thing. I always tried to observe them. Calling the room to attention when the highest ranking officer enters is a good thing. Not relaxing when given permission is just bad, unless you are the guidon bearer. Calling attention when the officer leaves, is also in keeping with customs and courtesies. "At ease" applies in the same way as "attention" does to officers. If at some point the officer/NCO just hates it, they will let you know. Keep in mind that only applies to those with whom you work with on a daily basis. If you don't know whom they are, do what is right.
When addressing an NCO, as a junior. enlisted person; come to the position of attention before executing parade-rest as parade-rest is a modified position of attention. It's weird but keep it up. When leaving the parade-rest, come to attention before moving out. I did this as E4 and below and it did make a difference in my relationships with those above me.
The thumbnail triggered me a lil bit. Every soldier has heard this line at least 100x in basic: "That's not a thing, trainee."
Bout to go on my first deployment. Only been in the reserves for a year so far.
Best of luck to you. Hope you got some good guys you know to share it with. Stay safe and take care of each other. Don't be afraid to accept help and ask questions.
I did 'Split-Op' Not sure if it is something they still offer, but it allowed you to go to Basic between your Junior and Senior Year, then AIT after graduation. Even though I had not done AIT, I still had to go to my Drills, so when my first Drill Weekend came up, I was very nervous. I expected the NCOs there to be like Drill Sergeants. Instead they were like, "Relax. Do you want coffee? Help yourself right over there, then go sit down at that table with everyone." At the table, privates, specialist and sergeants were all sitting together just chilling. It was a huge shock to me.
Hey Matt,
I have had a blast listening to your videos and have learned a lot. My son is in Ft Benning BCT, and when he left, I made a deal with him to show support and being with him in spirit that I would get up at 0 dark thirty and go for a run, then after work go to the gym and knock out some weight training. I also listen to your videos to and from my hour long drive to work. I just feel that I am supporting him and seeing what he is going through and what he got himself into. Lol ,
thanks again, wish we had more out there like you.
I'm getting prepped for 20th SFG support and then selection. My dad started doing my training program with me a couple weeks ago, which is a brutal brutal program. Said it was "to get in shape" but I know it's actually to support my goals because no one would punish themselves like this for "fitness". It means a lot to new recruits to get that kind of support from family. Keep it up!
@@John-tj2zj good luck and be safe. Appreciate your service
@@Roper-cn7wd he made it through 30th AG, he'll be fine. That was the worst for me, standing forever with no idea as to when it would end lol I was C 1-50 at benning
@@TheJoeBowler thank you sir, and thank you for serving. Be safe.
That’s actually pretty cool of you to do 👍
Great vid Sir, got to my first duty station after AIT( Obv after) on Ramstein ( army air defense), and my unit was in the field, so when I got up at 6am by my self next day, got dressed, and stayed in room for couple hours not knowing what to do, was expecting Sgt or someone to come get me or come in room, but Not, lol. Couple hrs go by and finally I went down to CQ ( witch at time had no clue about), so was strange, was so used to basic and AIT ( ft.bliss) where always be told what to do, little stressed in those first few day but caught in quick
And then three days later got transferred to Kaiserslautern, so first week was bit confusing.
Sounds very similar to life in the Marine Corps. I am a prior USMC Sgt currently putting together my package for Army OCS.
Thanks for putting me up on not cursing. After 2-5 I was never the same.
I was aw struck when I went to my first drill, went to attention for a 2nd LT that walked up to me and asked me a question. He laughed and said stop. The spc behind me said "he's gonna drop you if you keep doing that." But I am enjoying my time at 634th bsb. Sir, keep doing what your doing. Your inspiring a lot of people going into the military. 👏
Don't call out at ease when your First Sergeant arrives in the morning. See what happens.
SA Mont okay then.
Your explanations are very good for soldiers assigned to TO&E or "combat" units such as infantry, artillery or armor. I was a personnel specialist in two headquarters units where my job was not different than virtually any civilian office job. You still did your annual PT qualification, but other than that it was simply office work. (I was NCOIC for officers' records for promotion and processing PCS orders at Headquarters, USATCFA, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma) back in 1968.
You said my first name right lol most people don’t ever pronounce it correctly. I’ve gotten Chloe, Kylie, Kayla. Etc lol
Your first name is stormrunner
Hey Chlamydial! How you been sweetheart.
Just graduated from Basic! Thanks for all of the advice, Matt, it helped a lot
Any career updates?
@@storn8230 I’m a 25B. made E5 in under 5. Got back from an overseas training rotation a little over a year ago and just extended my contract for another two years.
just got back from meps.. never again..
I hated MEPS so much as well. Mostly bc the guy who took my blood stuck the needle under my vein and had to move it around to actually hit the vein. I'm probably never going to donate blood again after that
Dang where y'all MEPS was at
Wait until you graduate from basic, you’ll say never again a million times. You’ll figure it out. Good luck man.
iCryptic lol I’m in ait rn fort lee Virginia, keep your head up. I graduated fort jackson Charlie co 2-39 basic will be hell bro so find that reason you joined.
John Same, Fort Jackson Delta CO. 260th now at Fort Lee.
Lol this is pretty accurate only the old school 11bravos will be complaing lol the smoke sessions in a.i.t. never stopped we got the worst pounding ever right after our blue cord ceremony just so we wouldn't forget because we were all guard guys lol and drill sgts were right it's thirty years later and I haven't forgotten it lol keep up the he good work I wish we would have had this content when I was a kid to prep for
80's. Permanent duty stations were chill as long as you had your doo-doo together. if not, you heard the dreaded words "Don't make any plans for the weekend".
November 2001 : My Battery Commander was my PT partner “(Captain). I’d actually sit in the Defac with him because we ate with our PT partner (that was interesting) when asked by a Drill Sgt I recited the order, I didn’t really have a battle buddy. We were an odd numbered platoon and I was the platoon guidon and basically won the lottery for pvts.
At my duty station we never went to 'at ease' for any NCO E-6 or below. For our platoon sergeant and above we did because you don't deal with them that often-usually at formation. If all enlisted did formalities with their squad leaders and NCO's they work with constantly, nothing would ever get done in a working field unit. Our Top was so chill he only worried about it when you went into his office or he happened to walk into your barracks room.
Just graduated from Leonard Wood and I agree 100% it feels good watching these videos again 😂
Casey Robinson what’s your MOS?
At my First Duty Station when I went to the Mess Hall I stood at Parade Rest and the other Soldiers burst out laughing yelling "Cruit, Cruit".
It was Breakfast and I was shocked to see an Omelet and so much other items on the Breakfast Line
At my First Duty Station I signed up for Mid Month Pay and not just getting Paid Once Per Month.
Not needing a Pass to go off the Base. When I arrived at my First Duty Station I stayed in the Barracks because I thought I needed a Pass to go off the Base.
I never saw anyone getting dropped for push ups and getting smoked in the Real Army
I was Infantry so when not in the Field we were in the Motorpool doing maintenance on our Tracked Vehicles. In the Air Cav we did Rucking, and long marches. We also did Bayonet Training. We had to clean our weapons and the Crew Served Weapons. We had to practice over and over field stripping the M60 Machine Gun and M2 Machine Gun. We had Dummy Hand Grenades and Claymore Mines we use to practice with over and over. We did Ruck Layouts and TA50 Inspection. Most of the TA50 we never carried and never used
You know what would be a great addition to this "Things to know" series, a video on the various options for going officer, either from enlistment or crossing over from enlisted. I remember the Green to Gold seeming like an attractive option. The Army was definitely big on encouraging retention and advancement when I was in (2001-2009) and I imagine just as much today. They were constantly on me about re-enlistment and also going Warrant Officer. In fact if there's anything you can add about the Warrant program as well, that would also be great.
In Basic and AIT everything is mapped out to the minute. But other than getting up and going to bed at the same time every day is different. One day you will do PT at 0600 the next day it might not be until 1000 depending on who is using the PT field when. But you are doing so much every day that you really do need a regimented schedule to get it all done.
Active Army is different. Every unit has their assigned PT space so you don't have to compete with another unit for that space. First formation (PT), breakfast, work formation, lunch, recall (end of day) formation will usually be at the same time every day M-F. Most soldiers eat dinner immediately after recall formation but you can eat any time you like as long as the mess hall is open. You can go in uniform or civilian clothes.
What you do is different too. In basic your tasks can change every hour. Active duty you will go to a range, or you will maintain the vehicles and equipment, or you will mow grass, or there will be an equipment or parts inventory, and that will be the thing you do that day. These tasks take longer to do so they give you all day to do it. So the time is still assigned, there's just bigger time blocks.
I'm going to Basic Training on July, I'm a little nervous, I don't want to fail it.
Thank you for your videos Matt.
Had some hurdles to clear and it’s been a long road but I finally took the oath yesterday and shipping Nov 13 as a 19D. Your videos kept my spirits up during this process. Thanks Matt keep up the good work!
My son has been at fort sill since Sept 18 and I didn't know much and what to expect I turned to you tube, you have been a great comfort to me. Thank you Matt for sharing your knowledge!
Other things that get better after basic training: getting to watch more Matt Ward videos.
PS. Anyone shipping out November for 12B to Fort Leonard Wood?
PSS. Matt, any idea on how long a waiver for astigmatism takes? I know that's pretty specific, if you have no clue, it's all good. Went through meps yesterday, everything is good just need the waiver for my eyes.
I have no clue. lol just assume 1 month unless told otherwise. Could be faster or longer.
Good luck at Ft. Lost in the Woods. I never served but know the name. Be safe and good luck!
I should be shipping in nov for 12b, Nov 1 I swear in
I got temp DQ for stigmatism too. Had to get a consult with recruiter. Can take anywhere from 1week to 8weeks. Grrr
@@MrMOd3RnW4rF4R3 is your waiver and consult finished? If so, how long was yours?
3:00 sounds like the start of a terrifying joke
Yep 🤣
Thx Matt ward I'm joining the army and your videos made me feel confident in going to bct
Thanks for being so up front about everything. These are such great topics and questions that all recruits should know about going into the army. I wish I had someone honest and knowledgeable who I could have talked when I enlisted in the 90s. I was clueless about all if these things.
That's why the regular Army is looked down upon by high speed units. In Battalion rank was respected. Granted, when an NCO that you worked with daily entered it wasn't a big deal, but any time an officer or senior NCO entered an area the group would be called to attention at ease. Discipline is one of the most important lessons to be learned in the military. After leaving Ranger Regiment and going to 1st Special Ops Command I was astounded by the lack of respect for rank and discipline but after a while I understood the difference in mission and reasons why there was a lax. However the Army as a whole would do well to keep the standards of 75th Ranger Regiment as the standard for the Army as a whole. RLTW.
"1st Special Ops Command" - Pretty sure you mean 1st Special Forces Command, and no one I've ever met who has actually been there ever refers to it as "1st Special Forces Command", if it is ever brought up that they were with or in SF, they simply say something like "I was with Group for a while" or "I was with 5th Group, etc." Not only that but no one I have ever met in the military in general would confuse SF for "special ops" when specifically referring to Green Berets. Unless you were trying to say you were at/in USSOCOM or USASOC outside of the 75th...
Not to mention that most of the people that go through SFAS and the Q course fail specifically due to lack of discipline, that and the physical challenges, and if they didn't prepare properly for land nav.
Which Batt were you supposedly in?
@@salt5999 I don't get to check comments often but, yes I did mean 1st SOCOM and in 1988 it was on Smoke Bomb Hill at Bragg in the same building as JFKSWC. The unit patch was the horse's head with the lightning bolt behind it. And 5th and 7th Group were both at Bragg at that time but I never said I was in an SF Group. Closest I came to Group was as a "G' in the Q Course during Robin Sage during post support right before I got out. I was originally supposed to go to the Eighty Deuce out of Jump School but during Zero Week (got there a week early from AIT) they asked for volunteers for the "new" Ranger Bn they were standing up at Benning and I went for it. No option 40 or anything. This was class 40-84. I went from Jump School straight to RIP and then into 3d Bn. I was a 96B, I think it's 35F now, in Bn SCIF. MTOE changed three years later, my job became an E-6 position and I went worldwide and wound up at Bragg.
Joey Smith don’t have to explain yourself to a keyboard warrior whose probably never even served bro
We had a SSG in AIT and he told us that was weird. Also in my unit we call it for our first sergeant(E-8) and above
One of our AIT drill sergeant's idea of smoking was rigorous D&C. Nothing corrects bad behavior in a bunch of 18 year old privates like 30 minutes of "to the rear...MARCH!"
"To the rear, march" is not a command. It's just "Rear,... March"
"Rear" is the the preparatory command "March" is the command of execution.
That was in 1986, champ, I'm sure things have changed in the last 33 years.
@@chuckyufarley2999 oh ok, thanks for your service.
these are gr8 points... nice job! huge gratitude forYouR service
Thank you so much for all your videos man, you've helped me realize that the army is the branch for me. All I have to do is lose some weight and then I can enlist!
nailed it! i hate the “at ease” for real. but i like the idea of battle buddy system but i hate it when I just want to go latrine by myself!
Another thing to add is with experience in basic and later ROTC, we shouted mottos everytime we came to attention. That's not (thank God) practiced in the real Army.
As far as the 5th thing Matt mentions, when I went to Germany after basic/AIT, we didn't do anything in particular during a normal workday. We often just sat around in our team rooms, so I can relate to what we says.
Should do video on why the army promotes based off of points rather than actual potential. Seen too many good leaders and technical experts get passed up in favor of self centered assholes who are more concerned with completing correspondance courses than learning how to do their jobs or be effective leaders. You should not be able to progress your career without doing your job.
I'm a 12b so I had osut, Pretty much like basic but longer 😂 I'm in the real army now and it's so weird to see how chill ncos are
I like your videos man, I ETS in 2015 and I miss the Army, especially after watching you talk about it lol. Keep up the good work brother.
Leaving in 4 days for Fort Sill 68W. Very excited! Wish me luck!!
Andrew Treat same site different mos
When I was in my recruiting office the first sergeant came in and they didn’t call attention only when the commander came in.
well for first sergeant, you say at ease, not attention, attention is only for officers and at ease is for NCOs
Leave in three days for Fort Sill 68W
Joachim Peiper I leave Monday for sill 14T
@@Theregoesjt definitely looking forward to it
@@JDirty-w-tha-30 Good Luck!
@@JDirty-w-tha-30 I hated my life more in 35F AIT than basic
68W also. I leave June 6th. Hope it goes well
In usmc bootcamp i missnamed a seriws GySgt by calling him a drill instructor and he didnt get upset. he gave me a chance to correct myself which was cool of him. i eventually got it right and he went on his way.
Depending on your MOS it's just like a job after all the training is finished and you are assigned to your first unit ( That is called permanent party unit) I had a combat MOS ( Combat Communications) in which most of my time in the regular Army i was assigned to Artillery units. The Artillery units only went to the field maybe 4-5 months per year so that means for 7 months you are back at the barracks ( Home base) where you have PT at 6 am then you have breakfast then you clean your floors common areas like latrines and hallways along with your own personal rooms before work formation. then 1 hour plus for lunch then afternoon formation then the final formation was at 5pm then you were off until 6am unless you had some sort of duty like guard duty or CQ duty ( Command of Quarters) where an E-5 would be in charge of your company barracks during the night (24 hour duty and you are off the next day)and an E-1 to E-4 would be the runner (Assist him) That happens maybe once a month per person. So basically if your not in the field training there is alot of time to kill. Because once to get back from the field your equipment has to be 100% ready (Clean and serviceable) in 24 hours or so. That's why about the training there is always training schedules for morning and afternoon but it's basically to show top( 1st SGT) that your keeping the troops busy but it's not enforced. You have section rooms where your MOS gear is and you just keep busy by cleaning the already cleaned gear or go to the motor pool and p op the hood and run the engines while talking to your buddies who's going to the club tonight (lol) Anyways that's how it was in the 80's. Sorry if it's different now.
Great videos sir. Should make a video on the Best warrior competition👍 I'll be comp in Jan.
Good morning ☀️. I’m heading to meps today!
If you haven't already, could you make a video explaining the green to gold process? Currently a SPC planning on going to OCS after I have NCO stripes for a while, wanted to see if you had some insight
At my recruiting office, there's a 1SG, and when he walked in that morning every single recruiter in there besides him stood up. I was so confused 😂.
lol Yeah they are just setting the tone for you guys but like I said the 1st sgt is the "big dog" there. And then they do that just in the morning and when he leaves for the day so. Still not even the same as basic. lol
Very informative, Thank you LT
I use shoot pool with the Post CSM after hours at the NCO Club.
Nice video and thanks for the info
Sooo true.. Didnt have FRAGOs til i got to my unit. At basic there was none of that.. We would get a copy of the schedule at 1st formation.. And just throw it away cause we would just "roll with it" according to instructions our team leader got from higher up. Lmao. Guard unit was that disorganized
Great video Matt👍🏽
So when I got to the real army my sponsor (a Sgt ) told me they make you call at ease to all nco's at basic to get you used to paying attention to who's entering the room. Made since to me
My 2nd LT last name is ward too 😂
in your unit if your csm or first sgt walks into your barracks room call at ease
just did the ASVAB yesterday. I got a 91, I have no idea how lol
Dr. Weird Congratulations. Here's a tip, you don't have to listen if you don't want to, but here's a tip: it might be a better idea to join either the chair force or the Navy instead of the Army....for *MANY* reasons. I'm *IN* the Army and I had a decent ASVAB AFQT score (mine was 88) and I had a chance to go in the Air Force but I didn't. I regret it like hell seeing there's so much extra crap we do that the Air Force doesn't.
Here st fort Campbell you call it for 1sgt I’m the morning and when he leaves at the end of the day
Bro thanks for the videos
I leave to fort Leonard on November 5th
Carlos George Ramos did you make it?
Hey LT. Love the channel , can you make a video on how you feel about stolen valor ? Or people who falsely pretend to have been in the military?
My daughter is currently at Ft. Lee for AIT.
The funniest part about the whole parade rest thing is that they don't even look at your rank and they just know you're a naive little private.
Hey Matt been watching your videos for a while love the advice you give! Leaving in 10 days to FT Bennings 31B
They are sending you to Bennings for 31B? I'm a 31B, and our AIT and BMT are combined in Lenordwood. I thought it was always that training for 31B.
Can you make an updated video about things you wish you knew before joining rotc?
Thank @Matt Ward ive watch your videos and im bout to head out to basic on the 29 of october
What's your mos and where are you going?
Same for me Fort Sill 13 Bravo
15 romeo fort jackson
I ship this Tuesday for fort Benning. 11X
Good luck
You'll either be put into 11-B, or 11-C MOS, unless you specifically signed up for Special Forces. Good luck, you're going to need it, especially if Cpt. Carter is your company CO.
TheEnigmaticOpaque I didn’t sign for special forces just as an infantryman
actually you do call at ease and attention at a company level.. CQ will normally do it and the battle buddy system is really for when you're overseas.. not garrison
Hey Matt would you recommend going to basic training and then later on doing ocs or rotc or vice versa. Trying to decide what to do and I figured I would ask you. Thank you for all the videos. You are a role model of mine
taylor davis I need an answer to this lmao
Man I have to say at ease all of the time to every nco. 😭
I am a junior in high school I can't get a extra $1,700 enlistment bonus because my birthday is June 28th and I graduate on June 7th. RIP
Eli's games and stuff join the guard !
@@sierrajones1415 I want to go 11b in the army and hopefully get a contract to go to rasp.
Dont do it for the money
I am going in to the military because my uncle did and he is pretty much my idol.
Its a good choice im currently on pass im in basic training as an MP, this place is awesome best decision ive made
Can you please make videos like these for OCS?
I’m shipping out to Benning on 10/29 as a 15Q. Kinda nervous lol
G are you shipping on that date or is that your start date? That’s my sons start date at Benning but he ships this Monday.
Jimmy Cothran I ship out on that date so I’m afraid we’re off by a week. Best of luck to you and your son!
That's when I ship off as well same FT
Smith Tobias I’ll probably see you there m8
Yo idk what co you’ll get but I was e co 1-46. It was cake bro
Can I join the Army and refuse from using a firearm for Religious reasons? I want to serve my country and serve fellow soldiers as a medic
I love this channel
Just got done with meps and getting shipped out on March 18th anyone else?
How was it?
RogueTribe13 did you make it?
Currently enlisting, planning on 15Y
"Basic Training" - "Organized"...HHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
If you wanted active duty after ROTC but they gave you reserve or national guard could you switch to active duty later on
“I can go on and on about all these different things”
please do
JetBlack a
Lmao great vids matt
Thanks for the info I leave Monday to fort sill 14T
1/3 i ship out Tuesday
I'm going to basic (i hope very soon haven't taken my ASVAB's because of my recruiters screw ups so i'm getting a new recruiter tomorrow) i was wondering since i'm still in high school,after basic do i go straight to AIT or will i be sent back home to finish high school?
Cassandra Dallas you’ll be sent back home to finish high school. They call it split ops
Do a video for 11bs contracts
Hi Matt and how did you pass the practice test at recruiter office ????
I ship November 5th! Fort Benning Georgia
Tyler Hernandez did you make it?
I don't know what kind of unit you've served in, but it sounds like you've stayed at field grade level units. In a normal company level unit you will call attention for the company commander, but only when he first enters the company building first thing in the morning. At least that was my experience. Same with the First Sergeant; first time he enters the building for the day
Is anyone else going to Fort Sill in January??
I’m going to do 15W 😬
Rage951 I’m doing 15P. Ship to Benning June 24
Just graduated 15E with the 15Ws. There is a lot of bulshit you have to deal with at A Co. Just to let you know. It will most likely take much much longer than your actual projected AIT time. Up to a year or more just in AIT.
I'm at 15w ait right now. It's actually pretty nice
@@dakotawallace782 I'm at fort Jackson right now as a holdover to go to huachuca on Jan 2nd. I have a million questions about ait. At what point can we have povs there?
We're done here.
Hey matt can you solve that 4x4?
They hammer it into your head in basic/ait just like they do everything else
Got a question, what do you need to do if you wanna be airborne or even get into the rangers? My mos is just 11x hoping I could get those when I got to basic.
Not sure what mean by what do you need. You NEED to get it in your contract if you can. Since you are Infantry they may come around at OSUT and ask about Airborne. Rangers is a different story.
Matt Ward I couldn’t get it in my contract, just got 11x with 10k bonus. Will see if they come around at OSUT and what happens from there.
I heard your stuck with what you pick for a mos.
Mostly true
My recruiter told me that if I am in the reserves during college (I will be doing SMP) that I cannot get deployed is there any truth to that??
If they need to deploy you they will deploy you
Intro song???
Squad!!!
Hey Matt, are you a 2nd. LT?
Yes
it's not like he said it 3 times or anything
Hey mat i am considering enlisting in the army to do reserves untill i finish my education is there any way i can get over the initial fear of enlisting ps i am a junior in highschool
Join national guard. Simple basic is fun
Be aware that it is typically not easy to go active after enlisting NG or reserve. They will tell you it is, but talk to some people who have actually tried, and an active Army recruiter. Plus you have to still go to basic, and I'm not sure how you would do that as a high school student. I would recommend graduating and actually going active then and not messing with reserves, if that is your wish.