I did not go in straight after high school. I spent two years knocking around doing odd jobs that were leading nowhere. Best decision I ever made was to sign up. Did my initial four, seventeen more with the Air Guard and retired as a MSgt. It directly lead to my other career as a criminal investigator with the USMS. A lot of travel, adventure, great people. No regrets.
It's been 7 years since high school for me. Had a relatively successful career as a Software Engineer, but now that I'm secure financially, I'm looking for a change of pace. Want to travel and have fun before I turn 30. Certain jobs in the AF don't require the same long tedious hours that I'm used to, so plenty of free time
@@tstone9151 10 years since high school for me. I'm in my late 20s. Got laid off from my finance job, looking for another career. Job security's as good as it gets in the military + the life experience, skills, and traveling. Maybe I'll be a lifer, maybe I'll use my GI bill to get a second degree or get a gov't job after. Military service opens a lot of doors
@@RecordoftheDay_ Alright you young whipper-snappers, knock it off! I went through recruit training, at MCRD San Diego, from 01 Sep - 28 Nov 1975! Platoon 2083, Hotel company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Recruit Training Regiment. We had Sr. Drill Instructor Sgt Martin, Drill Instructors Sgt Allen and Sgt Alvarez. The best 13 weeks of my life.
Went through BMT in 1989. Security Police, Combat Comm, MTI, and lastly First Sergeant. 25 years in, now retired. Best thing I could have done for myself as a young buck. Certainly has changed though….because I cursed more as an MTI than any other time in my life😂😂
My grandnephew wasn't kidding!!! On Family Day, he told us recruit training was boring. He was trained by four Marines before he left. Grandpa did his basic knowledge. Uncle did his PT. Big Tio (Great Uncle, me) did Drill and Big Tia (Great Aunt, wifey) did marksmanship. He said he got in trouble a couple of times for laughing. I can see why he was bored and laughed.
My grandnephew wasn't kidding!!! On Family Day, he told us recruit training was boring. He was trained by four Marines before he left. Grandpa did his basic knowledge. Uncle did his PT. Big Tio (Great Uncle, me) did Drill and Big Tia (Great Aunt, wifey) did marksmanship. He said he got in trouble a couple of times for laughing. I can see why he was bored and laughed.
@@Sjqlby Thank you for the kind words. Oh my goodness, what it took to convince him the Air Force was the way to go! (We've been Marines since the Korean War.) Now he couldn't be happier. He graduated recruit training as an E-3 and won a couple of awards. Physical fitness, weapons and one other. We are just as proud of him as when our own kids graduated from MCRD San Diego. Semper Fi!
I went through in Oct 18, 1973, this SQ was the 3702 then. My grandson went to basic training 50 years later on Oct 17 and is in this SQ. It is so different now.
Haha time flies. Graduated a month ago, Dormitory Bravo 9! Shoutout to TSgt Green. The MTI who scared me the most at the start and then became my favorite one.
1:02:01 not surprised MSGT bickwermert however the hell you spell his name is still there. Time flies. Lots of bittersweet memories. Was FLT 417 A5 for the 322nd my friend called him mam and we got put on our face 😂 also his favorite line is “ somebody tell me why”
If it makes you feel a little better, 99% of them will: Never. Touch. A. Weapon. Again. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even fire them/go to a range. Why would they? Weapon proficiency isn't an air force need. Why risk safety and spend money on ammo and everything else associated with weapon use if, again, 99% will: Never. Touch. A. Weapon. Again.
@@jamesmonorow574 reserve is under federal, thus the president. The guard is under the governor of each state unless activated by the president at which time they become federal troops. Both do the oje weekend a month and 2 weeks a year.
I went through in 85'. Not easy but not brutal. Retired as a SMSgt in 2011. Best decision I ever made. Not sure I would enlist under today's conditions...
Wars are won with drones, tech, and advanced computer skills. Logistics and planning are more vital than ever to any doctrine than ever before. You aren't going to recruit the types of people who fill those roles by "1988 BMT" standards because its not fucking 1988. I'll take any of these kids now over any of the goobers here talking about hard it was in their day who probably can't even operate their phones without a grandchild. We have recruitment problems BECAUSE of the old ways and are now playing catch up to get enlistments.
You act like there wasn't computers, logistics and tech back the 80s lol Recruitment problems are more than likely due to advertising and the recruiters themselves rather than the older veterans. Talk about an axe to grind...
Tons of changes since I was there in 92, never got a haircut in the barracks, what happened? I never once heard in this video any of the instructors dropping f bombs and other profanities like the good old days, or the “don’t run use the hand rails “ or the clanging of the metal garbage can to help wake them up. 😂
When I went through in 2017 we marched what felt like halfway across the base to get our hair cuts, might be the same place ya'll went to back then, I think it was next to clothing issue if I'm remembering it correctly. Plenty of profanity back in 2017 though lol
That’s right, we marched from the old dormitories to the barbershop which was attached to the uniform issue room, I remember getting that clipper with a vacuum cleaner attached to it.
Everybody wants to be in the air force because it's unique among the other, older, more traditional bound services. Their enlisted are those involved with combat. The air force's officers are the combat soldiers; the enlisted are their ground support. The air force is so easy that it's always overstaffed. It's VERY common for the air force to "pink slip" its personnel. They usually end up in the army; in fact, the air force is the army's best staffing source. Regarding the air force's consistent staff reduction efforts, I'm really impressed with any retired air force veteran because he or she avoided being involuntarily discharged for 20+ years. Anybody can reenlist in the other branches.
I guess recruiters are telling recruits something different, if anything at all, regarding arriving at boot camp unshaven. I was told to make sure my face resembled a baby's smooth bottom, I was going to basic combat training, not a bearded biker bar.
I’m planning on doing a semester of cc then enlist around 20 to the Air Force regardless of my fears I know I am going to learn and thrive. Looking forward to the Air Force ark 😂 believe it
I was a bulldog, I think right around the time that this flight came in if they graduated roughly in May, so I watched these airmen get dropped off, go from rainbow, to blueberries, to finally OCPs, and I had also watched the flight before them graduate, and it was kind of cool to know exactly how the people right across the street felt every moment watching us. In the morning, during chow, on Sunday especially. It's one of the craziest things to experience when you're there in the moment. Bulldogs have the better chant, just saying. also 1:35:00 we would have gotten absolutely destroyed by our MTIs and the CBRN instructors if we did something like this
It looks like the barbers came to the dorm and set up in the day room. I was given my first pay allotment of $20, marched to the barber shop and paid a couple of bucks for the hair cut and then to the BX with a mandatory shopping list where i spent most of the rest of it.
My cousin is current in 322nd and will graduate soon. My father was part of the 321st, and In many years from now after high school or college, I will be going to basic too. (Edit) My cousin graduated today!!! He’ll be in tech school soon
They bring the Barber inside the dorms now? Things have really changed. I remember them taking photos of us. I was going they wouldn't take one, but they did. I had the stupidest smile on Earth trying to look serious, but couldn't hold it.
My grandnephew wasn't kidding!!! On Family Day, he told us recruit training was boring. He was trained by four Marines before he left. Grandpa did his basic knowledge. Uncle did his PT. Big Tio (Great Uncle, me) did Drill and Big Tia (Great Aunt, wifey) did marksmanship. He said he got in trouble a couple of times for laughing. I can see why he was bored and laughed.
That’s really good that everyone trains together now regardless of gender. Glad I was at tech school in Biloxi for basically a calendar YEAR and had myself a new girlfriend every six to eight weeks as the female admin staff were trained there as well 😁 Happy Times!
Way Way back when I was an Air Force Officer, the only people in the AF that had any training with fire arms were Air Police. Maybe the Academy did some, but not after they graduated.
Sir, my grandnephew has been in for almost three years now and has never touched a weapon since basic training. He told me, when he asked his Plt Sgt about the range, he said his Sgt laughed and said, "That's the Marines, not us"!
Was in Security Forces back in 2017-21. We had a week of weapons training in tech school where we fired the M4, M9, m203 and got to use a decent amount of simunition (kinda like paintball but with real cartridges, was kind of cool. Hurt like hell if it hit soft tissue though lol) while at Camp Bullis doing expeditionary training. While I was in most everyone in the Air Force has to qualify annually on the M4 and M9, They go to our CATM section for that. After tech school though we only fired a few times a year unless you were at a base with a good mission or in a more advanced part of the career field like DAGRE or RAVEN. Wish we would've went to the range more often.
@@jonathanj9774 unsure all I’ve heard from the newer waves of airmen that Beast Week no longer exist. Something else took place of that. CATM if you’re talking about qualifying for shooting. It should still be there.
I went through it last summer, they definitely lightened up on how they treat recruits but the screaming and yelling is all still there, especially in the first three weeks.
Wow, so much has changed since I went through in 1988. It seems to have lost it's focus on discipline, aggression, and learning things the hard way. I still remember getting punched in the chest by my TI for being out of step when marching. And I was only out of step because the person behind me kicked my feet when he was out of step. But I took the punch and didn't say a word because that's what was expected. The person behind me also learned a lesson from that about teamwork. Pushups and other PT was given whenever the TI felt like it, and we knew it sucked but it would make us stronger. These kids are missing out on so much and they will be weaker physically and mentally because of it.
Yes and no. I agree the discipline could be stepped up and some presence of leadership, just for the fact that it shows the upper command even cares; but it's a different day and age where drones, tech, and computer skills are what's wins in 2024 modern warfare. To acquire the types that have those skills need done...gently I believe. The days of every single branch needing 6'4 corn fed 250 lb gorillas Oklahoma are dwindling and are usually just funneled to the marines anyway while most of the brains go AF/Navy.
Why are trainees calling instructors sergeants? They should be either ma’am or sir. There is no discipline. I went in 08 and we wouldn’t dare call an instructor sergeant unless it was full rank and name
Saying there is no discipline because they are calling them by their rank is the worst take ever. You would never call an NCO, regardless of what branch they’re in, sir or ma’am when you are out in the field. It’s actually more disrespectful to not address them by their rank because they’ve earned it. You call an army or marine NCO by sir and they will rip you up in pieces.
God this is so pitiful. I went in in 2017 and just the amount of lack of discipline and trainees not using their diaphragm worth a damn is unreal. No instructor watching and instructing the haircuts? What happened to the haircut station at clothing supply? It was going to hell when I left lackland in mid 2018 a bunch of damn sneaker weekers walking about for the first two weeks. Instructors being reprimanded for actually doing corrective training Such a shame.
@@juuls6758 I'm army but i see even the air force, which arguably is the easiest (at least physically) basic training, has people like op going 'back in MY day!"
Maybe its me, but some come across as undisciplined. Out of uniform and no one corrects this. Some have PT jacket on some don't. We would have never looked at the camera throwing peace signs and coming out of military bearing. I guess this is the new generation. The females hair on the color looks sloppy and even the major who had blond hair hair black hair scrunchies on her ponytail. Looks sloppy to me.
This is a Rainbow flight! They’re still in civilian clothes…. And expect that tines changes with remake hair styles and mannerisms. Time passes…and refs change overtime. Otherwise you couldn’t attract modern day young folks. They’re going to fall in! Just not your way.
Nope! I'm from this squadron, got a fresh arm tat when I got out. The current rules are nothing below the wrist, and the content has to be appropriate.
@@manitheedon Its not new regulations I believe its because of a genetic disorder causing facial hair to loop and grow back into the face so they get a waiver for it but still need to cut it to a certain length
I’m one of the people in this video with facial hair. I had longer facial hair due to religious reasons so I was granted a waiver to have facial hair. The other people who have a stubble look have a waiver bc of medical reasons. When shaving they get really bad bumps and rashes so they get waivers that permit them to use an electric razor
Way back when, many African-Americans in service used chemical depilatory instead of shaving to avoid the ingrown hair problem. The stuff really smells bad. My room mate in the BOQ would apologize every time I turned the light on in the bathroom. The exhaust fan was on the same switch.
