Seriously love and appreciate your videos so much. My husband is at basic right now and you pretty much have a video for almost every question I have. Thank you so much for these videos to help me understand what he is going through and doing right now!
7:20 That is pretty much the case in many leadership positions (even not in the military). Everyone is in charge of themselves and their work, but you are basically the pooper scooper. Anything that drops, falls off, gets missed is your fault. It is that constant paying attention to everyone else that can be exhausting. You are also definitely the target for all questions, good, bad or just plain dumb. People won't pay attention, they'll forget, they won't think it was a big deal, they won't think you were serious - and it isn't their fault - if you are the leader, its your fault. If you ever were a jerk to teachers in school, man, you start to feel their pain super hard when you're trying to get everyone on the same page and some cut-up is goofing around in the back.
i really appreciate your videos man. They have helped me cipher through a lot of though processing. keep up the awesome work and continue making these videos as you can.
Enjoy your videos but I am a non-military guy so a couple questions...1) That example of the one DI saying one thing and then the next coming up and giving contradictory orders...Are you "allowed" to say "I understand the order Sir but DI X said to wait for him here Sir" ( at some point in the military that would have to be a problem that is addressed?) 2) When you got offered the 2nd leadership position at AIT and refused it - does that get noted in your 'file' and does it cause you any problems? ie not a team player etc
Jeff S, I noticed no one replied to your comment so I wanted to address it. 1. You never question or explain yourself to a Drill Sergeant. They are above you. It's whatever they say goes. In BCT it's a mind game so they're always messing with your head. As for calling them sir, you never say that to enlisted soldiers. The only time you say sir or ma'am is when the soldier is an officer. Never call a Drill sergeant by their name. EVER. 2. Declining a leadership position in AIT won't affect you or your career. You may get sh*t for it in AIT but your unit won't hear about it. Hope this helped!
My first week during red phase I was wearing my PFC rank sewn on to my uniforms (BDU). My DS didn't ask, he assigned all PV2 and PFC to leadership roles, squad leaders. However, weekly changes were implemented to give rising stars a chance to lead. BT in the 80's during the cold war years was very different than now.
Literally the only reason I was a leader is because nobody wanted to be one and they knew I was the most chill of the group so I guess they hoped I would go easy on them
Do you get promoted within basic if you are in a leadership position? For example, getting promoted to an E2 with a higher pay grade? Thanks for your videos!
Thanks bro! Oh and good luck with that heat. I left for benning May 12th for basic...... Yeah it's hot. Drink water every chance you get. Good luck to you man, make sure your feet are ready for all the rucking.
What would be the best way to ensure i get into a platoon leader position. I really want to learn and grow as a leader in the army and better my self to the highest possible extant. I leave late February to fort Benning and then to fort gordon for 25B AIT. Really love your videos sense you have the same job and had the same basic and AIT and i feel like a can really relate. Thank dude!
What was your PT score when you reporting to the drill sergeant? I leave for BCT April 15th, 2019 to Fort Jackson, SC. My PT score was 256 prior to my officer interview board. Thank you for your service and these videos!! I’m looking for more information about a typical, normal day in the life of a platoon leader after BCT, OCS, BOLC. (When your assigned to a platoon). Thank you sir.
You might not know, but how is it different when you go to Basic under an OCS contract? are the leadership roles assigned to everyone for evaluation or is it still selection from peers?
+Owen Helman Nothing is different. You may have a drill Sgt ask at one point who is going to OCS which there may be 1 guy but it’s not any different at all
Thank you for your videos. 46Q Texas Guard here shipping to Ft Jackson next month. Given that you were in a leadership position through BCT, did you graduate with honors?
Hey just came across your channel ! i have a question what do you think of logistics mos? is it any good and is it a good job that can transfer well in the civilian side?
+Eric Zavala Yes! Logistics will help a lot on the civilian side just as long as you apply yourself in training and actually learn stuff then there are plenty of jobs that would want a prior service guy was in a logistics MOS.
Does being a PL in basic actually carry over to any more respect at your first unit, promotion points, preference for additional training (airborne/air assault) etc.? I am planning on going Green to Gold soon after I get to my first unit since I already have a degree and think being a SL or PL might help me get that leadership experience.
Hey man I’m in the same boat, going to basic soon but I have my degree; I’m hoping to do green to gold for my masters as soon as possible. How’d this work out for you? Was it easy? How long did it take
@@iCampTooMuch It was fine. You get a little more respect from other guys in your platoon early on as long as you don't go in cocky or arrogant just because you are E4 etc. Like don't boss guys around unless they all vote for you to be the leader out of respect. I definitely think I shoulda just waited and went to OCS instead of basic as enlisted first though. As far as GTG goes its not bad at all they help you out a lot unless you get deployed or something then it all gets put on hold. One thing I will say if you are going enlisted with a degree is prepared to be a lot more mature than the young kids there. I was 26 with a bunch of 18 year olds so basic kind of sucked in the aspect that many of them had no self discipline going into it but they got better as we went along. This was at benning so i can't speak for other MOSs.
@@KDreezy yeah I wanted to wait for OCS too but I didn’t get selected for the last board. Acceptance rate was like 50%. They said I couldn’t reapply for a year so instead of waiting a year for something that still isn’t guaranteed I wanted to just enlist and go that route. I think I’ll probably try to apply to OCS first and then maybe try G2G as a backup. I got real lucky with my MOS though, 15C. Really good MOS from what I hear. How fast can you apply for OCS after AIT? Do they frown upon you trying to go Officer as soon as you can?
Hello ! Thank you for sharing this information! Could you tell me please, if I finish basic training, can I get health and dental insurance for whole life or how many years do I have to serve to get it ?
I am talking to a recruiter pretty soon... I was in the ROTC program but I had to drop out because I am graduating soon, and my PT score was not what they wanted, which was 210+. I am turning 27 pretty soon. I am doing the OCS program, so I have to go through basic training. What are the expectations coming in as an older recruit... The Drill Sgts will put more responsibility on me, and will they get in my face more since I am older? I am a pleaser, I basically if you tell me to do something, I will do it even if it is wrong... any tips?
dude I'm having regrets I need to get my mind focus can you tell me or anyone else if we should start our training early like before basic and all that.
YES start training before you leave! Don't be one of those guys that says, "I'll get in shape there..." Wrong answer soldier! But yeah, I was thinking about one of my next couple videos being about how to physically prepare for basic training, and covering more specifically what we ACTUALLY did physically. So, keep a lookout for that. On a side note.. It's ok to have doubts. You are about to do something that you have never done before and it's a whole different world. Believe me, the military is a COMPLETE different world than you live in now. But if you signed up with the right intentions then you will be fine. It's not as bad as people make it out to be.
Hey Matt! New sub here. i had a question. I am in JROTC and about to go into my junior year of high school. my question is, if i have a friend from high school JROTC and they wanna go to BCT with me, is there any way that they can go to the same BCT with me?
I am surprise. You never mentioned any altercation with fellow soldiers about challenging your authority, taking in account that they don’t see you as a real nco.
Should you become a leader at basic? No, just fly under the radar for the entire cycle if you can. I would guarantee that 70% of the people you're in charge of will disregard anything you say and then the drills will be on your rear end for not keeping them in check.
I didn't really pack anything at all honestly. But no, the shaving cream, shampoo, razor, and toothbrush that I packed were pretty much the only things extra I brought with me. I kept it light and simple since the more you bring the more weight you have on you when you get smoked Day 1.
Yeah, a travel kit would work fine. You don't really need a big bottle of shampoo, you will have no hair... lol But my recruiter gave me a sheet of paper to go to my bank (Wells Fargo) and get some information filled out and signed by the bank. My brother did the same thing when he went in.
Sadly not a lot. There are a lot of jobs in the Army and I really only know about my job and a handful of others that I have came in contact with. Just research as much as you can about what you actually do and not all of the hooahh stuff goarmy.com says about it.
Johnny Boy Just give it a quick Google. I mean I have to go through it since it's in my contract, but I've asked about it regardless. You just have to wait until there is available classes... Assuming you pass AIT
Not at the beginning no. You could say something along the lines of "I think _______ would be a great platoon leader". I had my first APG(assistant) fired and my second actually went up to the drill sergeant after a week and told him just that he honestly sucked at it and thought somebody else could do better. The drill sergeant respected that. So, it could be done but I don't think anybody would say no right off the bat and get away without a scratch. lol
