Posted on Jun 4, 2015
Advice for a future Soldier entering the infantry?
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So, i leave for osut training infantry on aug 25. I was wondering if there's any infantry men or infantry officer that can tell me, once im done with osut and in a unit, what are the do's and don'ts of infantry? Whats a good infantryman to you? Any tips, advice, experiences would be awesome. Thank you.
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
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and don't forget to scream BOOM SHACKA LACKA when you press the detonator on the claymore.
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SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S.
Being in the infantry requires ingenuity .. I am sure you will sort it out.
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I was not an infantry officer, though I did spend a lot of time in an infantry company. I think a lot of the best advice for you at this point has much less to do with infantry vs. some other MOS, and more to do with general best practices. I will focus on a few of those. (1) Get into great physical shape, and stay in great physical shape. This is perhaps truer in infantry units than in some other types of units, who may not emphasize physical fitness quite as much; (2) Learn to follow all orders, even the ones you don't like or understand, with as much motivation and focus as possible. Don't give in to the temptation to complain about everything. You often don't know everything going on behind the scenes that has led to a task being decided on, and it will show your maturity to focus on completing all tasks with motivation; (3) Learn your job as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. When you feel comfortable with that, gradually learn the jobs of your peers. Yes, I know you will be very junior in your unit, but this is a good mentality to carry with you and it will also show your maturity.
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CPT Aaron Kletzing
Adding one more point: (4) Be the one in your squad/platoon that your leadership can look to and know with confidence, "This guy gets s*** done every time to standard, and I can rely on him." Be dependable. Be committed to the overall success of your team, not just yourself.
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CPT Aaron Kletzing
Adding another point: (5) Walk the walk. Talk is so cheap, and in many Army units, a lot of people will talk about how high speed they are, etc. If you can't back it up with real performance, then you will weed yourself out and people will learn that they can't rely on you for very much. This will hurt you. Don't be the loud mouth who talks a huge game and doesn't back it up.
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MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
Complaining is for the Signal Corps. God, I hated sleeping on the ground and my Bn CSM ALWAYS made sure I was doing it. There is no place more cumfy that the soft top cap on a cargo HMMWV with your woobie!
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