Posted on Mar 20, 2019
Can a Drill sergeant search you and only you without permission?
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I’m here at AIT and I have this drill sergeant that absolutely hates everything me and another person in our platoon does the first 2 weeks we did get off on the wrong hand but I just wasn’t use to the freedom coming fresh out of basic I told her that and I’ve been staying under the radar for a while but she just looks for any and everything to chow us out about or give us a counseling so today we had a random room expectation and our rooms got trashed me and the guy she hates also so what she did was thrower everything out our drawers and brought the females to our room and told them that this is how we live and we’re dirty so she took our phones and a couple more guys I gave her a phone but she said I had more than one phone so she made me open my locker and searched through my bags in my locked locker with no permission and found a old phone I was wrong for not turning it in but everyone is telling me to go talk to my 1Sgt because it wasn’t right how I was the only one that got searched and she was never given permission to search any of my personal belongings she just decided to and made me open my locker should I talk to my first sergeant about this? Or is this just something I should just deal with 8 more weeks because I think she is trying to get me put out and I can’t take it
Drill Sergeant
AIT Student
Inspections
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 411
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CW2 Jalistair B
SGT (Join to see) - Stay in shape, show up on time, get some education (community college is great for the GI Bill) and do what you are told and you will do well. Good luck, it's a great life!
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Not to be mean but geez, it is just me or did anyone else just get a headache from reading the run-on sentence?
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SFC Charles McVey Sr.
My eyes started to try and do an end run, but I brought them back to point. The spelling and grammer displayed leads me to believe that this troop did not even complete 8th Grade English.
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By the way for your information, I attended OSUT or "One station Unit Training" if you don't know what it is? I attended my Basic and AIT in Ft. Sill Oklahoma. I took Manual (Charts and Darts) and then an Automated Gunnery Course to be a 13E Fire Direction Control Soldier. So I know what its like to be attending both and the stresses you can face as this MOS is very technical.
My dad taught me to do everything I am asked to do to the best of my ability. He was an NCO in the Army and told me the best way to avoid confrontations with my DI is to do what is expected of me and more if I am able. Just doing enough might get you killed so its to your best interest to do it right or better than everyone else.
A decorated Navy Seal was addressing a graduating class at the Naval Academy and he asked his audience what they thought was the most important thing to learn at the academy? Several things were called out and all of them were wrong. he told them it was making their bed. The Naval Academy started with the basics and figured if you can't make your rack the way they show you, you probably won't be able to learn anything else. Pretty silly but its a fact. Turn this mess you are in into a positive experience for both you and your DI and get your shit together.
My dad taught me to do everything I am asked to do to the best of my ability. He was an NCO in the Army and told me the best way to avoid confrontations with my DI is to do what is expected of me and more if I am able. Just doing enough might get you killed so its to your best interest to do it right or better than everyone else.
A decorated Navy Seal was addressing a graduating class at the Naval Academy and he asked his audience what they thought was the most important thing to learn at the academy? Several things were called out and all of them were wrong. he told them it was making their bed. The Naval Academy started with the basics and figured if you can't make your rack the way they show you, you probably won't be able to learn anything else. Pretty silly but its a fact. Turn this mess you are in into a positive experience for both you and your DI and get your shit together.
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SFC Lyle Green
A good friend and a highly respected x-S.E.A.L. who was once an instructor at B.U.D.S. before he retired, told me something that since that time, I have found, has never been a more accurate fact. It has stuck solid in my mind, then every time I hear, read or been told of a man (especially a supposed member of the military) with actions or attitudes such as this young person, it makes me feel embarrassed and ...sad. My friend repeatedly told me “The most important and critical characteristics for a man to be accepted into the SEALS training program has nothing to do with their appearances or physical capabilities, those can be taught and / or conditioned, nor is it the so call charisma of the personality, the absolute must for these men to be accepted is their mindset, determination, discipline, adaptation, trust / trusted, loyalty to others before self, respect and tolerance to all who deserve, confidence in heart, last but not least the man must be able to love his fellow man and accept their beings, responsibilities warts and all”. At that time 67, 68, the SEAL’S acceptance ratio to applicants was 1: 102. +-. “The mindset is to physical as 4 is to 1” Napoleon.
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What???? Who has cell phones in basic???? It's not as if they aren't the scourge of the earth OUTSIDE BT, you want to bring it inside with you to distract you??? Geez, what happened to polishing your boots to take up spare time. Here's a thought, mail it home. BE IN BASIC TRAINING and learn what you can while you are there.
OOppsss missed the AIT....kept seeing Drill Sergeant. Having said that, everything I said stands. We have been lead to believe that we cannot exist without one of those G** D*** phones. Show your leadership you have better things to do than whatever you do on that thing. You want to excel? Put. the. phone. down.
OOppsss missed the AIT....kept seeing Drill Sergeant. Having said that, everything I said stands. We have been lead to believe that we cannot exist without one of those G** D*** phones. Show your leadership you have better things to do than whatever you do on that thing. You want to excel? Put. the. phone. down.
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Cpl Lori Freshour
Cell phones at training? I can't even imagine that. If you even had a small window of 10 minutes left of "personal time" you wrote a letter ! You have no rights , your new and just starting. I was in the Marine Corps, and felt lucky I survived basic and formal school and I excelled in the service!!
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PFC Sarah McChristian
Seriously when I was in it was the old Nokia phones but they took those away on day one and we did not see them again until literally the day of graduation and this guys bitching. And the fact that he’s even asking us if the drill sergeant has the right to shake his room down is even worse. My goodness what is this world coming to?
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CPT William Jones
Cell phones? we had to walk to the end of a long block to find a pay phone. but first you had to find time. I started as E1 and worked training through OCS then Officer Basic training and seldom had time in training to use a phone with all the stuff to do. At Basic Officer school At Ft Belvoir we did have a pay phone in the hall for 10 Officers.
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MSgt J D McKee
CW2 Jalistair B ....Stress cards weren't a thing in 1973 even in the USAF. I would have been so em-bare-assed to use one even had they been available I can't see doing it. The bad thing is, if we ever go up against a real enemy, with our skill and technology equal or even higher on the other side, we will take monstrous casualties in the first few months. The good thing is, after all the entitled stupidity gets burned away by combat, the young ones who have been socially ruined by our society would actually have a chance to be worth a shit.
I guess we could label a Level 4 plate "stress card" and they could hide behind that.....your comment is spot on and funny.
I guess we could label a Level 4 plate "stress card" and they could hide behind that.....your comment is spot on and funny.
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CW2 Jalistair B
From what I heard, Iran just launched missiles at our troops in Iraq today. They whipped out a bunch of stress cards, the Iranian missiles saw them and made sure to detonate in such a way that there were no American casualties!
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PFC Sarah McChristian
That’s exactly the point I made to him in my comment. I told him if you can’t handle what’s going on with you now what the hell are you going to do if you have to deploy? He clearly has no idea what he’s in for. Getting shaken down in basic or a AIT is the easy part. SMDH, Things have sure changed a lot since I’ve been in that’s all I gotta say.
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First off PVT, learn grammar and spelling. Second is yes she can, she is your drill sergeant and she is in charge of you, your platoon and her barracks. Off hand wise ass remarks are the quickest way to feel the pain. Quit bitching, suck it up and learn from the experience. Or use the BN CSMs open door policy to air your grievances. Just make a damned decision and live with the results.
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PO2 Michael Henry
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't even realize his cries for the WWWWWHHHHHHAAAAA-mbulance were just one really long run on sentence and misspells. I can't feel sorry for this crop of crybabies that are joining now. Most figure it out and grow up, while too many will flunk out and blame everyone but themselves. I suggest a timed 10-mile march with a full pack followed up with a college-length paper to practice his writing because he will need it. My sister was a CTM1 in the Navy and was stationed on the other side of Lackland AFB. Oh the stories she had to tell about these AF "booters" going to Starbucks.
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SSG Joseph VanDyck
PO2 Michael Henry uh, the pvt in question is, I am assuming, a male. Yes the run on sentence, poor spelling and shitty grammar is pretty indicative of the state of recruits in todays market. Big Army also has a severe problem with newly minted soldiers showing up to their first unit unprepared and not worthy of being in the US Army. Mind you, combat arms do not have this issue due to the fact that Basic and AIT are all One Station Unit Training. You rarely head to another post for combat arms AIT. It is all one big red phase. Now infantry has just extended the length of Basic/AIT at the US Army School for Boys/Ft. Benning/Sand Hill. I am a firm believer that ALL MOS's should be OSUT oriented ie..Drills be Drills and no damned passes, weekends and nights off. What do I know, I am just an old pissed off Airborne Infantryman E6 that no one listens to or gives 2 shits about.
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PO2 Michael Henry
SSG Joseph VanDyck - My mistake. I also thought this PVT was in the AF. (Since edited) I can't believe I missed that. Pulled a 12-hour shift, then a 14 and then a 16 with < 3 hours of sleep between the 14 and 16, over the last few days. Not to mention the recent car accident which is catching up with me physically. Too many crybabies out there who think they can get out of work with something stupid as "I have a headache." I was at work with cramps in my neck and shoulder with limited/no use of whichever arm the cramp took up residence with. Only to be asked by a younger kid who had the nerve to ask why I can't finish the shift and why they had to relieve me. Still had a free hand to choke out with. I was on my way to the ER and pointed to my truck with the recent damage to it. A shot in the hip and some pain meds and I was back at work the next night. Won't see that out of anyone these days. I am sure our previous generation were thinking the same way about us.
I was in the Navy and my "ATT" and "A" school were across the street from basic. We did earn our liberty as they had a list of things to accomplish first before we advanced in liberty phase. However, once we slipped up in school... Hello, 9:45 pm curfew and goodbye civis. I also seemed to be the only one of 5 people to a room that gave a damn about cleaning. Earned a BZ early on but no one informed me it meant a duty day off. I learned the finer points of hard work and following the rules, coming from a family with a history of military service. "C" school was relaxed and the schoolhouse was around the corner from DEVGRU. Instructors would love to point that out especially on watches and to "keep an eye out". I used it to redirect Naval Academy students who asked for directions, especially when it was staring them in the face. Things changed way too much for the worse and I got out rather than deal with it, well that and an undiagnosed thyroid disorder had a few words to say about it.
I was in the Navy and my "ATT" and "A" school were across the street from basic. We did earn our liberty as they had a list of things to accomplish first before we advanced in liberty phase. However, once we slipped up in school... Hello, 9:45 pm curfew and goodbye civis. I also seemed to be the only one of 5 people to a room that gave a damn about cleaning. Earned a BZ early on but no one informed me it meant a duty day off. I learned the finer points of hard work and following the rules, coming from a family with a history of military service. "C" school was relaxed and the schoolhouse was around the corner from DEVGRU. Instructors would love to point that out especially on watches and to "keep an eye out". I used it to redirect Naval Academy students who asked for directions, especially when it was staring them in the face. Things changed way too much for the worse and I got out rather than deal with it, well that and an undiagnosed thyroid disorder had a few words to say about it.
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I served as an infantry Drill Sgt. Our basic and ait consisted of 14 weeks back to back, you were living in my house for the duration. In the army, a soldier must face consequences, if you screwed up, you pay the price. If a soldier can't follow directions at the start of their careers then they will have problems later on. A drill Sgt can perform a health and welfare inspection at any time, without notice, mostly looking for contraband or any unathorized items. My suggesting will be to request to speak with the 1sgt, explain the situation and present your case. Coming across as "they don't like me or they are picking on me" is not very legitimately. They are just trying to ensure that you are army material. We all make mistakes, just go with the flow and do as you are told. Don't let a small mistake in basic or ait dictate your career path. Learn from your mistake and do the right thing. Hang in there and Good luck.
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MSgt J D McKee
SPC Bob Techlow - Oh, fuck! '92 was old school? Missed that memo.....heh heh. But, as I wrote this, I realized it was...
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CW2 Jalistair B
BDU's!!! Now that is a dated photo! I think I was young back then to... can't remember for certain...
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MSG Pedro Soto
The BDU were phase out in 2005. The photo is from 2004. I did my time, regardless of the uniform color.
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Deal with it private, you haven't earned the right for privacy yet. SMH SMH
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To my knowledge your general locker a DS has the right to inspect at any time, you are a soldier in training under the supervision of a Drill Sergeant. Hell when I was in AIT the unit next to us had two Drill Sergeants nicknamed the Terminator and Cyborg, I woke up one morning and that platoon had not cleaned their bay, those Sergeants had them remove every bed, locker etc out into the quad between our building and theirs and set the beds etc and sleep out in the quad until they had that bay stripped and cleaned, floors waxed.
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MSG (Join to see)
Damn. And I'm sure everything had to be dress right dress when placed out on the quad.
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SSG (Join to see)
I said a prayer every night thanking the Lord that those two were not in my unit. Both were about 6'2" around 240 lbs and their arms barely fit in their rolled sleeve BDU tops
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SGT Tim. Wilson
Not sure where you did your basic but I can did OSUT at Ft McClellan in '81 and a similar situation happened to a platoon in the nextdoor company. Except they were kept outside for a week and had to strip and polish their empty bay every night! Luckily it didn't rain that week!
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I might have had the same DI in basic, though I doubt it, as that was 39 years ago.
I too, felt picked on, and had issues, and a lot of folks didn't like me, as I had a mouth and used it too much.
You can take it, or go home. I totally sympathize, but the first mistake is having them learn your name to the point they remember it, whether you have the uniform on or just a t-shirt.
Be glad of that, because the best time to get that treatment, is in basic, where you can take it to heart and get better as a soldier, or you can turn tail and run home to mommy because you will never make it as a soldier.
It's so much better to find that out NOW, than it is to find it out when you are on the front lines somewhere getting shot at.
I read now, that you posted this two months ago. I hope you made it through.
If you didn't and washed out, be happy that you had your issues there, instead of dying on some battlefield somewhere. If you made it, remember what you've learned.
I too, felt picked on, and had issues, and a lot of folks didn't like me, as I had a mouth and used it too much.
You can take it, or go home. I totally sympathize, but the first mistake is having them learn your name to the point they remember it, whether you have the uniform on or just a t-shirt.
Be glad of that, because the best time to get that treatment, is in basic, where you can take it to heart and get better as a soldier, or you can turn tail and run home to mommy because you will never make it as a soldier.
It's so much better to find that out NOW, than it is to find it out when you are on the front lines somewhere getting shot at.
I read now, that you posted this two months ago. I hope you made it through.
If you didn't and washed out, be happy that you had your issues there, instead of dying on some battlefield somewhere. If you made it, remember what you've learned.
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HOLY CRAP!!! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY ARMY!!?!?!?!? Social freakin media in AIT!!?? Suck it up cupcake!!! And try using a damn dictionary the next time your panties get all wadded up!! DAMN!!
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The comments below address everything I wanted to say and more. PVT, I will just add this; you are obviously young and feel that you are being treated unfairly. First, as mentioned before, social media is not your friend. I applaud you to reaching out to senior folks in a form like this but I caution you in how you state your case and where you comduct your complaining. All the comments thus far have been constructive; I would read what others have written carefully. I do not believe your DI hates you. Your DI sees you as someone who has violated the rules on multiple occasions; so if course you’re on the radar. Your DI has seen many like you come before. It’s their job to correct the problems they see, or help you figure out whether the military is right for you. You’ve got two months to correct yourself. If you do make these corrections it will be noticed (you are being watched more closely). Best of luck. I hope you can be successful in the career you’ve chosen. Learn from your mistakes and grow.
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Private, if you dont think that the First Sergeant already knows all about this and likely knew before it happened, you have alot to learn about the relationship between NCOs
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Please just leave. Now. You lack the discipline to continue. You give other females a bad reputation based on your failing to follow instructions, hiding a phone you were not to have and then put it out there publically. Grow Up. You are in AIT. You are still not qualified simply because you completed basic training. You said it yourself, you cant take it for another 8 weeks.
I'm not being harsh, I'm being real. If you have this behavior in AIT, statistically it will continue to your unit. Fix yourself, read the regulations and UCMJ.
Senior Leades are not babysitters, we dont have time for games, we have a mission to accomplish.
I'm not being harsh, I'm being real. If you have this behavior in AIT, statistically it will continue to your unit. Fix yourself, read the regulations and UCMJ.
Senior Leades are not babysitters, we dont have time for games, we have a mission to accomplish.
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It's the fucking Army. You lose a lot of personal privileges when you join and seeing that you are in AIT and not permanent Duty station she is free to search you as often as she likes if she has basis to. And second of all she was correct that you had another phone and you should have just given it up. You should be lucky that you got phones. When I was in we barely got to make phone calls on pay phones
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Holy s#@$!!!!!! Can you really write a paragraph with no punctuation?? THAT, my young friend, is an indictment on either our school system, or your ability to learn. 5,000 words IS, in fact, too long for one sentence. You really should just count your blessings that the Army even took you at all and that you're not earning minimum wage...or less. Just my two cents.
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You should go straight to the CSM and demand an apology. You have rights and shouldn’t be treated like this.
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1LT Christopher Gonzales
Sir! That's how people end up on milk cartons. That or walking on a CSM's grass.
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The easiest way to solve this is go ask your DS what you need to do to be a better soldier, take the first step in opening a dialogue. This may not be a kind and friendly moment, be prepared for lots of firm "discussion." But it will send a message that you want to change and it will make an impression. She should do 99% of the talking, you maybe 1%. This may not be pleasant, it may be brutal or it may be a two way conversation. I've been in for over 40 years now and clear communication and understanding what is expected of you is key - you probably know this. The Army is not a democracy, don't mistake it for one - everyone isn't equal and you surrendered many of your rights when you signed the contract.
Keep in mind you better remember what she says and follow through to the letter because if you don't it's gonna get worse. Or just ride it out for eight more weeks, it's really not that long - focus only on each day, don't look to the end. Stop viewing yourself as a victim as it's clear a few things occurred that were your fault. Be grateful you didn't join in 1978, drill sergeants disciplining soldiers was WAY different than now - particularly in the infantry. Regardless, make the best of it and suck it up. Based on some of the other comments I've read here you're not going to find at lot of sympathy - listen to the 1SG's who've commented, they are trying to help you.
Keep in mind you better remember what she says and follow through to the letter because if you don't it's gonna get worse. Or just ride it out for eight more weeks, it's really not that long - focus only on each day, don't look to the end. Stop viewing yourself as a victim as it's clear a few things occurred that were your fault. Be grateful you didn't join in 1978, drill sergeants disciplining soldiers was WAY different than now - particularly in the infantry. Regardless, make the best of it and suck it up. Based on some of the other comments I've read here you're not going to find at lot of sympathy - listen to the 1SG's who've commented, they are trying to help you.
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