Posted on May 10, 2017
SSG Tank Commander
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A6547417
I joined a little over five years ago, ever since I graduated my IET I keep hearing from senior leaders that soldiers arriving to the unit are less prepared/ trained upon competion of IET. What aspects of Basic Training do you personally think are no longer being taught or are no longer being enforced to the same standard as say 10-20 years ago? Idealy how could the system be fixed?
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SPC Justin Foster
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I would be willing to be that every generation of senior leaders has said this about the next generation of recruits since the beginning of the Army.
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PFC Rob Gibson
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My son graduated osut from ft Benning last February. We compared stories about basic. I went to ft Sill in 1991. Training to be a 19k for him was much more controlled, strict, and relevant to the modern day battlefield. I was 13f 1/11 acr.
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SSG Robert Zierler
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I went thru boot camp in 1984, I have no idea what aspects of basic infantry they teach now.
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CPT Signal Officer
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Edited 8 y ago
I joined around the same time you did.

I think it is the combination of the type of individuals that enter the force and the need for AIT/Basic to adapt in how to prepare a new soldier arriving to their gaining unit . It will come down to more than just teaching them level-one skills and MOS specialty to actually mentoring them on a personal development level on individual soft and hard skill. From being on both sides of the house I have seen that some can be impatient, self-entitled and some just want to skate without putting any real hard work and just earn the "participation trophy". I've seen it where average is awarded while the true hard workers stand in the shadows because of spotlight rangers but that's not the point.

The 21st century soldier can be as well tech savvy, confident, civic oriented, practical and result oriented. They need to know that their can only be one standard and not multiple held by biased judgement and favoritism. I knew who the favorites were and when I was not the one. Their should not be back channel grumbling because someone didn't get the trophy which is something I see constantly perhaps due to delayed gratification. I think what we can do is to keep them motivated and keep direct communication methods effective. They need to know what they signed up for and that the standard will not change for them but how they perform determines their career. I haven't been to BCT since March 2012 but I know not much has changed. In the end they look up to us as older brothers/sisters and we need to guide them even at times we aren't in the mood to.

I think pre-game for BCT/AIT would be appropriate in the following areas
-PT
-Mental toughness
-Team player
-DNC
-Initiative
-Competence to follow and lead.
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SGT Chris Stephens
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Lack of good order and discipline are the biggest issue I see from new Soldiers. I don't think it has anything to do with basic, it's just that they revert back to the way they were as civilians where they disrespect those over them and think their phones are the most important thing in life.
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SSG Stephan Pendarvis
SSG Stephan Pendarvis
8 y
you can say that again....it always does to Pre Basic attitude. I think parents are partly the problem....society is the other half. DS cannot put their hands on them let alone give tough discipline....parents as told the same (you cannot spank your kids anymore, you put them in time out...which is a form of a stress card...smh).
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LTC Stephen Conway
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Getting rid of suicidal Misfits like PFC Manning that should not have graduate from basic training and now he along with John Walker and Edward Snowden he is now one of the worst traitors ever. He also caused the untimely death of possibly thousands and probably has many had to flee the country because Isis and Al Qaeda found out through WikiLeaks.
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
8 y
The previous POTUS had a soft? spot for PFC Manning.
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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
8 y
CSM Charles Hayden - why feel sorry for a weirdo traitor who is a druggie and alcoholic? I hope he feels guilty for those who fled or died from Isis or Al Quida retaliation for helping US forces.
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
8 y
Not me Major, the immediate, previous POTUS of America!
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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway
8 y
CSM Charles Hayden - yes I was speaking about Obama. You have common sense.
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MCPO Couch Potato
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I retired in 2011 - and just before the big day, I spoke with a shipmate that was a Company Commander (DI/DS). He told me that every cycle there were kids that had never had a pair of lace-up shoes - and had to be taught to tie them - Velcro had ruled their lives since they got their first pair of shoes.

On day one, they'd do a diagnostic PT test just to see where the new Recruits were starting at - and they split the Company up. Every cycle there were kids that couldn't run from one side of the gymnasium to the other - the SHORT way - let alone come close to doing more than 5 push-ups, sit ups, or completing the run.

This isn't touching on the kids that couldn't swim ("What do you mean that I gotta swim? This is the Coast Guard!!"), and had problems with authority figures.

When I went through Army OSUT in 1981, we had two kids that had NEVER owned a pair of shoes... had just pulled rubber boots over their feet so they could muck out the cow pens.

Nothing's really changed... just new names for old problems.
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
8 y
Ohio, USA, 1945, I slipped a foot into one of my Gum boots and quickly pulled it out of the cold - water? A little brother, in a hurry, had not bothered going to the edge of the our farm house's back porch!
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SP5 Dennis Loberger
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52 years removed makes me unqualified to respond
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SSG John Jensen
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the 1st soldier in the history of the world said to the 2nd ever soldier in the world
"You young guys had it easy!"
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Sgt Dale Briggs
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Of course they’re unprepared they’re High School recruits, having them prepared is your job.
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