What the life like as a PFC in the 82nd as 11B?

I just left the 82nd ABN. It is one of the most fast paced units in the Army. They will expect a lot out of you. Then you will sit around until you go 100mph again. If you want to succeed there you will want to go to Ranger School ASAP. Since you are a PFC you can already go. When you get to your unit you need to get your bearings and they go to SURT. It is the 82nds Pre Ranger Program. Once you finish that you will be going to Ranger School that weekend. I will warn you that I have never seen so many wild things happen there in the 82nd. It felt like we had a permanent spot on Army WTF Moments. I would avoid others that are shady. I can't tell you how many young guys had their careers ended by going to a house party and then getting caught on base being drunk. We don't have time for that. The 82nd is the only unit in the Army that maintains an Immediate Reaction Force on a large scale. At any given moment there is a BN there that is on call. If you have an issue and can't deploy then they don't need you. I have never seen so many people separated out of the Army than I have seen in the 82nd. The motto there is that you will "Jump, Fight, Win, TONIGHT!"

Keep your head out of your 4th point of contact, stay out of the clubs, stay out of the barracks bunnies, don't buy that Challenger/Camaro/Mustang, show up 15 minutes early to be on time. You are a cherry, and therefore you know nothing, so you will keep your eyes and ears open.

Spent 15 yrs in 82nd. Mouth shut, ears open. Move fast, move smart. The time for whining was at AIT, not now. Get a Ranger handbook, know your job and the slot above you. Travel light cause you will carry it all on your back. Get close to the old hands and listen close. Watch for tricks of the trade= spare poncho liner in spare poncho= sleeping bag, spare blanket sown into spare poncho = cold water sleeping bag. Shoot, move and communicate. They don't have time to raise kids, but train men. Become a true grunt master. Little food, lil sleep, lots of weight lots of field and deployments.