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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 75
Bring nothing but a small backpack with just one pair of clothes if any and a hygiene kit. Only have your cell phone as an electronic and only bring the pair of shoes you would be wearing there. If you are married and need documents to turn in for BAH bring them if not don't worry about it. Once you get to your base (Fort Benning, Fort Jackson, etc.) You will start improcessing and be given your uniforms and from then on you will no longer wear any of your civilian clothes or shoes. You will be given an advance in pay to buy PT shoes that they have (you cannot wear your own until you get done with basic training) and get things like a haircut or any necessities. Once you get to your basic training unit all of the personal stuff you brought besides paperwork will be locked up and you will never see it again until you graduate. So the less you bring the better. Ensure you do have your wallet with bank cards and ID's however but in terms of clothes or anything like that don't worry about it cause you won't need or see it. Your cell phone will also be taken day one after your initial phone call home so don't bring any other electronics.
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LCpl Aaron Freeman
If you were going to MCRD, I'd tell you to take the clothes on your back, a light jacket, running shoes, and nothing more... you'd get to keep your running shoes, and the rest would be stored away until graduation. The one thing not to bring, is contraband! Do that, and you ask for trouble!
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SPC Kyle Williams
We used the shoes we wore for pt. There a 250 dollar advance on a smart card but that was for haircuts, small items we could purchase at a small px that we only went to once every 2 weeks on haircut day. If we needed new pt shoes we could buy them but were werent forced to. There is a whole list of stuff yoyr allowed to have in basic.
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SSG Eddie Helmling
running shoes and white socks ( for pt)where the ONLY clothing we kept from home ( army 88)
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Bring as little as possible.
Your personal bag should be very easily identifiable to you, you'll find out why.
You should have 1 pair of clothes.
A small hygiene kit.
Bring a Watch you don't care about (it will get scuffed up), bring a couple pens, a small pocket size notebook, and 1 sharpie.
The sharpie because the MOMENT you get your gear and you have the time to do it, usually when you get your bunk in Reception you will want to write your name on the INTERIOR of EVERYTHING. Your OCP's write the name on the tag, your patrol cap same thing. If you have a common last name also include the last 4 of your SSN.
I kid you not people WILL STEAL YOUR STUFF in Reception and maybe even in BCT/AIT/OSUT. For your boots only your initials on the interior of the Boot should be fine.
EDIT
If there is something you want like a laptop for AIT, have your family bring it to you on Family Day. DO NOT bring it with you to BCT.
Your personal bag should be very easily identifiable to you, you'll find out why.
You should have 1 pair of clothes.
A small hygiene kit.
Bring a Watch you don't care about (it will get scuffed up), bring a couple pens, a small pocket size notebook, and 1 sharpie.
The sharpie because the MOMENT you get your gear and you have the time to do it, usually when you get your bunk in Reception you will want to write your name on the INTERIOR of EVERYTHING. Your OCP's write the name on the tag, your patrol cap same thing. If you have a common last name also include the last 4 of your SSN.
I kid you not people WILL STEAL YOUR STUFF in Reception and maybe even in BCT/AIT/OSUT. For your boots only your initials on the interior of the Boot should be fine.
EDIT
If there is something you want like a laptop for AIT, have your family bring it to you on Family Day. DO NOT bring it with you to BCT.
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TSgt Kenneth Hopkins
Seeing these comments are unreal. I took basic training sept 1946 thru
November 1946. We marked our gear with last name initial and last
Four of our seria l number.
November 1946. We marked our gear with last name initial and last
Four of our seria l number.
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PV2 Chris Jackson
Yeah, at Benning I had the sneakers I bought for PT stolen, put your name and or last four of your SSN on EVERY tag so they don't grow a person and walk away
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SSG David Thompson
TSgt Kenneth Hopkins - You make me feel young! In November of ‘46 I turned four years old. My basic was in 1960.
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In this case less is better,the NCOs on this post have the best advice on what to take,excluding myself of course, since way back when I enlisted three corner hats,horse blankets and flint locks were taken,just kidding young man, congratulations and welcome to the Brotherhood.
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SGT Philip Roncari
LCpl Darrell J.Farley Jr.-I’ve had similar conversations with some younger Veterans and they seem to get a big kick out of things like KP ,Platoon Bays,Company runs in combat boots,fatigues web belts,shooting for record over iron sights,I think they just walk away thinking this old guy is senile!
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SGT (Join to see)
SGT Roncari, I'm with you... I came in back in the days of black boots and BDU's, all I brought was one change of clothes and a basic hygiene kit, day one we got issued PT's, the old gray shirts and gray shorts, Did nt see my personal stuff till the day I left FT. Sill
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SGT Philip Roncari
SGT James Jones - reception center for me was the Ft. Dix N.J. Nov.1965 told to show up with ditty bag, change of underwear and socks,approx three days later flown out to Ft. Lewis Wa to begin Basic,only thing issued at Dix was an OD raincoat,things would only get worse! Our PT uniform was fatigues with web belt ,combat boots and poncho,lots of PT in rainy Pacific Northwest,Be well Brother.
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SSgt Larry Atkinson
We use attack the valleys, shooting uphill kept our musket balls from falling out. LOL
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