Advice for a future Soldier entering the infantry?

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:09:14 -0400

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.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 4 at 2015 9:22 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:22:23 -0400

Truer words have never been etched in plastic!

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 4 at 2015 9:27 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:27:26 -0400

My first assignment was as the S-6 for an Infantry Bn. Lots of battle drilling, lots of trust between you and the soldier next to you especially in close quarters. Being an Infantryman is a practiced and honed skill that you can't afford to get lax or stale at. My section had to do a good number of things the 11Bs did regardless of our MOS. Watching a good infantry PL/PSG putting their troops through a field exercise gives you a lot of respect for what they and their soldiers do.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Jun 4 at 2015 9:45 AM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:45:28 -0400

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.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jun 4 at 2015 10:14 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 10:14:07 -0400

Find your medic..
buy them a beer.

Response by SSG Thomas Brousseau made Jun 4 at 2015 11:47 AM

SSG Thomas Brousseau — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 11:47:59 -0400

Run, run, run. In the Infantry nobody likes a straggler.

Response by CW3 Craig Linghor made Jun 4 at 2015 12:07 PM

CW3 Craig Linghor — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:07:17 -0400

Don't listen to all the whining and complaining from the sick, lame, and lazy. Stay out of trouble and be a leader. You will go a long way.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2015 12:17 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:17:05 -0400

Take in all the great experiences and dilute all the bad ones... You will be a good leader when the time comes. Know when and how to ask questions and you will be fine.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2015 12:21 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:21:43 -0400

Being a former Grunt, I can tell you that Infantry is definitely a place you want to be Physically fit. PT, PT, and more PT. besides Fitness, make certain you take every opportunity to hone your basic Infantry skills. Many of them are perishable if you slack off. Listen to your leadership and show enthusiasm in learning new things. You cover those areas and you should be ok.