Can basic training be "fun" in a way?

PV2 J M — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:35:24 -0500

Response by PVT Vlad Meier made Dec 7 at 2017 1:38 PM

PVT Vlad Meier — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:38:51 -0500

are you crazy? hell no

Response by SPC David Willis made Dec 7 at 2017 1:49 PM

SPC David Willis — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:49:19 -0500

Sure can, don't get me wrong you'll be miserable for most of the time, but eventually you'll hit a point where the more miserable you are the more fun you have.

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Dec 7 at 2017 2:34 PM

SGT Dave Tracy — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:34:47 -0500

Only in retrospect.

And really, that's just a "maybe".

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Dec 7 at 2017 2:45 PM

SFC J Fullerton — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:45:58 -0500

Sure, if you can get past being homesick and feeling sorry for yourself all the time.

Response by MAJ Don Bigger made Dec 7 at 2017 3:01 PM

MAJ Don Bigger — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:01:21 -0500

Basic Training “fun”? I suppose. If you join the Air Force ;)

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 3:25 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:25:07 -0500

Sure! Your attitude will dictate a lot ! Keep a positive attitude, don't let others bring you down, believe me you'll be able to see those with a PP Attitude. HOOAH!!

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 3:43 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:43:30 -0500

It's up to your definition of fun...if you enjoy PT and dragging yourself on dirt while angry men and women yell at you for expecting you to know things they haven't taught you yet. If you've shot before you're gonna hate shooting if you haven't shot before you MIGHT hate shooting or love it. The grenade range was fun, although the actual grenade part was about 10 seconds. It's up to you, don't forget you get from it what you put into it.

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Dec 7 at 2017 3:48 PM

SFC Jim Ruether — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:48:11 -0500

Heck yes it can be. I enjoyed it myself. I didn't take anything personal that my DI was screaming at me. I learned from my mistakes and never repeated them. Easiest way to avoid having a bad day is doing it right and charging on. I watched my DI chew out a guy and then come into the Trng Btn office where I was CQ and ask if there was any pizza left. You would have thought that the DI's first born had been killed by this recruit when he was chewing him out and then he came in and was calm, collected and actually told a joke which we all laughed at.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Dec 7 at 2017 3:51 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:51:20 -0500

Hell yes. You will hate every minute of it, but eventually you'll snap and start to enjoy it. When you leave, you'll start to miss it. My rack mate's family sent him the Sunday funnies every week and we'd pass them around and read them after dark. Calling out running cadences is fun, especially when you're competing against another platoon. Boot Camp is one big team building competition.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 4:47 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:47:26 -0500

I enjoyed the hand to hand and dueling it out with the pugil sticks. Firing range and grenade range were a blast, no pun intended, lol. As far as DI's, I got an idea of what they go through when I became a PLDC instructor in the late 90's!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 4:51 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:51:28 -0500

Sure. Years later. In hindsight.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 5:03 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:03:01 -0500

I enjoyed some things and I disliked others. I enjoyed the range, the field, and some of the classes, I enjoyed Drill Sergeant Time. Not sure I enjoyed the first 3 rucks, but I kind of enjoyed the final ruck. Maybe because it was the last one... Not sure. There's also parts I disliked, it wasn't so much the Drill Sergeants as it was my fellow Recruits. Being together 24/7 for 73 days is... Something people don't experience very often. Combine that with no phone, no internet, no free time, and people tend to get on each others nerves. You get over it though, I'd take a bullet for those guys.

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Dec 7 at 2017 5:57 PM

SGT Philip Roncari — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:57:28 -0500

I think that depends on what you define" Fun" as ,I look back on it now fondly ,but I was in basic training in 1965 ,so maybe that's just my senility kicking in,seriously though it's probably going show you what you are really made of,the thing I learned was don't quit,ever!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 6:02 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:02:02 -0500

I don't think it should be necessarily "fun". It all depends on what you do while you are there. You get out what you put in. That in mind, there are always things to enjoy and things to dread. For example, fights in the barracks were fun while most people dreaded the bunk inspections. You just have to know how to embrace the suck.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 6:06 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:06:44 -0500

It's the kind of shit you hate every minute of right now but 48 years later you'd give anything to do again. You never tell good stories about it but it hits you sometimes after a hard day when you open a beer, you remember something. My Dad's parting advice, you bugged the shit out of me playing Army all your childhood. Now they are giving you real things to play with, uniforms, and they are paying you. Just remember how fun you thought it would be.

Response by SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint made Dec 7 at 2017 6:57 PM

SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 18:57:48 -0500

Maybe for the DIs....?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 7:40 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 19:40:16 -0500

When I was going through basic, I hated it. But now looking back i realized how much i actually enjoyed it. You're constantly busy, doing something, learning something, experiencing new things, and learning new things about the people around you. Yes there will be miserable times, you'll be smoked, you'll clean things that are spotless, and worry if you actually did lock your wall locker or just shut it from the second you leave your bay to the time you get back. But overall, it was a great.

Response by SP5 Larry Morris made Dec 7 at 2017 8:16 PM

SP5 Larry Morris — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 20:16:36 -0500

not there for fun learn something

Response by SGT Matthew S. made Dec 7 at 2017 9:00 PM

SGT Matthew S. — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 21:00:45 -0500

In a way, yes. You'll develop a camaraderie that you can't find most other places in the world and you'll learn that there's a dark humor in shared struggle & adversity. I found several aspects enjoyable; I've always enjoyed working with knots & ropes and the land nav course was a day out tromping through the woods - something an avid outdoorsman will never forget after weeks of ranges; barracks; and training rooms.

It all comes down to what you make of it, and that you get out what you put in. See it as a personal challenge instead of the guaranteed worst time of your life, and you'll find something enjoyable while you're learning a new life.

Response by SGT Mark Halmrast made Dec 7 at 2017 9:58 PM

SGT Mark Halmrast — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 21:58:49 -0500

Years later, you forget how bad it was.
At the time, you curse yourself.
(Benning, '84, airborne grunt. 12 weeks basic + AIT, then to jump school the following Monday.)

Response by MSgt George Cater made Dec 7 at 2017 10:26 PM

MSgt George Cater — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 22:26:01 -0500

You mean to imply somehow that it wasn’t?

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2017 9:54 AM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 09:54:47 -0500

Yes

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 8 at 2017 1:08 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:08:37 -0500

Fun? No. Different? Very much so. Most everything you did up to that point from schedule, school, work, sleep, food, laundry, TV, or whatever is ripped away and something else is imposed. So the closest to "fun" you get is when your brain switch flips into the "Embrace the Suck" mode. That takes a lot of confusion off your shoulders and simplifies life greatly. You learn quickly the few things that are really important in keeping alive and doing the mission. So it's a more a matter of what level of misery are you concluding you have. Misery and fun are at opposite ends of the same spectrum. So I guess the less misery you decide you have, the closer to fun you get. Now leaving a turd in the CC's rack was fun, until he discovered it and the misery commenced.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2017 1:19 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:19:38 -0500

PV2 J M I would not tell the DIs that you are having fun, or you will pay. I went through Boot Camp in June, 1968, and can look back now with a different perspective. You will be challenged and learn what it takes to be a Marine. These lessons will remain with you for the rest of your life. You will be proud of what you are accomplishing, but fun is not part of the equation. Stay squared away during Boot Camp, while you serve and later in civilian life. After you finish Boot Camp, please let us know if you found the experience fun.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2017 1:23 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:23:59 -0500

Basic is what you make it. Don't be the private with no hair getting to AIT and the only thing you can talk about is drill sergeants and basic training stories, everyone had the same basic training experience. It not hard by any means but it will teach you things that will help you.

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2017 8:15 AM

LTJG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:15:11 -0500

Depends on what you define as 'fun'... you learn a lot while in basic. If you consider learning in a stressful environment about the branch in which you are entering, then yes it will be fun. It looks like you are going Marines, so.... yes..... lots of 'fun'

Response by SGM Joel Cook made Dec 12 at 2017 6:46 PM

SGM Joel Cook — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 18:46:29 -0500

It is right up there with having a dentist drill your teeth with no Novocain. I did enjoy the comradery but the only thing I enjoyed about basic training was leaving.

Response by SFC Charles Vanzant made Dec 13 at 2017 12:20 PM

SFC Charles Vanzant — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 12:20:09 -0500

Basic, like life, is what you make of it. Enjoy camaraderie with other troops. Enjoy the growing strength and endurance of your body. Attitude is all. success and enjoyment come in a can. Failure and disappointment come in a can't.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2018 4:26 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:26:57 -0500

It was the most fun I never want to do again.

Response by LCDR Keith Trepanier made Apr 6 at 2018 2:49 PM

LCDR Keith Trepanier — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 14:49:24 -0400

If you don't have any fun, you did it wrong. Did parts suck? Hell yea. Big time. But running obstacle courses, shooting all sorts of ammo down range, joking with new friends, and my favorite, wondering when that vein in my drill sergeant's neck was going to explode, were all fun. It was not all rainbows and unicorns but fun can be had doing just about anything.