Don't worry, homesicknesses is common at military basic training. Being isolated from your kids, spouse, parents, etc. for an extended period of time can be as stressful as not being prepared to face drill sergeants.
Most campers (and staff members!) experience some degree of homesickness during the beginning of camp. Most letters are written during Siesta (rest time) or before bed, which are times the campers tend to feel the most homesick.
Military members, their spouses, and their children all end up dealing with feelings of homesickness at some point. Moving from duty station to duty station, traveling for deployment, or simply being assigned to a base far from home or loved ones sparks this sense of loss and distance.
IS BASIC TRAINING HARD? Basic Training is challenging and meant to push you to become the best version of yourself. It will help you develop mentally and physically to overcome things you didn't think possible. You'll also realize that the military and Drill Sergeants are not here to break you.
Yes, it is possible to fail basic training. You could go through the trouble of leaving your home, job, family and friends and come back a failure. In fact, this happens to about 15% of recruits who join the military every year. Too many recruits I speak to think that it is impossible to fail basic training.
Army Basic Training Red Phase
Red phase is the starting phase and is typically considered the hardest part of training. The entire phase, which is 3 weeks long, is devoted to constant calisthenic exercises, and you will be spending much of your time in the push-up position.
For the most part, keeping kids busy is the first order of business at camp. At Camp Waziyatah, five activity periods and a night activity every night keeps kids in the moment and having a blast, and leaves them little time to feel homesick. Feelings of homesickness usually go away after two or three days at camp.
“These feelings of being homesick can start early and last throughout adulthood,” Dr. Claudia Luiz, PsyD, a psychoanalyst, tells Romper. Babies can start to show signs of separation anxiety at nine months, she explains, but there is no one specific age in which homesickness starts… or stops.
Can You Join the Military With Anxiety? You will be disqualified from the military if you have needed anxiety treatment for longer than 12 months total and/or have needed anxiety treatment at any time in the past 36 months.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sometimes known as shell shock or combat stress, occurs after you experience severe trauma or a life-threatening event. It's normal for your mind and body to be in shock after such an event, but this normal response becomes PTSD when your nervous system gets “stuck.”
The Army Holiday Block Leave is 10 days
The 10-day break generally starts a week before Christmas and lasts until a week after Christmas.
Crying during USMC boot camp is not uncommon and may occur due to the stress of training. However, recruits are expected to quickly regain composure and continue with their training, as showing prolonged emotional vulnerability may result in disciplinary action or dismissal from the program.
Once you're wearing a uniform ALL of your civilian clothes and unauthorized possessions are taken away and locked up until you graduate. While you're there you'll sleep in your issued underwear or PT uniform. (When I went to BMT they didn't issue PT uniforms. It was just plain GI underwear for sleeping.)
There's a great argument that the Marine Corps has the hardest military training of anyone, and here's why. Of course, when you reach the top, you can find them becoming SEALs or a part of the Marine Raider Regiment (MRR), but the training of any Marine is some of the hardest military training in the world.
Among active-duty service members and veterans, it is generally agreed that the Air Force is the easiest military branch to enter in terms of basic training. This is because their programs are more spread out, and the duration is usually shorter.
The Training Process
During this time, women learn essential military skills such as marching, physical fitness, and weapons handling. They also receive classroom instruction on Army values, customs, and traditions, as well as basic first aid, map reading, and other critical skills.
What Causes Homesickness? The primary cause of homesickness is a sudden transition or separation from home, but some people are more prone to homesickness than others. Children with a history of anxiety and shy children may be especially prone to homesickness.
Understand that settling into new routines and feeling more comfortable in your new environment can and will take time. Researchers have found that homesickness can last anywhere from three weeks to more than a year.
In a study of people from other countries working in London, England, those who kept in regular contact with friends and family back home were less homesick than those who didn't. But daily phone calls may make you feel even more homesick. Maybe call home once or twice a week instead of every day.
Across Branches of the Military
The Navy, Army, and Marines have recruits drop out at roughly the same rate as each other, between 11 and 14 percent annually. Contrary to what many think, the goal of officers in basic training isn't just to push recruits to drop out.
A typical day at army basic training involves staying busy, staying fit, and learning to deal with emotional stresses. Army basic training begins with early rising at 4:30 am, and that's if you're not on guard duty. If you are not drilling or training, you will be cleaning barracks or weapons.
During Red Phase (or Patriot Phase), you'll learn the fundamentals of soldiering, including Army heritage and the Seven Core Army values. Most of your classroom training will occur during this time. You'll also undergo the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) to assess your physical abilities.