Required toiletries include a toothbrush with a case, hairbrush or comb, one washcloth and towel, antiperspirant, shower shoes (flip-flops), toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, soap and a soap case, a disposable razor or safety razor with blades and shaving cream (optional for women).
Items you may not bring:
Cigarettes, dip, lighters or any other tobacco products. Large photo albums. A few photos are permitted, but space is limited. Material that is pornographic or can be considered questionable.
BASIC TRAINING ESSENTIALS. Use this checklist to make sure you pack everything you'll need at BCT. Keep in mind that all of your personal belongings must be able to fit into one medium-sized gym bag—so make sure none of that space is taken up by anything that will get confiscated at BCT.
Are cell phones allowed in Basic Training? There are no cell phones allowed in Basic Training. This is a consistent rule for all of the military branches: Do not expect your service member to be able to call you, text you, or receive your messages when they are in Basic Training.
Most military chow halls today include an extensive salad bar, a station for full meals such as fried chicken, seafood, Mexican food and pastas, along with a snack line that includes hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, fries and other junk-food items. Plus, you're allowed to consume sodas and dessert!
As you may or may not know, there is no snacking at basic training, recruits get three square meals a day. In addition, recruits only get a short time to eat (3 minutes if your lucky), so maximizing the time it takes to eat your meals is crucial.
Marine Corps Recruit Training is the longest, most demanding military basic training, consisting of more than 70 “training days” in a period of 13 weeks. Unlike other boot camps, there are no weekends off and you cannot leave the base.
Sleeping arrangements during Basic Training may differ depending on where you're at. Generally, you'll either bunk in a bay containing about 40 people or in a small room with three to six others. You can expect to get between seven and eight hours of sleep.
At the end of the duty day, the drill instructor will enter the barracks, call out names and pass out mail. You're then usually granted about one hour of free time to read your mail. If you read fast, you may even have a few extra minutes to write a quick letter back.
Recruits are allowed to have pictures of their loved ones, in fact, they may be allowed to hang one or two on the outside of their locker [The details of this are definitely subject to the opinions of each Drill Sergeant]. Include a photo from of home, family, friends, or motivational photos or quotes.
Soon after you arrive, usually the next day, you'll be taken for haircuts and uniform issue. 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.
Everything else will be taken away from you, including: hygiene gear like razor blades and soap, cell phones, tablets, your wallet, books, pens, paper, even your socks and underwear. All your civilian gear will be documented and you'll be given a storage receipt to claim it when you are done with recruit 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.
Know the communication rules.
Your family can use the Red Cross or the IADT Coordinator for emergencies, and they can send mail and care packages. However, there are no visits permitted during BCT until Graduation Day. Now you're ready to ship to BCT.
Then, sometime around week 4, all it takes is for the drill instructor to enter the room in the early morning and quietly say, "Get up," and everyone pops out of their bunks immediately and begins their morning routine.
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.
The Army is the only branch of the military that honors the Holiday Block Leave for all recruits who are in basic training. This allows the drill sergeants and instructors to have a break during Christmas and prepare to come back for the New Year ready to train.
Trainees will use cell phones only under direct supervision of a staff member. 4. Trainees are authorized access to their personal cell phones during the fourth week and at the end of the seventh week of training to firm up travel arrangements with family and guests.
Your Drill Sergeant will have every second of every day planned. Expect long days with little sleep. Prepare for this circumstance before you leave for basic training. Spend the week before you depart for basic training waking up early (about 4:30am).
Often, drill commanders assign when and how long a unit has to shower. For example, you may have 1-2 minutes to squeeze in a quick shower in the morning after PT. Then, more time is generally provided in the evening right before or after “lights out”.
Soldiers are advised to take a shower at least once every two to three days to maintain personal cleanliness and prevent skin infections or bacterial illnesses.
The military is smart enough to know that human beings have the need to use the toilet throughout the day, not just at predetermined times. So they make bathrooms available for recruits at all times, day or night. If you've got to go, just ask and you'll be allowed to go.