Boot Camp

Airman 1st Class Dana Wright: Boot camp isn’t, wasn’t exactly what I expected. I expected always being punished and always being yelled at. However, they do a lot of teaching and learning. You know, you learn a lot about the Military and how to do things properly, how to live a military lifestyle.

Staff Sgt. William Alston: I think at the beginning it was definitely a lot, it was a lot harder; it was a lot more physically demanding. But I think now that I look back and I see some of the things that I went through in Basic Training, and I see the way the Army is structured, I think it was probably one of the easiest things that I’ve accomplished since I’ve been in the Army.

Fireman Whitney Bell: When I was at boot camp, we basically were broken down just to get built back up again. There were hard times at boot camp, but it’s nothing that anyone can’t pull through with the support of everyone else that’s also going through the same thing you’re going through.

Sgt. James Weygandt: Boot camp was a lot different than I expected. It wasn’t necessarily harder or easier in certain aspects. Physically it was difficult, but you can prepare for that. It’s the mental challenges of boot camp that you can never be ready for, and that’s what’s the most difficult part about boot camp.

Sgt. April Cashdollar: All the stuff that you really never do prior to going into Basic Training. Weapon qualifications, PT, just having to be around so many different people for two, three months at a time is, that’s a challenge in itself.

Tech. Sgt. Kenny Rogers: It teaches you right off the bat to be a team player, that you have to work together. You get out of line; everybody has to work together to get back in line. It gives you little jobs here and there, teaches you how to do certain things. It was a very good experience. By the time you’re done with it, you’re really glad that you had the experience.

[End of Recording]