What items should a new recruit take with them to basic training?
 

First of all, my thanks to any/all that served.

A friend of my son is going into the Army and ships out to basic training in April. What items should he take with him to make his life a little easier? Can he receive packages? Are there any restricted items that we should be aware of sending to him during basic training? Someone told me that cell phones are a restricted item during basic, any truth to this.

Thanks for the replies.

Try to bring as little as possible. Basic things on checklist they provide, not a thing extra. Cell phone and charger bring a they can use them during reception (0 week).

Also I would refrain from sending anything other than letters. You can send pics and news articles just do not send pornography and DO NOT send food/cookies. During my time at lackland some dumbasses mom sent him a box of twinkles and the entire flight ha to pay for it big time.

Don't take anything.

Here you go, scroll down for the service he is going in to.

http://www.military.com/join-armed-f...checklist.html

Thanks guys, I appreciate the replies.

Johnthomas, thanks for the awesome link.

x Infinity. If the Army wanted him to bring something, they would have issued it beforehand.

stationary and stamps

A dildo and gay porn.

Nasty Nate

Tooth brush and a change of underwear.

the army will allow him to use pay phones on the weekends...why i dont know. he will also be given trips to the exchange every week so any creature comforts he wants im sure the army will let him buy. tell him that if he wants to grow up and join the big boy gun club, to cancel his contract with the army, go next door and sign with the Marines!

Like others said, a lot of training sites allow cell phone use a couple times throughout training, so bring that. I don't remember if I bought my toothbrush there or used my own. They make you wear the tighty tannies, so extra underwear were a moot point until you left... Obviously, he'll need stuff to get him through a day or two of travel to/from the training site, and that's it. Mother Army will make you buy the rest, whether you want to or not.

Care packages are pretty much a no-go at basic.

When I was at basic we couldn't use pay phones. If someone didn't have their phone they would have to try and find someone that would share that 5 or so minutes we were given our phones for. Creature comforts in basic? Yeah right. We got to go to the exchange to get hair cuts and to replace broken stuff or get essential junk. I'll ignore the Marines comment. :D

:rofl2: Apparently the marines get it easy. For Army basic, there were definitely no pay phones and we only went to the PX twice during all of OSUT (that's about 14 weeks) so bring extra deodorant (not anti-perspirant) as well as extra bar soap (no liquid) and possibly tooth paste. And extra blades for your razor, almost forgot that.

Letters is always good.

Grandma should not send cookies. One recruit's little brother send him a marijuana cigarette, not a good ideal.

YMMV

nothing.

when my son went (about a year ago) instead of making the recruits use the payphones on their 10 minute break on the weekend (if they got it), the ones that had cell phones could use those to make calls. my son probably called me 3 times, that doesnt mean he only got 3 chances, just he called ME only 3 times.

I sent my son, 3pre-stamped envelopes, 1 being pre-addressed, with each letter i sent him, I also included three blank sheets of paper.
that combination was just what fit in the envelope best

make sure he takes an address book, a small pad of writing paper, and a few pre-stamped envelopes, for him to send his first letters. they usually wont take those things from them.

and

thank you for your sons service, and giving him the encouragement to serve.

I do recall him mentioning letting someone borrow his phone too

wheres your son going for basic?

If you want to pull a harmless prank on him while he is at basic you can send him a birthday card. Those always go over well with the company commanders.

But in all seriousness stick to the list the recruiter provides, when I was in boot I brought a pair of cuticle clippers. Made trimming loose threads on my uniform a lot easier.

All I brought was a traveler's sized toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, cell phone and charger. Everything else you need they will make you purchase at Basic.

Basically, you want to arrive with as little as possible because depending on your Drill SGTs, your entire company may be told to hold your baggage in the air while you're running around with your heads cut off as you step off the white bus while the Drill SGTs give you a piece of their mind. Ask me how I know ;)

A side note for once he is there, Remind him to MAKE SURE HE LABELS ALL OF HIS STUFF! This makes it a lot easier when every ones lockers get dumped in the middle of the kill zone.

Tripper, It is a friend of my son that is going into the Army. My son has not decided if he wants to enlist or not. He has several friends that have enlisted in the various branches of the Armed Forces. I am definitely encouraging him to enlist. I never enlisted and it is one of only a couple of true regrets that I have.

My sons friend ships out to basic training on the 18th of April to Ft. Eustis, South Carolina.

Thank you all for the advice.

so many defensive comments after one Marine makes a joke....gotta love it, and i would not have said anything about your basic training that i didnt witness with my own eyes during my time at Ft. Sill for artillery school. I havent even gotten into the overweight individuals asking their drill sergeants for 5 more minutes in the chow hall because they hadnt finished their ice cream... again, didnt believe myself until i saw it with my own eyes, but hey, like you said, bring your cell phones i guess

like, enough toiletries to last a week. if its a summer cycle it might be a little while before they get to the PX to buy all the crap they're required to have. Everything you own thats personal gets confiscated and locked away.

Honestly I would take a good watch with him preferably one with dials and not digital (draws less attention) I just had a cheap casio and it came in pretty handy. I would also take a list of adresses for people he would want to write while he is in basic.

I think a good watch was the first thing my son bought at basic, aside from the stuff they made him buy

Oh
And above all else
Take a positive attitude
No matter what happens, how upset anyone gets, how homesick, tired, wet cold, and all that, it is all over on a predefined date. Don't let anyone get to him, the drill sgt is not out to get him, they are out to get everyone.
Do his best at every assignment
If he can learn some skills, like commands, ranks, compass reading, land navigation, how to zero an m16, first aid, stuff that he can do now, it won't be so new to him when it comes up, and he can help others while not being so stressed out trying to learn something new all the time

You might want to tweak the information in red a bit and make it a little more 'broader' so as not to show any 'specifics', as per OPSEC ;)

-Jarred

He is absolutely right, charlie is just waiting to figure out where he is going to basic training because it's not like hundreds of people ship out to the various publicly known recruit depots from the numerous publicly known meps stations.

:rofl:
Exactly!
But seriously, I was told by my command that it is not encouraged to post such specific information online and I quote "..because there are some shady ***, ***holes out there". It was difficult to stand there and not smirk at what he said..

-Jarred

Navy here. I got one 2 min phone call in the middle of boot. Everything I brought with me went in a box and shipped home.

A billfold with less than $100 cash, a calling card for a payphone and list of phone numbers of everyone on your current cel phone. Have other basic ID in there like drivers license. Maybe a small picture in there of family/significant other.
thats IT.
In the early 2000's I know cel phones were considered one of the worst forms of contraband as a Navy recruit. They wanted to filter and nearly eliminate your contact with the outside world. Now, who knows. In some services I hear even live in "dorm" living spaces in basic training..

Wow...I know it hasn't been THAT long since I got through Marine Corps Basic Training but I know for a fact there was NO and I mean NO phone calls from Paris Island. You got to use the phone ONCE when you arrived and read a scripted letter that said I have arrived and am safe and will send a letter with information regarding my return upon completion of training. I do remember getting to call home about 15 weeks later(roughly a week before graduating) to tell my family when and where graduation was....damn sure no cell phones...and yeah; be careful with the care packages cuz that can get an entire platoon wrecked for one "generous" mom's idea of love...i.e. cookies and nudie mags; yeah, that went over GREAT with our D.I.'s

whatever you NEED (bare minimum) to make the trip to boot. Once there they will give you everything required/ needed for your stay.

Calling card and toenail clipper for uniform ropes.

There is a list of items at the website he'll have access to. Everything he needs to bring will be listed. Anything NOT on that list, leave at home.

It is very specific and tells you everything you need.

Don't bring anything. My recruiter told the other recruits I was with to bring old panty hose for shining boots really well. You can imagine how that went over when they dumped everything out on the beds in basic to make sure you didn't bring any contraband. "Airman! Is that panty hose? You from California? Sir, yes sir. Anyone else bring panty hose from California? Sir, yes sir. Anyone from California that didn't bring panty hose? (that was me) Sir, yes sir.