# Talk Me Down: My Daughter is in Boot Camp and I'm Worried **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723 "2015-12-07T18:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/181 "2016-01-06T19:34:23Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > This week they’ll be learning first aid. As my daughter is going to be a medic, I hope she finds this very interesting. Ah, so she’ll be heading from Ft. Lost In The Woods to San Antonio, then? Excellent location. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/182 "2016-01-06T19:42:30Z")
Yes, indeed. She starts four days after graduation. Ivylad, who was in the Navy, spent nearly a year cooling his heels in San Diego waiting for his school to start (he was a submarine sonar tech.) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/183 "2016-01-06T20:44:28Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > You can’t say that enough! As I’ve mentioned before I did my basci in South Carolina. In August and September. The latter was a lot better, the last couple of weeks at least, but August was hell. > > One place not to go in winter? Ft.Devens, Massachusetts. Coldest temperature I ever experienced, 33 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, that’s minus 36 Celsius. I hate cold weather training - amusing considering where I live, but still 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/184 "2016-01-06T21:12:21Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Yes, indeed. She starts four days after graduation. Ivylad, who was in the Navy, spent nearly a year cooling his heels in San Diego waiting for his school to start (he was a submarine sonar tech.) The navy doesn’t care as much as the army if you are trained. In the Army you have a special status until you finish your initial entry training (which includes tech school) The navy doesn’t require you to actually have training beyond basic to be a full fledged sailor. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/185 "2016-01-06T21:20:17Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > The navy doesn’t care as much as the army if you are trained. In the Army you have a special status until you finish your initial entry training (which includes tech school) The navy doesn’t require you to actually have training beyond basic to be a full fledged sailor. I hope that if they make you sit around for a year waiting for your specialty school to start, that the wasted year still counts in your enlistment period. They wouldn’t make you serve an additional year, would they? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/186 "2016-01-06T21:22:10Z")
It did, but since he wasn’t officially in school they wouldn’t pay for me to join him. It was only when he got to Groton, CT, to start school that the Navy ponied up moving expenses for me and Ivyboy (about a year old at the time) to get there. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/187 "2016-01-07T05:43:48Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Yes, indeed. She starts four days after graduation. Ivylad, who was in the Navy, spent nearly a year cooling his heels in San Diego waiting for his school to start (he was a submarine sonar tech.) How long were y’all in the navy? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/188 "2016-01-07T13:18:56Z")
Six years. We went from CT to San Diego to Charleston. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/189 "2016-01-09T15:56:30Z")
Battalion update…Ivygirl learned first aid this week and on Friday got to go on the first field exercise. They took a long march and will be camping overnight somewhere, then march back. Oh, and the forecast calls for snow. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/190 "2016-01-09T19:11:15Z")
My main takeaway from the three years I spent attached to the Army while in the USAF was this: “Army; ruining camping since 1780-something.” She’ll have a great time. Trust me on this. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/191 "2016-01-10T04:37:39Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Battalion update…Ivygirl learned first aid this week and on Friday got to go on the first field exercise. They took a long march and will be camping overnight somewhere, then march back. > > Oh, and the forecast calls for snow. 😃 OOF! spent 3 1/2 years at Ft. Riley, Kansas. winter ftx sucks(in that part of the country)! I wonder if the army still does stand-to with a hasty. Actually stand-to was the part that sucked, the rest was pretty good. Mechanics always (mostly) have a good time in the field. Stand-to; early in the morning (at first light or dawn, not a set time) take your weapon and lay In your hasty {fighting position} on your section of the perimeter for about 30-45 minutes. reason we were told was that historically that was the time of day when the enemy was most likely to attack. hasty fighting position; shallow depression scraped out of the ground using entrenching tool and/or modified using existing terrain features and what ever materials are present in the environment to provide some small measure of cover and concealment (ie rocks, clumps of grass, bushes etc) Those years at Riley doing winter field exercises comprises the only part of my life when I would ravenously wolf down 3 full mre’s before lunch. Burned a TON of calories just keeping warm. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/192 "2016-01-11T02:44:23Z")
I just wonder about the restroom facilities out in the field. I presume one uses a nearby bush? ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/193 "2016-01-11T03:33:05Z")
to be honest, for basic I don’t remember. My guess would be that there would (most likely) be port-a-potties. The only time those weren’t available that I can recall, was when the butterbar leading the convoy out to the field got lost. Stop for the night and dig a cat-hole. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/194 "2016-01-11T05:59:15Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I just wonder about the restroom facilities out in the field. I presume one uses a nearby bush? You’ve never gone camping, I assume. It’s fun! Seriously…you’re a mother, and you’re concerned. But do take a vacation some time soon-- to the National Parks. Millions of people visit there every year; most of them stay in their cars, but tens of thousands of them go hiking and camping. And use the bushes. The hikers do it for fun. Your daughter’s doing it for her country (and herself–that’s fine, too.) Be proud of her. And stop worrying. Oh, and go camping 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/195 "2016-01-11T14:03:15Z")
I am proud of her. But I tried camping in a tent and it’s not for me. I need an RV at least. You all have been so helpful I’m no longer worried. She’s going to do great. I just don’t think she ever went camping and had to pee behind a bush. In the snow. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/196 "2016-01-11T23:27:56Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I just wonder about the restroom facilities out in the field. I presume one uses a nearby bush? We haven’t used the bush since the environment became a bigger concern. You can usually trace the route of an Ex by checking the port-a-potty request form 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/197 "2016-01-12T00:58:57Z")
Update for this week…looks like she starts firearm training. I was told it’s not a gun, it’s a weapon (she has an M-4.) They’ll be getting two days of safety training before they go live. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/198 "2016-01-12T01:23:58Z")
Don’t worry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/199 "2016-01-12T04:30:20Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Update for this week…looks like she starts firearm training. I was told it’s not a gun, it’s a weapon (she has an M-4.) They’ll be getting two days of safety training before they go live. “This is my rifle, this is my gun. One is for shooting, one is for fun.” Of course, that mantra was marginally funny and just about as acceptable when recruits were all male and the “gun” referred to was a penis. But, more seriously, a “gun” is a crew served weapon. For example, if you needed an assistant to feed the belt of ammunition into the weapon while the gunner operated the trigger, it was a gun. Any weapon that has a loader and someone else to pull the trigger/lanyard is a gun. Let’s see if I can remember… _“Sergeant, this is an M-16A1 Rifle. It is a selective fire shoulder fired weapon that shoots a 5.56mm round at a muzzle velocity of 3,300 feet per second fed from a 20 round external box magazine at a rate of 860 rounds per minute. It weighs X.X lbs unloaded and Y.Y lbs loaded, Sergeant!”_ Sorry, I forget how much it weighs unloaded and loaded. It’s been a while. The numbers for the current M4 are certainly different. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723/200 "2016-01-12T05:05:10Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > We haven’t used the bush since the environment became a bigger concern. You can usually trace the route of an Ex by checking the port-a-potty request form 🙂 And meanwhile the Spanish army uses their little handspades to cover up any number twos… you guys are spoiled! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-me-down-my-daughter-is-in-boot-camp-and-im-worried/739723.md?page=11)