I agree with most of what everyone has said but I important thing is-choose a job that is directly applicable to a civilian job.Motor pool.computer/electronics repair-anything that when you get out a potentail employer will not have to spend a lot to train you.I got stuck in ICBM’s for 4 years.The job(in a Minuteman silo) was exicting at times and important(how many E4’s have a 4 star general tell them.“Son,you don’t know how important you job is”?).But a year long tech school and above top secret security clearence didn’t help me get a job when I got out.The going to school stuff is true,but as i said,if you get stuck with a non 9 to 5 job,forget about going to school.Still,I glad i did it.4 years active and 17 in the Air Guard (loading bombs and cannon shells on A-10s)was better than my friends did staying home,and I got to see a loot of places I never would have .
I agree with most of what everyone has said but I think that the most important thing is-choose a job that is directly applicable to a civilian job.Motor pool.computer/electronics repair-anything that when you get out a potental employer will not have to spend a lot to train you.I got stuck in ICBM’s for 4 years.The job(in a Minuteman silo) was exiciting at times and important(how many E4’s have a 4 star general tell them.“Son,you don’t know how important your job really is”?).But a year long tech school and above top secret security clearence didn’t help me get a job when I got out.The going to school stuff is true,but as i said,if you get stuck with a non 9 to 5 job,forget about going to school.Still,I glad i did it.4 years active and 17 in the Air Guard (loading bombs and cannon shells on A-10s)was better than my friends did staying home,and I got to see a lot of places I never would have and make friends that I still talk to after 26 years
Mostly everything said above is correct. Training is very long (three months of Parris Island for myself was a small eternity, but I’d imagine it seems long no matter what branch you are in); it’s also very lonely. I noticed that when I was in training, focusing on training itself kept my mind occupied. The only time I was ever sad was when I got letters from home, because they made me furiously homesick (especially from my girl.) Focus on what you’re there to do; time will go by faster. If you have to, just take it chow to chow. One thing at a time.
Otherwise, I’ll just echo the above statements: make yourself invisible, but do well. Enjoy it as best you can.
By the way, hammerbach–what year did you go through training? Parris Island, or San Diego?
Huh. Well, now I guess I can tell you what they told me I’d be doing and its code. 
Actually the exact phrase the recruiter uses was crypto-linquist (if there’s any difference between the two).
All I know about it is they said I did well enough on the ASVAB (if they say so, I’ve never taken it before so I have no standard of comparison) that they asked me to take this other test you listen to a tape of a made up language and try to figure out what they are saying by they grammar rules they mention at the start. I was sure I didn’t do so well, but still they said if I wanted they’d like me to be a linguist. I thought about it and it sounds interesting so I said ‘why not?’.
I don’t think Airman Doors has seen this, but I’ll be happy to pass it along. He finished BMT in January. I’ll say this much: Graduation is quite the ceremony.
One word of advice that I will pass along (and I’m not kidding) is: Use condoms. Nothing sucks more than having to pay child support when you’re not making that much to start with. Also, having to go to sick call for an STD is a bit, well, embarrassing. (Yes, I was identified as a sexual contact of someone who was treated for gonorrhea. The test came back negative, but I still had the shot in my ass. It hurt, and I STILL had to endure the lecture about condoms. Suffice it to say, if we hadn’t used a condom, I probably wouldn’t be pregnant right now.)
Robin
- Listen. 2) Follow instructions. Be prompt, 0700 means just that and not 0705. And by the way, if you need to know anything about how to do anything that an Air Force member needs to do, there is a Tech Manual that will take you through it step by step.
You will probably discover that after you have been there a while and sort of settled in you will suddenly know more about how to run the outfit than those in charge. Resist this feeling because it’s wrong. Go back to paragraph 1 above and repeat instructions numbers 1 and 2.
And, as others have said, develop a bit of wariness. These are all strangers and some of them are con artists. Con artists are successful because they know how to be immediate “buddies.” No reason for extreme paranoia, but be aware and watch peoples behavior and not their words.
You have an opportunity to develop discipline and get a good start into adult responsibilities by learning from an organization that has been in the business for quite a while. Relax and don’t fight it and you should have little trouble.
Nov 86-Jan87 MCRD San Diego (Sir, get on line with surfboards, aye aye Sir!)
Didn’t have your sand fleas, but we did have some 2500 foot hills to run up and down. The stories we could tell…
Geshtal, it was tough at the time, but I’m smiling as I write this. You’ll come back a changed man. Most people will recognize this; even Mom & Dad might see something different. Be sure to let us all know how it went when you’re done, I’m sure we all wish you the best.
My friend,joining the Air Force is the best decision you have ever made.
You want details, I’ll tell you details. First off, your recruiter lied all over the place. BMT is not easy, you most likely will not enjoy yourself (although I did), and depending upon what your job is, you may or may not be able to keep it. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that you have joined the finest organization in the world, bar none, IMHO. They take care of you as long as you keep your nose clean and don’t be a Dirtbag Airman, and there’s all kinds of opportunity for advancement if you want it. Wanna get a new job? You can after 3 years. Wanna see the world? Kadena, Saudi Arabia, England, Germany, Korea, it’s all right there for you. Not garden spots, mind you, but don’t forget what you’re joining. It’s the military. Not everywhere will be comfortable, but your fellow Airmen will make things enjoyable, with few exceptions.
You wanna know more? E-mail me and I’ll type about the Air Force until my fingers bleed, believe me.
-A1C Dave Cartwright
As a sixteen-year veteran of the best Air Force in the world, I think I can give a little helpful advice.
First a comment on your job: I joined as a crypto-linguist, also. Vietnamese. You are so dam’ lucky, you don’t even know. You’ve kind of lucked into one of the most interesting specialties, one that affords so many excellent opportunites to do things you’ve never dreamed of. (I was always periodically seized by the thought, “Here I am, doing something so unique, so far outside of my former life, that I am changed forever.”) Crypto-linguists tend to be the most coddled, over-priveleged and cherished enlisted people, and it creates the impression that you’re not really in the military, at all. But don’t worry about that, because the better kind of NCO will remind you that, YEAH, YOU REALLY ARE before you go too far wrong.
Here’s my best advice, son: Our core values are 1) Integrity First. 2) Service Before Self. 3) Excellence in All We Do.
That’s not just loose talk, no matter how many people don’t live up to it. If you CAN live up to it, I welcome you to the Brotherhood of Arms. If not, I will help you return to your former life most smartly.
And when you are through Basic Training, and you’ve earned the right to wear the uniform, I will be happy to call you my Brother in Arms.
But remember this: you are a little airman brother, and I’m a BIG SERGEANT Brother.
Good choice, BTW. I’ll probably see you in the hallway, because our intelligence family isn’t that big. We will NO DOUBT be in the same place at the same time in the next few years.
You’ve gotten plenty of great advice so far, but I’ll throw in a few things.
Crypto-linguist is a pretty good deal if you get it. I think you spend about a year in language training in Monterey, California. Practically taking classes at a resort. Of course, you follow up that with some time at Goodfellow, Middle of Nowhere, Texas…
You’ve heard a lot of the “don’ts” for Basic Training, but as for a “do” … do everything you can to help out your fellow recruits. Not because it will make everyone like you or impress the MTIs, but because it’s that attitude that keeps the force together. In the same way that I would expect you to help me out if I was having trouble polishing my boots well, you can expect me to risk my life to save yours.
Sometimes, you won’t be too happy with how things are going. Maybe you’ll be deployed over the holidays, or recalled on a weekend for an exercise. The short answer is always… “It’s the military, get over it.” But it’s the truth. The essence of our job is service. You are given outstanding benefits and opportunities in the military - in turn, you must be willing to accept the sacrifices that the mission demands.
As everyone has said, you won’t get paid much. Even with the pay raises, it depresses me to see what an E-1 gets paid. Be sensible. When you aren’t paying for food and lodging, the money can go farther than you think.
Listen to the sergeants. They’ve been there, done that, and come back around and done it again. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
And as Bluesman pointed out, live the Core Values. It’s hard to go wrong if you follow those three simple rules.
As someone who went through basic training, I’ll add my experience: it’s a game. They’ll shit on you, they’ll jerk you around, they’ll do things so much dumber than you would done them–and it’s all for reasons that will be clear in retrospect.
That said, learn to play the game (and enjoy it when you can). Jump out of your bunk in the morning. Get to the front of every line. Volunteer. Yell your acknowledgements.
This is where you find out whether or not you’re a complainer. Complainers will whine and slack and feel sorry for themselves, and bitch about it to anyone who will listen. The mental game to play is to suspend judgement about everything you do until the training is over, when you’ll realize it wasn’t so bad, and you’re proud of yourself for having not only finished it, but powered through it.
I must be the only person on the planet who was never lied to by my recruiter. He gave me the “straight dope” on everything I asked about. My only bitch with him was that he neglected to tell me that I could get 2 stripes if I signed up for 6 years.
BTW, if your TI asks who likes bowling, DO NOT raise your hand.
Crypto-linguist! You lucky dog, you! Did my four as one of those. After six weeks in summer camp at Lackland, it was a year in lovely Monterey, CA - a vacation assignment. (Mind you, this was over a dozen years ago, so I don’t know how it has changed). If it weren’t for the uniforms and the haircuts, you could almost forget you were in the military (well, that and the barking - could never tell if it was marines or seals:p )