00:01I am an American soldier.
00:04I am a warrior and a member of a team.
00:08We've got 90 seconds to get off this bus.
00:10I serve the people of the United States and live the army pattern.
00:15I will always face the mission first.
00:18I will never accept the future.
00:20This is your primary position in the military.
00:23General Sergeant, I will never quit.
00:25In a single file, I will never leave a file of combat.
00:32There's no prouder tradition than serving in the United States Army.
00:36And basic combat training is your first step to becoming a respected member in the profession of arms.
00:43Soldier training is demanding, both physically and mentally.
00:47But in the end, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment that you'll carry for the rest of your life.
00:52During this 10-week training process, you'll learn important army values, traditions, and skills,
00:58such as teamwork, discipline, proper military dress, land navigation, repelling, and weapons handling.
01:06The Army has four basic combat training locations, including Fort Moore, Georgia, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri,
01:15and Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
01:16Your training location is determined by your specific army job, which you'll learn in the advanced individual training phase.
01:23And those trainees on track to become officers will go on to Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore after completing
01:30their basic training.
01:32For all trainees, most nights are spent in the barracks, and every recruit is assigned a bunk and a locker.
01:37The only times you don't stay in the barracks is during an overnight field exercise.
01:42Three hot meals are provided each day during basic training at the On Post Dining Facility, or DFAC.
01:48The DFAC offers a variety of nutritious food, which will help keep you energized during your tough physical training.
01:54Phone calls are limited during basic training and are at the discretion of the drill sergeant.
01:58Packages with treats and snacks are discouraged.
02:01However, letters between family and trainees are highly encouraged.
02:05After you arrive at your designated training location, you'll spend your first several days in reception.
02:12Here you'll fill out paperwork to start getting paid, receive physical exams and immunizations, get a haircut if you're male,
02:20and you'll be issued your army uniform and other personal items.
02:24Once you complete reception, you'll move to your training company and meet the drill sergeants who will train and mentor
02:30you until graduation.
02:32Your first week at the training company is called Yellow Phase.
02:36During this phase, you are introduced to military customs and courtesies, discipline, the Army ethic, values, Army history,
02:45physical readiness training, and performance optimization.
02:47As a drill sergeant, I'm here to coach, teach, and mentor.
02:52I teach trainees the basics, whether it be shooting, moving, communicating, they learn the basics.
02:59I feel as though I'm kind of taking a child and molding them into something that they joined the Army
03:07to be.
03:08And usually that's to better themselves, coming into the Army to discipline themselves as well,
03:14to learn a new career path, something of that sort.
03:16So it's my job to show them a new way of life.
03:19After recruits complete Yellow Phase, they enter their next phase of training, called Red Phase,
03:24which lasts about three weeks.
03:26Here you'll learn the fundamentals and traditions of being a professional soldier,
03:31including the warrior ethos and the soldier's creed.
03:34This phase includes daily physical training and other physical tasks,
03:38such as the confidence course, team development course, rappel tower, and MBC chamber.
03:44This is where you start your fitness transformation.
03:47The Army Combat Fitness Test is administered so you will see how you do on your first PT test.
03:53This will consist of a deadlift, standing power throw, push-ups, a sprint drag carry, the plane, and a two
04:00-mile run.
04:01And you'll learn basic soldier tasks like how to pack and load your rucksack and clean your issued weapon.
04:07The hardest part of Red Phase for me was definitely adjusting living with about 40 people in a bay.
04:13Ranging from ages 18 to almost 40, and different cultures and backgrounds and ethnicities.
04:20Learning to work together as a team, it can definitely be one of the biggest challenges in Red Phase.
04:26After Red Phase, you'll enter White Phase.
04:28This phase lasts about two weeks and increases the level of fitness training and your soldiering skills,
04:34including how to set a perimeter, hand-to-hand combat drills, basic rifle marksmanship, first aid, and land navigation.
04:41It's through training such as this that you start to come together as a team and practice the leadership, resiliency,
04:47and teamwork skills you're learning at the same time you're gaining a new confidence.
04:51You don't have to be the strongest or the fastest. You just have to be mentally ready, and you have
04:57to push yourself through and be your own support.
05:00Every day, you're going to have to give it everything you've got. This isn't an easy thing to do. It's
05:05a choice to leave your job, leave your family.
05:07But ultimately, I think just paving the way for the future is important and showing your family that you can
05:13do whatever you set your mind to if you're really willing to put in the work.
05:17It's all mental, and you have to constantly tell yourself, like, you will get through it and you will complete
05:23basic training because that's what's going to keep you at the end of the day.
05:26The last phase, Blue Phase, is about three weeks long and completes your transformation from civilian to soldier.
05:33During this phase, you'll learn advanced marksmanship, the proper way to throw grenades, and maneuvering techniques.
05:39You're trained to engage targets and learn how to operate and move as a small team.
05:44The end of Blue Phase culminates in a nighttime infiltration exercise
05:54and a 10-mile road march.
05:57This time is also where you will receive your U.S. Army badge, which will be worn on the left
06:02shoulder of your uniform and your black beret.
06:06The importance of this ceremony is to be able to allow the trainees to be able to recognize what it
06:10is that they've accomplished,
06:11that the script that they've listened to in the beginning lets them know the legacy of which they are now
06:19a part of,
06:20where they've been called through this whole process.
06:23They've heard trainee, trainee, that now being able to be part of the soldier induction ceremony,
06:29that now they take that next step in their careers, in their lives, that they're no longer trainees.
06:34Now they become soldiers.
06:38Your last week of basic combat training is graduation week,
06:49where you'll take your final PT test for graduation.
07:10But this time also includes Family Day, in addition to the graduation ceremony itself.
07:15You'll also spend time out processing and preparing for the next phase of your Army career,
07:21which is your advanced individual training.
07:23I've learned that I always have to put the team first no matter what,
07:27and that selfless service is the most important thing a soldier can do.
07:30It's a great learning experience, it instills discipline, and I think it's overall really beneficial for society as a whole.
07:38Basic training is not going to be easy, it's not made to be easy.
07:41The drill sergeants are going to be hard on you.
07:45That's our job, that's what we're supposed to do.
07:47Do not take it personal, take it as a learning experience,
07:51and constantly tell yourself that you can do it and you will do it.
07:55There's no denying that basic combat training is tough,
07:58but you'll find that becoming a valued member of the world's greatest Army is one of your life's major accomplishments,
08:03and the skills you learn will be ones you use for the rest of your life.
08:07It's also your first step in a career as a soldier.
08:10Learning tough physical and mental skills as well as nurturing your leadership abilities
08:15will create limitless opportunities as you move forward in Army training.
08:19Join us and discover untapped possibilities.
