How To Hack Basic

Before You Ship Out

Run
At least two miles/day. Regardless of how long it takes you.
Sing while running.
Every other day: Sprint 15 seconds !og 1 minute. Repeat.
Pushups
As many as you can in two minutes. Resting is okay "ut keep three points of contact on the ground at all times.
#ever touch knees.
$o them throughout the day. #ot %ust once a day.
Sit-ups
As many as you can in two minutes.
&se something to hold feet down.
'hroughout the day.
Additional exercises:
(lutter kicks
)ountain clim"ers
*verhead arm claps
*verhead arm raises
!umping %acks
+ron cross ,-old arms out ./ degrees for as long as possi"le0
&p1$owns
Memorize:
Army Song
Soldier2s 3reed
'hree 4eneral *rders
5arrior Ethos
Seven Army 6alues
Rank Structure
)ilitary 'ime
7honetic Alpha"et
Practice Carrying A Weapon
5ooden dowel or stick 1//cm long
Attach weight to .l"s
#ever let it out of arm2s reach
-old over your head for long periods with a heavy "ackpack on
Practice Road Marches
8ong walks ,minimum 9 miles0 with heavy "ackpack on carrying practice weapon
Eating
'hree meals a day
As fast as you can
3&' A88 3E((E+#E (R*) :*&R $+E' #*5
(eet shoulder width apart directly in front of you
*ne hand on the ta"le at a time
#* S#A3;S. :ou don2t get to eat anything other than your three meals during "asic.
$rink one glass water and one glass of gatorade with meals.
Sleep Schedule
+n "ed "y <1//
5ake up for one hour during sleep ,to simulate fireguard0
Read a "ook sitting up or pace a hallway do #*'-+#4 else.
5ake up "y at /=//
4et a cheap digital watch with alarm function. 7ractice waking to it2s alarm.
7ractice getting dressed in the dark as fast as you can
Shave
:our head: #ot longer than a >9 clipper guard
:our face: Every day no side"urns
Common Terminology
(#4 ? (ucking new guy
-igh1Speed ? 3an "e good or "ad
4ood: 5e2re going to "e doing some high1speed shit today@
Aad: +f they address you as high1speed ,+t means you2re a know1it1all or trying too hard0
$own Range ? After in1processing where you2re actual "asic "egins
(ront 8eaning Rest 7osition ? 7ushup position
Alue (alcon ? A( aka Auddy (ucker. $o not "e this.
3B ? 3harge of Buarters. Aasically %ust guard duty/secretary.
Recycled ? Start "asic all over
')3 ? 'roop medical center
3ompany ? 8arge group of platoons
7latoon ? =/1C/ people your main group in "asic
Roster #um"er ? #um"er assigned to you in your platoon.
-ook and 8oop ? 6elcro
-undred )ile An -our 'ape ? $uct tape
4etting smoked ? (orced 7' until you can2t move anymore
The Day You Ship Out
Aring the following in a small "ackpack. $on2t "ring anything else "ecause they2ll take it from you. :ou2ll have the
a"ility to "uy what you2re missing during in1processing.
3hange of clothes
7ens Small pad of paper Envelopes Stamps Addresses 7hone #um"ers ,:ou2d "e amaDed at what you
forget0
7hone E 3harger ,'hey will take it from you "ut you2ll want it after0
$eodorant
'ooth"rush
Small eFpanding file folder ,(or important forms and shit0
$irect deposit form from your "ank ,'hey will lose this "ring your own copy0
4ets 8*'S of sleep the night "efore
:ou won2t get to sleep again for =/1=< hours
'he $ay will go as follows:
/=// 1 5ake &p
/5// 1 )E7S
Afternoon ? (ly to "asic city
#ight ? Aus to in1processing -B on post
In-Processing
5hen you first get off the "us from your trip to "asic they will immediately teach you how to address drill sergeants and
the people that will "e directing you what to do. 'hen you will walk into a large room and sit on "enches while they give
you a talk a"out amnesty. 'he rest of the time you will "e getting haircuts uniforms shots necessities presentations
physicals +$ card and doing any final paperwork ,finance life insurance etc0 :ou will not sleep until you2ve "een there
overnight. Some tips:
$on2t ask Guestions specific to you until after presentations
8et go of control. A lot of what you2re doing won2t make any sense %ust go with it
+f you have any point out moles on your head to the "ar"ers "efore they cut your hair. +f you don2t they will go
over them very hard with clippers and cut them open and you will "leed everywhere.
$on2t talk to anyone. )ost of the people there with you won2t "e going with you down range.
+f you get tired ,and you will0 don2t fall asleep. +n fact if you know you2re going to fall asleep stand up Guietly. +f
during a presentation stand up and Guietly walk to the "ack of the room and stand to keep yourself awake. $on2t
make a scene.
'ake notes on your chain of command
7ay attention to detail
Read E6ER:'-+#4 finance is making you sign. )ake sure shit is right to avoid any payment issues
:ou will "e issued two soldier2s hand"ooks. Read them anytime you2re not doing something.
At all times carry:
7ens
7aper
Soldier2s hand"ook
+$ card
$og tags ,+f you get them0
Down Range Timeline and Tips
ay one
'his is not normal. 'hey have to take it easier on you for the first day.
S-A;E$*5#
'hey will make you dump everything you have on the floor and they will go through all of it.
'hen they will make you put it all "ack the way they want you to.
$on2t try to hide anything. 'hey will know and the whole platoon will "e fucked.
:ou will get to know people around you.
:ou will do an inventory what you got at in1processing.
:ou will get more gear.
:ou will learn a"out new gear.
*rganiDe gear.
Setup wall locker.
8earn how to make "ed.
8earn how to fall in ranks and march.
!ormal ays
5ake up
Shave H "rush teeth
4et dressed for 7'
3lean "arracks
7' (ormation
7'
Shower
4et dressed in A3&2s and get gear for day
3lean "arracks
3how formation
Areakfast
'raining
8unch
'raining
$inner
'raining
(inal formation
7ersonal 'ime
Sleep
Classroom "raining
'his happens throughout "asic. :ou will learn everything from who is your chain of command to how to
disassem"le your rifle.
$o #*' fall asleep. +f you2re getting tired stand up and go to the "ack of the room.
+f you need to utiliDe the latrine stand up Guietly and go to the latrine.
'ake notes and pay attention. :ou will "e GuiDDed on classroom stuff.
P"
Every morning you2ll have 7' first thing.
Always push yourself as hard as you can. 'hey will know if you don2t.
Personal "ime
8aundry
Shower ,5ithout "eing rushed0
7repare gear for tomorrow
Study
5rite letters
3lean
#ireguard
&sually two people on guard at a time for one hour shifts during the night
$o #*' sleep
Read your soldier2s hand"ook
5rite letters
$%stacle Course
Remem"er that it2s "een done for ages. +f everyone else "efore you has done it you can too.
7ush yourself as hard as you can.
+t2s safe even though it doesn2t look/feel like it.
"eam-%uilding Course
$o not argue or fight with anyone.
Remem"er that you )&S' work together to figure the o"stacles out.
Weapon "raining
:ou will train on the following weapons. 'ake this 6ER: serious.
)<=. ? SGuad Automatic 5eapon ,5.5Cmm machine gun0 3leaning afterwards is a "itch. 'ry not to let hot
"rass fall all over you when spotting.
)</9 ? 4renade launcher attachment for )1C easy.
4renades ? Easy
A'= ? Rocket launcher. :ou2ll "e firing .mm tracer rounds out of a training A'=. *nly one or two people
get to fire an actual one easy.
Automatic 4renade 8auncher ? (&3;+#4 AA$ ASS Easy
5/ 3al ? 7retty cool long training day easy
3laymore )ine ? Easy
)1C ? 'he whole time. 6ery eFtensive. 3lean your rifle E6ER: $A: no eFceptions. 7ay attention to
specification details you will "e GuiDDed.
&ive #ire "raining
'his shit sucks. :ou have to "elly crawl through mud and dirt while "ullets are "eing fired over your head and
things are eFploding neFt to you. 'ypically done at night.
!ust keep going. +t will eventually end.
'as Cham%er
7ay very close attention to how your mask works and how to put it on the right way.
5hen you2re out of the cham"er control your "reathing.
'he pain is temporary it will stop.
Com%at &i(e Saving "echni)ues
$on2t fuck around during this.
'ake notes and pay close attention. :ou will "e GuiDDed.
&and !avigation
#o one ever gets to all the waypoints %ust try your hardest.
7ay attention you will "e GuiDDed.
Communications
:ou will "e GuiDDed.
8ong "oring day. &sually paired with land navigation.
+f someone tells you to Ihold this wireI... $on2t do it they2re a"out to shock the piss out of you.
Com%atives*Pugel Stic+s
$on2t try to "e the "est.
'his is done outside in the open in the sand. 5ear sunscreen on your head or you will "urn.
Road Marches
&sually go in circles don2t pay attention to where you are or try to figure out how far you2ve gone and how far
you have left to go.
)ake sure your ruck sack is correctly ad%usted to avoid "listers and weight in the wrong place.
7owder feet "efore. ,'hey give you foot powder0
+f they allow you to "uy those 8ycra undershorts for 7' $* +' to prevent chafing. 5ear these under your
uniform for road marches. 'hat or pantyhose or continuous foot powder.
#ield Exercises*,attle rills
:ou dig foFholes hasty fighting positions and sleep outside.
$* #*' S8EE7 *# 5A'3-@
+f you have free time improve your fighting position.
'rain yourself to do all of your necessary personal hygiene with nothing more than a canteen cup full of water.
M$-" "raining
Essentially ur"an ops training.
7ay attention to this and have a little fun.
Sundays
4o to a religious service. +t2s a nice "reak from cleaning and training. + went to the Auddhist one. +f they don2t
have that %ust pick a random one and use the time to read and relaF.
3lean a ton.
Study.
4et your shit sGuared away.
Below are some general tips for maing your life easier!
$o not stand out. 4ood or "ad.
5ear sunscreen
#ever do nothing. +f you have any waiting around or downtime read your soldier2s hand"ook.
Sleep in transport. :ou will "e transported on cattle trucks ,or "uses if you2re lucky0. Every time you get on one to
go to a training site sleep. Even if the ride is only 1/ minutes you will "e thankful that you did.
(ill up canteens in the morning. 'he water is always colder. 8ater in the day it gets really warm.
Always do the right thing even if it2s unpopular.
*nly use three uniforms. :ou will get four. 8eave one for "eing clean.
$o laundry twice a week minimum. :ou do #*' want to smell.
Always shave. #o matter what.
4et two of all of your necessities.
'hey will force you to organiDe most of your stuff eFactly how they want it. +f you get two of everything you
can leave the organiDed stuff alone and use the other stuff. 'his will save you time and make sure you2re perfect
for inspections.
#ever say gun or clip when referring to your rifle or magaDines.
#ever make an eFcuse or apologiDe. +f you screw up and they ask why say J#o eFcuses $rill Sergeant. +t won2t
happen again $rill Sergeant.K 'hey don2t want to hear "ullshit. 'hey want you to acknowledge you were wrong
and fiF it.
+f they call your roster num"er or name sound off with J)oving $rill Sergeant@K so they know you heard them.
#ever eFit a formation in front of your line. 'ake a step "ack turn towards the shortest distance to the end of the
formation and run that way.
)ove with a sense of purpose when moving anywhere. ,7owerwalk or %og0 #ever dilly dally.
+f you carry your wallet with you with your +$ card in it put it in a Dip1lock "ag to keep it dry. Shit happens a lot.
:ou will not get your rifle until after at least week one.
$o not lean against walls ever.
8a"el all of your shit. 7eople will steal it.
Stay motivated.
Eat as much as you can at every given opportunity. :ou2re gonna "urn that shit B&+3;.
7repare your uniform the night "efore ,)ake sure you have all your pens and "ooks and +$ card in all the right
pockets0 so you don2t have to remem"er in the stress of the morning. Also make sure your uniform is sGuared
away each night for the neFt day ,3lean no strings hanging off 6elcro tags on the right spots not wrinkled0
Even if you don2t like the food you got eat it. Sucks more to "e hungry.
$rill Sergeants from other platoons will fuck with you. &nless it2s completely inappropriate %ust take it.
$on2t eat or drink dairy "efore the gas cham"er.
)ental tricks:
'hey will smoke you for everything and nothing. Sometimes if you have spare time they2ll smoke you %ust
"ecause. $on2t worry a"out why or for how long %ust keep focused on what they2re telling you to do.
'hey use negative motivation and em"arrassment a lot. $on2t take it personally.
5rite letters. :ou don2t want to "e the only one not getting them. ;eeps you sane.
A lot of what you2re going to "e forced to do won2t make a lot of sense while you2re doing it. !ust go with it and
don2t worry a"out figuring it out.
$on2t add your two cents. ;eep your comments to yourself unless specifically asked.
$o what you are told. Seriously. 'hey will tell you everything you need to know and how to do it.
#o there is #*'-+#4 you can do to truly prepare yourself. #o amount of watching (ull )etal !acket !arhead or
Ears *pen Eye"alls 3lick will prepare you. $on2t try. +ts on purpose. 'his guide can only help you know what to
eFpect. +t cannot prepare you to live day1to1day stress.
$*#2' 8+E@ Seriously. #o "ody cares what you did or who you were "efore. 'here will always "e the recruit who
says either I-is sister is the lead singer for 7aramour ,or any famous singer0I I-e was a former S5A' team
mem"er for LLLLL departmentI 5e all know you2re full of shit. $on2t "e that guy.
$on2t "e IthatI guy. :ou know the guy. Everyone does. +f you don2t know what + mean than you are Ithat guy.I
:ou need to stop that.
+f you are a military legacy or have a father who is a senior enlisted or *fficer than you might want to keep that to
yourself. Su"seGuently if it2s your "irthday +2d shut the hell up a"out that one too. 'he less anyone knows the
"etter.
$on2t "e a dick to your fellow recruits. :ou are not competing with them for a %o". 'hey will "e the ones to "ail
your ass out of trou"le or throw you under the "us. +t2s up to you. So don2t "e a "lue falcon ,Auddy (ucker0.
:es they will haDe the shit out of you. 'hey have to. 'hey will make up "ullshit reasons to do so. Suck it up
scream for them. $o your circuit 7' ,which is all it really is0 and go on a"out your day. +f you are fireteam or
sGuad leader or platoon guide. EFpect it A 8*'.
Remem"er the painful punishment you are enduring cannot go on forever. 'hey still have a training schedule to
maintain.
Same goes for the yelling. +n one ear and out the other.
8ive life chow to chow day to day Sunday to Sunday. +f you tell yourself I+ still have MFN more weeks of this
"ullshit@I :ou will get depressed. +nstead tell yourself I$inner is in a few hours and then +2m pretty much scot
free for the night@I 'rust me. +t makes a difference. $on2t count days. !ust... don2t
:es you will "e a )otard/(#4 when you get out. :ou will piss motivation when you graduate. $on2t worry a year
in or your first deployment will cure that right up.
Sound off 8*&$ the $rill Sgts want to hear you if they have to ask twice you2re not going to like it.
#E6ER look at or watch other people "eing punished/smoked. 'his will lead to the $rill Sgt saying I*h you want
to %oinI 1 this is not a Guestion...
:ou are supposed to "e in "ed "y lights out 1 this means no one is allowed in the showers after lights out if you
want to shower at night do it during your personal time all the other things listed there can "e done "y flashlight
after lights out ,the $rill Sgts will not "other you a"out this stuff "ut showering after lights out will get you
punished0
'eamwork/team "uilding is important don2t do things like insult your platoon/sGuadmates or ItattleI on them for
trivial things ,for the important stuff do the right thing +2m talking the trivial I7rivate !oe doesn2t have his shoes
tied correctlyI type petty stuff0
'here will "e random shakedowns they will find the things you think you hid they have a lot of practice and
they2ve seen all the ItricksI don2t try to hide contra"and %ust do the right thing it will "e "etter for you in the long
run
RealiDe that you will not do things correctly and if you did them correctly you didn2t do them fast enough. 'he
$rill Sgts will push you farther than you2ve ever "een pushed "efore to perform tasks as "est you can and while
under a ton of pressure/sleep deprivation/eFhaustion.
'hough it may not seem like it the $rill Sgts are people too ,they really do seem inhuman though0. +f you have a
real pro"lem or concern go to them they do care a"out you finishing the course and they want to make you the
"est soldier they can ,most of them at least0 and they will take real pro"lems/concerns seriously ,don2t %ust whine
though 1 their $rill Sgt school is %ust like Aasic 'raining only instead of all the "asic stuff you learn they spend
that time doing more 7' and learning new and eFciting ways to smoke people their $rill Sgt school is )&3-
harder than "asic is so they don2t want to hear you while a"out how hard you have it0
'here will "e people who don2t grasp the "asic concept that the $rill Sgts are there to tell you what to do. + had a
friend %ust come home from Aenning "eginning of this year and he had the same eFperience even towards the end
there were people in his company who had the attitude I'hey can2t tell me what to doI... umm actually champ
they can they will and it2s their %o" that2s what you signed up for. +gnore these people as "est you can and don2t "e
associated with them they will only drag you down and "ring you negative attention.
Shit To Remem"er
"he Army Song
(irst to fight for the right
And to "uild the #ationOs might
And the Army goes rolling along.
7roud of all we have done
(ighting till the "attleOs won
And the Army goes rolling along.
'hen itOs hi@ hi@ -ey@
'he ArmyOs on its way.
3ount off the cadence loud and strongP ,'wo three0
(or whereOer we go
:ou will always know
'hat the Army goes rolling along.
'he Army goes rolling along.
"he Soldier.s Creed
+ am an American Soldier.
+ am a warrior and a mem"er of a team.
+ serve the people of the &nited States and live the Army 6alues.
+ will always place the mission first.
+ will never accept defeat.
+ will never Guit.
+ will never leave a fallen comrade.
+ am disciplined physically and mentally tough trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
+ always maintain my arms my eGuipment and myself.
+ am an eFpert and + am a professional.
+ stand ready to deploy engage and destroy the enemies of the &nited States of America in close com"at.
+ am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
+ am an American Soldier.
"he Warrior.s Ethos
+ will always place the mission first.
+ will never accept defeat.
+ will never Guit.
+ will never leave a fallen comrade.
'eneral $rders
1. + will guard everything within the limits of my post and Guit my post only when properly relieved.
<. + will o"ey my special orders and perform all of my duties in a military manner.
9. + will report violations of my special orders emergencies and anything not covered in my instructions to the
commander of the relief.
Shit To Remem"er #cont$%
Seven Army /alues
8oyalty
$uty
Respect
Selfless Service
-onor
+ntegrity
7ersonal 3ourage
Enlisted Ran+ Structure
Shit To Remem"er #cont$%
$((icer Ran+ Structure