What Is Basic Military Training (bmt) Like For A Woman In The Usaf?
My fiancee just graduated BMT for the USAF. It has always been a dream for me to serve in the USAF as well, since I was a young teenager, but I am not a model candidate. I don’t exercise often or at all most times, I am a very sensitive person as far as criticism goes, and I like to change my mind constantly when it comes to goals and aspirations. I want the structure of the military life and I was told that BMT is nothing like how the real military life is. I just wanted to know how many women out there have been like me and made it through BMT. I know it will be hard, probably the hardest thing I’ll ever do. But when was there a moment you thought you would just give up and decided not to? What drove you to keep going? What goals did you set in your mind to get through it? What were your major achievements as a person and what did you learn about yourself when it was over? Is there any advice someone can give me on surviving BMT successfully? What kind of training would I need?
I went through BMT in 2003. I have NEVER been an athletic person. I attempted to build myself up to running 2 miles before I left… that didnt work LOL! I built myself on push ups and sit ups though.
The things they teach you in basic training (with out you really understanding) is to listen and do as you are told. Not in a mean way… When people dont listen is when people die. i.e. If you are in a war and you leader says to get down and you dont and there are bullets coming your way, boom your dead. You dont have time quesetion it, you just do as you are told.
When you go to basic training, the first week you are there they do make you attempt to do the physical training standards, like time your 2 mile run, count your situps and push ups… 90% of the girls could not do it.
They build you up to it. You do PC 6 days a week. Push ups you will end up doing every day several times a day… Its just like the movies where you mess up and they say “drop and give me 20!” That ends up being a few times a day at LEAST. You dont do the real PC test until 4th weeks and by then you WILL be able to do the run and sit ups and push ups NO problem.
I was not good at taking criticism either… I had an attitude. You have to get over that FAST or you WILL have problems. That will give the TI more of a reason to mess with you and TRUST ME they will and do.
BMT is NOTHING like the real military life. I tried to think of it as an “initation” into an exclusive club
You learn teamwork. For my flight, it was us against the TI’s. We got together and learned ways to make them get off our backs. The ONLY way it worked is if we ALL worked together. i.e. There is a certain way you have to fold your clothes, like your t-shirts in EXACT 6 inch square, done a certain way, it was was not PERFECT, they threw it across the room. I could NOT do the t-shirts, but I could do the socks perfectly that had to be in exact 1/3’s, so we got a line going on, one person that could do the t-shirts perfectly did everyones and I would do everyones socks… and so on and so forth. When we did that everyones drawer was perfect.
There was plenty of times I was ready to give up. I was there for 2 days and wanted to go home so bad. Its bad, I am not going to lie. You are going to get homesick and say WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO! But the TI’s wouldnt let me quit… not in a nice way either LOL! So I had no choice but to move forward and get through it. My recruiter was very upfront with me about everything, he never sugar coated it. He told me, if you go to basic training and you DO end up getting them to send you home, it will take MORE time to get home than it would to just do the 6 and a half weeks. When you get sent home you go into the “reject squadron” until they out process you and it takes a LONG time but the kicker is, you still have to stay and do the same stuff like that you did while you were in your normal flight… P.C. getting yelled at, inspections, etc etc. but at the end of it all you get is to go home, you dont get into the Air Force…
Basic training humbled me. If you dont have respect, you LEARN it. You have to thank everyone and do it respectfully i.e. Thank you Ma’am, Thank you Sir, Please Ma’am, Please Sir… even down to the ppl that work in the chow hall and dish out your food. It really changes a person for the better.
Some advice to survive it, swallow your pride, dont argue, and do as your told. Good luck and sorry for such a LONG answer.
It’s painfully obvious the first poster has never gone through any type of Military training. Poser.
I went through BMT in early ‘88 (USAF) and no, it is not a cakewalk or the easiest to get through. It is very stressful and tough training. The Air Force (unlike the other branches) is very hard to get accepted into. But once you get in, it’s a great life but takes a lot of discipline and dedication. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that the “Chairforce” is a joke or easy. It is demanding but you will have a great sense of pride. You will NEVER be embarrassed to say I AM AN AIRMAN.
They will condition you, that’s what BMT is for. They don’t expect everyone to come in ram-rod straight and able to march in perfect lines. They teach you all that and you get great physical training along the way. If you want to jump ahead and get prepared on your own, just start with some jogging, jumping jacks, push-ups ~ general exercises that will help you be prepared better. Good luck and I wish you well!
Same as it is in all branches, 8-10 weeks of harassment and mind games.
how about this little tidbit if you cant make it through airforce basic then you might as well stop thinking about the military as a whole! the airforce training is the easiest out of all the branches and their military life is generally easier too..think about it this way if there are females making it through Marine and Army training everyday how hard would it be to pass the airforce one. i would suggest that you get it set in your head before you make any decisions because no matter how “sensitive” you are once you sign a contract there is no “canging your mind constantly” your @ss belongs to the chairforce. you might want to try getting in shape too. the airforce isnt exactly easy to get into and as you said yourself you arent a prime candidate.
Newsflash: They have the same physical fitness standards as the Navy now. No exercise bike to measure oxygen consumption HURR HURR.
I’m not answering this, but good luck with your decision.