If somebody doesn't make it, you put it back. The uniform items, or cammies, are hung on the back of the racks overnight, meaning you have to run to the back, get it, and make it back on line, arm outstretched, before the drill instructor gets to zero. This process looks like this: the drill instructor names a piece of clothing, say trousers, and all the recruits get that item and bring it on line. This process was the single most frustrating part of boot camp for me, since it was so tedious and you would inevitably end up with a sock inside out all day. You are about to get dressed by the numbers. However long it takes you to get dressed in the morning, it takes longer now. Not surprisingly, tying your boots while trying to run down the stairs is not easy.Ġ401: After 30 seconds to get 50 recruits in and out of the bathroom, now called the head, it's time to get dressed. But in the beginning, you will finish with a few buttons undone, your boots untied, and you'll be rushed onto the next task. You can sometimes tell when the games have gone on too long, as they start counting down slightly slower. The countdown goes as fast or as slow as they want. If there is a gap in the schedule, it takes forever. This process takes as long as the drill instructor needs it to. You can get to the last item of clothing, say your left boot, and have to start all over. Once you get your trousers on, it's time for the blouse. You finally get your trousers on, but somebody didn't get them buttoned by zero, so you take them off and put them back. You are about to get dressed "by the numbers." This process was the single most frustrating part of boot camp for me, since it was so tedious and you would inevitably end up with a sock inside out all day.
You do this counting process until you get it right. This counting process takes forever in the first few weeks, as recruits mess up by shouting the wrong number, pausing too long, or skipping over somebody. You have to yell your number and snap your arm back down at lightning speed. The drill instructor runs down the line of recruits, around 25 on the left, and then back down the right, 25 there too. You will spend a lot of time here on line, so get used to it. The recruits are standing on line, meaning standing in front of their beds, called racks, at attention, awaiting instruction. They have to make sure nobody took off in the middle of the night, even if firewatch is there to make sure this doesn't happen. Every time your platoon goes anywhere, you are counted. You better be ready, because the count starts immediately. There's no time for stretches or yawns, you get up and stand on line and stick your hand out. It's also best to brush your teeth before the lights come on.Ġ400: Lights, lights, lights! That's what firewatch yells as they throw the switches, turning on all the lights. Officially, you will have time to go after the lights come on, but it's best to go now. There are around 50 recruits to six toilets, so it's best to go when you have time.
You take this time to use the bathroom, as there won't be time later. The drill instructor is yelling at them, asking them why they messed up the log book, making them give the report until they get it right, or just making them run around the squad bay, looking for things that are amiss. The first and last shift aren't so bad, but the 0000 to 0200 shift is brutal. They are members of the platoon who are awake for one or two hours at a time throughout the night. The firewatch, which you will also stand every few days, is the interior guard. The drill instructor woke you up by barking commands at the firewatch. Unofficially, you’re up 30 minutes before that. 0330: Officially, 0400, pronounced as “zero four,” or “oh four hundred,” is the time to wake up and get out of bed.