If you could bypass bootcamp, would you enter into the military?

Ya that whole things pretty well kills it for me too. All the yelling and screaming in people's faces. I personally could not put up with it. I find it disrespectful but from what I hear there is a method to it all and that it works. Personally I perfer that if someone wants me to do something that they do it in a normal tone of voice and without all the drama.

If you can't handle someone being in your face, why would we assume you could continue to function with bullets and artillery rounds flying all around you?

I would sign up now, even with bootcamp, but I'm too old now. When I was younger I wasn't interested in joining.

Join the military, skip bootcamp, go in to combat and you'll get yourself and your entire platoon killed. There's a reason for bootcamp. It is not only the physical training, but learning the mental conditioning and skills required to stay alive. Not only are you trying to keep yourself alive, but there are others counting on the training you get in bootcamp.

I was drafted during Viet Nam so I had no choice of course. I had an M.S. in physics and was put to work in a lab and did not go to Viet Nam. That was just as well since I would have wanted to win and they weren't really trying to win; take a hill one day and give it back the next. Also, I would not have been prepared since basic training was very flawed. For instance on one range the object was target detection of camoflaged enemy soldiers and they just gave us the answers, we never had to try to do it. I ended up stationed in Maryland and saw so many lifer loosers it was unbelievable. I really hope that the quality of career soldiers is better now, it seems to be.

My husband, who is a Vet, says that there's a lot more to boot camp than just someone screaming in your face but, that you're right, it is the building blocks...the foundation...of someone's militay career. Some training is better than others, some facilities better than others but the long and the short of it is...you arrive as a civilian and you leave as a soldier. It's a process that doesn't happen simply because you put on a uniform.

That's funny because boot camp was actually one of the reasons that I strongly considered joining the military. I truly wanted to go through that and see what it really was. I can't imagine anyone wanting to be a soldier without the boot camp and basic training that precedes it. If you enter a job untrained you'll probably fail. If you enter a war untrained you'll probably die and cause those around you to die as well.

No, no, no, without bootcamp I would not like to enter to the military. It would be like starting your career with computer without having any knowledge. This could be dangerous to our country. In fact I like the bootcamp very much. I am very dissapointed that I didn't opt militery in my school time.

This discussion reminded me of 'Forrest Gump'. When asked why he put the rifle together so fast, Gump Said " Because you told me to, Drill Sargeant!!" and the Drill Sargeant says "Gump, you're a genius".

Basic training--as it's called now--is necessary. For some, it is the only combat training they will receive (for the most part) should they deploy due to the sort of unit that they're in. Army BCT (basic combat training) is nine weeks long and the only time you'll probably purposefully be yelled at is during 'week zero' in which, the Drill Sergeants are working on reassembling you. Tearing you down and rebuilding you as soldiers. Yes, it sounds silly, but one of the girls in my platoon went from having a really horrible attitude in week zero to being one of the best members of our platoon by graduation. Honestly, basic training is/was a lot of memories that you can't make anywhere else and I wouldn't trade my experiences there for anything else in the world because they do mold you into a 'new' you that those back home might not be so familiar with for a bit. Not to mention, I really did get into better shape because of it. Yes, it is a lifestyle change but to function in the military, it is necessary.