I'm at ft. sam houston in the army...?

Question

it's been the worst experience of my etire life, worse than basic training. I wish i'd never joined the army and made different decisions in my life so i would have never even thought about it. I haven't even gotten an article 15 and i still feel this way. Is there anyone else at ft. sam that feels like a prisoner here and like their being treated unfairly and a lot like a child?

Answer 1

???

Give examples.  If you want a 'interesting' AIT, come on over to Fort Benning.

If you are at Fort Sam, you are probably a medic.  You had better know your stuff and you had better be able to perform in a very high stress environment.

You will come out with at least a NREMT-B, and that is high stress enough in the civilian world.

Please give examples.  I would like to hear them.

Answer 2

It gets better, so you hang in there. Been there done that. Bend but don't break. Chill and think about this is just a month or so and it will be much better. I promise.

Answer 3

At FT. Sham Houston? Really? Listen you could be at FT. Benning going through Infantry OSUT or Ranger School right now. I've been to Ft. Sam a dozen times and it is not the roughest place in the Army. So just relax and look within yourself and think: am I this weak not to be able to deal with this? Am I 'soft serve ice-cream'? Am I going blame everyone but me? Am I a brat or spolied? I know there are kids here who had it worse than me growing up and they are doing good, why can't I? I made it through Basic. Did I just want free time and to phase up and hang at the mall in San Antone.

It's rougher in AIT, this I know. I reclassed as an E-6 into legal coming form 16 years as airborne infantry. I was a target for all the pogues who were jealous for whatever reason. I kept my mouth shut and studied and passed. I came close to crapping out and knocking someone out, but I knew I had survived way harder stuff to included military schools and combat.

So stay strong and develop your inner samurai

Answer 4

Man up , you've been in less than a year things will get better. Think about this what if you were deployed in Iraq / Afghanistan your time there would feel about the same. You'd have to stay on post unless doing patrols.

Vet-USAF

Answer 5

This is the nature of the beast that surrounds AIT.  You're not going to be allowed certain freedoms until certain phases of your AIT.  It's like BCT...you have 3 phases...basically Red, White and Blue.  Once you complete all those phases, you know you've completed the course.

AIT is the focal point of your MOS Training.  You've already learned your tactical skills in BCT...now is the time for your technical skills.  

You must realize that not all people are like you...your maturity level may be different than that of your peers.  Those that stay on profile to avoid work will eventually get their own.  They'll get caught up in their own webs soon enough and get caught for dereliction.

Sometimes people with good working ethics are grouped with those who don't in hopes that those good habits will rub off.  It's a part of team-building...making everyone learn to cooperate and teaching responsibility.

Don't drown yourself in what is happening around you and don't think of AIT as a "prison."  I've been stationed at Ft Sam Houston and it's not a bad duty station.  There are far off worse places you could go...but you're letting these things weaken you emotionally and mentally.  Soon enough, you should be allowed to go off post once you earn priviledges.  Little by little, you'll be given more and more freedom.  Those NCOs that grade Soldiers to substandardly are not helping the Soldier any, but in essence they are hurting them because it will show once those Soldiers get to their first unit.

Be concerned with yourself most of all.  It gets better once you get to your unit.  Trust me.  You won't have much tactical training time, but you'll get so much of it in your first unit that you'll be sick of it!

What does the Warrior's Creed say?

"I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough.  Trained and proficient in my Warrior tasks and drills."

In saying that...get tough and you'll survive.  AIT is a cakewalk....

Answer 6

Sorry to hear that you aren't living in a country club atmosphere. But you did join the US Army. I would suggest that you are living in much better conditions than your brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I would also suggest that you are not telling us even half the story. I served for 22 years and never spent a day thinking I was a prisoner, though a few times I probably felt someone was unfair to me, I don;t remember them, I remember the fools I have worked for as a civilian and how dumb and unfair they have been though.

Maybe you will learn all about it after you complete your enlistment and beg to sign back up.

Answer 7

Isn't Ft.Sam in or next to San Antonio,Texas?There are plenty of things to do in that city.Oh my Lord,the women are fantastic.Have mercy!I lived in San Anton in the mid 90's.It could not have changed that much since then.Maybe you should get out and see more and get your mind off of the army.Just don't drink and drive.Good luck.

Answer 8

You didn't specify but I assume you're in AIT right now?  You're in a training environment and it's going to be like that until you graduate. Get used to it.  Every one of us in the military has gone through the same BS but it's only temporary.  That's not the real Army.  Like I said, its just training.  The real Army is 10 times better than what you're going through right now.  They're just playing mind games with you trying to push you over the edge.  Just stay strong and you'll get through it.  And those profile rangers you're talking about are just shitbags and will not get far, believe me.  They might graduate but when they get to their unit, the leadership will quickly find out that they're pretty much worthless.  And if you've been to Iraq, trust me, you would NOT rather be there lol.  But my only advice for you is to just stick it out.  We had a soldier commit suicide while I was in AIT, apparently because he couldn't handle the BS.  Please don't be that guy.  It's only a temporary situation.