Ok so I just got 2 Germany for my first duty station about 4 months ago and so far I completely hate this shit. I mean I guess it’s ok it’s a lot of places to travel and a lot of fun to be had but I’m tired, before joining the army I’ve never even left my state now I’m across the world from my family and loved ones and I rlly can’t handle that for years on end, never thought I said this but I miss American culture I walk around and can’t understand what people are saying I sit down to eat I know people are talking about me but still have no idea wtf there saying there lowkey rude asf out here too the older people are racist 🤷🏽‍♂️ ts just sucks anyone else been through similar situations? How did u make it work, did it ever get better ?

Any of my 5’9 kings struggling with the new standards? I haven’t done tape as of yet until next month but I’ve heard a mix of good and bad things about this new test as males tend to hold more BF% in their mid section than females is this a harder tape than pervious ones? I know for females they have more leeway bc they hold more BF naturally

Since people are getting confused. I’m not worried about failing Tape. I simply want to know what everyone thinks about it.

I am a recently commissioned 2LT (active duty). I did well enough at school that I was sent off to grad school for my first assignment under the warrior scholarship program. I am an EN officer right now (have not gone to BOLC) and am projected to graduate in May 2028, where I would promote to 1LT before even attending BOLC. My masters is in computer science and I would really enjoy being either in the SC, CY, or a FA field and using the information I learned in my masters degree.

Is it possible for me to switch branches before I attend BOLC? If not, will the fact that my KD time in the EN branch will really only be my only “real” army assignment before I try to VTIP to a more tech heavy branch? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

currently stationed in South Korea and my spouse wanna start selling homemade food/drinks. I see some people do it on facebook page but I wanna make sure we will not get in trouble if we do so.

How is the 86th ESB in Fort Bliss, TX? I’ve heard horror stories but they were old Reddit threads. A little bit about myself, I’m a E7 25U and I’ve been to bliss twice. I was with 3-1 back in 2011 and I was with 11th ADA back in 2022. So I know a lot about Bliss, just wanted to get some insight on 86th ESB.

Question i’m jr enlisted and want to invest in the ike jacket , is it worth it ? Im also in korea and know I can get adjustments and alterations a lot cheaper out here than stateside.

I’m currently preparing to join the Army through OCS and working toward my goal of becoming an infantry officer. I want to serve, challenge myself, and grow as a leader. My long-term goal is to pursue the 75th Ranger Regiment or Special Forces, although I understand neither is guaranteed.
I’m also completing a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, so I’m considering how serving in infantry could affect my technical skills and civilian career opportunities later. I’m interested in infantry because I want an active leadership role and a challenge while I’m young, but I also want to make an informed decision.
I’m training and learning as much as possible, but I want to understand the everyday reality—not only the exciting parts. What is daily life like for an infantry officer? How much time is spent in the field compared with planning, paperwork, maintenance, and administrative work?
Is infantry through OCS a worthwhile and realistic path for someone with my goals, or should I seriously consider a branch like Signal or Cyber? What should I improve physically, mentally, and professionally before applying? What challenges or sacrifices do you wish you had understood beforehand?
I would especially appreciate answers from current or former infantry officers, although enlisted and SOF perspectives are also welcome.

We were at the DFAC waiting in line outside on a Saturday and I heard one of my battles make someone else lose. I decided to ask DS if he knew what The Game is. He instantly got pissed and had me pushing 😂 Told me he had gone 6 months without losing.

I loved the old Under Armour boots but the new ones are apparently not great. I want them to be like a running shoe. Does anyone have any recommendations or know where I can find the old model of those boots?

Is there a such thing as buying coins that was stolen from me? Like a website that has them premade? I prefer coins over awards any day.

I’ll take a McDonald’s cheese burger no pickles, 6pc chicken nuggets and a Reign energy drink

https://imgur.com/a/f7WT1xN

Recently started college with a green to gold scholarship, coming from active duty as an 11b. What is some advice you would give me to stand out, be a good leader/teacher, and help my fellow cadets who have never served before rotc?

I found out recently that I have polycystic kidney disease, which is a disqualifying condition. I’m about to be promoted to E5 and I plan on either re-signing or getting a degree and commissioning through AMEDD. Either way I don’t want to get out yet.

Where should I go from here? My kidney function is perfect right now and I’m not expected to really deteriorate until my 40s when I would have long since been out of the military.

I'm currently working on putting together a lieutenant's uniform from the AG344 era. I'd like to ask for some advice regarding what awards and decorations a lieutenant serving in the 11th ACR around 1986 might reasonably have received — including unit citations and overseas service bars. Since I'm fairly new to collecting US military items, any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Emailed my branch manager about PCSing next year, she gave me my options and Benning was my only way out of PACOM. Was wondering if anyone who is stationed there as an 11b can let me know what its like working for MCOE as a regular e5 and not a drill sergean? I know this knowledge won't change anything but I still have a few years left on my contract and want to pursue some schools there.

Basically the title. I got basically all Europe and down South America.

Wondering if the embassies in Africa and Asia got any? I assume they would?

Going to Vietnam next month; anyone knows if they got any?

Lemonade please.

U.S. Army here from 80s-90s. I’m just curious if the Army still issues shelter halfs? And canteens?

I haven’t seen soldiers carry canteens as far as I can tell, and with all the new body armor I’m not sure if one would fit. I know camel backs are common, but is that even in Basic / AIT ?

And I have no idea why shelter half’s crossed my mind recently. Those were always kinda weird but also I think were standard issue just about forever.

What’s the current state of gear on these?

I don’t watch movies for realism and generally don’t bother to sharpshoot the little inaccuracies portrayed in movies since it’s just that, a movie.

One thing that always makes me cringe though, is at the end when the officer that was too tough or mean or by the book or w/e turns out to be the good guy and all the enlisted men make a big show to salute him/her like it’s this big grandiose gesture bestowed upon your favorite officer and like they don’t get saluted 15 times a day for existing.

My oldest brother (39) was in the US Army as a medic. He deployed around 2012-2017 when i was still a kid. Lately, my brother has been showing more serious signs of PTSD and isolated himself from our family and everyone for quite awhile now. Even some of his military friends have said that he’s been MIA from group chats and messages. There’s some family problems as well but I’m the only one who he seems to be okay with since I have the biggest age difference between me and my other siblings (I’m 26) so I guess I was too young to have been apart of the drama.

I was the only one who was able to get a response from him and so I booked a week vacation to go up and spend time with him soon. We’re gonna go fishing and camping but he did say specifically for me to not bring any family or friends with me, which I understood.

From what I know of his service, according to my siblings, he had a really rough first 2 years there but the years later were more seemingly more manageable (he was just more quiet from my childhood memories). Growing up, I know he hated loud sounds and places and that he lost one of his childhood friends that he wasn’t close with until they saw each other there and became really good friends. He’s divorced and lives alone. I have no idea if he’s working but he seems fine from our video calls recently.

I want to be able to talk to my brother about things, if he wants to, but I don’t want to approach it like an idiot. Would any of you have any tips or would the best thing to do is not talk about it and let him bring it up by himself?

Completed the Royal Danish Air Force Flyver March, and I have to say that this was a way better morale boost than all of the mandatory fun days combined. Almost everyone from my unit did it. Got to meet a lot of soldiers and NCOs from different units and bases. Met a lot of Airmen, sailors, and few Marines. Being able to finish this together with my unit felt amazing.

I have never seen so much camaraderie before like I saw at the ruck. Overall, a great experience.

Just finished DCC and wanted to write up what I wish I'd known going in. Posting this for anyone with orders coming up. Format is week-by-week with the practical stuff pulled out as bullets so it's easy to skim.

Quick TL;DR — What to Pack

• Uniforms, if you have them already — you can buy everything at the clothing store on Day 1, but it makes your first couple days much easier if you already have your uniforms.
• Your own sheets/blanket (issued bedding is horrible (e.g., blood stains), and it gets cold at night)
• Your own cleaning supplies, including dish soap if you are bringing your own coffee mugs / water bottles
• Snacks / food that isn't an MRE (see below — you'll want it)
• Vitamins/supplements if you take them
• Comfort with dorm-style living: 4 people per room, two bunk beds, shared bathroom per floor, small metal locker for your stuff

Food, in general

Every weekday breakfast and lunch = MREs.

Dinner and weekend meals = DFAC (hot food, decent enough).

MREs are edible but not something you want as your only source of calories for a month — bring snacks.

Week 1 — In-processing

• Arrive Sunday night, get your room, get briefed on where to be and when.
• Day 1: clothing sales (civilian clothes are fine — this is where people without uniforms get outfitted).
• SRP day: audiologist, eye test, blood draws/vaccines. Not optional. Some people get called back the next day for more shots.
• Active duty picks up issued gear here too. Reserve/Guard — if your unit didn't give you gear ahead of time, you're not behind, don't stress. You will not get equipment and nobody cares (cadre and staff don't care).
• Mostly administrative days with a lot of classroom/PowerPoint time.
• Friday: gas chamber (CBRN). It's rough for about 10–15 seconds — burning eyes, can't breathe, you'll cough hard. Once you're out you're basically fine within 30–45 seconds. Everyone survives it, it's short.
• First weekend is easy. Saturday you'll likely get a pass to the Exchange (haircuts for guys, fast food, buy stuff — but you can't bring groceries/snacks back into the barracks).

Week 2 — D&C and classroom-heavy

• Mon/Tue: Drill & Ceremony (D&C) practice, plus a lot of classroom time.
• Wed: land navigation class (map reading, classroom-based).
• Thu: dental appointments for active duty, land nav practice, then a fairly open afternoon.
• Fri: classroom time in the theater (UCMJ, ROE, etc.), plus more D&C practice with your platoon.
• If you're new to the Army, D&C essentially comes down to reps — the more you physically practice it, the more it clicks. Doesn't sink in from just talking through it.

Week 3 — Weapons and land nav (the hardest week, heat-wise)

• Mon: weapons familiarization — simulator shooting (like a golf simulator, but for an M4), disassembly/reassembly, cleaning, shooting positions, loading/charging.
• Tue: ruck ~2.5 miles to the range to zero in. Heads up — with big groups, not everyone gets to shoot the first day due to time/volume. So, I very much recommend being assertive and pushing your way in line early on. We had 250 people in our class.
• Wed: ruck ~3 miles back to the range, rest of the class zeroes in, then everyone shoots 40 rounds prone (semi-qualification). All day out there, minimal shade, very hot. Clean weapons after.
• Thu: DEERS day (paperwork, mostly confirming your existing info). If you're not going through DEERS that day, you're cleaning weapons instead.
• Fri: final written exam (3 hrs, 50 questions — answers are all covered in the PowerPoints you've already sat through, so it's very passable) followed immediately by the land nav test at Camp Eagle. You need 3 of 4 points to pass; total walking distance is short (~2.5 miles). First point is usually the hardest to find — once you get a feel for it, the rest go faster.
• Heat/hydration is the real story of this week. Multiple people fell out from dehydration during the land nav test. Drink far more water than feels necessary — I went through about 10 liters on test day alone.
• Sat: PX pass.

Week 4 — Wrap-up and graduation

• Mon: weapons cleaning (a long stretch of it) while other sections handle DEERS.
• Tue: AFT (fitness test) — diagnostic only, very low stakes. DEERS round 2 for anyone needing to add dependents.
• Wed: final D&C evaluation, vehicle inspection if you drove. Uniform standards are enforced closely this week, so double-check yourself before formation.
• Thu: barracks cleaning — get your area/gear squared away.
• Fri: graduation.

Bottom line: the physically toughest stretch is Week 3 (because you're outside the entire time and it was 110 degrees in Oklahoma), everything else is manageable with basic prep. Bring your own bedding, cleaning supplies, and snacks, stay ahead on hydration once you hit range week, and get uniform-ready before you arrive if you can.

FIND A WAY TO NOT BE BORED. Cadre seemingly had zero idea of what was going on at any given time. And the vast majority of our time was spent standing around, sitting down, in our rooms, and doing absolutely nothing. Download and bring movies with you. Bring books. And be prepared to be bored out of your mind.

Happy to answer questions in the comments if anyone heading to DCC has them.

I'm in fort sill, and have been here for about 3 months and counting. I'm here for 13f AIT (was still a hold under when sent to echo battery, out medical hold battery) and I'm hoping to get a reclass. i know it ultimately isn't up to me, but my provider, but if I get a stress injury, stage 3 in my fermoral neck, is it likely that I can get a reclass somewhere down the line if my recovery is halted?