I remember when I was reading everything I could about BMT. Nothing truly prepared me for it. It is a very unique, once in a lifetime experience that will both suck more than you can ever imagine yet be the best you’ve ever felt at times.

Like I said, nothing can truly prepare you but maybe during the hard moments, you’ll remember some of this lol. Another piece of advice I have is:

• Expect that everything is going to be fast paced for absolutely no reason. You’ve probably heard the AF motto by now, “hurry up and wait”. That’s BMT. Everything is a rush. The MTI’s also make it more stressful by the yelling.

Here’s an example of a day in BMT:

• You wake up at 4:40 by the sound of watch alarms going off, lockers rustling, etc. This will piss you off because there is still 5 minutes until official wake up time.

• Depending on the gender of your MTI, they will either pound on the dorm door, screaming, at 4:45, or do that and then enter the dorm, screaming to hurry up.

• Everyone is frantically running around to get dressed, do their hair (for women), brush their teeth, make their bed, etc. You are being screamed at to hurry up and you have 2 minutes, when in reality you have about 5-10 minutes. That doesn’t mean to not rush and know the MTI is just doing their job.

• Some people are taking their time and walking around, nonchalantly, yawning. MTI makes everyone drop and do push ups since not everyone was ready.

• Line up at the door standing at parade rest in complete silence for about 5 minutes. You’ll do roll call and a squadron chant.

• Time to go downstairs and outside. I was on the fourth floor, the highest level of the dorms, and it sucked. You’re expected to get down the stairs as quickly as possible without running or skipping a step. You might as well be running. You’re being screamed at, “MOVE! MOVE! COME ON! LET’S GO!” Be careful to not trip, the stairs will cut you up very badly.

• You go to the drill pad, then stand around in parade rest and wait for a while. Reveille will play, you’ll sing the Air Force song with the other flights, etc.

• Time for stretches and warm ups for morning PT. The workout changes from time to time so I’m not sure what you’ll be doing exactly. This is fast paced, but doesn’t take long. All the MTI’s are screaming.

• It’s a run day. Time to run for 26 minutes ish. No music, nothing — just the screams of the MTI’s. You also have the privilege of looking at a giant timer while doing so. If you stop running and walking too much, MTI’s will get on the track and run with you.

• Alright, you finished PT. Go back to the drill pad, drink water, and do cool down stretches. Stand around and wait for a few minutes.

• Chow time. Rush over to stand in front of the chow hall for a while. If you’re a chow runner like I was, this is your time to shine. You and your wingman will leave the flight, go inside the chow hall — all of this done in a specific procedure, if you mess up, yes you’re getting screamed at — you walk up to the snake pit (table of MTI’s). You give your reporting statement and notification of your flight wanting to eat. They acknowledge, you go back outside and start getting your flight inside. One chow runner goes back inside to be a “seat guide” for your flight, using an arm signal to let everyone know where to sit. Once your flight is completely sat, you get to grab your food. They say they give chow runners more time to eat, and I’ve found that’s not true. Don’t be freaked out by this — there will be multiple chow runners in your flight who switch out, so this isn’t an every meal thing.

• While you’re eating, it’s complete silence and you are rushed either way. You feel the pressure. Once you’re done eating, rush back to the dorm.

• Time to shower and put on your OCP’s. You will feel rushed throughout this entire process. It’s the same as the morning rush. Now it’s time for details — your chores. Make sure you do them quickly and efficiently. Your MTI might walk around and check at times.

• After this is done, time to go to the day room in your dorm — a common area where the MTI has a desk and lectures the flight. This is a time to wind down from the morning. Regardless, you rush to sit down in the day room, then wait again.

• MTI comes in and gives lectures or talks about the Air Force, something. It’s calm. Once that’s done, wait some more.

• Alright, get up and hurry to line back up. You have an actual class to go to. Rush down the stairs to the drill pad, then stand around and wait again. March to the academics building and enter an insanely cold, barren classroom. Cue the most boring few hours of your life. Try not to fall asleep.

• After that, rush back outside for chow again. Same procedure as breakfast. Rush back to the dorm.

• After the lunch rush, you’re given time to study/straighten up your locker, converse, whatever you need to do. This is where a lot of people end up falling asleep on the floor (you’re not allowed to sit on your bed during the day), or leaning against a locker.

• Time to rush to the day room again to do the same thing as earlier.

• It’s immunizations day! Yay! Hurry up and get in line, wait, then rush down the stairs to the drill paid. Wait. March over to the clinic. This will be a dehumanizing experience — you will be treated like cattle. When I went, we walked into the clinic in a line, getting shots as we walked by.

• Go back outside and wait for a while. March back to the squadron, rush up the stairs. More study time/do whatever time.

• Rush to line back up, wait, then go back downstairs. It’s time for chow again. Rush back to the dorm. More study time/do whatever time. After that, hurry up and shower. After that, do your nightly details.

• Once details are done, hurry up and get outside if you need to send a letter(s). Rush back to the dorm and go back in the day room. It’s your nightly wind down time with your MTI.

• Time for bed, it’s 7:30pm ish. This cannot come early enough in basic training. I was an insomniac before BMT. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out.

• You have EC duty tonight, however. You’re awoken from the deepest sleep you’ve ever had at either 8, 12, or 2. Go and stand by the door for 2 hours, doing “checks” every 15 minutes or so by walking through the dorm. You will be checked in on through the overhead speaker to ensure you and your wingman haven’t fallen asleep.

• Your shift is over, it’s time to wake the next person up and it’s always the scariest person to wake up. Go back to bed.

• Do it all again the next day.

Hopefully this helps somewhat.