• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

VetFriends logo

Preserving Military Legacies Since 2000

  • Search Veterans
    • Search Veterans & Military
    • Search Military Units
    • Search U.S. Public Records
    • Search U.S. Military
  • Info
    • Military Records
    • Veteran ID
    • Military Rank & Insignia Chart
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Military Structure Chart
    • U.S.Military Base Map
    • U.S. Deployments Overseas
    • VA Ratings
    • Veteran Business Directory
  • Community
    • Message Board
    • Military Photos
    • Military Reunion Stories
    • Military Cadences
    • Military Jokes
    • Military Lingo
    • Great Military Web Pages
    • Recommended Military Books
    • Today In Military History
  • Events
    • Veteran Organizations
    • Reunions Calendar
    • Veteran’s Day Parades
    • Veteran’s Day Forum
    • Military Casualty Memorial
    • Memorial Day Parades
    • Memorial Day Forum
  • Shop
    • Hats
    • Shirts
    • License Plates
    • Pins
    • Patches
    • Coins
    • New Arrivals
  • About
    • Become A Member
    • Advertise With Us
    • FAQ/Policies
    • Interview A Veteran
    • Contact Us
  • My Profile
    • Create My Profile
    • Login
  • Search Veterans
    • Search Veterans & Military
    • Search Military Units
    • Search U.S. Public Records
    • Search U.S. Military
  • Info
    • Military Records
    • Veteran ID
    • Military Rank & Insignia Chart
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Military Structure Chart
    • U.S.Military Base Map
    • U.S. Deployments Overseas
    • VA Ratings
    • Veteran Business Directory
  • Community
    • Message Board
    • Military Photos
    • Military Reunion Stories
    • Military Cadences
    • Military Jokes
    • Military Lingo
    • Great Military Web Pages
    • Recommended Military Books
    • Today In Military History
  • Events
    • Veteran Organizations
    • Reunions Calendar
    • Veteran’s Day Parades
    • Veteran’s Day Forum
    • Military Casualty Memorial
    • Memorial Day Parades
    • Memorial Day Forum
  • Shop
    • Hats
    • Shirts
    • License Plates
    • Pins
    • Patches
    • Coins
    • New Arrivals
  • About
    • Become A Member
    • Advertise With Us
    • FAQ/Policies
    • Interview A Veteran
    • Contact Us
  • My Profile
    • Create My Profile
    • Login
Home » Military » 10 Basic Training Photos to Remember Your Recruit Days

10 Basic Training Photos to Remember Your Recruit Days

You never forget your time at boot camp. There, you make the transition from civilian to US Military personnel. Whether you were a member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, these experiences proved your courage and bonded you with fellow recruits for life.

Arrival

Coast Guard Recruits Stepping off the bus to their first day at boot camp.

Who could forget the moment they stepped off of that bus? From that moment forward, you left your civilian life behind to soon become a Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Coastguardsman.

At this point in your training, you probably had a hard time telling a Sergeant from a Staff Sergeant.

Test your knowledge and see if you still know rank & insignia marks after all these years here.

First Phone Call

Marines making a scripted phone call home at basic training.

Getting to talk to your loved ones after so much time had passed was such a relief. Whether you were calling your Mom, a buddy back home, or your significant other, you never wanted that phone call to end!

BC Glasses

Military Issued BCGs from the Vietnam Era

If you wore glasses back then, you’ll never forget having to wear your ‘birth control’ glasses. Named this way due to their large and somewhat comical appearance, getting contacts might have been a top priority for you.

Upload photos of you in your BCG’s to reminicse with fellow Vets here.

Your Drill Sergeants

A drill sargeant eyes down a recruit at basic training.

Everyone remembers their Drill Sergeants, and how they helped shape everyone into respectable Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Coasties, and Airmen. All the yelling, drills, and cleanup they had you do will not soon be forgotten.

If you would like to get in contact with your DS, click here.

Your Battle Buddy

A soldier carries his battle buddy across the field at boot camp.

Not all Vets have had battle buddies, but those who have know that they are a friend for life. You and your assigned friend kept each other accountable and alive throughout basic training, and your shared experiences will never be forgotten.

Your Nickname

Military personnel run the confidence course at boot camp.

Boot camp nicknames have been known to be pretty brutal. Anything from Milk Dud to Tweedledee & Tweedledum is not off limits.

If you had a nickname, either during basic traning or later on in your Military career, you can add it to your VetFriends profile so others can find you here.

Getting ‘Smoked’

Basic training recruits do push ups outside, overlooked by drill sergeants.

You know how it happened – ususally one person messed up and you all had to take the fall. Getting smoked was a regular occurence during basic training, and the simplest mistakes (i.e. an unlocked locker) could result in countless push-ups.

Click here to upload and browse the cadences you had to sing while getting smoked.

The Gas Chamber

Recruits are led out of the gas chamber at basic training for the US Military.
Photo Courtesy of VetFriends.com

Going to the gas chamber is a rite of passage for all recruits, regardless of their branch. If you went in expecting to defy the odds by not crying, you were quickly proven wrong!

If you have your ‘exiting the gas chamber’ photos, upload them here to remember the experience with 2 million+ other Veterans.

Graduation

US Marines at their boot camp graduation.
Photo Courtesy of VetFriends.com

The day had finally arrived where you got to put on your dress blues and call yourself a true Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Coastguardsman! On top of that, many recruits got to see their loved ones for the first time in months.

Your Yearbook

US boot camp yearbook page.
Photo Courtesy of VetFriends.com

You may still look back at your Boot Camp yearbook and remember names and faces you haven’t seen for years. These young men and women were your friends and teammates, and always had your back.

If you would like to reconnect with old buddies from Basic Training, click here.

About Dale Sutcliffe

Owner and Proud Marine Veteran.

Join the community on Facebook -

Veteran Advice & Support : https://www.facebook.com/groups/1951949818269348

Vietnam Veterans: https://www.facebook.com/groups/702420170314730

Previous Post: « Memorial Day 2020: FAQs, Parades, and Flag Etiquette
Next Post: Veterans: How to Search for & Land a Civilian Job »

Primary Sidebar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GJKUpboHI

Recent Posts

  • How to Find and Support Veteran-Owned Small Farms Near You
  • Returning Military Decorations to Our Heroes
  • How to Recover Lost Military Decorations
  • USAF Veteran Reunites With Buddies Decades After Cam Rahn Bay
  • What is VetFriends?

Footer

Sitemap

  • Search Veterans
  • Veteran Resources
  • Military Units
  • Military Store
  • Veteran Discount Center
  • VA Rating

About Us

  • The Company
  • Membership
  • Veteran ID Card

Customer Support

  • FAQ/Policies
  • Contact Us
  • My Profile

Stay Connected

Copyright © 2023 VetFriends · All Rights Reserved