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Army Spouse

On Your Way to Basic Training

By Jazz MariePublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Dear Reader,

I am going to assume you found my article because you were searching every depth of the internet for more information on what to expect when your significant other heads to basic. Don’t worry, I did it too. It’s okay to be nervous and have 1,000 questions. This new lifestyle is a DRAMATIC change. Not only is it dramatic, but it’s extremely hard.

The hardest part for me is trying to stay positive for my spouse. We have been married for almost three years. We have never spent more than a week away from each other. Although it is hard to remain positive, I cannot stress how important it is to be 100% supportive and positive. Let your SIT (soldier in training) know how proud you are. He/she (from now on I’m going to refer to he, since that is what my husband is) NEEDS to hear it.

Regardless of the amount of new friends they make, they will feel alone. Your voice will temporarily cure their loneliness. Please don’t be the spouse that nags and complains constantly. Your SIT is suppose to look forward to calls home, not dread them.

It’s okay if you had a tough day. Telling your SIT about a hard day at work, or even just about your day fighting loneliness, won’t break them. They do need to know you are okay and pretending to be strong everyday is not okay. They know it’s not easy, you don’t have to fake it. In fact, it may even help your SIT focus on something rather than the stresses of basic training, which brings me to a very important decision for you and your spouse. It’s better to make this decision before they leave, but it’s okay to decide after. You must find out if your spouse wants to know about anything bad happening. Such as a death in the family or even a pet dying. Basic training is hard and it should be up to them on whether they want to find out about those things during basic or after.

Ask him about training. Learn the lingo. Learn something about his basic training base. He will appreciate (maybe even be surprised) that you are showing interest in his new lifestyle. I quickly found a Facebook page for my husband’s basic training base (Fort Benning). The page has been my greatest blessing.

Find your SIT’s basic training Facebook page and DON’T be afraid to ask questions or even introduce yourself. Like I said before, it has been my greatest blessing. I did not know about the page until I stumbled upon it myself (searching every depth of the internet for more information about basic training lol). Not only is it convenient, but they may also direct you to your SIT’s company Facebook page and you may find a picture of them 😊.

The number one most important thing you can do is be there for your SIT. Write letters, don’t be afraid to start before he leaves. You will not be able to send him letters during reception. It’ll be about a week or two before he actually reaches basic training and receives an address. In my case, my husband had to wait even longer due to a medical issue.

This brings me to my conclusion, don’t rely on plans. Welcome to the army, they are in control now. Don’t dwell on changing of plans, it’s going to happen way more than it’s worth dwelling on. Just keep waiting patiently and with lots of love.

I hope this helps ease some minds. Believe me, I know it’s stressful.

P.S. look into a call recorder from your App Store, you won’t regret it 😊.

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About the Creator

Jazz Marie

Army wife

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