<p>Wear that t-shirt that makes you stick out like a sore thumb and gets you that extra attention you know you want (e.g. “Go Army, beat AF”)</p>
<p>Have your hair long, flowing in the breeze and all over the place (although I understand the guy from 2011 that had the very wild hair didn’t complete his first year)</p>
<p>DO something, SAY something ridiculous.</p>
<p>Parents: send your sons letters in bright pink envelopes with perfume, egg on their Cadre with “my son can do more push ups than any of his cadre” be creative.</p>
<p>i have thought about doing some of these things before, but MANY people have advised against it. not only some cadets i met at orientation, but high ranking officers (a Lietenat General in the Marine Corps for example) have told me that the object of BCT is to get us used to being part of a team and the best way we can do that is to just lay low. </p>
<p>now, no doubt these things are HILARIOUS to think about, and i don't even think there is anything WRONG with actually doing some of them, but in all the "fun" i think the most important thing we as appointees can do is to embrace the principles that BCT is designed to instill.</p>
<p>Perhaps I can offer a good perspective on what funnyesq said as someone who did I-day, did BCT, and is still here after 2 years and loving it...</p>
<p>I followed the majority of the advice I got to lay low, blend in, and be silent on I-day (unfortunately I didn't stay silent all through basic). I wore a white t-shirt and khaki shorts, was as silent as the grave, and did everything right. The end result of all that was that I-day was unmemorable, tense, and somewhat dull. I listened to all the "you should have been there" stories from my buddies (some intentionally planned, most unintentional) and laughed with them, wishing I had my own stories to share.</p>
<p>Yeah, I-day is scary. But don't make it boring on top of it. I'm not saying you all should go dye your hair and buy "Train this!" t-shirts. However, I AM asking you to consider my example and my regret that I didn't have any kind of story or memory from I-day to share or look back on. If you hit the ground running TOO fast and TOO ready to become Mr./Mrs. military and toe the line, you'll leave all your classmates behind you and alienate yourself, much like I did. </p>
<p>You will have the rest of basic to fall in line and learn to be team. Trust me, it's long enough. Being a little bit (read: LITTLE) of a goof the first day and having a fun story to tell just might be worth it. If you do something TOO crazy, you might regret it all of BCT. But if you play it right, you'll have a great memory (and a few extra pushups for a day or two) to share down the road.</p>
<p>There are a ton of stories out there, but for one that I remember from a basic squadmate...this is one of the unintentional ones. He was wearing University of Illinois basketball shorts when he in-processed. Well, he ended up being spotted by the captain of the basketball team, who pretty much took him under ownership for the rest of the day and gave him heck about his shorts. There's also our dear redhead, who happened to in-process with a HUGE pink suitcase. ;) Then there's always the guys with ridiculously long hair, or the t-shirts that stick out such as the sports shirts or Superman logos.</p>
<p>Now you'll notice these things are small and unoffensive, but enough to be of some interest to the cadre and be at least a little of a story later...something that will make people laugh and ask questions about your experience. When it's my turn to talk about I-day, I don't have anything to share for it. That was essentially my point...keep in mind that you want to be able to look back and laugh...which is also a reason to shrug off the stupid things you'll do or say during basic. They're just that much more fun to reminisce about.</p>
<p>I would recommend that you not stand out..? Yeah, it'll make for great stories later but you will probably regret it when you have like, ten cadre in your face the entire day.</p>
<p>That's all I'm saying (Guy4Christ) is to have SOME fun with it. The day is gonna suck no matter what you do because it has to. BCT and College is there for memories too as well as keeping your sense of humor. To some extent it is a test of that SOH and just how tough you are and IT can be.</p>
<p>I admit I have not experienced it other than indirectly through a few cadets from the past. In each instance I asked them what THEY wanted me to do during their respective BCT experiences (plain white envelope or something more creative)...not one said just plain and simple. None complained about the beatings they received and in fact had some good stories to relate about what happened as a consequence. </p>
<p>If you can't take the extra attention a creative t-shirt/short might bring, perhaps you shouldn't be there (that's awfully harsh I know). It's one day. Make it one where you have something to say in response to "and what happened to you on IP day?"</p>
<ol>
<li> Train this...2012 rocks/rules.</li>
<li> Go Army, beat AF</li>
<li> edodo.org</li>
<li> Any white AF shirt dyed pink</li>
<li> BCT completion shirt from 2009 or 2010</li>
<li> Beam me up Scottie, there is no intelligent life here.</li>
<li> Dare to be unique</li>
</ol>
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