Mrap, I don’t know how you could handle going through basic and AIT after a 17yr break!

Was it completely annoying and frustrating or mildly fun and amusing?

Strambo

It was completely annoying. The Whole PC is ruining the military.

When I went through OSUT at Fort Knox, KY in 1992 it was still considered old school discipline and training.

Fast forward to 2010 with the new the kindlier gentler Army. I knew I was in trouble when I told the Drill SGT that I didn't see the KP sheet for the chow hall on the bulletin board.

He pulled me aside and said: "Its the new friendlier army". No KP, no more shining boots, and no more making the walls sweat for punishment. Plus its now called the dinning facility. It's all PC now and it is freaking horrible: No fun cadences, no foul language, no singling out a person if they are a screw up.

The only good thing was that I was in the last all male basic training class to graduate from Fort Knox, KY before it closed and the armor school moved to Fort Benning. I had to do AIT with females and it sucked.



There are two things that I am glad that evolved in basic and AIT.

1.) More focus on rifle training, actual shooting along with learning to shoot and move.

2.) When soldiers are injured or sick they try to heal the soldier so he can get back to training. In the old days you were seen as a Broke D*ck, or a goldbrick and treated like crap.

Gatorade is sugar water. It's about the worst possible choice. Pure water with salt tablets is better, and even better than that are electolyte tablets like NUUN nutrition or similar brands. They are easy to carry and you can drop one into a water bottle or canteen when you refill. They are not gaggingly sweet either.

I hear "Gatorade COokie Dough Sport" works well.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
I hear "Gatorade COokie Dough Sport" works well.

Tell your son to drink water.

If that isn't enough, then have him change his socks.

And if he still needs something more, he can see the Corpsman for a couple Motrin.


Somewhere along that Water-Socks-Motrin process, it'll fix whatever ails him. Or so I hear.

If he can, drip drop. It's available on Amazon or at Walgreens. Nuun is another option. I use both regularly when I spend the day outside.

Vitalyte.
Comes in a powder, mix with water. Less sugar than gatorade.
Vitamin Water is another good one. Comes in liquid form in bottles like gatorade, but less sugar than gatorade.

I have been struggling with dehydration all summer. This stuff works

Just let him get through OCS on his on own and with his platoon without sending hydration items. He'll receive plenty of advice and feedback on hydration from the Gunny's and the Corpsman.

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
The Armed Forces is really cracking down on service members taking any type of supplements during training cycles.

I remember the first big crackdown was in the late 90s and early 2000's when a lot of service members were falling out from taking supplements that had ephedrine in it.


After a 17 year break in service I re-enlisted and had to go back to Fort Knox, KY for basic then AIT at Fort Bragg, NC.

The Drill SGTs at Fort Knox, and the instructors at Fort Bragg pushed drinking water and eating fruit.

When I was in Southern AFG the temperature ranged from about 100-117 degrees during the seven months I was there. I drank a crap ton of water and ate tons of fruit cocktail, plums etc.. to get my nutrients and to stay hydrated.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Helmand Province was ask some of the USMC Infantry guys what they did to stay hydrated, and get acclimated on patrols. One tough SSG, who was on his fourth deployment (AFG/Iraq) told me to drink a ton of water, and eat all the fruit I could. Plus stay off the energy drinks and coffee. (The coffee was a killer for me to give)

That little tent chow hall out on the Air Wing side was loaded to the gills with fruit.

WOW 17 year break !!! More power to you !!! Sorry to cut in on the OP thread, just curious: MRAP what rank were you when you went back to basic ? How did the DS cadre treat you in basic being prior service ? What is your rank now ?? God Bless

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
Gatorade is sugar water. It's about the worst possible choice. Pure water with salt tablets is better, and even better than that are electolyte tablets like NUUN nutrition or similar brands. They are easy to carry and you can drop one into a water bottle or canteen when you refill. They are not gaggingly sweet either.

Actually, sugar is helpful. Medical "oral rehydration salts" (electrolyte drink mix) have quite a bit of sugar in them, and it isn't because of the taste, a lot of them taste like shit (although Drip Drop, mentioned already, isn't terrible).

You certainly need to replace electrolytes, but it turns out that having sugar in your electrolyte drink actually lets your body absorb the fluid more quickly. If you are seriously dehydrated, you ABSOLUTELY want some sugar in what you're drinking.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik..._rehydration_therapy

The problem with Gatorade isn’t that it has sugar, its that it has way too much.

If what your drinking has too much sugar and electrolytes it can’t pass through the intestine wall until it is diluted so water is pulled out of your body to dilute it, then it passes through.

Half water/Gatorade is what I would do if it was all I had.

Im in the dont send him anything camp, he’ll be fine.

exec advice fellas, thanks

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
Don't laugh at me but when I was racing offroad motorcycles for 7 hour races I used to get dehydrated all the time even though I was drinking lots of Gatorade. I then switched to Pedialyte, the stuff for babies with diarrhea. It solved my hydration problems including the bad cramping that would come halfway through a race. Not a fancy name but damn it worked for me.

And please thank your son for his service, and yourself!

Agree Pedialyte is better them the other stuff out there.

With that said most people like 99% it's overkill. Any of the major brands will work fine alone with lots of plain H20.

Be away standard Gatorade and Poweraid have a crap ton of sugar in them.