Air force

8 1/2 Weeks of Nightmares: Airforce Basic Training

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• published: 29 Nov 2015
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United States Air Force Basic Military Training (also known as BMT or boot camp) is an eight-and-a-half-week rigorous program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become an Airman in the United States Air Force, United States Air Force Reserve, or Air National Guard. It is carried out at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Lackland Air Force Base conducts the Air Force's only enlisted recruit training program, ensuring orderly transition from civilian to military life. Recruits are trained in the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in an Expeditionary Air Force. This includes basic war skills, military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values and a comprehensive range of subjects relating to Air Force life. More than 7 million young men and women have entered Air Force basic military training since 4 Feb 1946, when the training mission was moved to Lackland from Harlingen Air Force Base in Harlingen, Texas. Throughout its history, Lackland's BMT program has changed in many ways to meet the operational needs of the Air Force. Yet, recent updates in the curriculum are some of the most significant in its more than 60-year history, with every aspect of the program overhauled. On 7 Nov 2005, BMT changed its curriculum to focus on a new kind of Airman—one who is a 'warrior first.' The goal is to instill a warrior mindset in trainees from day one and better prepare Airmen for the realities of the Expeditionary Air Force. The changes resulted from the need to meet current and future operational Air Force requirements. In September 2004, the 20th Basic Military Training Review Committee met at Lackland and recommended significant changes in the focus, curriculum and schedule. In 2011 it was revealed that a number of military training instructors engaged in inappropriate and illegal sexual relationships and advances against dozens of female trainees. The scandal led seventy-seven Congressional representatives to call for a hearing to investigate the incident. Military Training Instructors or MTIs are the instructors that are responsible for most of the training that takes place in BMT. They accompany trainees throughout the training process, instructing and correcting them in everything from correct procedures for firing a weapon to the correct way to speak to a superior. They are known for their campaign covers typically called "Smokey the Bear" or "Smokey" hats. Unlike the Marine Corps Drill Instructors and Army Drill Sergeants, Training Instructor hats are a dark blue, instead of the well known brown.