From the article: Cell Phone Use in Army Basic Training
Recruits in many (not all) Army Basic Training platoons are now allowed to use personal cell phones to call friends and families, send text messages, and to update their Facebook and Myspace status. Why or Why Not?
yes! :'(
- I mis my love I don't know were he is ... I have depression and can't stop crying so to all that say no go to H.ll No es facil ... tu no saves Si esta bien o viseversa...
- —Guest Hinocat
yes?
- I think they should be able to use the phone at least ones a week , specially if the letters are getting to them late. I am desperate to talk to know about my boyfriend I love him && am going crazy just reading all this stories... help me feel better.
- —Guest army girlfriend
definitely
- My son just enlisted and as the back home people his family have wondered constantly how he is. Any one who has one can quickly call home leaving the pay phone to those who don't. Much more efficient use of time. His conversation last Sunday was rushed because apparently he didn't have his phone and others were wanting to call their families. If a recruit has a phone let them use them. They aren't in prison after all.
- —kmsbanr
Only once per week
- I use my phone only once per week, only on a sunday afternoon
- —Guest National Guard 1
Definitely!
- I agree that all recruits need to focus! I think that they should be working hard & not be distracted but on their free time they should be allowed to use their cellphones. Even if it's just once a week. I want to know how everything is going for my boyfriend & I want him to see that he has family supporting him back home. It's hard for us & especially for him! There's nothing wrong with missing home & getting in contact with loved ones.
- —Guest AF Girlfriend
Seriously?
- no i agree cell phones should be given honestly i say give them every night you come back in from training either make a phone call on ur cell or write a letter that is the only time it should be allowed because if you are overseas and have a phone such as verizon NATIONAL then you can call home whenever its a sense of security but when a job is to be done there is no phone usage thats why i say DS keep phones until after dinner chow then collect them in the morning at 0530 or whatever....just makes things easier going and more bearable for everyone
- —Guest EXRanger
YES
- as a former Ranger and someone who just had there wife ship out and we have kids now i say yes cell phones should be allowed, stipulation only used in the barracks during your free time known as down time, instead of writting a letter call home let everyone know you're ok and it makes things easier to on both ends those going thru training to know those at home are ok and keeps them motivated while away....and those at home takes weight and depression off the shoulders knowing your loved one is doing alright and u can sleep that night because you got to hear there voice.....it aint easy being married 5yrs together 7 spending 24/7 together with kids and then going to pen and paper and waiting on the letters CELL PHONE YES LEFT IN WALL LOCKERS until barracks return and DS is done with the debriefing for the day/next day activity
- —Guest EXRanger
YES
- as a former Ranger and someone who just had there wife ship out and we have kids now i say yes cell phones should be allowed, stipulation only used in the barracks during your free time known as down time, instead of writting a letter call home let everyone know you're ok and it makes things easier to on both ends those going thru training to know those at home are ok and keeps them motivated while away....and those at home takes weight and depression off the shoulders knowing your loved one is doing alright and u can sleep that night because you got to hear there voice.....it aint easy being married 5yrs together 7 spending 24/7 together with kids and then going to pen and paper and waiting on the letters CELL PHONE YES LEFT IN WALL LOCKERS until barracks return
- —Guest EXRanger
PLEASE
- My boyfriend is in basic now and it's definitely hard to cope with. I get letters every week, but last time I heard from him he hadn't gotten any of mine. The letters we send get to him way after we send them. My boyfriend thinks I haven't wrote to him at all. If he was able to call me I could tell him I write to him every day and that I love and miss him. A phone call gets the job done. And does it much faster than a letter does.
- —Guest Army Girlfriend
They Should Be Allowed
- I've heard Basic training is hard on them, and yes its important to be able to maintain the strictness of it all. But my boyfriend has gone away to basic, he lives in gthe states and im in canada. The only way we used to get to talk before was skyping all the time and texting. But now while he is gone I cant talk to him AT ALL. It would be nice to have them allowed to have access to their phones at night before bed or something, to say hi to family, friends and to let them know how theyre doing. And it would be much eaiser on the families.
- —Guest E
There is no right answer
- Anyone who sais no, is playing a game not to win but keep the other team from winning and has no clue what our soldier's loved ones go through to help ensure that any given soldier will have the best chance of success in anything they persue. Anyone that says yes, to a degree, is speaking as a civillian should. Civillians are holding down the fort back home and where man kind is accustomed to maintaining a continuous growing relationship or completelly severing all ties, it's a new experience for almost all parties to maintain an environment and atmosphere that can survive without making it difficult for their soldier to come back to. On the other hand, taking away all communication aspecially at times when family and friends come together to celebrate what they helped build together, is de-humanizing to try and sever bonds that by definition, make us human. If anyone has a solid explanation that proves I am wrong that is not an opinion, then enlighten me.
- —Guest Someone experiencing this problem.
Yes
- In basic training we were aloud to use are cell phones every weekend
- —Guest Everett.g.h
No, and not because it's "hardcore."
- To all the people saying yes because, "I need to be able to talk to my loved one, this is difficult not being able to talk to them." Or, "this is a new time/era." What in the WORLD did you think Basic Training was SUPPOSED to be? It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be hard, it's SUPPOSED to push you to your limit, break you and, in the end, build you up again. And don't feed me that shit that, "it's not like they'd get to use them often." How often do YOU use your cell phone? If you were in school any time since cells became common place, how OFTEN did you send a text in class? How DISTRACTING was its use? The defining argument here seems to be "it's not like they'd be distracting" and conversely "it's a new time and a new era and we use cells a lot in our everyday life." With that mind set, since we're so socially dependent on them, what in the world makes people think they WON'T be distracting? Deal with it. It's mean to be as much a test of mental fiber as physical.
- —Guest Future USAF
Only sometimes!
- I think they should be allowed a few mins once a week just to check in with loved ones! my boyfriend just left to train two days ago and i miss him like crazy! i just wanna tell him i love him and miss him alot.. im not asking for an hour long convo.. yes i understand you need to be tough for training but c'mon its like writing letters! its communication!
- —Guest army girlfriend
chris
- Absolutely. I also think that it each soldier should know before he or she leaves whether or not they can have their phone. Its rediculous that it is a wait and see game. You hear stories before you leave that if you bring it, you might never see it again. I believe that the soldier and the family back home need a connection at least once a week. As a single mom, this is the longest I have gone (4 weeks) w/o speaking to my son who is doing osut (14 weeks). It is very hard, I am sure he misses home. Phone cards are a joke---have you ever looked at the back of one of them---they deduct up to 35 mins. for using the card at a pay phone. Way to support our soldiers AT&T. If you're lucky enough to be able to go to a commissary, you can buy an AT&T card there that "ONLY" deducts 14 mins per call. Fortunately, I was able to go to a base with my other active duty son and buy the cards there to send to my son at Ft. Benning.
- —twinarmysons
1-15 of 193Next
