Basic military trainees exit the Mask Confidence Training facility on March 15, 2023. "Gas chamber" training falls under the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Course and trainees go through the training during BMT. Trainees accomplish this course to gain confidence in their protective mask, which may be needed in a real-life situation. (Air Force photo by Jerome S. Tayborn) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffDespite social media posts to the contrary, Air Force military training instructors (MTIs) are still allowed to yell at recruits while in the chow hall.
“MTIs still put pressure on trainees/guardians in a tone and tenor that indicates the seriousness of what they are trying to communicate,” Vanessa, Adame, chief of media relations with the 37th Training Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, told Air and Space Forces (A&SF) magazine.
The A&SF article noted that corrections such as yelling have been kept to a minimum during the past two years, so that incoming airmen and guardians have a full 10 minutes to eat and drink the nutrients they need in order to meet the rigors of basic training.
When loud counseling occurs, the article noted, recruits known as “chow runners” – who lead their flights into the chow hall – bear the brunt of it. They are the first ones to encounter the so-called “snake pit,” consisting of MTIs who are quick to tell them what they’re doing wrong.
The article went on to point out other changes that are intended to prepare incoming airmen and guardians for the stresses of their jobs and potential conflicts to come. They now carry inert M4 carbines, and also spend the first five days before basic training officially begins in a phase known as Zero Week, during which they learn basic drill, physical training, and keeping their spaces neat and clean.
They also endure a 36-hour exercise known as PACER FORGE, during which trainees work in small units through a series of arduous scenarios that mirror what they could encounter during real operations.
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