Officer Candidates in White Phase: SPC Swanson & SPC Reyes-Lane Share Their Experience

Meet SPC Swanson & SPC Reyes-Lane who will be sharing their experiences from BCT White Phase.

Specialist Kelsey Swanson: I am a 22 year old female from Fort Collins, Colorado. I completed my Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Wyoming. I chose to join the military because I had a strong emotional reaction to my political science classes in college and knew I wanted to serve my country in some manner. After a summer in Washington D.C. interning, I knew the culture of Capitol Hill was not for me. I wanted to be part of a great organization with high standards for its members, so I went to the Army recruiting station. I chose the Army because I wanted to lead soldiers, not machines.

Specialist Dominique Reyes-Lane: I am a 24 year old female from Nashville, Tennessee. I completed my Bachelors degree in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University and Georgia Southern University. On September 11, 2001, I watched the second airliner hit the World Trade Center from my JROTC classroom. I will never forget the emotion on the faces of the retired LTC and WO who were my instructors. I knew at that moment that the Army was where I was supposed to be. I gave the corporate world a chance and 5 weeks into my internship I walked into an Army recruiting station to start the OCS process. I chose the Army because I wanted the opportunity to develop, transform, and lead soldiers; no other branch has that opportunity like the Army.

White Phase Description:

White phase runs from week four through six.  Training focuses on basic combat skills with heavy emphasis placed on basic and advanced rifle marksmanship.  More emphasis is placed on self discipline and the Army values as trainees come closer to the end of their transformation from citizen to Soldier.  Trainees continue to go through all training as a team while rotating through leadership positions, a new challenge introduced in white phase.

Experience:

SPC Swanson:  I was so relieved when we phase changed from red to white; I knew that if I could make it through red phase then I could make it through the rest of basic training.  With the phase change, trainee leadership was introduced. I was the first platoon guide for our platoon, and it was a learning experience both for me and my platoon.  The PG is part of the chain of support, so I was held responsible for the actions of my entire platoon as well.  The BRM and ARM were the most heavily emphasized training during the phase, but I enjoyed the introduction of tactical training as well. 

SPC Reyes-Lane:  For my platoon and me we did not see any significant changes from red phase to white phase. My drill sergeants believe that if one person messes up then everyone should still be held accountable. This is an important lesson and I personally value that any “corrective training” that was handed out was still completed as a group. The Army is not an Army of one and it takes a team to complete an objective. During this phase I was placed in a position of leadership as the assistant platoon guide. This is an important learning experience as everyone leads differently and it is therefore important to find your leadership style. White phase Sundays did offer more free time that should be appreciated. Otherwise White Phase focuses heavily on BRM, ARM, and Concurrent Training.

Here are some of tips we have from our experiences so far!

Attention to Detail: Tips for Success in BCT!

1.   Be prepared in the right uniform, at the right time, at the right place with something to write with…DOING the right thing.

2.   The Drill Sergeants don’t really care if your hospital corners are perfect or your boots are perfectly aligned.  Instilling this attention to detail now, in basic training, is crucial.  Overlooking details and becoming complacent later in your career is what can be fatal.

3.   If you’re placed in a leadership role remember that you can just as easily be removed.  Those positions are there as training tools so don’t let your feelings be hurt if you’re fired or even not chosen as a squad leader.

4.   Push yourself physically.  The PT regiment is not enough, but your scores can improve with a little self initiative.  Try to hang on to a faster ability run group and do extra sit ups and pushups on your own to prepare for the physical requirements for OCS.

5.   Take care of yourself.  Ignoring the nagging symptoms of a cold or knee soreness can lead to the development of something worse.  Taking care of aches and coughs early will help prevent missing training.  It’s easier to fully push yourself physically and mentally when you’re healthy as well. 

6.  After eight weeks, fellow trainees will get on your nerves.  Be the bigger person and push on.

 YOU ARE ALWAYS A SOLDIER FIRST AND AN OFFICER SECOND!

Note:

SPC Reyes-Lane and SPC Swanson were given a print out of some feedback from the last posting about Red Phase. We’ve tried to address some questions within this phase’s report.  We also appreciate the well wishes and support! Hope to see you around in the future. Look for more information to be posted tomorrow about each event during White Phase! For those that have been selected and enlisted for MOS 09S, Officer candidate School (OCS) and did not see the Red Phase posting, you can see it again on the OCS Cyber Squad page at http://forums.futuresoldiers.com