Ask questions in the Newbie Thread at /r/airforcerecruits
Why this site exists
AFBMT.com (which stands for Air Force Basic Military Training) is run by an active duty prior-enlisted Air Force Officer and is meant to be a source of information for men and women considering joining the United States Air Force. I am not a recruiter and have no reason to sugar-coat or “sell” someone on the military other than the fact that I think it is a good, honorable profession and even more important during these economic times, a steady, guaranteed paycheck.
When I was thinking about joining the military I did what I always do when making a decision that requires research and pulled up Google.com and started searching for information on all of the different branches of the military. I of course found a lot of information, but I frequently felt that the “official” sources of information had an agenda and I did not fully trust their claims. Other, non-official information was scattered around on dozens of websites and piecing it all together was a challenge for someone with no previous military exposure or experience like myself.
Since joining the military, I have repeatedly talked to a lot of people online and in person about my experiences and about what the military or basic training is “really like.” After hearing the same questions and concerns over and over again and realizing how difficult it still was for people to find good information on the military, I decided that perhaps there was still a need for a centralized repository of information on the process of joining the military. This site is an attempt to fill that need. I hope that it will become an excellent source of information for civilians considering military life, or even new recruits or BMT graduates attempting to get their bearings in their new military environment.
Open to corrections or input
I will be the first to say that I do not know everything there is to know about the military and I still have a very long way to go myself, but I hope that by sharing the experience and knowledge I do have with others they can gain some insight, reassurance or perspective on a potentially life changing decision. I welcome corrections to any information on this site, as I definitely don’t know everything but am always eager to learn more. Basic training is also in a constant state of flux, so it may have changed considerably since I went through it in 2007. I welcome input from more recent graduates that are willing to contribute, so that the next round of trainees can be even better prepared than we were.
Please note that though I am currently serving in the US Air Force, this web site is not in any way affiliated with the USAF and reflects only my own personal opinions, experiences and knowledge.
I am a moderator on reddit.com/r/airforce, a community of Air Force members. We have a weekly newbie thread where people considering joining the Air Force can come to ask questions and have them answered by the community. Please feel free to ask questions there if something isn’t covered by this site. This will also allow you to get perspectives other than my own on your concerns.