Ask questions in the Newbie Thread at /r/airforcerecruits
During your stay at BMT there will be a variety of “jobs” or duties available to you to perform while you are there in addition to the things that the entire flight has to do. Some are more enjoyable than others, and it can be worth it to try to get one over another, though ultimately it will be up to your MTI what job you get. Your recruiter and most people will tell you to never volunteer for anything at BMT, which is true. But if you like the sound of one of the job below you could try to volunteer for it, though depending on your MTI they may see that you want a job, and give you a totally different job just to spite you, so be careful.
Another thing to remember is that none of the things you do at BMT will really matter once you leave, so trying super hard to be the Dorm Chief will not really help you later in your career. Just keep your head down and get through BMT as quickly and easily as possible.
I feel like I forgot some jobs, so if you know of any that I missed please let me know and I’ll add them.
Dorm Chief
Dorm Chief is a trainee that is selected by the MTI that is in charge of the flight while the MTI is gone and has a lot of responsibility while the MTI is around as well. Every morning he or she will take accountability of the flight and announce it to the personnel taking accountability for the squadron. When the MTI is gone he or she will be in charge of the flight and will report any behavior problems back to the MTI. During warrior week when your regular MTI the dorm chief will be in charge of the flight and will have a lot of extra duties during this time.
During the first few weeks of training the Dorm Chief may be fired and hired multiple times as the MTI tries to figure out who can handle the responsibility. Frequently the MTI will choose an older trainee or one with some college education, etc but ultimately it’s up to the MTI and you could easily have an 18 year old right out of high school as the Dorm Chief as well.
If you are selected as the Dorm Chief, try not to let it go to your head. As I said earlier, you could quickly and easily be “fired” and find yourself without your power and under the “rule” of someone else who may not appreciate how they were treated when you were abusing your power as the Dorm Chief.
Element Leader
There are four element leaders in a flight that have various responsibilities. They are responsible for the people in one row of bunks in the dormitory and report to the Dorm Chief and also march in front of the flight whenever you are marching in formation. Marching in the front means that you can’t just follow what the guy in front of you does, so it does require some extra concentration while marching and you are also always in front so you can’t blend in to the flight and get away with screwing up.
It’s a high profile job much like the Dorm Chief, so you’ll feel the wrath of the MTI a lot more than you would in some other jobs. This position also gets hired and fired a lot while the MTI figures out who can handle it.
Latrine King / Queen
The latrine king or queen is in charge of keeping the latrine in perfect cleanliness at all times and will have a crew of several other trainees that they must supervise. Ultimately the responsibility falls on the king or queen though, so if your crew is lazy, find a way to motivate them to keep everything clean so you don’t get screamed at by the MTI.
You’ll clean the latrine in the morning after everyone showers or brushes their teeth and shaves, depending on what time you are at basic and what time you do PT. You’ll also clean the latrine throughout the day and at night after showers or teeth brushing, etc. To save you some time, don’t let anyone use the urinals in the latrines. They are hard to clean and it’s easier to just have everyone use the commodes. Also make everyone clean up after themselves throughout the day if they use the sink. If they wash their hands after going to the bathroom, wipe down the sink with a paper towel so it doesn’t leave spots.
Latrine Crew
The latrine crew assists the latrine king/queen in cleaning the latrine. You’ll clean toilets, the floor, sinks, mirrors, the showers, the drains, etc. Extreme attention to detail is required. The MTI will scream at you for a single water spot on a mirror or a fleck of paper in a drain.
Day Room Crew
The day room is the place where you will be briefed by the MTI every morning and is basically a general purpose room in each dormitory. The day room crew is responsible for keeping this room spotless. Sweeping up dust bunnies, wiping dust off of every flat surface, organizing anything in the room, etc. You’ll clean it once or twice a day.
Bed Aligner
The dormitory is full of both single and bunk beds, and the job of the bed aligners is to make sure that all of the beds are perfectly aligned in a row. You’ll eyeball down the row and tell others to pull the beds in or out a fraction of an inch. You’ll also have to make sure they are spaced apart perfectly by using the tiles on the floor.
End of Bed Display
This is one of the easiest jobs. It involves aligning the towel and laundry bag at the end of each bed perfectly. You have to make sure the towel doesn’t hang crooked or with one layer sticking out more than the next, align the laundry bag perfectly and make the strings look nice, etc. It’s easy to “look busy” doing this job and avoid getting yelled at each morning while you setup the dormitory.
Shoe Aligner
This can be a frustrating job because it involves using a board to align the boots and shoes under each bed perfectly, tucking in shoe laces, etc. The problem is that you’re doing it at the same time that everyone else is working on the beds, so frequently the shoes you just aligned will get kicked or the bed will be moved and you’ll have to do it over again. Coordinate with the rest of your flight so that you don’t do the shoes until the beds are set in place.
Utility Closet
There is a utility closet in each dormitory that must be kept clean. You’ll be responsible for cleaning the brushes and brooms, giving out toilet paper and supplies to the latrine crew, keeping the room clean and organized, etc. You’ll also give out hangers when you get your uniforms so you can hang them up, and keep the excess hangers organized.
Hallway
One group of trainees will clean the hallway between the bays of the dormitory. You’ll sweep the hallway, clean the drinking fountain (which you should never use) and wipe down anything there that can collect dust.
Chrome Polisher
In the doorway leading into each bay in the dormitory there is a piece of chrome that has to be polished at all times. This person is responsible for keeping that chrome shiny. Never step on the chrome. Step over it.
House Mouse
Basically you clean the MTI’s office inside the dormitory. It’s a scary place, and you’ll be responsible for sweeping, dusting, etc.
Laundry Crew
Laundry crew is responsible for washing the entire flight’s laundry every day. There is a laundromat in each squadron building for this purpose. The good thing about laundry crew is that it gets you out of the dorm every day and away from the MTI. You can go down to the laundromat and basically be alone most of the time. The snack machines are right next to the laundry room, so some daring trainees will sneak over there and buy a candy bar, though if you get caught expect your entire flight to pay for it.
The bad thing about laundry crew is that you spend a a good chunk of every day in the laundry room. This means you have less time than everyone else to make sure your locker is in perfect order, fold your clothes, etc. A good flight will help the laundry crew get these things done so that they don’t get in trouble just because they got stuck with laundry duty.
Chow Runner
This person runs inside the dining facility when the flight is ready to enter and approaches the “snake pit” (table where all of the MTIs sit to eat) and has to announce that the flight is there and ready to eat. They’ll then wait inside standing against the wall until it’s time for their flight to eat, then they’ll go outside and call in the flight to eat one element at a time.
This can be a pretty unpleasant job, because you are approaching the snake pit three times a day and there is a script you have to say to them to announce that your flight has arrived and if you mess it up, expect to be unhappy. Plus you are in front of a table full of MTIs three times a day, so if your uniform isn’t perfect or you forgot to shave, expect your MTI to hear about it. And MTIs do not like to hear about something their trainee has done from another MTI.
Guidon Bearer
The guidon bearer marches in front of the flight and carries the flight’s guidon (a small flag). This job requires precision marching as well as some upper body strength to hold the flag outstretched, so this job will usually be given to the best marcher in the flight.
PT Monitor
This person is responsible for making sure the flight passes the PT test at the end of BMT. If someone is falling behind they can spend some extra time with them trying to help them pass, etc.
Academic Monitor
Responsible for helping the flight pass the written test at the end of BMT. Will ask questions of the flight while in formation, things like rank and chain of command. Also takes roll call at the beginning of any classes.
Water Monitor
You make sure everyone stays hydrated while you’re out marching in the hot sun. Expect to get made fun of in this position.
Kitchen Patrol
This is not something you’ll do every day, but you may have to do it one or two times during your time at BMT. KP duty is basically working in the dining facility of one of the squadron buildings for all three meals. It’s about a 16 or 17 hour day and is completely exhausting. As soon as you finish doing the dishes for one meal and clean up, you’re already preparing for the next meal. The good thing about KP duty though is that you’ll get to eat whatever you want. Including desserts, sodas, cold sugary cereal, etc which is all normally off limits. After a few weeks of no soda or candy bars, it can be nice to have a treat, but I don’t personally think the 17 hours of hard work is worth it.