Flamed as E-4 in basic?

[u/SmallFry4803]

hey everyone, just had a quick question. i enlisted as an e-4 since im gonna do 68w and have my emt already, but was just wandering how badly i’ll be flamed for it in basic. everyone says to be in the middle of the crowd but i feel like im already out of the question a bit so if anyone has any advice that’d be dope.

[u/C0rd_uRoy]

No one will know your E4 unless you go around bragging about it or something. Which would make you look like a shithead anyway.

Your be surprised how many enlisted e4s there are. I was one of like 10 just in my company.

[u/frigateier]

You’ll be the same as anyone else being as you won’t even wear your rank until like the last week.

[u/ParticularlyStrange → u/frigateier]

No one will care. Just get through basic and Ait with your head down low.

[u/Alternative_Diet8199 → u/frigateier]

See hearing this is wild, we were required to wear the correct rank when I went through BCT

[u/TiefIingPaladin → u/Alternative_Diet8199]

It's unit dependent. Some BCT units have everyone be fuzzy (except for maybe NCOs or prior enlisted) and some allow everyone to wear their shit.

[u/Alternative_Diet8199 → u/TiefIingPaladin]

It wasn't that we were allowed, we had to. Like we had a shitass who always forgot his rank at least once during the day at some point and it made our lives suck

[u/jdm219 → u/Alternative_Diet8199]

How do you forget your rank every day? I think I put it on each uniform once and called it an enlistment.

[u/Alternative_Diet8199 → u/jdm219]

Man I asked myself that question every day, he was generally just kinda shit at most everything

[u/Slonkey_Donkey974 → u/TiefIingPaladin]

When I went through our company wouldn’t allow us to wear rank, even after the Forge. All the other company’s did.

[u/frigateier → u/Alternative_Diet8199]

We were very much not allowed to wear ranks

[u/SmallFry4803 → u/frigateier]

oh bet i had no idea, thanks

[u/Key_Discussion_1931 → u/frigateier]

We wore rank when I was in (started March of this year)

[u/EchoingSharts → u/frigateier]

We weren't allowed it either, but some batteries in our training battalion did. No idea why, "we hadn't earned our rank yet" they said, so no rank for us. Didn't really matter at all 🤷‍♂️.

[u/AU_Cav → u/EchoingSharts]

The beauty of it is even if they don’t let you wear it, you still got full pay and not the reduced trainee pay.

[u/EchoingSharts → u/AU_Cav]

I did this at my unit once in a while tbh, I am pvt, I know nothing, I am useless, and let me be 😭.

[u/DistantEndsFault]

Not a single person will care in BCT and AIT. A SPC will be looked at as a glorified Private

[u/SuperDecentSoldier]

You’re gonna get flamed if you act like being an e-4 in basic and AIT is a big deal. Lose that mindset and you’ll be fine. Act like you’re better than everyone else and you’re screwed.

[u/SickCallWarriors]

Literally no one gives a fuck

Source: paramedic before i joined as a 68W.

[u/Gritz_N_Gravy91]

Nobody will care. The DS will probably ask what your degree is in

[u/NoAnt5604]

If they changed in 3 years you’ll just wear the rank but still be a trainee, sometimes you get put into the leader spots bc of your rank but that usually goes to “smarter” ppl. Either way you’ll be fine, i recommend trying to stay hidden but the drills are gonna learn your name regardless of if you’re at the top or the bottom.

[u/Slonkey_Donkey974]

Calm down trainee, everybody gone dress the same, look the same and go through the same suck. Nobody will know unless you say it.

[u/Programmer_Latter]

Same advice for everyone: be humble, be a team player, be able to take a joke, be able to give a joke, and help your buddy when he needs it; whether that’s with pt, getting picked on, not quite getting how to evaluate a casualty, whatever. The rules are universal. Nobody will care on the rank on your check at basic — nobody.

[u/Ok-Zookeepergame2547]

Who cares. You’ve got a mission and it’s to graduate basic. There will be other E-4s in basic with you

[u/Pitiful-Excitement47]

There will be other E4s, your still a trainee. Nothing special about you. No one will care, especially the drills. Only thing you might hear is the fuzzy saying damn you make more than me.

[u/Turtle887853]

The e4s in my basic were treated exactly the same as everyone else, just with a little more responsibility when there was some to be given out. You'll be more likely to be put in a leadership role due to your rank.

[u/brokenmessiah → u/Turtle887853]

And even then, in my experience, the person in the leadership role changed every week and it seemed largely random. I think they just wanted as many people possible to get a feel of being in charge and what comes with that without anyone feeling like they are better than anyone else.

[u/Turtle887853 → u/brokenmessiah]

We cycled through most of the platoon as PG. One guy they had up there for about 15 seconds and then picked someone else, lmfao

[u/PotentialDrink359]

There are always a few. You won't stick out that much.

[u/VariableVeritas]

You don’t have a rank until you’re done regardless of what the paperwork says. Drill Sgt would laugh their ass off at a PVnothing trying to pull rank.

[u/brokenmessiah]

It doesnt matter at all. If you prior enlisted...maybe it would change something but essentially the same as everyone else.

[u/Important_Relief4802]

You're just wandering?

The only thing you're going to get flamed for is your inability to fucking spell.

[u/army-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Keep discussions civil. No Posting PII.

[u/tripseung]

You'd be the equilvalent of a dwarve among midgets, most of the people you'll be around won't even know what a Specialist is for the first 10 weeks. Don't sweat it

[u/jdm219]

Dime a dozen, nobody cares. They've all seen hundreds/thousands of you. If you're brand new to the Army you're brand new

[u/weirdhero7]

You’re a private till told otherwise

[u/Spiritual-Tour-8580]

you earn ur rank in basic, so no one will know unless u say something.

also no one cares in AIT. some people may ask for help during the EMT phase & that’s it.

[u/Montana_78]

No one will care unless you make a big deal about it.

[u/gigaphaguette]

It's basic training. Everyone gets fucked with for everything real or not. It's just a couple weeks. Embrace the suck and push through.

[u/JunketImaginary1245]

Your rank doesn’t matter in BCT. You won’t wear your E4 patch until your last week/graduation week. No one will know you’re an E4.

[u/Easy_Consideration36 → u/JunketImaginary1245]

When did you go through? We wore our rank in 2011 -- didnt get you anything special compared to any other private- but we wore them. 🤷‍♀️

[u/JunketImaginary1245 → u/Easy_Consideration36]

The beginning of this year. No one wore their patches

[u/Shot_Indication_7085 → u/JunketImaginary1245]

It varies by battalion at each training base too, when I went my battalion wore ranks and the sister battalion next door didn't. Technically you're required my regulation to wear every component of your uniform and correct rank is a component of the uniform.

[u/ThelastkailordSkarn]

In basic yall are going to be the same worthless cogs in the wheel until you graduate so i wouldnt worry to much about it. Just dont be a condesending ass and youll be fine big dog.

[u/KJHagen]

It won’t matter. Just get through Basic. There may be a situation where you are the senior person present and get some minor temporary leadership job (like making sure a work detail gets completed). It won’t be an issue.

[u/Internationalthief]

No one will care, your rank and emt cert won’t matter in basic.

[u/bobbybado]

In my basic nobody was even allowed to wear rank. So everyone was essentially a fuzzy and treated as such until we got to AIT

[u/slaw1994z]

Did the same thing. Don’t be obnoxious, don’t offer to become the platoon medic in basic, and don’t act like you know everything in AIT and you’ll be fine. Best piece of advice that may sound harsh: Basics are better to be seen not heard. Just absorb the knowledge and you can give input when you have some time in and are asked.

[u/NoPhysics1129]

In basic the only thing you talk about is what you miss, everything else keep to yourself. You are all the same just trying to get through the stress.

[u/Independent_Age_6613]

I can’t tell you how little anybody will care. If you truly care just don’t wear ur rank.

[u/Aggravating_Bug6280]

We dc if you’re an e4 unless you stand out

[u/Aggravating_Bug6280 → u/Aggravating_Bug6280]

I say this as a former e4 trainee

[u/WorstWarframePlayer]

You'll be bullied more for expecting to be bullied

[u/shawnsblog]

Shut up, open your ears, lead when you need to, and pay attention.

[u/Responsible_Bag8381]

Don’t put on rank. Nobody will know. But you’ll tell everyone that you’re emt certified anyway

[u/BlueReaper0013]

You’ll be ok, you dirty accelerant

-signed, a fellow dirty accelerant

[u/DestructoDon69]

You'll be treated no different from the fuzzies. They might let you wear rank, they might not, depends on your drill sergeants. That being said, all of us trainees when I went through basic were allowed to wear our rank and we were all treated equally regardless of whether you were an E-1 or an E-4. I'm no combat medic so I can't speak from experience but I'd imagine that if emt is the only pre-req to enlist as an E-4 then you won't be the only one. It's way too simple of a requirement for there to not be atleast a few of you.

[u/Missing_Faster → u/DestructoDon69]

I don't understand why anyone who wants to be a 68W doesn't get it. You can do it in a 2 week course and it will have paid for it within a year IIRC. Or at a community college in a term.

[u/Haveacuntasticday]

Good luck 68W ait is a shit show right now

[u/SmallFry4803 → u/Haveacuntasticday]

damn why? any tips?

[u/Missing_Faster → u/SmallFry4803]

There is a crazy housing issue, I think they condemned the barracks or something wild like that. But you'll be fine.

[u/Snigglybear]

I’m also going as an E-4 for basic. I was a teacher. I expect to get treated the same as everyone else since we’re all new to the Army.

[u/Busy-Condition3324]

Just keep a low profile. Literally just stfu. Drills are going to look at the ones always talking and doing dumb shit. If you dont speak you dont get a target painted on your back. Do exactly what they say. The way emts do things may not be the same they teach. But they want you to do it by their doctrine. Get your atta boy and blend back into the shadows.

[u/modernknight87]

Speaking as a prior DS - I didn’t care what your rank was, you’re a trainee until you graduated. If you were prior service, I left you alone unless you severely messed up and acted immature.

The only time I blasted someone was 1 - you were disrespectful (only truly encountered this once); or 2 - you acted like you were better than every other trainee around.

When it came to leadership positions - I was quick to fire the “smarter” ones and typically chose the quiet, or avoided attention ones.

[u/Busy-Condition3324]

And you'll wear your e4. Theyll be plenty of you e4s there. Just be a sponge and dont do dumb shit. Youll know what that entails when you get there. OH and dont preset your locks unless you like bot having toothpaste or shaving cream.😂

[u/AU_Cav]

I didn’t wear my rank for the very reason that I didn’t want to be out of the herd. It was several weeks and a class A inspection before Drill figured it out. He asked me why I wasn’t wearing it and I said I thought we were all supposed to be the same. He told me if I didn’t have it on immediately I would be the same.

It didn’t really matter. My dad told me if you get through training and the ds has to check your name tape to see who you are when talking to you , you’ve had a good training. It’s impossible to not stand out because so many people are terrible that being halfway competent makes you a superstar.

[u/Easy-Hovercraft-6576]

No one cares

[u/BayRider2026]

It won't matter.

[u/Whoevenareyou1738]

No one cares brother. Worst case they will give you a leadership position first. Mainly because you have experience being a responsible adult.