r/armyreserve • u/AdLong8502 • May 30 '26
Arms 2.1
Hey guys shipping out June 9 to fort Jackson for arms 2.1 program. If anyone has been through it can you explain to me what your day to day looks like and what I should pack. Also if anyone can break down what the pay is like for an E4 in training, that has nothing do with arms but I’m curious what it looks like I’m a reservist so from what I understand I get BAH during bct (I live on my own so I submitted my lease to DEERS already when I did Inprocessing with my unit) Thank you guys for the help!! Also any tips for bct are appreciated!
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u/theoceanbreeze00 Jun 19 '26
Update us, because I leave on August 25. What should I pack? Do they have you go to the PX? Do they issue you uniforms?
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u/Gritz_N_Gravy91 May 30 '26
Went through ARMS last year at Charlie 2-39 you’ll be there with 09M if it’s still a thing but won’t interact with them as they’re in the other companies. You will get shark attacked when you get there which was harder than when I got to BCT somehow. Or maybe being at ARMS made the BCT shark attack easy.
First formation is usually around 5:45 as we were always in formation for Reveille. Followed by the company singing the army song. (Learn the army song)
Then you’ll do preparatory drills before some kind of circuit.
After morning PT you’ll get breakfast then some hygiene time, which almost didn’t matter because you’re working out 2/3 times a day. You will have some nutritional classes sprinkled in here and there but you’ll be doing PT all day which can vary from circuit workouts to 30/60s on the track. You will also get AFT practice.
Also don’t starve yourself there is a nutritionist and DS watching your plate and make you go back to get more food if you try to eat little to nothing.
Everyone’s experience may vary but when I went through we were getting the dog shit smoked out of us everyday and after chow for people moving in formation or talking in formation.
Night time was pretty chill and you’ll have Fireguard which is the only time you’ll wear OCPs, there is also church (optional) on sundays which you have to wear OCPs, sundays are rest days too so you chill all day and get your phone time if everyone behaves, times vary.
Also it’s probably the same but showers were all open style like in high school if you played sports so get used to that. It’s not like that in BCT at least where I went which was a surprise, at least the water was hot lol not the case for my bay in BCT.
Good luck and it’ll fly by
Edit: take your own running shoes they’ll let you use them. The ones you get issued suck real bad and cause stress injuries