A Spouse's Guide to Air Force Basic Training

As a spouse who is very loving and caring of her husband, it is very hard to hug they good-bye as they leave for Air Force basic training. I remember clearly the day that my husband left for basic training. I didn't want to leave the MEPS (Military Entrance and Processing Station) at Fort Sam Houston at all when I dropped him off! I wanted to make sure he was alright, make sure he had everything he needed. Well, if you, too, are a going to be a military wife soon, there are a few things you should know.

Before he even leaves, try to spend as much time with his as possible. When he obtains his list of items needed for Air Force basic training from the recruiter, offer to go with him shopping so that his preparation process can be shared by you and him. He won't feel as if he his alone. On the day before he leaves, prepare his favorite meal and plan a very sweet or romantic night with him. Keep in mind that for six and a half weeks, he's not going to be having any female physical contact...so he definitely wants a night he'll never forget before he leaves! It's also extremely beneficial to go to the Air Force recruiting webpage, and click on where it says Basic Training, and then see what goes on in Basic Training day by day. Something else that would be of great help to your future Airman is to enroll him in the Basic Training E-mail course to prepare him for the knowledge he is going to have to learn in the Air Force. You can find the Air Force basic training E-mail course here:

When your husband finally made it to the MEPS station, and when you have dropped him off, you probably won't feel the wave of depression immediately. I sure didn't. I felt like maybe my husband was going to call me later and ask me to pick him up, but deep in my heart, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I had to keep telling myself over and over again that everything was in the best interest of our future and potential children. If you're into God, prayer is extremely comforting at this time. I prayed for my husband's safety, courage, and strength. When you drop your future Airmen off, you won't hear from him in a week. By Friday, he's already at Lackland Air Force base...beginning all the processing and entrance phases. He will be able to call you on the Saturday or Sunday following his departure from your home, but keep in mind that the phone call is less than three minutes long. The phone call is only for the purpose of the Airman to tell you what his address is, and that he is alright. He might be in tears, or he might sound like a robot. In any case, there's a Training Instructor right beside him, breathing down his neck...so don't expect any kind of mushy conversation with your loved one. If you miss the address, or even miss the phone call, you can obtain his Air Force basic training address by calling the Air Force Basic Training Reception center at (210) 671-3024. You must know your husbands full name and Social Security Number at this point. In fact, you should be memorizing his SSN because you will have to use it a million times later on when filling out paperwork.

Something you should do every single day when your husband is gone is to send him a letter. The Training Instructors most likely won't let your Airman read his letter when he receives it (stupid mind games...), so send post cards instead. But be careful of what you write on the post cards, because the Training Instructors read the post cards out loud. I'm not really sure what the point of it is, but I just know that it's extremely rude. But the reason that post cards are your best option is because your husband will get a chance to read what you wrote, without having to wait forever to open it. My husband didn't get to read my letters until two weeks later. How horrible is that? Remember not to send any food or candy, and don't write about anything depressing, mean, or horrible. The Training Instructors will just eat that in front of your husband and attempt to make him feel very depressed about it. Don't expect to get any calls or letters from your husband. He will rarely have time to call or write unless his Training Instructor shows some kind of sympathy. But always keep your phone by your side just in case.

In the mail, the first thing you'll receive is information about your husband's graduation. They will send you passes to get on Lackland AFB. On this pass, you'll see your husband's graduation date. Make sure to ask for that time off if you work. In fact, ask for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off, because all these are days that you'll get a chance to see him. Saturday is going to be the best day, because you get to see your husband from 8 AM - 8PM. And just to alert you, the Airmen Graduating Ceremony is very, very long and drawn out. But you'll feel so happy when you rush into your newly graduated Airman's arms! Before he graduates, make plans for Saturday. Take him to his favorite restaurant, his favorite park. Make it his day! Three days after the Sunday when you drop him off, your Airman will be leaving for Technical School, which could be anywhere in this country. To help develop a happy, healthy Airman, you need to be there all the way. You need to be his support, his guidance, his motivation. When he's feeling down, you need to lift him up. Behind every great man is a great women, as the saying goes. And in this case, being a Airman's wife is definitely no exception. If you help him study his knowledge at least two months before he leaves, Air Force basic training will not be as traumatizing to him because he will go in more prepared than everyone else who goes to the training empty-handed. You want your husband to succeed and stay motivated throughout the whole time he is in Basic Training. You may also want to take your husband out to the running track, and run with him or just walk if you're not in good shape. This will enable him to get his lungs and legs in action before the Training Instructors attempt to make mince meat out of him.