Sign In

Phone Calls During Basic Training

Today’s generation has practically grown up with a cell phone in hand. We live in …

...

Today’s generation has practically grown up with a cell phone in hand. We live in a world where instant gratification in terms of communication has become the norm. This makes the transition to basic training a major challenge for some trainees and their supporters as communication looks drastically different. One of the most common questions we get at Sandboxx is “when will my Trainee call?”.  While we would love for you to have the ability to get a phone calls from basic training everyday, that is just not feasible in the training cycle. Your Trainee is hyper focused on learning the skills necessary to earn the title of American Soldier. Ultimately, phone calls in basic training are a privilege. 

Phone Calls From Your Trainee

Normally Trainee’s get the opportunity to make calls home on Sundays. I always like to recommend to supporters to turn the volume up on their phone every Sunday for this reason. There is no guarantee your Trainee will call. But if they do get their phone privileges that week, Sunday is your best bet. They will have limited time to make phone calls and we cannot tell you who they will choose to call.

During this short availability of phone call time, they will be given access to their cell phones. Normally, they try to catch up with as many people as they can fit into the short window of opportunity.  One key thing to remember is, phone calls are not guaranteed. If the platoon got in trouble that week for example, one of the most precious things they can lose is their phone time. Drill Sergeants want training to be the priority. As a result, they may take phone priveldeges away in order to get a trainee sattention.

Communication at Basic Training

During basic training, phone calls aren’t a guarantee, but mail call is. Your letters will be essential in keeping your trainee’s spirits high throughout their time in training. Don’t worry we go over all you need to know about sending Letters to trainees in basic training in this post.

Kris Broadus
Kris is the Army Relations Manager for Sandboxx. He served in the Army over 25 years, holding various assignments throughout the his career rising from the rank of Private to Sergeant Major. In his last assignment he served as the Operations Sergeant Major for the 2nd Recruiting Brigade overseeing recruiting operations for the Army for the southeastern part of the nation.