Cell Phone Use in Army Basic Training

Cell Phone Use in Army Basic Training Cell Phone Use in Army Basic Training Recruits are no longer required to leave behind what has become a standard part of life for most adults during the Armys  basic military training, but these boot campâ€"bound soldiers, still arent able to use their cell phones in the same ways they did as civilians. The Armys cell phone policy for recruits is pretty tough. Changes recruits can expect in day-to-day cell phone use include most training platoons allowing only voice calls, no text, video, or photo exchanges, and you wont be allowed to have your phone with you at all times as you did in civilian life. Before heading to boot camp, erase any photographs or videos which could be considered lewd or pornographic. Your cell phone may be inspected during the initial briefing, and you may be required to sign a policy agreement. Sergeants Dictate Cell Phone Use Historically, standard Army basic training rules allowed for well-performing platoons to be rewarded with phone calls home on Sundays. To take advantage of this, recruits would have to stand in line at pay phones and call using a calling card  or call collect. Phone calls were generally limited to just a few minutes to make sure everyone in the platoon had a chance to call. Recruits in many Army basic training platoons are now allowed to use personal cell phones to call friends and families, send text messages, and update their social media status. Under the new policy, cell phones are kept by the drill sergeant  (DS) and returned to recruits for a period each Sunday if the DS feels the platoon has earned the privilege. Of course, recruits who dont have cell phones are still allowed to use the old pay phones, but the time allowed to make calls is still limited for all recruits, regardless of method, to between 10 and 30 minutes. Evolving Policies for Communications From Basic Military Training One of the reasons the military is so successful is their willingness to take full advantage of new technology. Most adult members of our society carry a cell phone these days, and post-basic military recruits are generally no exception. As a result, cases of military members in Iraq and Afghanistan using personal cell phones to pass on vital military information to their commands when conventional military communication means failed are somewhat common and have very likely saved lives. Other military services may or may not allow cell phone use during their basic training programs. As communications methods evolve, so will these policies.