>>27709433You dont negotiate bonuses. Either there is one for your MOS or there isnt. If you are getting opt 40 that is the bonus.
Did you already reserve that MOS? or are you going to meps to reserve it wednesday?
The only things you should bring to bct is the clothes you are wearing, your running shoes(which you should be wearing), an extra underwear(your preference), 2 pairs of socks, your documents, your phone and charger, around 6-8 large 3 gallon zip lock bags(slide lock type), and a small backpack to carry all that shit in.
They will force you to buy everything you need there, so theres no point in packing shit from the list your recruiter gives you. Dont bother bringing special underwear(unless your mormon) because they make you purchase and wear tan briefs.
In regards to the zip lock bags, you use them to keep all your documents in one place and water proof, as well as use them to pack your uniform in and vacuum seal them by sitting on or pressing the air out then sealing the bags. By compressing your uniforms in them, you can better fit your shit in your ruck packs.
Buy lots of Qtips at BCT, they are useful when cleaning shit like your rifle and gear.
Also buy wipes, lots of wipes, for when you are out in the field and cant wash. Make sure to keep clean and scrub yourself every chance you get to avoid sickness.
Buy a black digital watch that has military time and alarm, and that you can turn the beep sound off. Look at armitron, they usually sell em at BCT for 15 bucks, so you can probably buy one there. The alarm is very useful, most guys dont bother and have to rely on people who do have alarms to keep them on time.
Dont volunteer that you know the army song or soldiers creed.
Learn how to hospital corner before you go to BCT, they never taught us how to do it and we had to learn from the 1 guy who knew how to do it.
Learn how to use a compass before you go. They didnt teach me, and I went all the way to E5 without knowing how to do LandNav.
