Originally Posted by Chris Mac
I have a nephew just joining up in the Army,are they allowed to have quilts in basic training? I'd love to make him one while he's in. He just signed up for 4 years. Chris
Dear Chris,
A a recent grad from BCT and AIT, and several friends just finished, We are not allowed to have anything personal like that. They can have it for AIT, the schooling they go to after BCT. They are not as strict, however, he will have to remove it every morning and fold it and put it in his locker, room inspections come very often, and usually as a surprise!,, LOL.....
And about a flag for a quilt,, it is true,, we adore the flag,, but we are a little leery about sleeping under one,, kind of like a bad luck omen. The red white and blue are great,, and the service he is in,, but many soldiers will not sleep under it,, they will use it as a wall hanging or as a cover,, but not to sleep under. We are taught in BCT that....
In addition, we are issued the green wool blankets, and they are stamped with U.S. on it,, we are taught to turn it so the stamp is not visible. For the same reason as the flag. If a soldier comes from over seas, they do not put the flag on the coffin till they are about to be taken off the plane. They are usually brought with the green wool blanket covering the coffin. ( when I came home, there was 5 coffins in our plane, and thats how they were...)
I hope no one is offended if they gave a soldier one with a flag already,, and not all soldiers are the same,,, but the vast majority of us,, kind of shy away from it..