No preview imageArmy.mil02 · BASIC TRAINING · ARMY
Week 5 of Army basic: the first live rounds and a week of zeroing the M4
The Army's week-by-week series from Fort Leonard Wood is up to week 5, and it is all rifle. Trainees fire first in a simulator, then move to the range to group and zero their M4A1 while drill sergeants mark paper targets and coach breathing and trigger squeeze ahead of qualification in week 6.
Why it matters to you IN DEP
Marksmanship is coached, not assumed. Nobody expects you to show up a shooter. What helps now is the calm part: steady breathing, patience, and taking a correction without flinching. Trainees also earn a little more freedom this week, which the company's executive officer says lifts morale.
How long basic lasts, branch by branch →Source: Army.mil, Oct 29, 2026 · Official source
Preview · Stars and Stripes03 · BASIC TRAINING · MARINE CORPS
Marine recruits in San Diego now eat in the biggest mess hall in the military
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego opened a 100,000-square-foot mess hall on Oct. 21 that can turn out up to 20,000 meals a day, replacing a cramped building the depot used for decades. Recruits still eat fast and mostly in silence, and the menu has shifted toward bowls, oatmeal cups, nuts and seeds.
Why it matters to you BRANCH CHOSEN
Recruits burn far more than they eat across the 13 weeks, and the depot's food services director says that is by design. If you are shipping to San Diego, your job now is simple: build the engine. Eat real food, drink water, and train so your body has something to draw on.
Start Mission: Fitness →Source: Stars and Stripes (San Diego Union-Tribune), Oct 26, 2026 · Confirmed: NAVFAC (navfac.navy.mil)
Preview · Stars and Stripes04 · BENEFITS · AIR FORCE
Airmen living in base dorms are getting free high-speed Wi-Fi
The Air Force has started providing free Wi-Fi in on-base dormitories, beginning with a first group of bases that includes the training bases where new airmen go to tech school, with more planned. The service runs through the Exchange and follows a law from Congress requiring free internet in junior enlisted housing.
Why it matters to you JUST THINKING
Quality of life after basic is a fair thing to weigh when you compare branches. Stars and Stripes reports the Marine Corps already has free Wi-Fi in all eligible barracks in the U.S. and Japan, the Navy is close behind, and the Army is just getting started. Ask your recruiter what the dorms look like at your first base.
Compare the branches before you pick →Source: Stars and Stripes, Oct 29, 2026 · Single source
Preview · Stars and Stripes