do recruits have to stay up 72 hrs without sleep?

[lovingmyson1993]

can someone please please answer this question? Also what should i expect that he is doing right now.. he is in week one!! Someone help me

[abbyblue]

http://www.navyformoms.com/group/newmomsstophere/page/bootcamp-vide...

[BunkerQB]

Three days without sleep?  No. Never heard of that in Boot Camp. Maybe Seal training or Special Forces in the Army or other special ops units.  While the Navy wants to see some motivation (show of enthusiasm) from the recruits, it's not design to torture people - this is beginning training. Yes, there's a lot of yelling in your face. Yes, your recruit will be encountering stuff that he has never encountered before.  Remember it is the Recruit Training Command NOT the Spanish Inquisition.  Relax a little.  You're going be so proud of your son at PIR. BTW, you are at the right place.  Don't forget to check out the welcoming message on your personal page (click MY PAGE).  Look at the stuff in the Survival Guide.

[lovingmyson1993]

Bunker ive been told it is true!!!  it had me som dang worried!! I was shaking!

 

[BunkerQB]

For boot camp 48 - yes. 72 NO. lovingmyson1993, who told you? During one deployment, my son stay up for 72 for a project. My son was an officer. He was able to catch a few winks (15 to 30 minute cat naps) every 4 to 5 hours. He was pretty exhausted by the end of the 72.
Typically, the 48 is due to circumstances - a recruit could stay up as long as 48 if he/she can't fall asleep at a drop of a hat on a plane, sitting in a hallway, etc. I can't think of why at this stage of the game, the Navy would deliberately use some sleep deprivation test for the recruits. In the Army, there is SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training that pilots go thru. I am sure every branch has something equivalent. But these for for personnel way down the training.
again, lovingmyson, watch the videos in the Survival Guide and look at the info his facilities - look at the photos of his barracks.
http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/survival-guide-for-navy-for...
As it is, many recruits don't make it pass the first week or two. Some are very young and have never been away from home. The instructors are yelling in your face 24/7. The entire thing is just too overwhelming. For some medical issues come up. Remember the Navy has done this before (like decades), they have this process down - processing around 40,000 recruits per year. I have been on this site since 2009 - have never, ever heard of a recruit being kept up for 72 hours. If your son is going to make it, he'll need your positive steady, support. He needs to concentrate on getting thru the program. He can't waste precious time and energy worrying about how you will deal with things. So it's good that you are getting this all out right now.
So, consider this issue resolved. Hey, do get too comfy because you'll have plenty to worry about - but later.

[FireTeamLeaderWife aka FTLW]

B's "circumstances" scenario is spot on...it is not "part of the curriculum" per say....it's just what happens. I am on all of the PIR groups and I have not seen 72 hours straight either.

My son said they were taken to their temp Ship (barracks) sometime in that first night. I am sure it was late as he arrived around 8:45 PM to the AP and then went to RTC sometime after that. Then they all get up early the next morning. So I don't think it was much sleep...but not "you have to stay up". In-Processing starts as soon as you get there.

If he has a long flight encourage him to sleep if he can. They get up very early to go to MEPS that day.

And eat. They are given an opportunity to eat at the AP, if they have time, but some healthy snacks are good.

Geez B, 72 hours...yuck. What a troop! I know though, hubby had twelve our shifts on deployment (on an Air base security forces) but if the proverbial "you know what" hit the fan near the end of it...he had to stay on.

I have a funny story on that, on how some CAN train themselves to "catch winks". Hubby is good at it as his job requires it..

Well, when our oldest was in third grade, he went on a field trip with them to a museum. The teacher gave him like eight of the little boys to hang with, which was perfect, they had a blast! Did "boy stuff"!. So they get back to school and the teacher asked if there were any questions.

One little girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Dear?"

"I want to know how Mr. ######## can sleep sitting up on the bus like that?"

 

lovingmyson1993...we're here for you!

[Anti M]

"For decades"... I can attest to that.  I think I was up for nearly 48 hours after arriving at boot camp... and that was when we had one in Orlando.   

I have worked 72 hours straight when another sailor blew up a major system.  So did the two other sailors who did the same job I did.  We'd work until just before we were endangering ourselves, then catnap behind the gear racks, in turns.  Drank gallons of the vilest black coffee known to the universe.  Ate whatever was brought to us.  No showers or clean clothes for three days.  Meh.

I've also stayed at work (shore duty) during typhoons, then worked an 8 hour security shift after little sleep for 72 hours. I was "essential personnel" so I had to be on hand and wasn't allowed to travel to my offbase apartment.    But this type of thing only happened a few times.  Sailors learn to sleep anytime, anywhere, and to push through when the job demands it.

[Mom2Shae]

My son told me yesterday that he was up 29 hrs the day of arrival due to all the processing, but that they are encouraged to get 8 hrs of sleep, but that it's tough when they have 2 hrs of watch some nights. He says he's tired mostly due to the tediousness and boredom that he sometimes feels....he actually was looking forward to last week's Hell week! Go figure.

I do not think I've heard from ANY SR families that say their SR was kept up for 72 hrs. That's just been my limited experience, but I certainly would think that I'd have been told about something like that.

Like some previously said though, if it's a special division, who knows.