Basic Military Training Ceremony

Back in the end of 1999, I went through Bast Military Training, or BMT for short. On the Sunday morning after graduation, at the chapel on, it was traditional for each of the graduating flights to come up with a poem to read in front of the congregation of trainees and the parents and loved ones of the graduating flights. I don't know if this is still done or not today, but I thought it was pretty cool back then.

I co-wrote the poem for my flight, which was read by 10 of the graduating Airmen, myself included. Below, I have posted that poem and hope you enjoy it.

BMT

By: Robert Jeffrey and Curtis Bittle

We came in the night,

Anxious and scared.

The black hats came at us,

From everywhere.

After night and day,

Of scream and stare,

Comes the Solemn call,

Of "Taps" in prayer.

From the shock of the day,

And the wide eyed worry,

Our hearts are then moved,

Beyond the hurry.

With silent steady steps,

We stride.

Hope shines past threat,

Our guiden pride.

We marched around the base,

Processing here and there.

We stopped at the barber,

And lost all our hair.

We all got our shots,

In our arms and our rears,

We tried to get along,

With our flight, our peers.

PC and classes,

Study in free time,

For the tests we must take,

Of our bodies and minds.

Though we may know,

The worst day's next,

One step ahead,

And we pass the test.

We built our confidence,

Through FTX and Warrior Week,

We shot off the guns,

Our adrenaline at its peak.

Then in our blues,

Graduation did come,

With the hope/knowledge that Honor Flight,

Was ours to be won.