The Army calls their enlisted jobs military occupational specialties, or MOS. If you have a combat arms job, such as infantry or armor (tank driver), the Army combines basic training and job training into one single course, called OSUT, or One Station Unit Training. In such cases, there is no basic training graduation ceremony. One day, your drill sergeant will wake you up as usual and say something like, "OK, basic training is over, and now job training starts."
Tip: Your graduation ceremony will occur after the job training portion of OSUT.
If you do not have a combat arms MOS, after your basic training graduation ceremony, you'll be bussed or flown to your Army AIT (advanced individual training) base to go through training for your particular Army MOS (job).
Going through Army AIT is much like going to college, with the exception of mandatory PT (exercise sessions) each morning and the fact that you're not allowed to skip any classes. However, at the end of the class day, you're generally on your own until the next morning. Do you want to stop and grab a beer at the end of the day? Feel free (assuming, of course, that you're of legal age). Want to hang out in the post library each evening? It's allowed. You still have platoon sergeants, who are in charge of you during AIT, but they seem to be of the kinder, gentler sort than what you experienced in basic training.
From Basic Training for Dummies, copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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