Quote:
Originally Posted by Sober
Sep. 1st I ship out to basic training for the USAF. I am an atheist
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Which service should I go to? I grew up in a mormon household, so I might go to the LDS services for a laugh. Maybe buddhist, as I imagine it would be the least repulsive mentally, and might allow me to relax a little during this crazy time.
I was in the army for five years, but my advice is general enough for the "chair force" haha. My basic training was July - Sept 2001. I am atheist, but I had Christian - non-denominational put on my dogtags. Every Sunday, we had the option of going to church services or cleaning the barracks. I never went to church, but the cleaning was not that bad, maybe an hour of work. Sunday we were mostly left alone in the barracks. Most of my platoon didn't go to church, but I doubt most were atheists. Also our drill sergeant said he didn't like us going, leaving all the work for those who didn't go, so that might have had an effect.
I suggest doing whatever the majority of your platoon does. If you have a few mormons in your platoon, I suggest going to Mormon services. I have never been religious, but of the groups I encountered often in the army, the mormons had better attitudes and make better friends. If most of the platoon isn't going to church, don't bother. After basic, you will probably not encounter problems unless you draw attention to your atheism. Nuisances, like "prayer breakfast or no breakfast", can still occasionally be an issue.
On another note,
If you have any other general military life questions, feel free to ask.