Fort Benning | Basic Combat Training Week 5

Get excited—your Trainee has officially entered Phase III of Army Basic Combat Training, also known as the White Phase! This is a huge milestone and marks the moment where things truly level up. By now, your Trainee is sharper, stronger, and more disciplined than when they first arrived—but now it’s time to focus on mastering one of the most important Soldier skills: marksmanship. For many, this will be their very first time handling a weapon, and the pressure is on—but so is the determination! This is where your Trainee begins to unlock the warrior within.

Week Five Expectations: White Phase

The mission this week is crystal clear: shoot, move, communicate, survive, and perform under pressure. Physical fitness, discipline, and tactical skills are being dialed up, and the expectation to meet the Army standard is non-negotiable. Weapon qualification is a top priority—your Trainee must hit their mark to move forward into Blue Phase. And here’s the best part—they’re not doing it alone. Drill Sergeants are beginning to shift the mindset from individual success to team excellence—and your Trainee is rising to the challenge. Let’s go, White Phase!

First up this week is the Zeroing Range, then it’s off to the range to start taking down real targets. These next few weeks will be one of the most critical times at Fort Benning for your Trainee. This is the start of a very stressful time for them.

Zeoring Range

Last week they spent time in the EST 2000, getting famliar with simutlate targets and working the sights on their weapon. This week they will move out to the Zeroing Range where they will fire their first live rounds. Zeroing a weapon is not a training exercise, nor is it a combat skills event. Zeroing is a maintenance procedure that is accomplished to place the weapon in operation, based on the Soldier’s skill, capabilities, tactical scenario, aiming device, and ammunition. Its purpose is to achieve the desired relationship between the line of sight and the trajectory of the round at a known distance.

The zeroing process ensures the Soldier, weapon, aiming device, and ammunition are performing as expected at a specific range to target with the least amount of induced errors. For Trainees to achieve a high level of accuracy and precision, it is critical they zero their aiming device to their weapon correctly. The Trainee must first achieve a consistent grouping of a series of shots, at least three but ideally five. The M4 Carbine is the standard issue weapon of the U.S. Army. Training Circular (TC) 3-22.9 is the Army’s guide to provide Soldiers the critical information on how to properly and effectively engage and destroy threats in a direct fire engagement.

Range Week

Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) is one of the most exciting and transformative parts of Army Basic Training—it’s where your Trainee becomes a marksman. This phase marks the beginning of their journey to mastering the Army’s standard weapon, the M4 carbine. From the moment they first pick up their rifle, Trainees are taught to treat it as an extension of themselves. They’ll learn essential safety rules, parts of the weapon, and how to maintain it in top condition. Early on, they’ll practice dry-firing and using training simulators to build muscle memory and understand the fundamentals before ever firing a live round.

Once Trainees hit the range, the energy ramps up. They’ll spend long, focused days learning how to zero their sights, maintain proper shooting positions, control breathing, and fire with precision at pop-up targets ranging from 50 to 300 meters. Each target represents a critical skill in marksmanship and combat readiness. As they progress, they’ll fire from various supported and unsupported positions, working to build consistency, accuracy, and confidence under pressure. The highlight of this phase is the official BRM qualification—where Trainees must hit a minimum number of targets to pass. It’s a challenging but exhilarating event that pushes them to apply everything they’ve learned. To earn their marksmanship badge, trainees will have to hit 23 to 29 out of the 40 targets. Trainees hitting 30 to 35 targets will qualify for the sharpshooter badge. An expert badge will be awarded to those trainees that hit 36 to 40 of the 40 targets.

Letters From Home = Morale

Your support as family and friends is invaluable. Letters of encouragement can significantly boost their morale, helping them persevere to graduation. This week make sure you ask them about how they are doing on the range qualifying with their weapon. This is a stressful time and they definitely need your encouragement.

Although Sandboxx letters arrive the next day with return stationery, a pre-addressed envelope, the return postage paid, photos, and a gift card feature, don’t feel like you have to use Sandboxx to send letters. We encourage handwritten letters and cards – these are super important.

The Making of Your Soldier

Stay tuned for more insights into Week Six and beyond. Next week they put their skills to the test as they musty qualify with their weapon. Be usre to wish them the best! In the meantime, follow us on Instagram and Facebook for contests, letter inspiration, and more!

That’s a brief look at the intense but rewarding journey your Trainee is on. Let’s keep supporting them every step of the way!

You can always find me via chat in the Sandboxx app or happiness@sandboxx.us — just ask for Kris, and myself or another teammate will get back to you as soon as we can.

Hooah!

SGM Kris Broadus, U.S. Army (Ret)