A boot camp refers colloquially to the training new recruits receive as introduction to the military. The term means both the place where the training takes place and the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel.

Originally, boot camps were for the United States Marine Corps initial training. Lately, the term refers more commonly to any United States Military initial training. All recruit go through boot camps, which include special detailed programs for commissioned officers.

Although most boot camps direct their efforts towards helping troubled teens, rigorous military-like training takes a backseat from therapy and counseling. Emotionally troubled teens especially those who experienced trauma and abuse need rehabilitation before signing up for boot camp.

The site, Boot Camps Info, questions the theory that subjecting juvenile delinquents to a punishing regime modifies their aggressive behavior. Instead of helping, boot camp training may aggravate the situation.

Some trainees develop a more aggressive behavior towards their fellow recruits as a way to act out feelings of anger and helplessness. This kind of behavior also means they are modeling after the behavior of adults in the camp.

Boot camps in military schools generally differ from military training. Military schools put their students through boot camps to instill in their young charges strong self-discipline and deep respect towards authority. Negative reinforcement does not include physical and psychological punishment.

In fact, military schools screen their new students before accepting them. They discourage parents who think military schools are the solutions to their problem teens.

For parents looking for information on military schools, the site Military School Options is a gold mine of information. It has everything about military school life and opportunities. The site caters to adults as well as to kids who are eligible to enter military schools.

The resources on Military School Options include information on different military schools in different states. Aside from providing resources on education, Military School Options also has information on military jobs and careers. Links to international military schools are also available.

Sending your kids to a military school does not mean they need to be “punished.” They should not be treated like criminals because their behavior can still be modified through less violent means. Actually, teens who want to enter the military with whatever branch of service should be encouraged to enroll in a military school and go through boot camp training. This serves as a good introduction to military life in the future.

Most people imagine military training consists mostly of bullying and abuse, often depicted in movie scenes of instructors shouting insults, cadets crawling in the mud, trainees carrying backpacks double their weight, or senior cadets harassing freshmen.

The real training that military recruits undergo, however, is far from abusive. The boot camp scenario could be true in some cases, but the atmosphere during military training leans toward rigidity in following the rules and inflexibility with transgressions. It is an atmosphere so similar to the convent or the monastery, where disobedience always meets an appropriate punishment.

Training and Drill Instructors apply significant degrees of mental and physical stress to adjust the trainee’s attitude to a military way of thinking (self-discipline, sacrifice, loyalty, obedience). Boot camp in military training hones not only the physical strength of trainees, but also their mental and emotional strengths. The recruits need to learn how to cope with stress while maintaining a clear head and keeping their emotions in check so they will not cloud their judgment during crucial situations.

Yet, military training does not consist entirely of boot camp. Trainees also become skilled tacticians and military strategists, leaders to their group, and good followers to their superiors.

As, Rod Powers put it in About.com, the training programs are scientifically and psychologically designed to tear apart the “civilian” and build from scratch a proud, physically fit, and dedicated member of the United States Armed Forces.

The Fort Miles handbook on Military Discipline and Courtesy takes a light look on introducing discipline. Military discipline, as the average civilian or fresh recruit understands it, consists of harsh punishments or reprimands for violations of rules and regulations.

However, military discipline does not necessarily equate to punishment all the time. It means trainees learn to follow the rules and place the welfare of their unit or team above their personal welfare and security. The punishments act as negative reinforcement to effect changes in behavior.

Discipline in any context expects prompt obedience of subordinates. Similarly, trainees practice military discipline by obeying the orders of the commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers. At the same time, their officers encouraged them to avoid asking questions and simply obey.

Military discipline teaches that even when no one is around, trainees continue to carry out their orders to the very best of their abilities. This behavior emphasizes personal culpability in following through one’s duties.

If you have learned all these things, and prompt obedience becomes second nature to you, then you have acquired military discipline. It builds personal character that hinges on strong social values, such as honor, personal integrity and courage.
Military discipline is “a state of training, resulting in orderly conduct.” Military personnel achieve this state when they graduate from training. They bring this over to their years of service, and even when they retire. Most of the time, discipline cannot be separated from a person’s character.

Military discipline saves lives and wins battles. Chief Master Sergeant Loyd W. McBride quotes General George Patton in his article for Air University Review. The famous general told his commanders that if they did not enforce and maintain perfect discipline, then they were potential murderers.

When we apply these definitions of military discipline to disciplining troubled teens, we can see the benefits they can reap from developing the right amount of self-control. Self-control coupled with developing good strong values eliminates their self-destructive impulses.