Soldier Basic Training

[paul b]

Be a Man

Last week I took my wife to California for a medical procedure and on the plane on the way home a young man sat next to me. I knew right away he was in the service because Veterans, like myself can almost always tell who served. I can pick out a combat Vetran every time which amazes my wife as many times I will approach a stranger and welcome him home.

Anyway, this young man was in the Navy. He had short hair, an American Flag on his hat and backpack, and he called me "Sir". When I come upon an older man than myself (there aren't many left) and I know he is a Vet, I also address him as Sir because that shows respect. Something lost on almost everybody today.

We started talking about his service and he told me about his basic training and was actually embarassed that it was so easy. He told me that the drill instructors were not allowed to curse at them. They couldn't hit them, They couldn't train outside if the weather was not perfect, they could only give him 20 minutes of exercize, then had to allow them to rest and they had a card with exercizes on it and that was all the exercizes they could give them. He also told me when people thank him for his service, he says, he really isn't doing much, but Thank You.

If it were not for my seatbelt, I would have fallen off my chair.

He asked me about my training. I told him that in basic training we were not allowed to walk anywhere except Sunday morning. If we wanted to go three feet we had to run. After breakfast, at 4:00am we ran outside for inspection, no matter what the weather. Then we low crawled through a trench filled with soft mud for about 50 yards while drill Sargents kept screaming and stepping on the back of our heads to make sure our face was in the mud. Then we got up and ran through an obstical course before standing on line for breakfast. Three minutes was allowed for breakfast, no talking. Then you ran back to the barracks for a three minute change so you could get inspected. If you failed inspection you ran for most of the rest of the day and if you were over weight, you were put in the "Dune Platoon" which was just running all day with three other guys carrying a telephone pole. If one guy fell, the other three had to carry him, then go back for the pole. Then you got on with whatever you were going to learn for the day. Drill Sargeants had no problem hitting, kicking, punching or in some cases, breaking a leg on you. You didn't get to sue but the Army paid for the cast.

That was the Army then. The Marines did all that just to warm up.

Now, unfortunately, after talking to this fine Sailor, I feel we are turning out Snowflakes.

I hated my Drill Sargents but after a while my feelings changed dramatacaly and I admired the guy.

When I got to Viet Nam that training paid off because all of our fighting was in mud and there were times when that mud wasn't deep enough for me to put my face down into. I was used to the mud and it didn't bother me one bit. The enemy cursed at us while they were shooting, that also didn't bother me nor did the hot climate, snakes, scorpions, leaches, rain or anything else. That is why we trained and trained hard. We are not doing our service men and women any favors by training them like girlscouts.

Our brave fighting Men and Women deserve better and should be trained to fight, not have a bake sale. If they find themselves in combat, they should be ready and in shape.

I am sure this new training regimin is due to lawyers. I think when a lawyer gets involved in a case where we are trying to train Soldiers and not little girls we should gingerly remove that lawyer from the Army base and gently, threaten him to within an inch of his life, or make him go through Old School Basic training. Then we can get on with making Soldiers and let the lawyers stay in college.

If you are interested in what Basic training was like look up "Full Metal Jacket" and watch the Boot Camp part. The rest of the movie is also very realistic.

[treesprite]

When I was a kid, my dad talked about his training also including learning how to eat maggots from dead bodies to keep from starving to death. I'm sure they were not getting them from dead people bodies just for training. I wonder if the new way of training teaches soldiers to keep from starving.

[zygote2k]

When I went to Fort Benning in 86 for basic, the no beatings by drill sergeants law had just been passed. They could however still make your life a living H-E-double hockey sticks. Standing at attention or front leaning rest position in any kind of weather, sleep deprivation, extreme amounts of exercise were the norms. I was one of the overweight guys and we got 8 hours a day of PT.

[paul b]

We basically just got beaten. There were no laws against anything and even if there were, no one would know about it as computers and cell phones were not invented yet.

Our barracks in basic had no heat or AC and it was cold. We had to have a guy on fire watch but there was no chance of fire, but we wished there was.

To wake us up at around 4:00am they would sometimes throw steel garbage cans in the middle of the barracks on the cement floor that we had to mirror polish every day. It had about half an inch of wax on it so if you walked on it, you sunk in. And those barracks were built during WW2 out of wood.

I took basic in 69

Edited April 3, 2017 by paul b

[Coral Hind]

I remember that metal trash can flying down the aisle. There were no beatings for me but like zygote2k said, they had other ways of making your life suck both mentally and physically. I think we have become a soft overly cautious and sensitive society and it has carried over into our military too. No disrespect intended to the younger vets and I thank them when I see them just like I do when I see a guy wearing a WWII hat.

 

As for hating my drill sergeants, yeah I think we all did at the time but I totally respect them now and I'd buy them a beer if I saw them again. I actually bumped into all three of my drill sergeants while I was still on active. I was stationed at Rome, NY when Sgt. Cola pulled me over for speeding on base. A couple years later I was in Florida and went to the base hospital to visit a troop and Sgt. Powers was getting on the elevator as I was getting off. Then a couple years after that and I was in Korea running power for an A/C unit in a guys office who turned out to be Sgt. Robinson.

 

Times have changed and us old dogs might say that basic isn't what it used to be but I think there is still some very valuable life lessons learned in basic and the military that every young person would benefit from. I think this country would be better off for having every young person serve two years after school.

[paul b]

I think this country would be better off for having every young person serve two years after school.

I have always said that but you and I know that if that were to happen, the majority of the young people (not all by any stretch of the imagination) would find some sort of excuse to not go in. During the 60s we had plenty of Sissies who went to Canada. Then they pardoned them and they came back. Do you see anything wrong with that?

I have no problem with leaving the country if you disagree with it, but then stay out.

I love my country and our Military and I also always thank a Vet, especially those WW2 guys who are all almost gone now.

I feel our Vets deserve better training to toughen them up. Combat is not fun so you want to be in the best shape you can be and if you get beat up in basic, it is good experience because our enemies will not go by that "no hitting" rule.

[rottloverr]

Thank you guys for your service.

[mr11]

While I didn't have to go through basic, I went through the Army Basic Officer Leadership Course two summer ago which was the only training we got before becoming AD Army officers. We were in individual hotel rooms with room and maid service, it was pretty ridiculous. Granted I'm medical so I won't be in the trenches but I definitely expected more. 

[paul b]

I don't know about that.  We always had a Medic with us living under the same conditions and getting killed at the same rate.

This is a typical Firebase in Nam.  I helped build and lived on 14 of these.  This is in the high country on the Cambodian border.  That training in the mud came in handy.  That war was fought from these Firebases.  That is a Cobra Gunship in the rear.  They helped us a lot.  Medics and everybody else were there.

 

 

This is it from a helicopter. It is basically a clearing in the jungle.

 

 

Here I am with a friend. Didn't need a pet shop. He just walked up to me and smiled.

Edited April 8, 2017 by paul b

[mr11]

Oh absolutely the medics are up there. I'm a physician in training though and physicians usually aren't forward deployed. Occasionally we'll get sent to a FOB but typically we stay at the larger bases in the combat support hospitals.