markp03

iTrader: (4)

damn GEARHED rippin on the NG like that... it's a shame just becuase i choose to serve my country and live a real life off a post that I can't get the respect that i deserve...

GEARHED

iTrader: (5)

There are only a few NG that join to actually serve their country - not looking for money in one way or another. A *rare* few and no, they don't get any respect because of the low bars set now to be part of any unit - enlisted, R, IRR.

Husband was done after the Navy. He re-joined after a couple of month search for the MOS he knew he would accel in after 9/11. No signing bonus, no education money, no bene's except the promise of a deploy for up to 18 months three times over to do the job he takes very seriously.
At Bragg he came across plenty of enlisted that asked where his diaper was (essentially) at which point he told them his deploy status that they never had to pull. They were shocked to say the least.

Anyone that knows the reason they are there to do the job they signed on for never gets their feathers ruffled. They just look at people like you showed a dog a card trick and get on with their job.

Calvin 6 has said enough. You get my point.

Boehlke

Yeah, your description of Benning is right on with what I experianced around the same time. I went through infantry OSUT, but I was an 18x so I went on to Bragg for the joys of SOPC. I can honestly say SOPC is what basic should have been. we didn't learn **** in basic. it was a total waste of 14 weeks. It didn't do jack **** to get me ready for SFAS or anything else for that matter. I can only imagine what my fellow trainies did when they got to their units. Granted in SOPC we train along side SF soldiers, and thus standards are just a tad higher, but in 4 weeks we learned 100 times more than we did in 14 weeks of basic/ait. Basic wasn't **** compaired to the challenges of SOPC either, which is part of why I felt it was so worth while. We were actually challenged and pushed to our limits. If you fucked up, you weren't just smoked, or yelled at, you got smoked and yelled at while you did pushups, flutter kicks, or whatever else the instructor could think of while you laid in a pool of stagnating water that had been **** and pissed in (among other things) by those who came before. half our class came down with cases of flesh eating bacteria. Now that's exactly the conditions that only let the determined succeed. It amazes me how some people joined up thinking this would be a walk in the park. Unfortunately those of us who are **** hot are now required to train up those we work with, but thats just the way it goes.

blackfang

iTrader: (2)

I never had the crap beat out of me and I attended Parris Island 12 years ago.

markp03

iTrader: (4)

Sorry you have such a **** poor attitude about fellow military members. sounds like you got the raw end of a deal and are now pissed off at the rest of the world. But anyways please don't lump everyone but your husband in the same catagory, and to let you know there is no shame in accepting money or a bonus or a certificet to airborn for signing up for a MOS, god knows we don't get paid enough for what we do.

And dont talk about me like you know me. I did not sign up for the check, the bonus, the school money, all of which are great things to further my life. I signed up for the experience. Where else do i get the chance to make this much of a difference? Where else do i get to throw a grenade? Where else do i get to learn how to treat a tension pneumothorax? Become a combat lifesaver? Jump out of planes, drive a 7 ton, make life long friendships with the guys and girls in your unit?

and no, i am not some NG slob like you imply I max my PT test 12:15 2 mile, I am sure your hubby does it in like 3 minuets so i don't compare but 12:15 is more then maxed, 75+ pushups and 75+ situps, i shoot expert, qualify expert on grenade. I carry the M203 and a man the 50cal.

soo you can take you shitty attitude shove it.

/rant off

CAT3

iTrader: (9)

mark, I believe GEARHED's comment was pretty accurate, and by no means did she single you, or anyone particular person out. Simply stated, few ppl join NG or Reserves for the Honor and Duty, and to that light, I will add, since I think I have enough rank, years, experience and deployments to say this, the same goes for Regular Army. Just cuz someone is fighting GWOT, or enlisted for xxyrs doesnt mean they are doing it for Honor and Duty, care to argue that?

GEARHED

iTrader: (5)

Nail on the head. Ty CAT3. It was never meant to single you out, mark03. Do what you set out to do. That makes you one of the *rare* few I mentioned.

Z-Convert

I did AIT (Infantry school) @ Fort Polk back in 74. This was in July, August and September. No A/C in wooden style 2-story WWII type barracks. As far as basic is concerned I don't think I got 8 hours sleep the whole time I was there, let alone 8 hrs a day. Almost every Drill Sargeant I met had done at least 1 tour of Viet Nam (most 2 or more). They didn't even HAVE cell phones back then.

shandy294

I had BCT at Bragg in 69 (Jan-Mar). It was hard but how hard,IDK...cattle car you to the trg co...yelling resulting in c-fck...hit the ground and stay there for awhile...more yelling...Co Cmdr talks to you (Abn Ranger...CIB)...you're part of "Cold Steel Alpha"...no cuddling...article 15s or worse. It seemed like a mixed bag of tough but not too tough. Maybe they thought the combat mos guys would get more trg. etc. before going overseas or "X amount of them will be dead in a year"...who knows?
There was "special training" for guys who got hurt or had trouble with the pace. They got to ride to the firing ranges etc. (pissed me off). Nam was still going fairly strong and there was a draft;why have special training? I guy at our site at Cu Chi said he spent 5 months in basic...WTF?! I was a 32E20...1st Sig Bde...spt for 25th ID.

I don't see how making it easier will ultimately help. I think this started happening in the early 70s with the ending of Nam and phase-in of the volunteer Army. Were we any better/worse then those in later years...IDK.

paul554

Blackfang- I couldnt help but notice you said you were leaving DS in three weeks. Do you know where your next station is going to be? I'm an MP here on the wonderful FT.Lewis WA post and our company is supposed to be reciven some E6's soon.

krazzycowgirl

Hey another Local My husband is over at McChord.

Armyman2445

iTrader: (17)

Army Has Gotten Weak In New Standards.

DAKMOR

Now, I don't particularly like having to fight in any wars, I do agree that the training is necassary as it "was".

That stuff is no joke. More "friendlyness" won't help you stop any enemy from blowing your a$$ up with a bomb. War is hard, soldiers must be hard or they will break.

They went too soft at that place, Ft. Leonard wood. Some of what they are doing is fine(Warrior Rehab),but not creating a very disciplined and respecting atmosphere (spelling?) is a problem.

But then again, what the f#$& do I know?

my99c5vette

Thank God I retired in 2004 !

sgt0704

iTrader: (3)

i'll take my change.

i doubt that the Marines he was refering to were "stationed" at Baghram. they were probably there for some R&R or just new to the base. any one that's new to a base will have problems finding anything. but compared to the other services i've worked with, and i've worked with them all, except the coasties, i wouldn't describe Marines as goofy. hard headed maybe.

Maybe the army just needs to jump on board with the rest of the services and narrow their boot camp down to just a few places. where the cirriculum is the same for all the newbies all around. the Marines do it, the AF does it, and so does the Navy. i know the army is bigger, but the navy is pretty close in size, and their boot camp is in one place.

Maybe we just need to put Marine Commanders in charge of all of the services "basic training" and put the other services drill sgts through our DI school. that'll toughen up the "less disciplined" services.

lovescamaros28

I am in the Active Duty Army as an E-4/SPC.I came in the Army on April 19th 2005.The Drill Sgts were allowed to yell and to keep soldiers in line back then.They were just not allowed to touch you and use personal insults such as "you are a sorry sack of $HIT(LOL).When I joined BDU's(green) were issued.So we did have to do things such as shine boots.Shortly after I got to my first unit(Korea)they started issuing ACU'S in basic.I thought to myself wow the Army is getting lazy.I had to shine my boots and press my uniform unlike the new ones that come in who dont need to and probably dont know how.While in Korea,I also heard about the new basic training plan.It consist of more polite SGT's,cell phones, and more sleep.I will admit it scares me how soft the Army is getting.There is just too many dirtbags allowed to stay in and portray the US ARMY in a negative way.Personally I joined to fight the war on terror,serve a proud and very historic service(US ARMY),and possibly make a career out of it.Dont get me wrong,the Army going softer is making it easier for soldiers to make a career out of the Army.On the other hand,eventhough I am in a non-combat MOS 63b(light wheel Mechanic),I still would like to be better prepared to fight a war on terror with more strenous training.I deploy to Iraq in September,and eventhough I am not afraid(I believe in fate),I do fear for some of the others in my unit.

jshababy23

I know when I was in Ft. leonardwood for my USMC nbc/cbrn training I would see them going their basic and it was pretty bad. We would see the recruits making phone calls and stuff all the time. I mean I was out of freakin boot and I still couldn't get away with half of that crap.

SCRWS6

jshababy23
I was at Benning for basic,2002 usually they cycled different units through the phones, if I remember correctly 2-5 minutes per person.... just might have looked like they were on all the time when we are all dressed alike...

Damn this thread is long, good to see different point of views and how it affects different people when we lower the standard. As a recruiter I get to see some of em before they ship to basic....well it really is all about numbers, and who scores Alpha and who graduated and whether they make weight, we never have to give em a psych eval or test em against an IED before they join, the point is some actually join for how tough basic is going to be and the discipline they will learn and the chance to work with NCOs they emulate and respect....believe it or not the most successful recruiter out here acts like he is a drill most of the time, cusses em out, smokes em, teaches em how to do things they never knew they could do, but usually these guys come back from basic ready to do whatever they need to get the job done. Give em the right NCO to and they`ll be the next SMAJ of the Army....yeah long post just really don`t want to believe half of what I`m reading here, or am I in denial?

JUICED96Z

I have heard they go rid of the weak boot camp pretty quick and went back to the way it used to be.

ls1kid18

i leave this summer for benning...ill let ya know.