Ft. Lost in the woods.

17 years old, getting on the cattle car heading to Basic from Reception. This huge Drill Sergeant talking in a voice hardly louder then a whisper welcoming us and saying there were a few golden rules: The Drill Sergeants couldn't kill us or have sex with us, everything else was fair game.

So here we are rolling down the road and the guy sitting beside me whispers loudly: "what do you think they will do to us? The Drill Sergeant tells him to shut up. A few moments goes by and the guy says: "man I'm really nervous, you?" The Drill Sergeant says: One more time... a few minutes go by and the guy says: my name is John, what's yours?

Suddenly I hear this roar and the Drill Sergeant is grabbing this guy yelling "ok cupcake thats it", throws him down in the well and is kicking him and throwing his duffel bag on him. The guy is yelling and screaming for help and we pull up in front of the barracks and the doors open and this Drill Sergeant yells for us to stand fast till they remove this trash. I see this guy being drug away by two men wearing Smokies and this Drill Sergeant is suddenly whispering in my ear if I don't have my eyes forward in three seconds I will be next.

Fast forward ten minutes when we finally make it to the barracks after coming off the cattle car with what seems like 500 push ups and one screaming drop and another yelling recover and no matter which one you did..it was the wrong one. The Senior Drill is introducing us to the Drill Sergeants and he said last but not least and this "trainee" who got beat up is now wearing a Smokey staring straight at me with a smile on his face.

Being told (yelled at) that I must be the driest man in NATO when I had an extra towel out for inspection one morning. It was all I could do not to laugh when my MCpl brought out that little gem. The push ups that followed took some of the humour out of it, but I still laugh when I think of it.

Ft. Puke Louseyanna 1974 Old South fort(WW2 wooden barracks.... A chapel just down the road from our company area Plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with bells every evening after Flag call. Ft. Puke was infantry basic I signed for Armor Had a running battle with our DI that I was NOT a grunt!!!!!!! I won... After we graduated Basic I watched as the Grunts marched off to North base to Grunt AIT and I hit a cab to the airport to go to Ft. Knox!!!!!!!
They tore down our Co area as we left!!!!!!!!

Did Basic Training at Ft. Dix, NJ, August - October of 1991. We called it Ft. Dixnyland; I have no idea why. Basic wasn't all that tough, and I actually wish it had been harder. Might have prepared me for OCS, but that's another story.

Anyway, I was one of the first to arrive at Reception Battalion fro Los Angeles, CA; and I spent several weeks there before going "up the trail". That first day at the traning company was pretty scarry, I'll admit, but most of us survived. Since I was a 09S (Officer Candidate) I was made Assistant Platoon Guide. There were eight 09S in our company, and we were all in leadership positions (for obvious reasons).

Dring my time in Co B 1/26 INF, my platoon had 12 Drill Sergeants. That's right, twelve! We had the four from Co B, four from the Reserve unit tht did its two weeks with us, and four from Co C when the two companies merged. Oh, and we had two Drill Cadets from West Point, but it seemed like they knew less than us sometimes. Nice guys, though.

My dad actually graduated from Basic Training at Ft. Dix, NJ, in 1966. At least I think it was 1966.


Tommytanker, I was stationed at Ft. Polk, LA, from 1992 - 1994. My battery actually started at North Fort. Most of those WWII baracks are still there. Did PLDC in some of them.

Jim

Just graduated from Basic in November, currently at AIT. Of the many stories this comes from Week 2. We had one drill sergeant who had just passed out our mail during the evening formation in the bay. We were all sitting and he asked us if we had any concerns. I think some private in the back was saying something but it didn't interest the DS because he started getting this detached look in his eyes.

I remember him ever so briefly glancing over his shoulder towards the wall. Without hesitation, he grabbed the mail box and threw it into the wall. Thinking it was because of something we had said, we sat there stunned. He continued by grabbing the closest thing available - our phase banner...nothing more than a pole with a red flag - and stabbing it into the bottom of the wall. One guy later said he thought of running.

After about 5 seconds had elapsed when he stopped, dropped the phase banner with a loud crack, bent down and picked up a mouse by the tail.....dead.


Behind his back, we silently bestowed him the alternate MOS of 99Z - Ninja Warrior. He later earned a CNB - Combat Ninja Badge - for his heroic efforts of killing a snake laying next to a private's feet with his knife thrown from a couple yards away, and - with our battery guidon - attacked and killed racoons on two different occasions as the enemy attempted to infiltrate our perimeter and seize the water buffalo for their nefarious needs. His actions were in the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Fort Sill Field Artillery Training Command, and the United States Army........

Jeff

In US Marines basic training, the day before graduation the entire training company goes on a 2 mile run with the BC leading the way. Each platoon calls their own cadence and occasionally the DI's will let recruits call the cadence. I got picked and led my platoon for 2 or 3 minutes. I did "C-130 rollin down the strip" pretty boring I know, but I was nervous.

Hey C-130 is never boring, just over used. Plus its an easy cadence to pick up and also fun when the caller puts some ummph in it.

Jeff

July 1987, Euskirchen (near Cologne) in the beautiful Eiffel. The "Belgian Barracks" are an 19th century solid brick and mortar construction that has been absorbed into the city decades ago.

Our platoon seargeant was an original. Think James Coburne as "Steiner", really a great guy. Our platoon leader was counting down his days (He was a 12-year man finishing same day as we did).

One day the order was to dig fighting positions. Or better to TRY digging them since 40cm below the topsoil the Eiffel is solid volcanic shale. We where assigned positions by the 1Lt and when the StaffSgt (Oberfeldwebel) comes by he yells at me because a sizeabel sapling is blocking my LOS. Order is "cut it down" despite a clear rule NOT to do so (Civilian Forrest). Well, the SSgt says so, down goes the tree. Halfway through the job the 1Lt comes, more yelling this time for cutting the tree. 1Lt: "Who told you to do so?" Me: "The Oberfeld" 1Lt: "Oh, oh. Guess than it is okay. If he said so...." Since that day I know that Officers may lead but it's Feldwebels who really run the show.

Same exercise we where told to use reflective/glowing tape to mark the fighting position by putting some on the tree next to it and away from the enemy. One comrad "forgot" to do that. So at night the alarm goes, I grab my MG-3, down the positions counting strips and do a jump in the "correct" hole, naturally jumping one short. Soft landing for me since it was the sentry position. The sentry was less amused to get 120kg of Soldier plus an MG3 thrown at him.

Got to Parris Island at 0 dark 30 and soon after was rushed off the bus onto the yellow footprints. The next two days are still somewhat of a blur, but I do remember thinking "What did I get myself into"

After I picked up with my platton, things kinda found a routine about them and while it was the thoughest thing I had ever did I managed to adjust somewhat. When we got to the rifle range I finally found somthing I was good at. From that point on I tried my best to stay out of trouble and get through it. The day I walked across that parade deck was and still is one of the proudest days of my life. I think the only thing that tops that day is the birth of my children. I have been a nasty civilian for a little over 10 years now, but not a day goes by that I don't use somthing that they taught me in basic.

Would love to go back and do it over with the knowledge in the begining that I ended up leaving with.

For me I was looking forward to the yellow footprints, since I had heard so much about them and all the funny stories of fear and doubt. It wasn't until the 2nd or 3rd day of processing that the culture shock really began to set in. Sitting ass to bellybutton on the deck waiting for shots thinking "13 more weeks of this, no f'n way."

osut ft benning, ga Harmony church last cycle 87 during the last fx was doing opfor 2nd day came across a pair asleep in thier foxhole, for the two captured guys I was allowed a totem of redman for the last couple days. of the fx the first bit got me sicker then a dog the last couple were right on the money.

I did both BCT and AIT Infantry training at Fort Polk in the spring of "74. Our lucky BCT company was right across the street from the Drill Sgts. Academy. So not only did we have professional (Viet Nam Veteran) DI's, we also had to endure trainee DI's trying to impress there instructors. Naturally we looked forward to range and filed training. Ah yes, bayou country in March, April and May - torrential rains, tornados and spring floods.

AIT was on the opposite side of the post; near 5th Mech and their "new" 113's. Again, bayou country in May, June with graduation after the Infantry Qualification Course the Friday before July 4.

Gained 20 pounds and a new tolerance for pain and abuse.

1972 Orlando US Navy Boot Camp 7 week wonders, I was privy to a momma's boy who pissed in his pants at every inspection that the DI spoke to him in a raised voice. I once instructed him how to lace his boots, which he failed and blamed me for not getting it correct. He should never had used an excuse like that, the DI made the entire company run the barracks obstical course. While the DI invited his fellow DI's to observe us running an oval course in the barracks and jumping through the bottom bunk for an hour. Momma's boy was given an invitiation to the feelings of the company at lights out. At a personnel inspection mamma's boy failed and pissed on the DI's shoes which caused us to do 500 push ups, and it can be done if you just step out of your mind and into a dream. On another inspection that everyone passed except our favorite recruit, again we had an audience of DI's and were instructed to perform the dead cockroach until we dropped. After every recruit had either passed out or just gave up I was the only one left at 4 hours. Our DI pulled up a chair and sat next to me and said if I could out last him no one would be punished for a week. At 19 on my back with my head, arms, and legs in the air I just closed my eyes and zoned out until the DI called it at 8 1/2 hours. From then on the DI gave me no problems and the other recurits were always bugging me to intervien with the DI on their behalf or help them with something. Who would know that playing like a dead cockroach would change my life for the better.

Robert

For me, the summer vacation I spent at beautiful Paris Island S.C. in 1984. The sand fleas and sand pits. Enough said.

Semper FI

Rob

Bootcamp for me was in August of 1972 at Great Lakes NTC. It was nothing like I had thought it would be. What I had thought would have been hour after hour of physical torture ended up being one class after the other. Our CC got us out of having to do the obstacle course and we didn't have to go through the tear gas demonstration. Firefighting and damage control training was a blast. The only bad time was during Service Week. I was assigned to the galley and hated every minute of that.

As a company though we did have our act together which is why the CC gave us so much slack. He even sprang for pizza for the entire company every week. And in the end he was rewarded by us being named color company for our graduating class.

Ahhh yes...nut to but....sleep deprivation and black friday. Ill never forget the day I met my DI's god damn....we got beat. The best thing is running into them in the fleet, I ran into mine out of coincidence in Stuttgart(of all places) he happened to be stationed there. I'm a civilian now, but when I saw him my heart sank, I was with my wife, and shes asked What the heck! my problem was? I explained to her he was my DI, and happened to be the most influential Marine I ever met. Pretty cool, went out with him, drank some beer, and shot the [auto-censored]. Still pretty freakin intimidating though

Funny I should see this thread today. My pers file had just been relocated after going missing following my Afghan tour. My boss and I were going through it, we got to my 3rd year assessment at Royal Military College, where my Sqn Comd wrote approx 1000 words of nastyness.

One of the most memorable quotes "Officer Cadet Davidson shows a total disrespect for the Canadian Forces in that he was observed to have worn muddy shoes for two days in a row" My entire year's performance summed up by 48 hours of Oxfords with some mud splashes on the toe caps. My boss asked if I wanted that report stripped from my file, as it follows you throughout your entire career - i told him no way! This Capt really had it out for me, and to read the comments 20 years later was hilarious.

We called that Ft Lost in the woods misery. I was there winter 71

I never got yelled at. Maybe because at an age of 17 (barely) I was the baby of the company. But, my CC would walk up to me and stand beside me facing the opposite direction. Then in a quite voice he would say "You are &@#%*^! up Mr. Wilkinson", then just walk away.
Ron W.

Well.......I remember two things very well.....one is ....why in the hell do they send Florida boys to boot camp in the cold of winter in Great lakes. They not only sent me there for boot camp, but the following year they sent me again in the dead of winter to attend school. Froze my ass off.......slipped on the icy steps and busted the same. Never forgot the pain. The other thing is how they lie to you at the recruiters. When I joined up, Viet Nam was going strong and I personally didn't want to end up there in the Army, so I joined the Navy, figured things are better on a ship and maybe they will send me someplace else. Well so did most of my boot camp company think the same. At the end of training, when the orders came out most of them did not get their origional duty promises granted. Instead they were all shipped to the brown water navy for duty in Viet Nam. The life expectancy for these guys in combat is pretty short. As for me, I ended up on an aircraft carrier and toured the Med for two years. Got older and the thought of ground combat didn't scare me as much so I joined the Seabees......stayed till I retired in year 2000.

I hated my basic - just before POP (passing out parade) my section was "arrowed" to do the log PT display - I buggered up my spine during training ....

got me posted to my unit as a armskoteman .....