Author Topic: The Army's boot camp is now easier than the Air Force's (Read 2581 times)

AquaShrimp · « **Reply #15 on:** November 05, 2006, 11:53:37 PM »

It is, if you're in Armor.

Thrawn · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2006, 12:01:53 AM »

I guess the army doesn't want the bottom of the barrel to quit.

Masherbrum · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2006, 12:03:07 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by rpm
I hope everyone understands we are bashing the troops in this thread.

FiLtH · « **Reply #18 on:** November 06, 2006, 12:11:27 AM »

Im bashing the system. For years they've trained troops...and now someone has a better idea? Soft PC BS.

moot · « **Reply #19 on:** November 06, 2006, 02:31:08 AM »

What does proper troop conditioning have to do with politics?

Angus · « **Reply #20 on:** November 06, 2006, 02:35:19 AM »

Lol, looks like my "bootcamp" from filmmaking was tougher. We couldn't have phones so easily, we were yelled at, we had to march forever in soft sand with WW2 gear and do endless foxholes and running up and round and dive into craters etc. Some guys had to do an 8 hrs shift on Higgins boats or LVT's that were in the sea basically going in circles, - that means no toilet and no food, hehe. And we were outside and rather cold most of the time. The food sucked in the beginning, but got better later on.
And...we had the time of our lives. It was a BLAST! And our screaming sergeants vere our absolute favourites!!!

Nilsen · « **Reply #21 on:** November 06, 2006, 03:34:27 AM »

Im sorry, but wtf is wrong with having a cellphone as long as you use it when off-duty? Jeez.. its 2006.

DiabloTX · « **Reply #22 on:** November 06, 2006, 03:46:15 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Nilsen
Im sorry, but wtf is wrong with having a cellphone as long as you use it when off-duty? Jeez.. its 2006.

It doesn't specify if authorized use is limited to "off-duty" only, so who knows. The fact that some luxury as the use of a cell phone should be earned, not given. The 8 weeks I was in BC I got to call home once. And that was after 6 weeks of earning the right to call home. Not to mention cell phone etiquette, or lack there of, is crazy now. You find people that will DIE if they don't have their cell phones within easy grasp. Boot camp is to weed out the civilian crutches: soda, junk food, playstation, internet, and television. Cell phones should be added to that list as well.

Nilsen · « **Reply #23 on:** November 06, 2006, 04:04:18 AM »

If I remember correctly we could use them after 4 weeks when not in class or on other duty/training. Wasnt really a problem back then as small cellphones had not become something everyone at that age had. If someone did have one and it was not switched off when on duty it did not matter if you had been in the service for 2 weeks or 2 years... it got confiscated.

If on a ship we could not use them at all except when the skipper announced it, and that was usually for half an hour when he felt like it. Could go days without having that option. If someone turned it on when not allowed there was a gizmo on the ship that sniffed it asap and you would be in a world of ****

You could use the payphones on bases whenever you had the time/offduty. Didnt matter if you were in bootcamp.

We had plenty of yelling and shouting, but who cares about that really. If you feel intimedated by that then you are weak. You dont get respect for an officer if he yells at you anyway exept for perhaps the first few weeks when everything is new.
After that you ignore it. Respect for officers is not something you get after beeing yelled at. Respect is something you give an officer that knows his business and knows how to make you understand that and respect him for it. If you are worried about getting kicked out then you do as he said when he sees you. If you respect him and is not just worried about getting yelled at then you do as he sais or teaches you even when he is not around.

Respect and yelling in itself has nothing to do with eachother.

Angus · « **Reply #24 on:** November 06, 2006, 05:59:42 AM »

Here's the Marines wicked swim traning. Hehe, you wear combat gear and they drop you in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJedBsKgxFY&mode=related&search=
I did that with WW2 gear, but no gun (just a shovel) . Anyway, you jump into the deep end and you're supposed to get your helmet and backpack off and swim with those items to the shallow ground.
Hehe, I flushed, couldn't get my backpack off. Well, I swam with the backpack, but to be by the book I had to go again.
One guy panicked and ripped his helmet off the straps, lol.
It was a blast!

Nilsen · « **Reply #25 on:** November 06, 2006, 06:05:46 AM »

A real soldier swallows the water and walks were he needs to go

Angus · « **Reply #26 on:** November 06, 2006, 06:24:34 AM »

LOL, reminds me of a true story.
Happened at Arnhem, when the Brits were trying to advance over water, - in little boats, while basically being massacred by German machine gun fire and artillery.
One boad toppled, dropping the whole and loaded crew into the water. This was wittnessed by soldiers who had made it ashore.
One gunner, wrapped in ammo belts sank like a stone.
Anyway, less than a minute later, a soldier on the bank saw a helmet coming out of the water, then a head, then a whole soldier, WALKING out of the water.
He was so heavily loaded that he sank to the bottom, which was smooth and not so sticky, so he walked.

to that guy for holding his breath, orientation and guts together.

Hornet33 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 06, 2006, 06:31:31 AM »

I went through Army boot in 89 and then Coast Guard boot in 92. Yes I did it twice, and neither time was I allowed to use the phone before week 4 and then it was a timed 10 minute call to one number with a DI standing right there.

At Army boot at Ft. Sill we were beat on a regular basis. 20 pushups was the max they could drop us for at any one time so they got around that by having us drop to "winds" as they called it. We would drop do 20, stand up do a right face and right back down again, untill we had knocked out 80 pushups. I had DI's in my face screaming at me if I screwed up and I was able to take it. Lights out was at 2200 and they were kicking the cans at 0500 for PT. Out of almost 90 guys in my platoon we had 1 guy that cracked and lost it. He was kicked out. We had 2 more that were rolled into the next cycle due to injuries.

It was hard and it was stressfull and when I finished I knew I had accomplished something important. Coast Guard boot was easy for me because I already knew what to expect.

Now it's just to easy for these kids. They don't get the stress in boot that they need to be able to cope with real world operations. At my last operational command (the cutter Legare) we had these kids come to the ship and they would lose their minds on deployments. I had one girl on my ship that worked for me in combat. We had just come off an 8 hour watch and they set the Law Enforcement bill to go board this freighter, so we had to go back on watch. She got mad, left combat and went to her rack. I had to send someone to find her and bring her back. When I asked her what she was thinking she told me "I already did my 8 hours today and it's not fair that I have to stand watch on my time." At that point I lost it and explained in no uncertain terms that when she is onboard the ship she is on duty 24/7/365 and if she EVER left combat again like that I was going to book her. 3 weeks later I had her at captains mast, charged with failure to obey a lawfull order.

She wasn't the only person on the ship like that. ALL these new kids think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and then looked shocked when they get hammered for it. They question simple orders, and give smart prettythang answers, and have no respect for authority.

Boot camp needs to be as tough as possible to teach these kids that high stress is an everyday part of life in the military. If they can't handle it, then wash them out and get rid of them.

john9001 · « **Reply #28 on:** November 06, 2006, 06:56:08 AM »

thank god there is still a Marine Corp.

x0847Marine · « **Reply #29 on:** November 06, 2006, 12:50:37 PM »

1988 MCRD San Diego - I got to call home, collect, on a payphone once and I cant ever recall getting 8 hours sleep. During our time at the range we had "mess" duty and got 2 or 3 hours a night for a week solid. This dude Marcell (you out the Celly?) fell asleep on his feet, slipped forward and burned his face and hands in a vat of bubbling patty melt matter, then cracked his Mellon on the floor... Poor fker lol.

fluff'n cell phones to call home?... weak.