Originally posted by Mightytboy
How could anything be easier than the USAF boot camp?
I went through it in '82 and I actually gained 10lbs because I got out of shape.
The most we did in a day was 25 pushups 25 jumping jacks 25 sit ups and ran as a group for 1 1/4 mile.
Getting yelled at only happened if you didn't make your bed right or if your locker was out of order.
I'm an instructor for the Air Force and I yell a ton. They get two mandated phone calls before the 5th week of training. One apon arival to give their address to their parents and say very clearly "NO PACKAGES" and the other the weekend before the 4th week of training to coordinate travel plans with their parents.
Other than that what ever phone calls they get home they earn through performance and let me tell you it is one of the best carrots that I have to wave in their faces.
On the stick side I'm allowed to make them do 2 min "exercise challenges" consisting of pushups, flutter kicks, and diamons. I am restricted on where and when I can do this (IE at the mess hall and after chow time) and I am also restricted on the amount that I can beat them.
Other than that there's other games we play to stress them out such as you have 19 seconds to get here GO and when they fail they start over.
If an instructor is restricted on using his voice the recruits just arent getting the same experience. You can scream all you want and still provide mentorship. Some of these kids we get have had everything given to them their whole lives and show up expecting the same. It is a rude friggen awakening.
Also, Gradually doesnt work because you definatly want to put a shock to their system. Fire fights don't gradually become intense, they usually flair up and trigger a human's "flee/fight response". You want to discourage the first one and encourage the latter. If they can't handle a ton of stress droped on them in an instant they will crack under the pressure of modern warfare.
Couple all of this with the most basic tennants of discipline. You NEED them to have that instant willing obeidence to all orders and commands. There's a limited amount of ways to acheived that with the restrictrions placed on the instructor. When the NCO says "take that objective" you don't want your troops to question why you just want them to act.
I simply cannot fathom making boot camp easier to accomidate the changes in America's youth. It strikes in the face of all that have served and made it.
Lower standards have never produced better quality in anything that I am aware of.
