RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,174428,00.html

Tackle the myth of saltpeter in your food. That was a popular one when I was in Basic and AIT at Benning. There were guys in my platoon that would watch what the drill sgts would eat and only eat that. Talk about paranoia.

I certainly don't know what goes on a Basic Training these days,but from my perspective there seems to be shortcomings. First for some background, I went to Army Basic in 1986(Ft Knox) and Navy Basic in 1989 at Great Lakes.After Desert Storm I had a 12 year break in service,now I'm back in Iraq(deployed Army Natl.Guard)and I see attitudes and behavior from E-4 and below being worse not better. These kids don't seem to have much respect for the NCO Corps,and Basic Training is where it is supposed to start.The system has tied the hands of the Drill Sgt, and now we have to live with what they send us,spoiled little s-heads that think they have 'Rights'. Too bad we can't 'wall to wall'counsel anymore! Learning was much faster back in those days, and respect for rank didn't have to be negotiated.

It's been 40 years since I went through basic. I had a friend that had done his time in the army before I was drafted and he told me what to expect. I spent many a hour listening to his stories of the fun and not so fun times he had. What a difference those stories made for me when I stepped off that bus at Ft. Lewis and was met by two rabid DIs. I knew what to expect. The fear was gone, but I still had respect for what I was about to go through.

Nothing canceled the pain of being pushed physically beyond what I though I could endure. Nothing could erase the feeling of CS gas burning every wet place on my body. Nothing could prepare me for the humiliation and wrath placed upon the whole platoon when someone earlier in the night had gone AWOL to Canada. Nothing eased my mind knowing that after a few months most of our butts were going to be in Vietnam.

What made it easier? Looking back these many years, it was those hours listening to my friend's stories. It's knowledge that turns a little light on the unknown. Basic isn't fun. It isn't meant to be fun. It's designed to keep you alive. More power to any DI that only wants our country's finest to stay alive!

Went to basic about 2 years ago, and yea. A lot of us were concerned about some things we heard threw the grapevine. One guy swore to god that it was going to be just like Full Metal Jacket, needless to say, he was wrong.

All in all, what the recruit thinks Basic Training is all about, is usually 10x worse than what the training actually is.

I went through basic in 1986 at Ft. Wood. 2 weeks in, I realized doing exactly what drill sgt's. told me to do, I did it wrong. They break you down from civilian to soldier in 8 weeks. That is not enough time to make you a soldier. Basic training is just that, the basics.

My son is at Ft. Benning now and has only been able to call a few times. He was injured and was permitted to call so I could make sure his civilian medical records were faxed to the base.
I have't been told what his injuries are. The doctors keep giving him different information. At this point he's not sure what's wrong, but the military is giving him a medical discharge. He was injured 4 weeks ago and still doesn't know when he will come home. His buddy shattered his ankle, they did surgery, he's home on convalecent leave, goes back for rehab, then continues basic. I would really like to know what is wrong with my son and why he's being discharged but I don't know who to turn to for answers. A colonel told my son that he could go to college and come back as an officer. My son wanted to be a combat medic, then get a nursing or physicain assistant degree after the Army. Being a veteran myself and being married to a veteran, that sounds like bulls#%t to me. Why would the Army let him back in after a medical discharge?

Any ansers?

It sounds like your son isn't being 100% honest with you. Also, your son's civilian medical records should have been submitted prior to going to basic.

I am betting that there is something your son is neglecting to tell you out of embarrassment due to you and your wife (his mother?) having military background...

quote:

Originally posted by 18368463:
My son is at Ft. Benning now and has only been able to call a few times. He was injured and was permitted to call so I could make sure his civilian medical records were faxed to the base.
I have't been told what his injuries are. The doctors keep giving him different information. At this point he's not sure what's wrong, but the military is giving him a medical discharge. He was injured 4 weeks ago and still doesn't know when he will come home. His buddy shattered his ankle, they did surgery, he's home on convalecent leave, goes back for rehab, then continues basic. I would really like to know what is wrong with my son and why he's being discharged but I don't know who to turn to for answers. A colonel told my son that he could go to college and come back as an officer. My son wanted to be a combat medic, then get a nursing or physicain assistant degree after the Army. Being a veteran myself and being married to a veteran, that sounds like bulls#%t to me. Why would the Army let him back in after a medical discharge?

Any ansers?

It sounds to me that your son is probably hiding an unwillingness to continue training. When I was in Basic and AIT at Ft. Benning (back before non-infantry types were trained there), we had guys who got medical discharges with small injuries to their bodies. They found really quickly that the Army wasn't for them and pride would not let them admit it, so they nagged about small injuries until they were put into entry level separation. I don't know what all paperwork or process is included in the process, but they didn't get to leave Ft. Benning all that much before we did (take into consideration that some of these guys started the process during our first week down range). It was nice to have someone to pull CQ and clean the barracks for us though.

Wow, Ok so I realized all men were writing. I haven't gone to basic yet and to be a 100 percent honest I'm scared senseless. I've heard so much stuff it's hard to comprehend what's fact and what's fiction. Any helpful hints, do not look down on me because I am a girl. I am not ignorant nor will I be intimidated by a bunch of men. Just facts please. Also what was the daily life like?

Thanks!
Ame

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Wow, Ok so I realized all men were writing. I haven't gone to basic yet and to be a 100 percent honest I'm scared senseless. I've heard so much stuff it's hard to comprehend what's fact and what's fiction. Any helpful hints, do not look down on me because I am a girl. I am not ignorant nor will I be intimidated by a bunch of men. Just facts please. Also what was the daily life like?

Thanks!
Ame

I have no idea what coed basic training is like, but basic training is like nearly everything else in the Army, if you put in the effort, there is no reason that you should not succeed.

quote:

Originally posted by Teebone30:

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Wow, Ok so I realized all men were writing. I haven't gone to basic yet and to be a 100 percent honest I'm scared senseless. I've heard so much stuff it's hard to comprehend what's fact and what's fiction. Any helpful hints, do not look down on me because I am a girl. I am not ignorant nor will I be intimidated by a bunch of men. Just facts please. Also what was the daily life like?

Thanks!
Ame

I have no idea what coed basic training is like, but basic training is like nearly everything else in the Army, if you put in the effort, there is no reason that you should not succeed.

Thanks for your time! Any interesting tidbits that might help me?

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:

quote:

Originally posted by Teebone30:

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Wow, Ok so I realized all men were writing. I haven't gone to basic yet and to be a 100 percent honest I'm scared senseless. I've heard so much stuff it's hard to comprehend what's fact and what's fiction. Any helpful hints, do not look down on me because I am a girl. I am not ignorant nor will I be intimidated by a bunch of men. Just facts please. Also what was the daily life like?

Thanks!
Ame

I have no idea what coed basic training is like, but basic training is like nearly everything else in the Army, if you put in the effort, there is no reason that you should not succeed.

Thanks for your time! Any interesting tidbits that might help me?

Just realize that they are going to break you down during the first few weeks, so that they can build you back up as a soldier. They will push you beyond the physical limitations that your mind has set for you. They will never tell you to do something that cannot be done. It will be stressful and confusing, but you will survive it and succeed if you really want to. I don't know what your MOS is going to be, but for the most part, the training that you will receive in basic training is just that, basic. If you are concerned that it is not in depth enough, relax, because when you arrive at your unit you will get what you need to do your job. It is just like the police academy in some ways. In the academy, they give you the foundation that you need to learn your job in field training and on the street, and confirm that you have the physical and mental skills to do so. Furthermore, if you find yourself in a downward trend in motivation, you are lonely, scared, homesick, etc, know that there have been millions of people in the history of the US Army that have felt those same emotions at some point during their initial training and that they made it, so you can, too. Personally, I don't know if I had a conscious thought from the time we had the "shark attack" coming off the cattle trucks until about week 3. All I can remember from that time was focusing on the fact that my drill sgt. told me to do whatever task that I was going about doing. I consider that to be the point where they built absolute discipline and obedience to superiors in me. At about week 3 or so, they began to build us back up. I liken it to resetting your computer to default settings and programming it a little differently than it was before. It's not that starkly different, but it is better for the purposes that you want to use it for. I hope that you can make sense of my rambling. I certainly wish you luck and safety, and I am proud that young people like you are still there to serve our country, and proud of you personally, though I do not know you.

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Wow, Ok so I realized all men were writing. I haven't gone to basic yet and to be a 100 percent honest I'm scared senseless. I've heard so much stuff it's hard to comprehend what's fact and what's fiction. Any helpful hints, do not look down on me because I am a girl. I am not ignorant nor will I be intimidated by a bunch of men. Just facts please. Also what was the daily life like?

Thanks!
Ame

Ame, the best advice given so far is from Teebone30. He's got it right. The reality is it looks like nothing has changed much of Army basic training since I went through it four decades ago. So what can I offer that might be of help? What I can remember that made basic so difficult for some was a person's intelligence. Yep! The college educated "book smart" ones had the roughest time. When I was drafted in 1968 the army was beginning to draft those that had student deferments and were college educated. These smartarses always wanted rational explanations for every little thing that was asked of them. Asking why something had to be done this way or that brought the worst out in a DI. Like Teebone30 mentioned just do exactly what you are told. Don't try to over think everything. Those first few weeks the army doesn't want you to think. The DI will do the thinking for you. Do your best for that day and don't worry about tomorrow. The DI will do the worrying for you.

So if you're not supposed to "think" that much in basic, here's my best suggestion. LISTEN CAREFULLY! Listen! Listen to instructions and then act only on those instructions. Do not be creative and do something else. I know it's against our nature to be like this, but at the end of those first few weeks it will all make sense and you will be a better soldier.

If I had to do it over again this is what I would do different. First I would be in the best physical shape I could get in. All I can say is it will not be good enough because they will find your limit and push you a little bit more. It will hurt, but it won't kill you. If you go in overweight, you will loose weight. I remember guys that at the end of basic training that had to be re-issued clothing because their fatigues hung on them like rags they lost so much weight. If you're weak you will come out strong. If you feel like a nobody going in, you will feel like part of a group and a good soldier coming out. You will be busting with pride over what you have just accomplished.

Something else I would recommend doing, is every chance you get write home. Write in detail; what happened today, what hurts, what was fun, what was horrible etc. Then ask the person that you write to, to save the letters and give them back to you later on. My parents gave me back my letters I wrote home 20 years later and what a treasure they were now. Those letters triggered memories I though I had forgotten. But no, those weeks of basic training are in my head forever. I enjoy thinking about them because those few weeks in basic and the rest of my military tour were a major factor in what shaped me into the person I am now.

Ame, I'm proud of you too. Server our country well.

With respect I comment.

Thank you so much! You don't know how much it means to me. I wish I could say that I wasn't scared and that I was brave. I can say that I respect you both very much and growing up I always looked up to men like you. It is people like you that make me want to do the honorable thing and fight for my country. If you wouldn't mind, could I write to you? Nobody in my family knows what its like. I have one younger sister and that's it.

Thanks for your time and advice!
Amy

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Thank you so much! You don't know how much it means to me. I wish I could say that I wasn't scared and that I was brave. I can say that I respect you both very much and growing up I always looked up to men like you. It is people like you that make me want to do the honorable thing and fight for my country. If you wouldn't mind, could I write to you? Nobody in my family knows what its like. I have one younger sister and that's it.

Thanks for your time and advice!
Amy

Any time. If you want my personal email or home address, you may have it (have to let the wife know why some young lady is writing me, but she'll understand that) all you have to do is ask. I am excited for you and envy your position. I remember the pride that my father showed when I graduated. His side had all been infantrymen, so he was especially proud. My mother's side of the family had traditionally served in the navy, but they were proud of me, too.

Amy, In your heart you know what you need to do. Serving our country is nothing but honorable. In my opinion there is nothing more honorable that you can do. The rewards of serving outweigh the dangers a hundred fold. Just remember the Army doesn't want to put a gazillion bucks into training you just to throw you away. They will do everything to protect you as a fighting soldier and it all starts in basic. I remember a story my drill instructor told my platoon. "The Amry doesn't want YOU to die for your country. The Army wants the enemy to die for his!" Those words have stuck with me a lifetime.

Nobody in my family knew anything about the military either. I was the first since a great uncle that was in World War I. He survived the war and shortly after caught the flu that killed him. He never got home. He's buried in France. So when it was my turn I was scared. I was scared of the unknown. As I mentioned in an earlier post if it wasn't for a friend that had served and was released, I wouldn't have had a clue of what I was up against. We worked in the same place and I quizzed him for stories about the army. We visited for hours about what to expect and he was right. The same things happened to me. Even though it wasn't pleasant, (those first few weeks) I knew what was going to happen. Most important I knew the "why" things were happening. As it's been said before, they want to break you down to rebuild you into a soldier. Just resign yourself to let them do it. Don't worry about them erasing the real Amy. You will still be Amy, but Amy the soldier.

Feel free to write to me and ask anything. It would be an honor for me to help anyone. I'm sure basic is handled a bit different today than decades ago, but the fundamentals are the same. I hope I can remove some of your fears and replace them with anticipation. Here's my email: rickrick1946@hotmail.com Or you can make it public and respond to this post right here. I'm sure there's other folks that have been through this in more recent years and have a different take on it.

Teebone,
Knowing that you care means a lot to me. When I say my parents don't understand, I mean they don't want to. They don't understand why I want to, but that's the way my 'parents' are. They're actually not my bioligical parents so they will sign and then be done with me. That sounds tough but it's the way it's always been. Sure, we like each other, but I wouldn't go as far as to say we love each other. That sounds tough but everyone accepts it.

Rick,
I can honestly say that you are helping me be braver. As for the 'real' Amy. I'm not sure even I know her. It sounds bad, but that's the truth. I would love to be able to send you emails! In a way you remind me of my biological brother. Accept, that's not possible.

quote:

Originally posted by armyluvr16:
Teebone,
Knowing that you care means a lot to me. When I say my parents don't understand, I mean they don't want to. They don't understand why I want to, but that's the way my 'parents' are. They're actually not my bioligical parents so they will sign and then be done with me. That sounds tough but it's the way it's always been. Sure, we like each other, but I wouldn't go as far as to say we love each other. That sounds tough but everyone accepts it.

Situations such as yours can be difficult, to put it lightly. Myself, I havn't seen my biological father since I was about three, so I may know some of what you are going through. I always struggled with acceptance from my step father and when I joined the army of my own free will and chose infantry, it really made him swell up with pride. This is a man who if I rushed for 100 yards in a football game would say, "You should have had 150" or if I went 4 for 4 in a baseball game it was "You didn't hit any home runs". Nothing I ever did made him my real father and there was always that to stand in the way of having a true father/son relationship. As they see you progress as a soldier, they will understand your decision more. It seems that they have given you a good foundation of patriotism and your grammar is good, so you must be reasonably intelligent, so that's a good start.

Teebone,
That is the only thing my biological mother gave me. When I was adopted by my new family I changed me name. The only thing my mom wanted for me was to get a good education. So, I push myself more to make her proud. I can't help but think she'd be proud of me.