Posted on Jun 25, 2014
What are your fond positive and negative moments/memories in Basic training?
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I think it would be cool to include a photo for one, my basic was 1987 and I still have both positive and negative vivid events from Fort McClellan, Alabama.
Negative: Has to be hospitalization for the Small Pox vaccine during basic marksmanship week and the being told by the drill sergeant I would be reset to another class if I did not get out of the hospital in time to qualify on the M-16, yes the long gun as it is commonly referred to today! My left arm had basically turned blue and purple from the site of the injection to my fingertips and I broke out in hives and ran a temperature. My drill when I approached him lost all facial expression and said sick call ASAP. Not a good event and now being 50, that is the only hospitalization in my 50 years other than birth!
Positive: There were many to be certain, throwing live hand grenades, shooting weapons, diverse groups of people, camping, and driving vehicles, but it had to be the call I received my buddy from high school after not hearing from me for a couple of weeks and getting my drill sergeant on the phone and telling him that he was my brother and there was an emergency. Drill asked me about my brother and when I said I didn't have one, he said he was on the phone downstairs, so after the call I did pushups for about 30 minutes and I lost count after 250 and they were not sequential as not anyone I know can do that many. My buddy stills laughs to this day as he is a civilian and knows not the repercussions it had on me that evening. I learned a lot about the military in a very short time!
Negative: Has to be hospitalization for the Small Pox vaccine during basic marksmanship week and the being told by the drill sergeant I would be reset to another class if I did not get out of the hospital in time to qualify on the M-16, yes the long gun as it is commonly referred to today! My left arm had basically turned blue and purple from the site of the injection to my fingertips and I broke out in hives and ran a temperature. My drill when I approached him lost all facial expression and said sick call ASAP. Not a good event and now being 50, that is the only hospitalization in my 50 years other than birth!
Positive: There were many to be certain, throwing live hand grenades, shooting weapons, diverse groups of people, camping, and driving vehicles, but it had to be the call I received my buddy from high school after not hearing from me for a couple of weeks and getting my drill sergeant on the phone and telling him that he was my brother and there was an emergency. Drill asked me about my brother and when I said I didn't have one, he said he was on the phone downstairs, so after the call I did pushups for about 30 minutes and I lost count after 250 and they were not sequential as not anyone I know can do that many. My buddy stills laughs to this day as he is a civilian and knows not the repercussions it had on me that evening. I learned a lot about the military in a very short time!
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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I enlisted in the Army after graduating from law school at the beginning of the Vietnam buildup (1966). The hard part was getting back in shape like the teenagers who surrounded me and adjusting to the fact that I was the "old man" in the group.
The surprising part was, well, just about everything. One uncle had served in WWI and another in WWII. I also had two cousins who died in WWII, one on Normandy beach on DDay. (Yes, there was a vast age difference in the family). Inasmuch as I had never met any of them and my father never served, I didn't know anything about the Army beyond what I had read in Beetle Bailey comic strips. The training platoon sergeants were dedicated to giving us the skills to survive combat and whip us into shape. I appreciated their every effort even when I suffered for it.
The fascinating part was watching people wash out. The emotional pressure built with every phase and some simply couldn't take it. Hell, I even saw a couple wash out at reception center.
I have written about my experiences at Infantry School - Basic, AIT, and OCS - in a memoir that is available for free on Smashwords. The companion memoir of my tour in Vietnam is also available there for free. I wanted to make them available to anyone with a computer, internet access, and a desire to learn what it was really like.
The surprising part was, well, just about everything. One uncle had served in WWI and another in WWII. I also had two cousins who died in WWII, one on Normandy beach on DDay. (Yes, there was a vast age difference in the family). Inasmuch as I had never met any of them and my father never served, I didn't know anything about the Army beyond what I had read in Beetle Bailey comic strips. The training platoon sergeants were dedicated to giving us the skills to survive combat and whip us into shape. I appreciated their every effort even when I suffered for it.
The fascinating part was watching people wash out. The emotional pressure built with every phase and some simply couldn't take it. Hell, I even saw a couple wash out at reception center.
I have written about my experiences at Infantry School - Basic, AIT, and OCS - in a memoir that is available for free on Smashwords. The companion memoir of my tour in Vietnam is also available there for free. I wanted to make them available to anyone with a computer, internet access, and a desire to learn what it was really like.
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SPC Cliff Lancaste
I went through Fort McClellan in winter of 1981/82.
I do not miss running up Baby Baine in the rain.
Never want to see red clay again!
I do not miss running up Baby Baine in the rain.
Never want to see red clay again!
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Basic Training was....well Basic Training. Part of it sucked, part of it was great. I think best memory I have was the day before graduation when we all sat around the unit area and the DSs sat and talked to us; allowed us to ask questions and generally just have a good meeting. All in all, I would say Basic Training met my expectations.
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CW5 Sam R. Baker
I had a bad guy and good guy DS team. Much like you said after basic and moving into the second half with the same DS team in OSUT, they humanized and became more open about the real Army. Thanks for contributing.
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During service week at RTC in San Diego I was the Education Petty Officer and the ERPO which allowed me to cross over to NTC. I let the other officers in my unit convince me to go to McDonald's. After I paid for my order and turned around to leave my company commander Chief Peters was right there in front of me. I was so nervous I almost sh*t bricks. He gave me an order to stand fast while he ordered his food. After he ordered his food he then said "come on knucklehead." I walked slowly behind him to his car and got inside as he instructed. That was the longest 10 minute ride. Once we got back to the barracks he called the other officers to the squad bay. He then said all y'all get in position. So everybody got down on the floor in the push up position. He then said naw not you mr delivery boy u get over here (pointing to the table) and eat your food. For each bite I took they had to go up or down. I was scared but I did as instructed but tried to take the biggest bites I could so that I could minimize the amount of push ups they had to do. The good thing about it is even though it was cold by the time I finished eating, he did let them eat the food they bought too.
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