Cell Phone + Basic Training

Discussion in 'Warfare / Military' started by ArmySoldier, Aug 14, 2018.

  1. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Tankers lead the way brother! I was a Tanker as well for many years.

    Knox's hills......SUCK. What were they called? Misery and Heartbreak? Or Agony? Few things hurt your spirit more than doing a long ruck march and seeing that stupid mountain coming on the horizon. Then get to the top and thank God then feel your heart fall into your stomach when Drill Sergeant starts laughing and you realize the damn thing turns and keeps going lol.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2018
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  2. Crownline

    Crownline Banned at Members Request

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    I was in ‘88-‘92. I thought Knox was bad until I got to Ft. Riley. I would do it again if I were 18 again though. You tend to forget the painful parts.

    If you aren’t cold, wet, tired, and hungry...you aren’t in the army.
     
  3. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Don't forget Tired! lol
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  4. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yea my reception was like 10 days. Maybe more I honestly forget. We had a kid get diagnosed with TB in our barracks. That was scary. The DS's didn't give a crap. We had to make his bed when he left. Other than that, we just sat around for 10 days doing NOTHING. The DS's weren't really around after the 3rd day when we have our uniforms and finance crap all taken care of. They would pop in every couple hours (obviously there for meal formations) but we had a lot of time to ourselves.

    We too couldn't touch the beds until lights out. Many just did pushups and situps. I made a friend and we would just talk about what we were going to do after OSUT ended. We dreamed of taking a cruise right after graduation to hit on girls and drink all we wanted. After OSUT ended, 4 of us did just that! Best vacation of my life.
     
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  5. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    We ourselves dreamed about booze and puzzy.

    Fortunately the 4th Of July fell in the middle of our boot camp (for officers) and so we got some in the middle of everything during that time off. The D/I's kicked us all out for that long weekend and locked up the squad bay.

    Sort of reminds me of Navy pukes in the movie Officer And A Gentleman.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
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  6. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Had I stayed in, by '88 I would have been a major up for lieutenant colonel, boy.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  7. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    I do not like machines that are loud and make noise and give your position away -- such as tanks and amtraks and APC's and choppers and jets.

    They make easy weapons that can blow all those things up and you with them.

    I like my boots on the ground as I quietly sneak thru the jungle.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  8. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    The U.S. Army is too easy.

    When I was 6 years old I was watching Sands Of Iwo Jima on TV, and afterwards I asked my U.S. Army dad "Why do those soldiers wear camo helmets and you don't?"

    He replied, "Those are not soldiers they are Marines."

    I asked further, "What are Marines?"

    He said, "They are the Navy's private army."

    Then I said, "When I grow up I want to be a Marine, dad!"

    He then asked, "Why not Army instead?"

    I answered, "Because the Army is too easy!"

    I kept that promise.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
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  9. raytri

    raytri Well-Known Member

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    I was a tanker and loved the machines, but there is a downside to being the most conspicuously dangerous thing on the battlefield.
     
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  10. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Yeah tanks are sort of loud when rolling around but you'd be surprised how well a crew can conceal a tank. I remember conducting a training exercise and we found a nice battle position in conjunction with an OP to watch a high speed avenue of approach. We dismounted and spent about an hour concealing our tank with dirt and foliage. It was hilarious to be sitting there all buttoned up and literally watching OPFOR walk RIGHT BY us time and time again. We just sat there for days reporting when the enemy would come by and they were dumb founded as to how they kept getting shelled about a mile up the road from us.

    We never fired a single round during that entire phase of the operation, just sat there watching enemy company's roll by and actually laughing out loud on the radio with our gun bunnies. We were actually forced to move positions by the training instructors because they said we were screwing up the "training value" of the exercise by getting the OPFOR killed before they had a chance to attack our unit.

    Fun times.

    I actually just did something very similar in a chopper a few months ago. I swapped over from armor to aviation a few years ago. We did some pretty cool valley running and managed to sneak up into a concealed position and hover there in a volcano type gap thing on top of a mountain. Same thing, we just sat up there and reported when the OPFOR was coming through a gap on their way to attack our friendlies. After a few hours of taking turns lobbing hellfire missiles at the OPFOR in conjunction with arty strikes we were told we had "engine failure" by the course instructors and made to return to base. Problem was that the instructors who were also flying a helo around couldn't find our flight. And since we were having so much fun we didn't want to tell them where we were either. We eventually popped out and told the instructors where we were (so they wouldn't crash into us) and went home. We pop out and start waving to the "enemy" and watch them throw their hands up in the "wtf" gesture as we cruised by. The instructors response once they saw us was "what in the hell? How the **** did you guys fit that thing in there?" lol.

    That too was fun. Getting killed for no reason because you are "screwing up the training exercise" is a pretty nice compliment to have. You'd be surprised at how quite a loud helo can actually be depending on where it is and win direction and all that stuff. One day I was hungry so I decided to land in a random hole in the trees and eat a burger. Rotors and engines still going full power and Im chowing down in the cockpit and I look up and see an infantry squad pop through the trees and scream "holy ****" lol. They had no idea we were sitting there.
     
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  11. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I hear ya.

    Last thing you wanted to do was be sick or look weak.

    I knew a guy who ran a PFT with a cracked lower leg bone. He told me if it snapped during the run it would be the DI's sending him to sickbay and then they wouldn't screw with him over it.
     
  12. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    Yeah yeah Jarhead's are still jealous of Soldiers I see.... ;)

    Look it's not our fault you guys get no money and all of the broken down stuff that the real Army has no use for anymore.....lol
     
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  13. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Old and broken down stuff -- correct -- everyone knows that as do we in/of the USMC.

    But M-14's and 1911A1's still work great -- better than the newer stuff.

    As do F-4's and F-14's.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  14. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    You can conceal the tank -- sure.

    But you have to turn the engine off as well.

    So eventually you have to turn the engine back on to recharge your batteries.

    So it is just a matter of time before an Asian sapper with an RPG will waste you and your tank.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2018
  15. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Exactly.

    Imminent death is that downside.
     
  16. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    For some reason I just seemed to stay sick throughout much of my time in reception and in OSUT. In about my 7th or 8th week of OSUT I developed some sort of lung problem thing. I felt like a had knives in my lungs every single time I took a breath. I had to take quick shallow breaths just to breathe. It lasted for about 2 weeks or so. It was weird, once we started marching or running or anything it would became bearable enough to keep going, but while my heart rate was calm I couldn't breathe normally without being in agony. Once again I was afraid to go to the medic because I didn't want to get rolled so I just stuck it out and hoped I wasn't dying or something. Eventually it went away on it's own. It's never happened since and to this day I have no idea what that was but it was terrible.

    We had some pretty tough guys in our class as well. We had a guy break his ankle at one point during the last couple weeks of OSUT. He didn't want to go home but the Drill Sergeants saw him being physically unable to even walk anymore. It wasn't like a bad sprain or anything the kid stepped in a hole and his ankle bone actually snapped in half. He had to go to the doc and when he came back on crutches with his foot in a cast the Drill's told him flat out that if you can't train then you have to get rolled to the next class and pick up in this phase when they reach it. On that cue the kid grabbed his crutches and proceeded to crutch around the entire running track, toss them down and hop to the obstacle course and conduct the monkey bars then start doing pullups. Then propped a leg up and did pushups and situps. Meanwhile the Drill's were screaming at him to knock it off but not doing anything to actually stop him.

    You're required to pass an exit PT test to leave OSUT and graduate. They let him do his PT test on crutches. He obviously didn't pass but they let him do it and let him graduate. He was held there as a "helper" in reception until his ankle healed and he could be shipped off to a unit. I always thought that was pretty cool of them and pretty hardcore of that kid.

    And of course during the last few weeks the rest of us were all a bunch of "huge bitches" because "this guy is in better shape than you and he only has one leg" and "he'll be a Soldier soon and the rest of you pansies aren't even fit to be here you're lucky there's a war going on and we need bodies or else we would have failed all of you worthless ******* weeks ago".

    I'm pretty sure half of the reason they kept him around was to harass the rest of us lol. We hated/loved that kid lol.
     
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  17. Robert

    Robert Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It won't be long until Americans have no clue what a payphone is. They live years and years and do not see them.

    This happened at Ft. Ord Ca in 1962. May this person still be in prison.

    I was driving back to Ft. Ord on 2 day liberty pass. I arrived on base to learn of a murder. And in my own company.

    A white boy that was from Utah had been using one of perhaps 6 payphones in booths. A black guy in the Army from East St. Louis, a notorous gang town, walked to the doors of each booth and saw each occupied. He goes into his platoon room and grabs his knife. Not sure of the type of knife.

    Walks back to the phone booths and kicks open the first door and as the kid from Utah was hanging up the phone, his last goodbye to his mom was in progress. He plunges into the kid his knife. Kid stumbles out of the payphone booth gasping for his final breath. Naturally the black was arrested. I think he was prosecuted and sent to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. At least that was what we were told at that time. I have driven onto the base there so know what it looks like.
     
  18. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Did you get your lungs checked?

    Sounds like pneumonia to me -- either viral or bacterial.

    Could be TB also.

    If it was/is TB and they did not treat it with antibiotics then you still have it.
     
  19. Robert

    Robert Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    My best memory of a super stud was Dave Washington as my assistant platoon Sgt. I and he both were recruits. I wore Sgt stripes and he had corporals I believe. This was in 1962 and he was my junior appointed as i was by the company commander.

    Dave was in the Army for 6 months. And he then reported to the Dallas Cowboys. Dave could tire you out watching him do pull ups. Dave seemed like nothing fazed him. He had, he told us, been an all american football player at USC in CAlifornia. Back then the cost to go to college was almost free. Then Democrats later took charge of government so that ended and now it costs a fortune. I used to wonder what advantages happen for 80 year old men and now i can tell you. We saw a lot of history.

    We had a DI that marched us. Call it running us to be accurate. This man was over 6 feet tall and had the legs of a giraffe. Even Dave never managed to walk all the way, he too had to run at times. For the rest of us, at ease march meant run our asses off. The DI was a very tall white man.

    David was awesome in college and played a year of football in Canada he said to me. And as a pro he kept not making it. I believe in 1964 I saw him play in one game on TV. I got to know Dave pretty well and enjoyed my time around him. Dave grew up in Oroville, CA and some of you may know of him.

    https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WashDa01.htm

    He actually made 12 yards as a pro football player for Denver.
     
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  20. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    I do really enjoy and appreciate the sheer amount of pride that Marines have. Once a Marine always a Marine is real and I've noticed that in all of my Marine friends. I was actually in Marine ROTC and I left to join the Army instead, but many of my friends are Marines (dare I not say former Marine as there is no such thing...). You folks take a sincere amount of pride in that title which is something we don't see as often in the Army. Infantry guys do that to some extent but that's about all I've seen.

    I like the pride/arrogance/cockiness of the Marine Corps. Every single time Marines come to an Army post you guys show off running around doing PT in the middle of the day in your little green daisy duke shorts for no other reason than to let all of the Soldiers know that you are Marines and like PT lol.

    A few weeks ago a group of Cobra pilots came to our airfield for what I assume was a training exercise or something. We saw them come in and thought it was cool (we don't see Cobra's too often). Then on my way home I drove by and saw them out there running in formation singing cadence along the exit road towards to gate. I slowed down as I passed them as per protocol and I asked them if they were the Cobra drivers we saw come in earlier. They responded with "hoorah" and proceeded to sing their cadence.

    I said "yeah whatever dude" and proceeded to eat my double cheeseburger and drove off lol.

    Show offs.
     
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  21. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Oh yeah. The people who never have a problem in training are the guys like that.

    I only ever lost it once (in MCT), on a grueling hump in the NC summer in full gear. Passed out a few hundred yards from the target right onto my face from heat exhaustion. We had a ton of guys drop from it.

    I woke up with a corpsman slapping me and pouring water on my face, just in time to stop them from throwing my pack into the follow vehicle.

    Grabbed it, told the corpsman I was finishing the hump if he liked it or not, and ran to catch up.

    Didn't get any **** from anyone the rest of my time there.
     
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  22. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It's "ex-Marine" that really pisses us off.

    "Former" is semi-acceptable.
     
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  23. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

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    No I actually never got it checked after that. This was many years ago and I was young and dumb at the time and since it had went away I never thought much else of it. We go through a rigorous medical screening in aviation and they specifically check for TB and I've never been pinged for it over the years. I think maybe it was pneumonia. I'm pretty sure I had pneumonia while in reception and it might have just come back in a different state during my time in OSUT. I had none of the weakness or physical inability to even stand up that I had in reception. It just hurt like all hell to take a breath. Like hundreds of needles in my lungs or something.
     
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  24. yiostheoy

    yiostheoy Well-Known Member

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    Yup, viral pneumonia goes away on its own. You just need to rest.

    Bacterial pneumonia needs antibiotics.

    TB also needs antibiotics.

    So yours must have been viral.
     
  25. Crownline

    Crownline Banned at Members Request

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    We were doing some night maneuvers in Saudi Arabia in our M1A1 Abrams tanks just before the ground war began. Our captain would take a platoon out every night. We went out on the first night he did this. He was in his humvee and we had our platoon of 4 tanks. He drove way off into the dark desert, over the radio, he commanded us to advance on his position at full throttle. And split our wedge with two tanks passing to his right and two tanks passing to his left. Pitch black dead silent desert we opened the throttles of four 63 ton 1500 horsepower tanks, turbine engines spooled up, transmissions banging through their gears and before too long we were at maximum speed. Fixed on his position we were rolling fast. He could not even hear us until we were within 600 meters. Hell you are in machine gun range at 600 meters. Abrams isn’t a loud tank.
     
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