Basic Training oops

[reeb]

There has been and still are posts that concern everything after your basic training,

BUT ::::

What is the STUPIDEST thing you done during your basic training?

Mine ( being Navy ) at Great Lakes in June 65 was the survival test of Abandon Ship.

We had to go out on the "High Dive " I will call it and cross our arms and cover our shoulders and Jump into the water and then remove your britches and tie them in knots on the end and through them over your head to fill with air and float on them.

Well, anyhoo, I got up there done everything I was suppose to do except for when I jumped, I jumped far out and done the back flip that I done for many of years at the local swimming pool

That didnt go so good with the DI.

Needless to say my arms were really tired that night from so many damn pushups.

BTW, I was ordered to go back up and do it again and RIGHT this time. Yep, I did it.

enough.......

[usmcsgt65]

At the rifle range (Marines - Camp Edison), set between two guys fighting. One fell on the wet deck. The other tried to hit him while he was down, but clipped me. Problem, the guy split his knuckles open from hitting my teeth. I was called into the DI's hut for maiming a recruit.

[David]

Probably the worst thing I did in Basic was run my mouth too much when I first got there.

Feeling my oats I decided that wether or not I was the platoon guide I would run the operation. This was not overlooked by the DI's who called me into their office late one night to discuss a threat I had made to another recruit ( told him I was gonna hang him with his boot laces hehe). After trying to reason with me they decided to take another track and told me I would be able to vent my aggression the next day on the pugal stick range. They would let me tear the guy apart that I would be fighting and not interfere with the match. Normally they call the match after a few good hits or knockdowns.

Well the next day arrived and I was very excited to kick the shit out of some poor soul and marched with great anticipation to the range. They saved my fight for last and made sure everyone was around our circle to see it all happen. they did not tell me the name of the opponent they picked for me before the match and they had him dress before stepping into the circle behind everyone standing there so I had no idea who he was. As soon as the whistle sounded I was on the guy swinging away and within seconds he landed one hard hit that flung me on my ass about 4 feet back. I was surprised but not deterred. I got back up and rushed him again to only find my ass earthbound again mere second later. Like I said they would not stop this match so this went on for some time. I keep getting up though so this fellow finally decided to come in for the kill and beat me into the ground were I laid from my last loss of footing. By this time everyone was wild with excitement and I remember hearing someone ask if they were going to stop it through the ringing in my ears. I guess they finally decided I had enough and the whistle blew again ending the match. I laid there for a moment reflecting on had happened and knew I had to find out who this guy was.

Later that night, across from my bunk, a small crowd had gathered around the opposing bunks owner. They were talking excitedly about the days events with particular emphasis on the pugal stick fight this guy had performed so well in. I knew this had to be him so I walked toward the crowd and and they parted to let me finally view my nemesis. I had seen him before, just not with his shirt off. This fellow was huge but not in the Hollywood sense. He was about 6'1" and had the most ripped definition I had ever seen. Turns out he was a farm boy from Louisiana and had grown up getting up at 4 a.m. every day of his life to work the farm. I had been duped! I had also learned my lesson. They pitted me against the one person in our platoon who had the natural strength to undoubtedly beat me into the ground. I ended up being good friends with the guy and was disappointed to learn he was selected for a different unit after we finished basic.

[revwardoc]

It was my turn in the dorm guard "barrel" one Saturday. Normally, weekend days were kinda quiet since the TI went home to the "Old Lady" to "git a little". Just as my 2 hour shift was ending and I was giving the necessary and proper instructions to my replacement, here comes our TI, carrying his "AWOL" bag and an extremely angry expression. I just kind of glanced up at him so I totally misjudged how fast he was walking and was a second late in opening the door which hit him right square in the nose, drawing blood and knocking him down. At that point it was either, run for my life, or say a quick Act of Contrition before my inevitable death. I knew I couldn't outrun him so I chose the latter. I went out to help him up and he grabbed me and proceeded to pull me up and down so that I was literally hopping. All the while he was screaming in my face how the "Old Lady" wasn't in the mood and had gotten angry over his persistance and had sent him back to the dorm to sleep it off, and now this. As far as my TI was concerned, there was nothing worse than the disappointment from the type of happy expectation he was used to on weekends.

So there I was with my shirt tail up around my chest, my hat and glasses somewhere in the general San Antonio vicinity, face specked with his blood he had sprayed onto it, and trying to do 50 while he stood on my shoulders. I never knew a man could yell so loud for so long.

As an aside from this, the TI, like I said, referred to his wife as his "Old Lady" and he seemed to enjoy regaling us with the tales of his sexual prowress and intimate details of his sex life with her. Where I came from, whenever someone said "Old Lady", it was a reference to the guy's mother, so I was initially shocked at these stories. All I could think of was that I knew TI's were supposed to be tough, but to do those things to his mother...!!! After a while I finally figured it out. Hey, what can I say? Twelve years of parochial school and no sex-ed can lead to confusion.

[b3196]

At the range, if you had a weapons malfunction, we were instructed to get the attention of one of the range masters. He would have everyone cease fire. Well my rifle jammed, He came over and asked for my weapon, and dumb-ass me handed it to him barrel first, The next thing I remember was my steel pot being launched off my head and rolling down range. That red /green metal sign connected to that metal pipe made an excellent 3 iron. That was one lesson learned the hard way.
Bob K

[39mto39g]

Can't remember doing anything wrong.
Had to do a lot of push ups for other people doing stuff wrong.
Learn your General orders, polish your brass, run. Pretty easy to me.

Ron

[Boats]

OK I will enlighten you on one of my most stupid things that happen shortly after going into boot. Maybe I won't - Oh OK

I enlisted in early 63 right off the streets I was from the Southside of Chicago and really needed to be elsewhere.

I think I was in about two weeks and got the job of cleaning the head. Got done stood outside and presented my space for inspection. I failed

Was told to do it again. I failed.

The Chief walked through with me and said Son what is your problem? I didn't know what to say the place looked clean to me. He said do it again I'll be back in 1 hour and I want all the bright work spotless. Sir I Sir and back I went.

He came back and I presented my space. Man you could eat off those sinks, toliet bowls and decks they WERE CLEAN! But - I failed.

The Chief said, Son I know your doing your very best but why can you get it right!!? He said I want the bright work cleaned and spotless - do you understand!!!! - I said Sir I took each light bulb down and clean them thouroughly. He said, Oh my God! Boy bright work is brass or chrome. I said OH!

Yes I did finally pass - but boy I never lived that one down.

[SEATJERKER]

...but not the only blunder in basic training was,...

...I was late,............. but jeeezzz,... it was only 24 hrs,...

... said the 'I do's", and left the Afffffeeee's, and landed in Jfk, had everyone's pay records,( I was supposed to be the smart one) and was ordered not to surrender them to anyone, but the pay officer in Texas,... Plane ticket "disappeared" to this day have no idea what happened to it, "picked, lost, who knows, ended up going to Ft Hamilton in Brooklyn, and processing new orders for the next day,...

... arrival was "reeeeaaaaaal fun" as the DI read off all the names of the flight that was actually due in that day, and here I stand, at the military waiting area, and I'm the last one,...

...He gives me a look , and asks very nicely just what the *&#$ I'm waiting for, etc, and figuring that I'd hadn't started off on quite the right foot, and I needed to figure out quick how to explain to him that I was late, and , and , and ,...

...So just how do you explain to your incoming SGT why your late for basic training???????????

...You Don't,....... no matter what I mumbled out in rapid fire didn't phase him a bit, and he was in his glory reeming me out in the midst of oh, 50, or was it 5000 people, lost count with my head swirling,......

...So nobody, no one that I flew down with got paid the whole time they were in basic, (they warned prior to leaving that ???should, or would """anything""" happen..." and never saw any of them again,...

...alas, that began my ulllllllustrious career in military basic traing with part two to follow,...

...Titled, "How to knock out the dorm guard from your sister flight with copenhaggen",...

...

[SEATJERKER]

...SO after arriving late to Lackland and being assigned to follow up the REAR to the incoming flight and being the laughing stock of the DI's coffee room for the evening, we were led in, and assigned flt #'s, and BMTS, we were now Flt 608, 3702 BMTS, a proud lot of misfits from New York City, and believe me these guys were not the upstate crust,...

...I think I was the only "upstater" in the bunch, and in clarifying the situation, they'd ask ??? Upstate huh ???, and I'd growl "Yea, what the f*#k is it to you", and they didn't bother me too much already knowing what a "hit" I was with the staff,... more like the plague", but "upstate to them meant ""Attica"", so I let them believe what they wanted, I think half , or better were on the "Riker's Island advanced entry program",...

... so the first night goes as expected, "shakedown".... took much longer then expected as most of the "gentlemen" from NY didn't heed the warning not to bring "unnesc" items to camp, they tucked us in, and offered up a 'sweet dreems', and off to the races it was the next day, the first day went fine for us until " light's out",...

...2 O' Clock in the morning, I'm on "remeadial dorm guard" as payback for being late, and I've got this guy from NC with me, How he got into our flight I don't know, but, ...

...Mick" managed to keep a tin of coppenhaggen from being discovered during the shakedown, and the dorm guard stanging guard from our sister flight is there, it's all quiet, and the Di is asleep in his qtrs 15 ' from us, and Mick pulls out the tin, and gives it a "pacK" on his wrist, the doem guard from across the hall gives a look , and gives a "shhhh" sound, and then says that fateful question??????? ""What's that????????/ , and Mick, not batting an eye says "Pinch,........... want sum" ???, and I'm thinking , no, not on my shift, pleassse no", I'm in enough trouble already,...

...then the dorm guard says, ""I ain't never had any of that stuff before", and I KNEW I was dead, please just shoot me now, and get it over with, Now Mick being the fine Southern gentlemen that he was offers up tips on how to grab, a "PINCH", and how to tuck it into the cheek, and gum, and chew little bits,...

...this guys grabs a "WAD", looked like a quater of the tin, and stuffs it in his cheek, and before "we" could get out """don't swallow any" this guys was trying to manipulate it around, and """"GULP""""...

...Well, all it took was about 30 seconds of him trying to spit it out in the waste basket, and gaging before he turned green around the gills, and he looked at us and fainted/passed out, and fell straight backwards crashing to the floor,...

...as it turned out, our DI was a light sleeper, and he comes storming out of his rack at 0216 am, and he's just the happist f*#king camper you can imagine, they carried the dorm guard out, and down three flights of stairs on a stretcher, and as usual, I'm at the forefront of the picture again,...

...so alas starts my second day in basic, it gets better,...

...never saw the dorm guard again either,...

..."soon to a theater near you, ""unauthorized entey" into the wrong barracks, this film is not yet rated to this day,...

...

[Dragon Lady]

I had two small advantages:
1- Military family, Dad, and (at that time) two Brothers.
2- As a member of the Law Enforcement Explorer Scouts, we attended a week long "camp" at Coronado Amphibious Base. We had volunteers from the Marine Corp act as our Daddies and Mommies for the week. My "Daddy" was a Gunner by the name of Dixon, official DI. I will never forget that man! I figured if I could live through that once a year for four years, then I could make it through 6 weeks of USAF Basic Training.

The funny that I witnessed was not done by me, but rather by a fuzzy headed Marine Recruit fresh from Paris Island.
I was the Guidon for our little scout troup and we were standing at attention waiting for our turn at chow. Gunner Dixon left us to check on the line and along came this squad of Marines.

Now remember I was only 16 years old at the time.

This recruit came up to me and was getting in my face talking all sweet and cute. Asking me my name and basically hitting on me. I see over his shoulder, the brim of a Smokey Bear hat and I just smiled. Gunney started barking! I thought that poor guy was going to wet his drawers or worse. He called the Squad Leader on the carpet and told him if he couldn't maintain control over his troups then by god, Gunney sure would!

I bet that kid never forgot that moment.