On Oct 4, 11:27 am, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Oct 3, 10:58 pm, MightyJo...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
>
>
>
> > Nope, Army is 9 weeks for "generic" basic training (Ft. Jackson, Ft.
> > Leonard Wood, etc.) and Combat Arms still do OSUT. Not sure if
> > Infantry is 12 or 14 weeks, but my son went through Armor OSUT at Ft.
> > Knox and it was 14 weeks.
>
> I think infantry OSUT is also 14 weeks, then. It was just so
> annoying, like crud between your toes, that one day blended into the
> other.
>
> > While I didn't think it was "easy," it wasn't as tough as I thought it
> > was going to be. A lot of the Mickey Mouse **** got on my nerves, but
> > all in all, it was a good experience. The one thing I remember was
> > being tired *all* the time. They woke us up at 0400 and ran us ragged
> > until 2200, then there was an hour of fire guard some nights. I spent
> > the whole 8 weeks feeling like I never got enough sleep.
>
> You know, I don't think I ever got enough sleep even after Basic! I
> was also usually cold, hot, or hungry. But the one thing I remember
> about Basic was being aggravated, and the one thing I remember about
> life after Basic was being always tired. I don't think it was all
> physical, too. Something about that life just kind of wore me out.
> I'm not sure what it was, because the annoying crap was just Basic
> (though in concentrated doses, LOL), but I felt really tired most of
> the time...as soon as we weren't doing anything physical, I felt like
> going to sleep!!
Depended on the unit I was assigned to, the mission, etc. In the
field, you never got enough sleep (and were always cold, wet, and
hungry as you stated). Some units were like a 9-5 job, others ****ft
work to include weekends, holidays, etc.
>
> > Don't know about the other services, but the Army will guarantee you a
> > school. But, they don't guarantee you'll be working in the job you
> > were trained for. I saw qualified helicopter mechanics working in the
> > supply room, SIGINT specialists with foreign languages and Top Secret
> > clearances working in the mailroom, ADP (computer) specialists driving
> > trucks, etc. The Army guarantees you training, but they put you to
> > work where they think they need you.
>
> Hmm, interesting distinction; I'd never noted that at all! Still, it
> would be to the Army's advantage to get the most out of a recruit, and
> if that recruit's trained for avionics, it would be to the Army's
> advantage to assign him appropriately.
One would think so, but that's why they called Military Intelligence
(my field) an Oxymoron.
> Desk jockeys driving trucks on a generally tem****ary, even if extended
> or periodic, basis: that I could see, though, especially in a wartime
> situation like Iraq right now...I understand some of the logistics
> folks are doing convoy guard duty, LOL! I also read (in Army Times,
> of course), that Basic has been revamped as a result....
It has. They have convoys, IEDs, a week-long FOB exercise, close-
quarter urban combat, and other stuff that only the Special Forces
types did when I was in. Even their basic equipment is more high-
speed.
>
> > My son was 18 when he signed up, and wanted to be a Cavalry Scout (the
> > Army's equivalent of Recon). They had no slots, so he took Tanks
> > instead. If he's going to be in the ****, I'd rather have him riding
> > around in a tank then running out in front of them.
>
> Indeed. I don't think we've heard of too many casualties from Armor.
> I think even logistics personnel have sustained more casualties than
> tankers! Good for him. Though I don't know how anyone could stand
> confined spaces like that for hours on end...especially since a lot of
> soldiers don't mind farting in your face...that was another eye-opener
> (not to mention the nose) -- people had a lot of bad habits. It
> sounds silly, but I was shocked by that kind of stuff.
The turret, where the gunner, loader, and commander work, is actually
a lot more roomy than I thought. The driver's station, on the other
hand, is like a fighter plane cockpit with no windows. I would go nuts
in there.
> > Ever see our band uniforms?
>
> "Our"? You mean the Army's?
Yep.
> Not too bad, though the Marines, they look like a proper military
> marching band. The Army, I don't know why they adopted that Greyhound
> bus driver look after WWII.
They wanted to get away from the kakhis, which they felt looked too
much like a janitor's uniform. So I guess a bus driver is a step up?
They're now talking about replacing the green service uniform with the
dress blues for everyone.
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