About effing time!
The real problem is now the Army will have to fix the problems caused by 18 years of bad parenting and bad schools.
It's about time. When a BCT recruit "broke" at Ft. Benning in 1966, Drill Sergeant Joe B. Frick was asked if he had been "too hard" on him. Frick answered, "Thank God I was. The worst sin of any Army Drill Sergeant or Basic Training Commander is to graduate a recruit who will break down in Vietnam or any combat and get himself and others killed."
Tough, disciplined soldiers, and their Armies, and their Countries win. They win in a game where second price is a coffin, for the dead soldier, and a coffin his friends, his Army, his country.
No generation has ever been played the victim or been as much a bunch of snowflakes as this one. I hope they can change them.
In 1969 when I was in BCT, the cadre complained that the whiners would get people killed. Until they can create kinder and gentler combat, the hard way will be the only way.
Bet the new troops were in tip-top shape on diversity and gender flexibility, though.
Not to mention a decade or more of accepting and coddling the LGBTs has sent a very wrong message to recruits as a whole.
I'm thankful every day that I was in that Army, and not today's.
EMI - Time to spend some time with my favorite PT trainer, ‘Friendly Frank’ - OMG he almost killed me in boot camp ...
Where’s Sgt.. Hulka?
The new program of instruction is the result of surveys taken from thousands of leaders who have observed a trend of new soldiers fresh out of training displaying a lack of obedience and poor work ethic as well as being careless with equipment, uniform and appearance,
“What leaders have observed in general is they believe that there is too much of a sense of entitlement, questioning of lawful orders, not listening to instruction, too much of a buddy mentality with NCOs and officers and a lot of tardiness being late to formation and duties,”
...
The Obama Generation.
They might try putting Marine Corps Drill Instructors in charge of basic training for a year or so.
L
The first words I heard from my Drill Instructor were: “I have 12 weeks to undo the damage your parents caused in 18 years.” And he did.
Semper fi
Platoon 102 Jan-Apr 1959
Parris Island, SC
Dad was a marine. WW2. He couldn’t stand watching any of the History channel shows with R Lee Ermey. Brought back some nasty memories I suppose.
Army Basic in Ft Knox in 1981. US Coast Guard Basic in Cape May in 1986. (Any body else do it twice?)
DI’s did all they could, I am sure. We had no gays, cross dressers, snowflakes or social justice warriors, just your everyday run of the mill slackers and malcontents.
Any one up for 2 or 3 100 count push-ups? (yeah, me neither, BUT back in the day I woulda had your ass!)
Th enevitable results of pressure on recruiters and signing bonuses. Wish I could offer up a solution!!!
Oh boy...maybe they could start out with coloring books.
“STAY INSIDE THE LINES RECRUIT! Didn’t your mama ever teach you anything?”
I dunno. Every time I walk past a group of junior Soldiers, they pop to attention. Maybe that’s because in the Medical Department, people need to be smart to get through the schooling—and it takes discipline to stick with challenging academic subjects.
I used to tell a friend, every time we would be walking around and young Soldiers would pop to attention, that they are so cute at that age. Because when they mature into NCOs, they do not pop any more.
I suspect some of the problem, also, is having females in the training.
If there is that much lacking at the END of basic, then I think the training is missing something.
I did not have to into Army to understand that “on time was late.” My dad drilled into my head by the time I was five or six.
Oh wait,....maybe I am touching on something....
The US will need to hire armies of “unsullied”. Certainly, the “honorable discharge” needs to be exercised in overdrive and have serious consequences in civy life.