Posted on 06/28/2005 6:03:43 AM PDT by cll
FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) - The recruits of Echo Company stumbled off the bus for basic training at Fort Knox to the screams of red-faced drill instructors. That much was expected. But it got worse from there.
Echo Company's top drill instructor seized a recruit by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground. Other soldiers were poked, grabbed or cursed.
Once inside the barracks, Pvt. Jason Steenberger says, he was struck in the chest by the top D.I. and kicked ``like a football.'' Andrew Soper, who has since left the Army, says he was slapped and punched in the chest by another drill instructor. Pvt. Adam Roster says he was hit in the back and slammed into a wall locker.
Eventually, four Army drill instructors and the company commander would be brought up on charges. Four have been convicted so far.
The tough-as-nails D.I. who berates and intimidates recruits with remarkably creative profanity is a familiar figure to generations of men who went through the Army or the Marines, and a stock character in the movies - ``Full Metal Jacket'' and ``An Officer and a Gentleman,'' among them. The idea is to break the recruit down, instill discipline and make him a well-trained part of a cohesive fighting unit.
But Army regulations in effect since 1985 say superiors cannot lay a hand on their recruits to discipline them. The Army's Training and Doctrine Command regulations also disallow any physical or verbal hazing, which includes ``cruel or abusive tricks.'' Vulgar or sexually explicit language is also prohibited.
The guidelines reflect some of the lessons of the Vietnam era and the changing culture of the Army, which became an all-volunteer force with the end of the draft and began accepting women.
The Army gets complaints of abuse by drill sergeants ``all the time, but we often find that they are not founded,'' said Connie Shaffery, a Fort Knox apokeswoman.
The Fort Knox case, involving a unit of the 1st Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment, was unusual, too, in that a company commander was convicted.
The abuse took place in early February. An Army investigation began the next week, as the company's leaders were removed and the 25 recruits were sent to another command. Six of the trainees have since left the Army, including two who went AWOL.
``It was just chaos - constant commotion, constant yelling,'' Sgt. 1st Class Paul Holley said. Holley said he had come over from another company that day to help out, but was quickly turned off by what he perceived to be abuse, and left.
``In my eyes, it wasn't the way I would conduct an initial pickup,'' he said.
Staff Sgt. Jason J. Harris, a drill instructor who has not been charged in the scandal, testified at one court-martial that it was the worst treatment of recruits he had ever seen.
Staff Sgt. David H. Price, Echo Company's head drill sergeant, said on the witness stand at his own court martial in April that he was ``burned out'' from being a D.I. for too long. He also said that he felt that the guidelines on abuse limited his ability to turn recruits into tough soldiers.
The evidence in the scandal included a 25-minute video - taken by a sergeant as the recruits stepped off the bus - that showed the recruits being poked, grabbed and berated. Recruits are often videotaped on arrival, and the footage is shown during their training graduation or at family days to show how far they have come.
Capt. William C. Fulton, 35, the company's commander, was convicted last week of false swearing and dereliction of duty for not halting the abuse. He was sentenced to six months' confinement.
Earlier this year, Price was convicted of maltreatment and demoted, as was Staff Sgt. Ricky L. Stauffer. Staff Sgt. Michael G. Rhoades was found guilty of maltreatment and impeding an investigation, and received a bad-conduct discharge. Staff Sgt. Bryan G. Duncan is awaiting a court-martial.
Harvey Perrit, a spokesman for the Army Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Va., said there 120 allegations of abuse against Army drill sergeants in fiscal year 2004, and as a result 16 drill sergeants were relieved of duty.
So far in fiscal year 2005, there have been 42 complaints of abuse, and six sergeants have been relieved of duty, Perrit said.
Shaffery, the Fort Knox spokesman, said reforms put in place before the incident helped reveal the abuse. ``We are holding to the policies and systems we have in place now, which discovered this situation within six days,'' she said.
The tense of the headline does not match the article. It should be "...were abused...". But the disconnect between the headline and actual story is very helpful in identifying the political leanings of this MSM source.
I graduated from USMC Boot Camp in the fall of 1966, and after ITR following that, got my first official "leave"...what was showing repeatedly on one of the local TV channels that week?
You got it - and I watched it almost as many times as I've watched 'Cool Hand Luke'.
What a shame! Poor little darlings. It is about time some disapline was administered to these cream puffs. Who wants and army of p---y's.
t,
I noticed that too. That first night at Reception was possibly the longest in my life.
I remember the bus pulled up- this was at Ft Dix- it was the middle of the night. A little female E5 stepped into the bus and said, loudly and clearly but not shrilly, she wanted everyone off the bus and in a line out on the cement.
Everyone was kinda groggy, and moving slowly. After about 15 seconds of watching us schlep around looking for our bags and whatnot, she screamed at us like a bobcat getting its tail twisted. You never saw so many overfed, dopey boys move so fast in your life.
It was uphill from there.
I hope the DIs didn't call the recruits any bad names or embarass them in any way.
How can someone fight a in a war with hurt feelings and a poor self image?
Give those recruits a hug instead!
Hey,
I was not a safe golfer.
mc :>) USAF 68-72
I believe recruits should be exposed to tough but fair leadership. Unless a recruit has become violent, I see no reason for them to be "kicked like a football" or "slammed into a wall locker".
Making them do 100 pushups in the rain - no problem with that. But in general, there's no reason to be smacking these guys around.
This reminds me of a cartoon. Wish I could find it to post it here, but here goes a rough description of it:
Panel 1: A straight-leg infantryman standing in the rain out in the field uttering: "This sucks"
Panel 2: A paratrooper wading in waist deep water, also under the rain, proclaiming: "I like the way this sucks!"
Panel 3: An Army Ranger, in a swamp with water up to his neck, eating a snake, saying: "I wish it would suck even more"
Panel 4: An Army Aviator, looking down from his helicopter with pity: "It sure looks like it sucks down there".
Panel 5: An Air Force pilot, sitting in the ready room, the same rain out the window, with remote control in hand in front of the TV, bitching: "What? Cable is out? THIS SUCKS!"
I was drafted in 1966 , sent to Ft. Bragg for basic , this new class of troopers have it made compared to what we were subjected to . The truth is our armed forces have also become somewhat politically correct much to my dismay .
Good thing I wasn't this kid's parent. As soon as he was processed out, this 'commander' and I would have had a nice 'talk' in a dark parking lot.
Its just Basic Training and the author of this crap would be kicked out the first day!
This is unconfirmed but I've heard that all recruits get a blue "stress card" that gets them a time-out when they can't handle the stress and need a break.
Who had the remote last? (for the Air Force)
Now thats just funny.
"Where are the Condos? Where are the Yachts?" - Pvt. Benjamin
Reminds me of the first day of football practice when I was in high school......
"I don't see a bone sticking out. Get yer ass back on that field".
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