As Popeye says: "Its all I can stands and I can't stands no more!" When is this sissifying of the military going to stop? No yelling, no "abuse," no "hazing," etc. What the hell are we preparing these troops for? I don't know if I'm angrier at the whining civilians who don't get it or the ball-less flag officers who know better but bow to political pressure. I am a graduate of Marine Corps-run, Navy AOCS. I have a hundred stories of the "abuse" I suffered under those "awful" drill instructors, and later, the "nasty" SERE school instructors. If it would have happened at Gitmo, I would be on the cover of the New York Times as the victim of the week! You know what? I thank everyone of those sons-of-bitches! Not only in my 23 year military career, but throughout my civilian life, every knock, lump, and yell I received has made me a better person. I can keep going when others fold, can laugh at things that bring others to tears, and generally, I can "take it." Isn't that the point? Is that what we owe our troops? Like the sign at AOCS says: "Adversity Tempers Steel!"
BTW: Best Regards & THANKS to AOCS USMC Drill Instructors Bearup, Jones, Matthews, Donahue, Hancock, et al. and the nameless bastards at Warner Springs SERE School (1991). I'm a better person because of you all.
"Its all I can stands and I can't stands no more!"
And in the Army, for those going into the infantry-airborne-ranger-special forces-SFOD-D track, and perhaps the other combat arms, it only gets worse with time. It never ends.