I just attended a 35 year reunion for an OCS class at Fort Benning. We spent three days reliving the leadership-building techniques employed then.
If, what these drill sergeants did consitutes abuse and cruelty, then what we endured in Infantry OCS in the late 60's would be considered war crimes.
We took it, kept our mouths shut, and soldiered on. Then, and again, we knew that where we were headed would be a damned sight tougher than what we were dealing with at the Benning School for Boys.
That's interesting, because I attended Infantry OCS at Benning in 65-66. At that time, a senior candidate or even a TAC had to ask if they could touch you to correct something amiss on your uniform. We had Blue Monday, the first day of training, which involved screaming and assorted verbal abuses, but no touching. I had to low crawl through a swamp with a foot locker on my back, eat pizza in a cold shower, run laps around the company area until I dropped...but no touching. The mental "abuse" is what brings out leadership, not the kicking, pushing, punching and shoving. Wonder what changed.