Posted on 02/15/2006 9:35:13 AM PST by jjm2111
New recruits used to be welcomed to boot camp here with the "shark attack." For decades, drill sergeants in wide-brim hats would swarm around the fresh-off-the-bus privates, shouting orders. Some rattled recruits would make mistakes. A few would cry.
Today, the Army is opting for a quieter approach. "I told my drill sergeants to stop the nonsense," says Col. Edward Daly, whose basic-training brigade graduates about 11,000 soldiers a year. Last fall, Col. Daly began meeting with all new recruits shortly after they arrive at boot camp to thank them. "We sincerely appreciate the fact that you swore an oath and got on a bus and did it in a time of war," he recently told an incoming class. "That's a big, big deal." He usually is accompanied by two male and two female soldiers, who can answer questions the recruits may have.
"The idea is to get rid of the anxiety and worry," Col. Daly says.
The new welcome is a window on the big changes sweeping boot camp, the Army's nine-week basic training. For most of its existence, boot camp was a place where drill sergeants would weed out the weak and turn psychologically soft civilians into hardened soldiers. But the Army, fighting through one of its biggest recruiting droughts, now is shifting tactics. Boot camp -- that iconic American experience -- may never be the same.
Once-feared drill sergeants have been ordered to yell less and mentor more. "Before, our drill sergeants' attitude was 'you better meet my standard or else.' Now it's 'I am going to do all I can to assist you in meeting the Army standard,' " says Command Sgt. Maj. William McDaniel, the senior enlisted soldier here.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
My experience had been that "boot camp" is universal. It's barracks talk anyway. As for the black beret, there is always resistance to change. I think the Army looks pretty good in them and the Ranger units look good in their tan berets also. Of course I didn't think we should have gotten rid of the block baseball cap in 63 but Castro copied it's use, so we had to change.
Uniform changes are what the four-stars do. Gotta leave their mark, ya know.
I agree with you completely, this is the 21st century and a more hi tech military of geeks and I mean diciplined geeks.
Yes we still need to retrain and mold new recruits in the way to be a cohesive team we may lose more that actually are the types best suited to playing the aptly descibed video game warfare systems like the global Hawks and soon robotic warfare.
I think its a good idea but time will tell, the old timers disagree I know and they think it will weaken our military but that type of training was meant for ground warfare troops of a massed army trading shots for shots or landing on beachheads but warfare isn't like that anymore, our enemy hides, is underground, lives in secret in our neighborhoods.
Whatever it takes to create the best MINDS and Spirit is what I believe in, some if not a majority of recruits really need jarhead bootcamp dicipline, they cannot make anything useful of themselves on their own and thus adopt the military as a family, I know because I've seen it up close in my own family, my brother was a useless shit until he enlisted in the Army, it made him grow up and become an adult, harsh it was but some people have to be directed that way.
What the military needs is the Nintendo era of recruits and the old way of boot camp may very well discourage a lot of really healthy minds. I would rather see a military of competent geeks than a bunch of moron rednecks. Another country may rely upon massed effect like China or Russia but we the US cannot do that so we can make it up in quality if possible, hopefully the programs arn't too soft and PC constrained.
Is the new concept that the drill sargent doesn't have to wash out those who can't make it because Al Qaeda will do it for him?
So, you saw your brother transformed and you despise southern culture ("moron rednecks"). Is there any other reason you believe Basic Training should be tailored to each individual?
No, Basic Training, among many things, is used to teach individuals to work as a team.
Welcome to FR and thank you for serving.
Can you point out the lies?
I don't know where you got that idea from
You too? That's my first memories of basic training, biting the inside of my mouth so hard it bled. I thought it was hilarious, all the hollering, screaming, veiny neck TIs (I was in the Air Force). I guess it depends on a persons background as to whether or nor you get anything from the screaming. I come from a very loud raucous family so it wasn't anything I hadn't heard at home. The one that got me every time though was when the TI would call you Airman Asshole and you had to shout Sir, Yes Sir! I'd just drop and assume the position for push ups because I knew I couldn't hold my laughter.
I didn't say that. I said there was no difference in how RAs and USs were trained. Enlistees and Draftees. Of course basic training changed under VOLAR but basic training is always changing.
Maybe I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying because there were draftee at one time, basic training was easier?
Maybe. But the Army has seen fit to allow this Colonel here to change the way basic training is done. That says to me that they see a value in this shift from the status quo.
Our military has always been good at innovation. Granted, innovation doesn't always work out. But a reflexive opposition to any change isn't really a productive attitude.
Time will tell, I suppose.
"I joined the Army in 1965, so I guess I am one of those losers your talking about."
Exactly the opposite, in fact. You joined during a time of war, knowing full well what you had coming.
God bless you, and thank you for your service.
I believe every word of your story. There are blatant double standards everywhere in the army and it is sickening. You are absolutely right about alot of females who seem to go out of their way to make sure that they don't meet army regulations on fitness, weight, wear of uniform, or competence. I can't even remember how many females I saw like this, because there were so many. Nothing was ever done to these females. They were never disciplined, or forced to even make an effort to meet the standards. Sure, every now and then one of them would be called out for it (while five others wouldn't), but it almost always was just for show and never amounted to anything.
Here's a quick story. I was at the range a few years ago qualifying with the pistol. Now as a SGT/E5 I was the lowest ranking person at the 9mm range since pistols were only issued to officers and senior NCOs. Anyway I qualified without any problems and well within the allotted time limit (we were using stationary paper targets). Now here comes this female SFC who is obviously at least 30 pounds overweight. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it took her no less than 5 minutes to fire off 7 rounds at a stationary target....and that was good enough for the range NCOs, she qualified. When I asked the range NCOs why she was allowed to take take 5 minutes to fire 7 rounds at a stationary target and still qualify I was not so subtlely told to 'at ease' and worry about myself. This female who "qualified" is now, in the eyes of the army, qualified to lead other soldiers in combat situations. Don't even get me started on the racial cliques I saw during my time in. Who knows, maybe it was just my luck and I was in f'd up units all the time.
BTW, notice that the Wall Street Journal has also been pushing Al-Condi and Hitlery for the 2008 election. And see the split that it caused (FR poll). Even most Democrat men won't vote for chicks (including beat-up, old, mouthy chicks) in a presidential election.
My Drill Sergeant very seldom yelled, as a matter of fact he was extremely quiet. But if you screwed up he would make you feel about 2 inches tall without raising his voice, and sometimes he would just give you a look that would freeze saltwater. He also had an affinity for the "dying cockroach" and "front leaning rest" positions.
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