Army: Nicer drill sergeants more effective (Good God! Alert)

WASHINGTON - Hollywood may have to tone down its portrayal of the military’s screaming, in-your-face boot camp drill sergeant. In today’s Army, shouting is out and a calmer approach to molding young minds is in, says the head of Pentagon personnel. The Army says it has reduced by nearly 7 percent the number of recruits who wash out in the first six to 12 months of military life.

The actual Army itself was easy compared to basic, mainly because you aren't ever really prepared for it.

Same with the Air Force, once out in the field, it was great. USAF Basic was about weeding out and assessing. All of the BS detail stuff, like marking your underwear in a specific place, was them seeing how well you followed instruction and procedure. A person with aspirations of being an F-15 crew chief had better be able to follow SOP's!

I was in the 1000 Man Dorm next to the F-84 display. Was it 3744 BMTS?...

3723 BMTS was down the street from the Thunderbird Theater and directly across the street from the AAFES store/snack bar.

My biggest mistake was getting out...

Yeah, I can relate to your feelings. There were several times after I got out that I regretted not re-upping. Things were good in the USAF and I was treated well. I was a Weather Observer in the Air Weather Service and it was a great job!

I keep telling myself that I won't post on these threads, but I can't help it.

EVERY SINGLE ONE of these kids signed up after 9-11.
EVERY SINGLE ONE signed up knowing there was a war on.
EVERY SINGLE ONE knew they would likely be in Iraq or Afghanistan within twelve months.

These kids aren't p*ssies, far from it. These kids are heroes, following in the footsteps of the older warriors from time immemorial who've moved to the sound of the guns.

Think about this - the officers and NCOs with 6 to 14 years of service - the absolute backbone military -- all joined the military between 1992 and 2000. That means most of the platoon sergeants, squad leaders, battalion commanders, and brigade and division staff are "Clinton-era" soldiers. Does ANYONE here dispute their accomplishments in Iraq and Afghanistan?

I guarantee basic training is harder now than it ever has been. I was the training officer for two years in an Infantry OSUT unit on Ft. Benning (late '96- mid '99), and every single one of my Drill Sergeants told me that the training they gave the soldiers was more focused, more intense, and far more demanding than the training they received in the late '80s, when most of them signed up.

The Army cut out a lot of the chickenshit stuff from years past, and focused on our mission of fighting and winning the nation's wars in defense of the Constitution. These soldiers are doing a great job - armchair generals on Free Republic notwithstanding.

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