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As an Army JAG officer formerly on active duty, I kept records and prosecuted trainee abuse by DIs—it wasn’t funny and it wasn’t trainees being not tough—it was kids being in the clutches of the all powerful. The ones that got busted were the ones that were mean and cruel or the ones that were not too bright; we don’t need either kind in our forces.

Where were you when I (and the rest of Echo 13/4) needed you at Ft Knox way back when? We were getting the tar beaten out of us by Sgt (insert name here).One guy (and I still remember his name) was ridden so hard by this clown that he went AWOL.With him it was truly a Hartman/Private Pyle kind of situation.I’ve always wondered what happened to that fellow recruit (we never saw him again).

As an Army JAG officer formerly on active duty, I kept records and prosecuted trainee abuse by DIs—it wasn’t funny and it wasn’t trainees being not tough—it was kids being in the clutches of the all powerful. The ones that got busted were the ones that were mean and cruel or the ones that were not too bright; we don’t need either kind in our forces.

Not surprising. What is surprising is how many on FR think getting found guilt of such charges by a jury of officers and enlisted still means this is some how about whiny girlie recruits. Of that because in the past we thought such abuses should slide mean cracking down on it is weakening the current military. The current military is doing a fine job over there right now and they were trained with modern methods that did not involve over the top abuse. Yeah, sure it was tougher 50 or 30 years ago. But 30 yeas of MARINES figured out how to train the corp as good or better without the over the top garbage. I the suggestion that training can't be done without abuse is insulting to all the men and women in the corps that WERE trained without abuse (or only a little and it is getting prosecuted). It is working. If anyone thinks the newer system is not working they have to think 99% of the current force is a bunch of wimps.

Can you define mean and cruel. My purpose is not to make fun of you. However, there are Freepers who shrug this thread off and claim the recruits are babies. I am retired Navy and while boot camp was not that tough, it was something I did not want to do again. I never saw the CC as an enemy. I saw him as someone doing his job. There were other inspectors whom I thought were a-holes but not abusive or cruel. Just jerks. I do remember one E5 that grabbed me roughly because I was not rinsing out a swab the way he thought proper. Looking back on it, I figure the only reason he did that was because I was a boot. I do recognize the power over a person concept and how it can corrupt people. I just want to know what did these DI’s do that was cruel.