[Thumper1960]

Out performing kids one third his age?
LOL I will BET his presence was a morale booster! Made the kids want to keep up with Gramps!
Good for the Sgt.!

[2ndDivisionVet]

I found BCT at Fort Leonard Wood demanding at 18. Now? No way.

[T-Bird45]

What a collection of SanFran a-holes in the comments section of that article!!

[a fool in paradise]

(file photo)

[Mercat]

Mr. Mercat, early 70s, will begin his bike ride across the state a week from Friday. He and 1000 of his best friends will average up to 70 miles a day for 7 days.

[centurion316]

If a 55-year old can successfully complete basic training, then basic training has been dumbed down to irrelevance. Just do it by online and mail it in.

[Future Snake Eater]

To make it through the grueling 2 1/2-month training, Taffe ran up to 5 miles a day, did 40-50 pull-ups, 150 sit-ups and practiced hand-to-hand combat techniques that left him bloodied and bruised.

Joke's on him--the Army doesn't care about pull-ups!

[Gay State Conservative]

I was lucky to make it through BCT at 19.

[gaijin]

The impetus for giving up his comfortable life by the bay was mostly financial. He and his wife were going over the family's budget last year and saw the cost of college tuition for their two teenagers looming before them. Taffe had already spent 14 years with the Navy, and by adding another six years with the reserves he could greatly increase his benefits, he said.

He's also deeply patriotic, and enjoyed his previous stints in the military and as a government security contractor overseas.

"I wanted to re-enlist after 9/11, but my boss at the time said, 'No, no and no,' " he said. "So this was something I've wanted to do for a long time."

The Army does not have age requirements to enlist, but those over age 55 need a waiver and everone must pass certain physical requirements. Taffe was 54 when he enrolled, missing the waiver requirement by just a few hours.

----------

If the Prez were not a black LIBERAL, HOW do you think a San Fran paper would have reported this...?

Remember when he was first elected and the Press CONGRADULATED Obama for the high unemployment, and the way he was HELPING FAMLIES SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER...?!!?!

TOTALLY DISGUSTED.

KUDOS to him, though....

[lonevoice]

"When I left for Missouri, my 15-year-old son said, 'Dad, I hope the Army knocks you off your high horse.'

Nice. Maybe part of Dad's incentive was to have some time away from his disrespectful brat of a kid.

[familyop]

"To make it through the grueling 2 1/2-month training,..."

Well done! But I wonder what his initial training was for. Combat engineers (combat type) were there for 13 weeks last time I saw it.

[familyop]

"When he returns to the Bay Area next week, Taffe plans to join the Army Reserve and return to his job as a security specialist at the U.S. Coast Guard in Alameda."

Oh, okay! I see. That explains his age, too (cutoff age for us was 34). Anyway, well done!

[Bulwyf]

did 40-50 pull-ups.

No he didn’t, I’m sure they meant to print push-ups.

Good on this guy though for going out and doing it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Active Duty ping.

[Finatic]

Nobody thought I could do it but I went into Infantry/Airborne schools at Harmony Church, Ft Benning in 83. I was thankful to go through the Church and not the modern Sand Hill(ton).

They told us we had it easy compared to those who walked before us. Training standards dumbed down.

I weighed 118 lbs on my induction date, months later I came out at 165 including my blood wings.

Damn near killed me.