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My favorite boot camp story is between an Asian American recruit in my unit and the biggest, meanest black drill sergeant you could imagine; the famed Sgt JJ Thomas at Ft. Knox, KY. And of course the instructor hated each and everyone of us. He called this guy "Gook", and "Gook" said very nasty things about SGT Thomas.

We were on the LAW (Light AntiTank Weapon) and AT 4 range and were firing live rounds one day.

Before you pull the trigger (push button) on these bazooka-type weapons, you are supposed to look behind you and shout the warning "BACK-BLAST AREA! BACK-BLAST AREA! BACK-BLAST AREA!" before letting loose, as to not kill anyone with the tremendous back blast these weapons generate.

Well, Gook got in the hole with DI Thomas and armed the weapon with the instructor right next to him. They hated each other with a passion. Upon finding his target downrange, and scanning behind him for dangers, the recruit shouted as best he could the warning, "BACK BLAST AREA!".....but unfortunately, being engrish impared, the recruit sounded to us like he was screaming "BLACK BASTARD! BLACK BASTARD! BLACK BASTARD!"

The next words we heard were "What he hell did you just say "Gook"? And the recruit dutifully said "BLACK BASTARD!...of course saying "back-blast area" but sounding very very wrong. Of course to us, including the one very pissed of instructor, a physical fight ensued inside the foxhole with the partially armed and extended LAW falling outside the hole and two guys going at it.

It was funny as hell because of the tension between all of us, but we kinda missed SGT. Thomas because he was sent to another unit for the stunt. "Gook" and I later went through OCS and came back to SGT Thomas and told him he was the best DI he had ever seen and appreciated his help.

Here's to you DI Thomas!

1LT DC BRYAN- Little Rock, AR

Good old Ft Knox. One of my favorite places. While going thru my Armor officer basic there I had just came in out of the field after 10 days. My roommate, a Cpt was sitting on the curb smoking a cig while I talked to some basic training recruits waiting for ther drill Sgt to come out of the mess hall by our housing complex.

We both had field gear on and ruck sacks and kevlars just like the trainees. There drill Sgt came out and they all hopped into formation just like good little troopies. Then the drill came and stood behind the Cpt and yelled ,Soldier get your A## off the curb and get into formation. Snickering could be heard as my roommate rose and turned to face the drill Sgt and in his best John wayne voice said Are you talking Da me.

Troopies got to see there Sgt do some pushups that afternoon.