Posted on 10/10/2006 5:50:58 PM PDT by neverdem
Associated Press
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.
"Part of it is changing the nature of how it treats people in basic training," David S. Chu, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, said Tuesday.
That means "less shouting at everyone, in essence, which some of you may remember from an earlier generation as being the modus operandi," he said.
The changes started about a year ago, as defense officials looked for ways to make drillmasters more effective, said Lt. Col. Mike Jones, head of Army National Guard recruiting.
He said the old way was to "talk loud, talk often, get their attention" _ shock treatment to teach discipline and mold the newly recruited civilian into a soldier.
But trainers found today's generation responded better to instructors who took "a more counseling" type role, Jones said, using strong tactics when needed but keeping them the exception instead of the rule.
The approach has had two positive results, he said: It has lowered attrition among those who go through training each year and has eased one of the greatest fears of recruits _ their fear over whether they can make it through basic training.
Other changes aimed at improving graduation rates include such things as letting recruits with injuries or minor medical problems remain in the service, heal, and then go back to training. Before, an injury would have meant discharge, training officials said.
Numbers differ from service to service and depend on what the recruit is being trained for. Those training to be Navy SEALS or other special forces may wash out at the rate of 70 percent. Those training to be truck drivers may have an 80 percent graduation rate.
But Chu said that across all services, generally, some two-thirds of recruits finish their enlistment period _ typically three or four years.
Of the third who don't make it, half bomb out in the first six to 12 months, Chu said, adding that the attrition rate is better than most private sector firms.
Keeping a balance in the number flushed out of the service is important. Too many dropouts and you lose people you really want to keep. Too few dropouts, and you are keeping people you should have let go, Chu said.
Both the military and police academies are moving away from harder-edged approaches to training, he said.
"However much it may be satisfying from the shouter's perspective, it really isn't the best way to shape young people for the future," Chu said.
He made the comments as he announced that all active duty services had met their recruiting goals for the budget year ended Sept. 30. The Marine Corps Reserve met its goal and the Air Force Reserve exceeded its goal, but they were exceptions among guard and reserve forces, some of which have seen "heavy use" due to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chu said.
On the Net:
Army Training and Doctrine Command
Thank goodness. Mine were mean to me.
Well I was in the German army 17 years ago and my comrades and me ate really tons of garlic when we got a sergeant who tried to nerve us. It was not funny for him to deal with 20 smelly men. We soon found a agreement and after a week we all changed our odour again. :-)
I gotta get this DVD! Former Jarheads, check out the preview here and the vids for "Ears Open, Eyeballs Click" on youtube.
http://www.canaanbrumley.com/index.html
They paid for it, you eat it!
What a load. Heaven forbid we should stress the new recruits out.
I was in BT in 1979 when they started some of this crap. First they announced that we were no longer supposed to call Drill Sergeants, Drill Sergeants. Forever more they were supposed to be called Sergeant.
Of course, that didn't work because for about a month before that we called them Drill Sergeant. Second nature at that point. So for about two weeks after the announcement we still slippped and called them Drill Sergeant.
Of course, screwing ANYTHING up meant pushups, except for this. They'd just give a little turned-up smile and ignore it.
That was also when they started integrating male/female platoons. But, that's another thread.
I agree. The best DI and the best NONCOM I knew in the army never once raised their voices except to be heard over the din.
Using fear to motivate people to perform is highly inefficient. Real leaders know this and don't waste their time or energy on it.
I take this exact approach in coaching little league. I NEVER chastize a player for making a mistake. I make sure they know what they did, and how to fix it. They either get it or they don't. Me screaming at them is not going to change that, either way.
Making people afraid to make mistakes is a sure fire way to make a lot of mistakes happen.
"The Sergeant" with Rod Steiger as a drill sergeant with "skeletons in his closet" (along with whips and chains), so to speak.
David S. Chu is a career bureaucrat who's been riding Dick Cheney's coattails for nearly 20 years. He's the rocket scientist who convinced Cheney to kill the F-14D and go with the Super Hornet and attempted to kill the V-22. A real bottom line bean counter type who makes decisions based on money, not tactics or the good of the service, without logic playing any part whatsoever in his decision making process.
The one time in basic when our barracks weren't high and tight, we had to do what they called "our house on our back" - load everything in our locker into our duffelbag and carry it on our backs all day. Not a lot of fun in the middle of summer in Missourri.
Amen to that.When I told my 14 year old nephew that while he and his friends play video games Muslim kids their age were training to kill them -he looked at me like I had two heads.My brother and I are going to have a long talk.
I don't understand WHY they would mess with something that has been WORKING JUST FINE
Well, tsk, tsk, I just don't understand your lack of understanding that we all just need to be, well, you know, more s-e-n-s-i-t-i-v-e! Honestly. This is just, so, so, well, you know, just so b-a-s-i-c! I MUST go and take a little lie-down now...
you do that....
I survived all my drill sergeants in Basic just fine. We had a few reservists who were Class-A arseholes who liked to get their rocks off by smoking us(and one in another platoon who got busted to E-4 for arranging a blanket party for one guy in the platoon), but for the most part, we had guys who were more concerned with training us to be infantry and not mindless automatons.
The approach has had two positive results, he said: It has lowered attrition among those who go through training each year and has eased one of the greatest fears of recruits _ their fear over whether they can make it through basic training.
"Where are we going and why are we in this basket?"
Here's the thread where this guy claims I defended Fred Phelps. Read for yourself, I never even heard of the guy and was only defending the words Baptist and Church when assaulted by his atheist friend:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1710675/posts
You can't cut and paste any better than Iggle
ROFLMAO.
DROP AND GIMME 20 WARM FUZZIES LOVERBOY!!!!
I hope there are follow on studies to see whether the easier approach does any harm (or for that matter, any good). FWIW, cannon fodder ain't what it used to be with today's push button wars.
yeah but you still need boots on the ground.
this appears to be Army wide, although hopefully this is a wink and a nod type thing at places like Ft. Knox, Ft. Benning and Ft. Sill....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.