Posted on 01/09/2011 3:13:21 PM PST by ExpatCanuck
I have no advice ... just good wishes, prayers, and a big thank you to your son! My wonderful DH is currently in his 28th year of military service ... he enlisted in the Air National Guard as a 17-year-old high school student, and he’s been in ever since.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT be the last guy to finish or show up or exit the building etc...
On the upside, I was promoted to latrine queen at some point. Didn’t have to do anything, just take responsibility for others F/Ups :)
I’ll second your thoughts on safety. I spent 20+ years in the Air Force and I remember countless cases of accidents (and lives lost) because someone got careless. A few that come to mind:
— Early in my enlisted days, a wing commander at my base was killed while being checked out in an O-2. He persuaded the IP to let him attempt a single-engine emergency takeoff from an assault field, at night. As you might imagine, that scenario was not encouraged in that particular aircraft. The Colonel plowed the aircraft into a treeline and both died. The IP was finishing a “career broadening tour” in O-2s and getting ready to return to F-15s at the time of the crash.
— An airman at a northern tier base died when his head became trapped in a hangar door as it “folded” open. How he managed that, I’ll never know.
— A missile tech dropped an untethered wrench down a Titan II silo, puncturing the missile’s fuel tank and filling it with highly toxic and combustible gases. A few hours later, a spark ignited the fumes, blowing the blast door off the top of the missile, and tossing it’s 10-megaton warhead more than 200 yards. As you might have guessed, techs working on a fueled Titan II were supposed to tie all tools to their body, to prevent that sort of accident. BTW, another airman, standing near the missile silo when it exploded, was killed by the blast.
— An O-6 from Shaw AFB, SC, was picked to ferry a new F-16 to a base in Europe. Landing in Spain, he forgot to deloy the landing gear. Lots of damage to the aircraft as he skidded down the runway. But he still made Lt Gen before he retired.
— Another F-16 jock (a general’s son) was performing some unauthorized maneuvers with his wingman. They collided in mid-air, and the wingman (unable to eject) died. The general’s boy was quietly removed from flight status and allowed to resign from the service.
But my favorite “safety first” tale comes from a friend who began his career as an Army medic. Part of a medevac crew in Germany in the late 70s, they were scrambled to an infantry unit’s bivouac area. Seems that one private didn’t like the area where he was sleeping and decided to move to a more comfortable spot. He found one in an open area, and climbed back into his sleeping bag.
Unfortunately, his new “spot” was the middle of a tank trail. Shortly after 5 am, an M-60 came rumbling along and flattened the private. My friend and his fellow medics had the unenviable task of loading what was left on the chopper.
Safety regs sometimes seem arcane and burdensome, but they’re written for a reason.
Your response to the query re basic training I admired because it was well thought out and clear.
I was pinging Fr chieftain cause his twin sons are now Marines...and he might be able to add info to the original poster.
More confusion...its sunday, all bets are off..ha. too much coffee and football.
Tell ‘im do everything you’re told. And, when you do something, pretend it’s the most important thing you’re ever gonna do for the rest of your life. Put your entire heart and soul into every silly thing they make you do. CCs (or DIs, or whatever) never seemed to mind if you weren’t the best recruit, as long as you had that kind of attitude.
And also: never ever ever crack a smile. At least, not until your last week. Then it’s okay. Eat everything you pick up in the galley. And in marching always step off with your left foot.
If it moves.....salute it!
If it doesn’t move.....paint it green!
MI, Medic, and SF are all completely different fields. You can volunteer from any field for SF, though. If he’s an enlisted medic he’d most likely end up an 18D which is SF Medic. MI is just unending nerd school (like my current job). There’s no shortage of information on SFAS and SFQC as well as the language training. If he really wants to pursue that angle, he can call up an SF recruiter, they aren’t hard to find. Best to focus on Basic and AIT first.
The same kid also dropped the live grenade in the hole with him and the DI at training.I admired the DI’s speed and coordination.
We practiced before the range with one of the cadre acting like a recruit and freezing or dropping the egg or hitting the top of the blast wall and the grenade flying back at you, etc.
Helped...made you realize just how long 5 seconds can be...made you ready for the real thing and every cycle, one or more of us had to react.
Lots of sound advice on this thread and I don't know if I could offer any more that would be meaningful as my service was long ago and in a different era and things have changed.
"Yes, Drill Sergeant."
"No, Drill Sergeant."
"I don't know, Drill Sergeant, but I'll find out." are three phrases I strongly recommend be automatic, as appropriate.
There will be stress and the cadre doesn't have time to baby people and will concentrate on the ones who need the most molding...that's the job.
Paying attention to detail is probably the most important thing a recruit can do, and will help him avoid unwanted attention, but he'll get his share...as mentioned above, it's not personal and he really needs to understand that.
The folks charged with readying a youngster to head into harm's way have an awesome responsibility and will do their best to make sure he's ready.
The cadre must assume every recruit will be deployed to unfriendly lands...it's the only way to look at the job.
He'll be fine, and I promise it will be an experience he'll never forget for the rest of his life.
Whether he has good memories or bad memories is all dependent on him, his attitude and how well he follows directions.
He'll need to suspend everything he "knows" about civilian life and become a sponge and soak up everything they're going to teach him...and he won't like it, at least not at first.
He'll be asked to do things that will make no sense to him...sponge...eyes open, mouth shut...sponge.
Thank you for the kind words!!
well i assume this will show up for anyone searching for advice, so i give it to all future soldiers.
bringd bandaides, the type you can put on your heel for blisters..put one on each foot everyday, even if you dont have blisters, that way your boot rubs on the bandaid and not your skin..trust me, you do not want to do a ruck march with blisters.
girls, if you dye your hair, be prepared to dye it back to your natural color. roots are a big no go. people will advise you to pack lightly, but bring what you need. full size toiletries, white tall socks[at least two packs] lots of underwear [guys you have to wear the brown army issue, but girls, bring white or black granny panties and bring alot] because laundry service is twice a week and the time you will have to do your own laundry is limited and you do not want to spend your free time washing socks in the sink.
if you own a good, newish pair of running shoes, bring them. otherwise you’ll spend way to much money at the troop store on ugly, sorry generic shoes. Also you will need tennis shoes at reception before your given the chance to buy what you need. i learned this the hard way. Also, people say dont bring your phone because you wont be able to use it..well you’ll be very sad at reception [they didnt take our phones] and at the end of basic when everyone else has their phone and you dont. you need at least two pairs of black spandex to wear under your pts but again i’d recommend bringing more. things get lost and stolen and your opportunities to buy replacements are limited. Also, dont count on being able to get things from your family. when you arrive it takes a long time to get your first bits of mail and when your in the field you wont get mail. it takes a long time for mail to arrive. bring stamps, alot.
and if they dont take it from you, try to have some immodium on hand. [pills] all they give you is generic pepto and unless you have a stomach of steel you will have diarrhea at some point. generally during the first couple weeks until you adjust to the food, when you eat certain mres and when they make you drink a rehydration pack.
try to memorize your soldier’s creed, army values, and your rank structure before you arrive. also, be respectful to your peers when its lights out, and in general. follow the general rule if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. Basic is so much easier if everyone gets along, and drama makes everything that much harder so try to avoid it.
follow orders, dont do your own thing when you arent supposed to be, and generally do what your supposed to, and if you’re physically in good shape basic will be a breeze.
all for now.
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