Posted on 05/29/2014 11:18:37 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
A survey of basic-training instructors conducted during the worst sex scandal in Air Force history revealed a sharp distrust of senior commanders at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and a widespread fear of recruits.
In occasionally bitter comments, some instructors lashed out at basic-training leaders.
They talked of stressful working conditions and declining standards that had made training too easy, with recruits even saying they expected to have a harder time.
The survey, done last year and obtained this week by the San Antonio Express-News, revealed basic training remains haunted by recruit abuse and misconduct, the same issues that prompted a major makeover at Lackland.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
With the administration’s war on servicemen, all any female would have to do is threaten a sexual harassment complaint and get anything she wants.
Great Lakes Basic Training March 1982, age 27, Pensacola AOCS 1984, turned 30, was dubbed the old man.
Both experiences taught me one simple surviaval technique.
Make it to the next meal, then make it to lights out. Next day repeat.
If someone DOR’ed (dropped on request) from AOCS, the Marine drill instructors would have a beer party to celebrate.
What the hell is happening? Obama. Chuck the Duck Hagel. Moochelle, Hitlery, Valerie Hizbollah Jarret, David I’ll suck your Axelrod, Jay Carney, everyone inside the beltway military and civilian.
They have a system. It works.
They were more concerned about how you lined up your shoes under your bunk than how fit you were. If you could run a mile and a half in under 15 minutes, you passed.
I understand today's USAF Basic is 8 weeks and includes much more field training.
Also, I say this as a former Air Force officer.
Don’t worry, all they’re ever going to have to deal with are hackers and carbon emissions.
Hell, I went through Lackland in 1981, and found it easier than I expected it to be.
Air Force Basic, at least according my experiences, and of those that I know, has always been a Day Camp, compared to the others.
Air Force boot camp is only 6 weeks long as it is.
It cracked me up when I heard the zoomies complaining about having to work 12 hour shifts.
Me? I planned accordingly: 3 additional sets of fatigues, shave kit, etc. I'd catch brief naps during the night. Didn't need too many, I was 24/25 and indestructible.
I didn't mind it at all, I was in a comfortable, temperature-controlled environment.
I’m sure...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3160319/posts
http://astroguyz.com/2009/02/19/the-downing-of-spirit-03-did-the-moon-play-a-role/
If I were in charge for just one day.... one of the things I would do is to make military boot camp mandatory for all young men and I would have the USMC handle the job for all branches.
Mind you, I did not specify that military service would be mandatory for all, just boot camp. I would hope there would be an appropriate number of “casualties”.
I went through in 1976 and had a gung ho TI. He used to take us out on Sunday afternoons for 35 airborne shuffle laps around a drill pad. He used to constantly threaten us with reaching into our chests and pulling out our hearts if we so much as touched him. He chose the dorm chief by asking who could kick everybody else’s a$$. The 5th Dan black belt and former gang member who raised his hand wasn’t disputed.
Back in those days, sometimes “accidents” happened behind the barracks to troops who wouldn’t get with the program. Sometimes “blanket parties” inside the barracks happened too.
And the Air Force allegedly gets the higher quality recruits. Can just imagine how scary the lower end of the Army recruits must be.
I went thru in '68. Pretty much the same.
No, the story reflects how this whole country hase become “victim centric” and any allegation has more weight that the follow-on facts.
How’s the cartoon/joke go?
Air Force guy: Video game console in hotel room broke, “This Sucks!”
Army Infantryman: Raining, “This sucks!”
Ranger: Raining, “I like the way this sucks!”
Special Forces: Raining, chest deep in water, “This doesn’t suck enough!”
I went through in ‘81 and as long as you could roll your socks, space your clothes hangers in the wall locker and line up your shoes under your bunk, you were good to go.
I remember running in formation on the drill pad while our TIs smoked behind the platform where one of their colleagues was leading PT. The TI assigned to that task was usually one of the few who didn’t smoke and was in some semblance of shape.
Make no mistake: many of the TIs who got busted at Lackland deserved what they got. But in typical Air Force fashion, “leadership” threw everyone to the wind when the scandal erupted and I’m sure that a few TIs got burned because on baseless claims, or because they didn’t report misconduct quickly enough.
However, that does not excuse TIs having sex with recruits, which is what many of them were busted for. It’s also another reflection of poor leadership. During my time at basic, there was never more than one or two officers in the squadron, and they were rarely at work before 7:30 and were headed home at 4:30. Same held true for the senior NCOs who were supposed to be supervising the training process.
That left mid-level and junior personnel in charge and many did what they pleased. I’m also sure that some of the trainees who “blew the whistle” were also willing participants, willing to trade sex for an easier time in basic (if that’s possible in the USAF).
As I recall, the Air Force fired the training group commander as the extent of the scandal became known. But the 37th Wing Commander was suddenly reassigned, after less than two years on the job.
That type of double standard doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
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.