Posted on 05/29/2014 4:09:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Sgt. 1st Class John Taffe might be the oldest person to graduate from basic combat training.
Sgt. 1st Class John Taffe may be 55 years old, but he definitely doesn’t act his age.
That’s because Taffe may possibly be the oldest person to graduate from basic combat training – tackling sit-ups, push-ups and barbed-wire low crawls like any other young soldier in his class.
A resident of Alameda, Taffe graduated from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Thursday after a demanding 2 1/2-month training. He’s a former sailor, having served 14 years with the U.S. Navy before being released from active duty in 1991.
Taffe’s age almost stopped him from enlisting in the Army, but he made the cut-off, getting in 36 hours before his 55th birthday, when a waiver would have been required.
NSA Releases Email Snowden Sent to Agency Officials “My son told me, ‘I hope they crush you.’ My daughter was more concerned,” Taffe said of his family’s reaction to his decision to re-enlist. “My plan is to serve until I’m 62.”
“For John to come back at his age, it says a lot about his character,” said Shatara Seymour, chief of public affairs at Fort Leonard Wood.
Taffe is back in the Bay Area Friday, where he will join the Army Reserve and go back to his job as a logistics management specialist for the Department of Homeland Security.
Right after he finished a night crawl while live shots were fired over his head, NBC Bay Area caught up with Taffe to ask him what boot camp felt like at age 55.
When was the exact moment you realized that you wanted to return to the Military?
"After 9/11 I really felt compelled to rejoin the military, but the organization I worked for was not supportive of the idea. It wasn't until almost 14 years later that the opportunity presented itself again while I was exploring other positions within the government. At this time my only choice was the U.S. Army due to my age."
What inspired you to return?
"Serving as a military member is the most unique way to pay it forward for those you love, those you honor, and those who have been lost and couldn't return home. It is the most honorable way for an individual to serve his or her country."
How did your family react?
"A degree of shock at first, but when they saw my commitment and drive to making it a reality, they knew it was the right decision."
How did you prepare yourself?
"I consulted with my doctor, completely changed my diet and eating habits, ramped up my exercise routine, running further and faster almost every day, joined a Cross Fit gym and rode to work every day on my bicycle."
How did others in boot camp react when they saw you training? How do they react now?
"Older people would come up to me and ask my age, and tell me they couldn't/wouldn't dream of doing what I was doing. The younger ones wanted to know if I was human or if I had discovered the fountain of youth. They all say I am an inspiration to them now and that if you get your mind and body right you can achieve anything"
You mentioned culture change and how younger soldiers have a different attitude now. Can you elaborate?
"The military they perceive is like a video game, when in fact it is very far from it. It requires real effort, both physical and mental strength to win in battle. You can't win by how well you can manipulate a game controller."
What is boot camp like?
"Up at 04:00, shave, conduct physical training for about 1.5 hours until breakfast, then it's off to the ranges to conduct live fire training with our weapon. MRE for lunch, continue training until 17-18:00, dinner, back to training after dinner until final formation at 20:30. Then shower, laundry, letter writing and bed by 21:00. Up again for a one hour watch detail between 21:00 - 04:00."
What was the hardest part of your training?
"The physical stuff wasn’t so hard, it was almost too easy. The mental part was hard – just trying to cope with the different things."
Did you feel like quitting at any point?
"At first I did question my thought process that brought me here. I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, just like the lines of the Soldier’s Creed I learned here in the first couple of weeks."
What do you plan to do next?
"Go home to my family and job."
Cool story, I was roommates with a former Viet Nam era Navy vet that Enlisted into the Army as an E-5. He was in his early 40’s when I knew him. Similar story, he couldn’t make ends meat where he lived, had 8 or 10 years service on the books already so said “What the hell!”
I tried to enlist in the Air Force and Navy after 4 years in the Army and they wouldn’t touch me. Strangely, I could have joined the Air Guard and then went active Air Farce. I actually ended up retiring out of Air National Guard.
I’m 55 and sometimes wish I was still in the Navy. I couldn’t hack it now. But after retiring 16 years ago (hit high-year tenure) I now do the next best thing.....I provide technical assistance to the ships. I work every day with our sailors and am daily impressed by them.
I am proud of MY Navy.
I wonder how he picked up Sergeant First Class? Must have been a CPO when he left the Navy.
I have nearly 12 years service (both active & reserve) and turn 52 this year. Wonder if I could get in the Army reserves? Doubtful.
Active Duty ping.
When I was at Fort Knox, I was in OSUT with a guy who had been in the Army, got out and then re enlisted. He had to do Basic Training a second time. We asked him how it was the second time around. He said it sucked. I believe him.
42 plus your years of prior service I believe. He could not have done this as a first enlistment.
I do not know how much smaller, but when I first started collecting my full time military pension, it was a whopping $761 a month. COLAs have made it $1,400 a month, but I would not do it again as an enlisted man. As an officer I would, but not as enlisted. It was hard serving under Jimmy Carter. I can not imagine how awful it is, serving under the Obungler, and it will be as bad or worse, serving under the Hildebeast after that.
I’m confused. If he just completed basic combat infantry training how is he a Sergeant First Class (E-7)? Took me 12 years to make that grade.
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.