Chapter 5: Advanced Individual Training (AIT) - Part 1

I think it's time for another one of my army stories. Well, that and I ain't got nothing else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Basic training at Fort Jackson was very difficult, so we were all extremely happy to get it over with. Now it was time for all of the trainees that graduated basic training, to go our new assignment, Advanced Individual Training (AIT). AIT is where we learn the job we would do for the next two years. I was selected to be one of the sacrificial lambs and train as a grunt, (i.e., infantryman), so I didn’t leave Fort Jackson. I was just sent to another part of the base.

Approximately 22% of the trainees that completed Basic Combat Training remained at Fort Jackson for additional training, 6% for nine weeks of Vietnam-oriented Advanced Individual Infantry Training conducted by the 3d Training Brigade, and 16% for Combat Support Training conducted by the 4th Training Brigade. The remaining 78% of the trainees completing Basic Combat Training proceeded to advanced training at schools or with units located else where throughout the continental United States.

I was one of the lucky 6% assigned to the 3d Training Brigade (Company D, 11th Battalion, 3d Training Brigade) for Vietnam-oriented training. I didn't know it at the time, but it was now chiseled in stone that that I was destined for Vietnam to serve as an infantryman. Here is a list of some of the cool things I was introduced to in AIT.

The 3d Training Brigade conducted Vietnam-oriented Advanced Individual Training instruction in light and heavy infantry weapons, to include the following: (1) Radio Communications Training (11B-10 Hours; 11C&H-l2 Hours); (2) Land Navigation (18 Hours); (3) Survival, Escape, and Evasion (9 Hours); (4) Squad Tactical Training (56 Hours); (5) M16 Rifle (11B-28 Hours; 11C&H 4 Hours); (6) M79 Grenade Launcher and XM148 System, which is a combination of the M79 and Ml6 Rifle (4 Hours); (7) M60 Machine Gun (40 Hours); (8) M72 and 3.5-inch Rocket Launcher (6 Hours); (9) 81 MM Mortar (74 Hours); (10) 4.2 Inch Mortar (26 Hours); (11) 90MM Recoilless Rifle (16 Hours); and (12) 106MM Recoilless Rifle (48 Hours).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since my AIT was on the same base, the bus ride from the basic training company area to our new home at AIT, was a short one. During the trip we were quite rowdy. It felt so good to be finished with basic and finished with all the crap we endured and being treated like shit. So good, that we just had to let it out. A couple times we drove past men still in basic training marching or running and razzed them as we passed.

Most of us didn't really think about what was in store for us next until we approached our new home. The first thing I noticed were the new barracks we would be staying in. These barracks were made from red bricks and had only been in use for a couple of years. Inside and out, they looked like hotels compared from the drafty, old wooden "temporary" WWII era barracks we've stayed in since induction day.

Fort Jackson took a big step in the long temporary-to-permanent building process in June 1966. At that time the 3d Training Brigade became the first unit to occupy the new brick permanent buildings on Post. These units consisted of one chapel, one Brigade Headquarters, two Battalion Headquarters, two Consolidated Messes, one gymnasium, eight barracks, two orderly/supply room complexes, one dispensary, one Post Exchange, and a motor pool. This complex, housed in the first permanent brick buildings erected on the 49- year old Post, marked the beginning of the Post’s transition from wood buildings to brick.

Our trucks were met by our new drill instructors barking out orders to hurry up and fall in. Unlike the first day when we arrived at basic training, this time we knew exactly what to do and were standing at attention in formation before you knew it. Also unlike that first day in basic, we were given orders to 'stand at ease' as soon as we were all set.

I our drill instructors, DIs, introduced themselves to us and gave us a brief lecture about where we were and what was in store for us. Then we were sent into the barracks in groups and assigned to our rooms. Yes, room! No more long barracks of bunk beds, we had rooms. Each room had four sets of bunk beds and wall lockers for each of us. I don't remember if we had foot lockers or not. Pretty soon we were marched over to the supply room and issued bedding and than marched back to the barracks to make our bunks and put away our uniforms and personal belongings.

It wasn't long before it was chow time (e.g., supper). The DIs walked up and down the halls ordering us to fall out and stand in formation. The mess hall was just as nice as the barracks; new, large and clean. I'm sure it wasn't, but the food even tasted better.

KP here was also better than in basic. It still started, I think, at 4:30 or 5:00 am, but the cooks all treated you better. Most jobs on KP were handed out on a first come, first serve basis. Meaning the first guy in line outside the mess hall in the morning got to pick his job first and the last guy in line got what ever was left. But the mess sergeant had final say in what you did. If you worked hard and did a good job, he'd usually make sure you'd get one of the better jobs. If you were a screw up, no matter what position you were in line, you were guaranteed a crappy job.

Everyone helped take turns serving the food, which was good, because that meant you got to eat before everyone else. The best job was being assigned to the store room. Your job was to keep the store room neat and clean and help unload the supply truck when it came in and then put away the supplies. Other than that, you just sat around on boxes in the store room between meal periods until someone came in a wanted something. The worst jobs were washing dishes and the pots and pans. You also helped the cooks and fetched things for them when they needed something. Another job I didn't like was cleaning up the dinning area after meals. You weren't allowed to even begin cleaning until the mess hall was empty and that meant you were usually the last to get off duty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have written so much more, but I'm saving it for that imaginary book I'm writing. Who wants a copy? LOL

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 7: Graduation Day

I know it's been a while since my last army story September, sorry. I got the book writing bug back, so decided to post the last chapter of my US Army Basic Training adventure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last day of basic training had finally arrived, Graduation Day! We were all very excited, most of us anyway. A few guys didn’t pass all the PT tests and had to be “recycled” into another unit and keep trying until they do pass. I suppose that after they failed enough, they were kicked out of the army.

The graduation ceremony went smoothly. Several men had family there to watch them graduate if they lived close enough. Since I lived so far away, New York, my family couldn’t be there. No matter, I was proud enough of myself for making it though for everyone. I remember getting chills as we marched in formation past the stand. The bleachers were full of people and all kinds of “brass”, e.g., officers. What a difference those nine weeks made, because now we actually looked like soldiers.

After the ceremony, we headed back to the company area to gather up our belongings and get our orders for our next assignment. Those of us that graduated from basic training were promoted to Private E-2, which showed everyone that we weren’t recruits any longer. We also received our “yearbook”, which is where I got the pictures of the people you see here. We passed around the yearbooks for signatures; much like you did when you graduated high school. When we were all done with that, we were called to formation and told what we were in for next.

Up until now, nobody really knew where they would be assigned and held out that small glimmer of hope that it wouldn’t be for infantry training, which pretty much meant an all expense paid trip to Vietnam. However, like me, most were assigned to infantry training AIT, but a few others, like the men who enlisted, got different assignments. A few guys that were drafted got orders for mess cook and clerical position AIT. They didn’t sign up for that, they were just ordered to do it. I guess that’s what all that testing at the reception station was all about. Those assignments wouldn’t get them out of going to Vietnam, because mess cooks and clerical people were needed there too. However, being a mess cook or an office worker in Vietnam was a lot better than being an infantryman.

We were issued our orders and then fell out so we could go into our barracks to get our duffel bags. We walked out of those barracks for the last time leaving them as spotlessly clean, just is it was when we arrived 9 weeks earlier. Few of us joked about how the next group would make the same mistake we did the first time we entered the barracks. They would walk down the center aisle scuffing it up and be chastised for walking on “HIS” floor by the drill sergeant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the basic training graduation pictures from our "yearbook" of all of the soldiers in my unit; Company A, Sixth Battalion, Second Brigade. There are also pictures of a few other guys I hung out with from other platoons. I wonder how many of the young men you see here never made it back alive from Vietnam, I wonder.





If you couldn't tell which one was me, here's a close up.











We said our good byes and headed off to AIT, wherever that was? Most of us were assigned to infantry training AIT at Fort Jackson. This is where we would actually learn to be an infantryman for service in Vietnam.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 6

While going through my '1968 Basic Training Yearbook', I was amazed at just how much I'd forgotten. Things like eating shit-on-a-shingle, the 10-mile strolls to the rifle range, the enticing scents of the gas chamber and everyones favorite pass time, KP. I was trying to figure out how to write about everything, so you'd get a good picture in your minds about exactly what it was like. I'm sure that many things have changed since I went through basic, but I'm also sure it's not all that much different either. Then it hit me. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll scan things in the book that are relevant, post them on my blog and write a little about them all. So here you go, my life as a trainee at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in 1968.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KP:


There was a mess hall in each company area. Ours was right next to my barracks. That's why the cooks stayed in a room upstairs in it. The mess hall's day started early, so when you had KP, the man on night fire guard was responsible for waking you up. Somewhere around 4:00 am if I recall. You did everything dirty there was to do like cleaning tables, mopping floors, washing dishes, scrubbing pots and pans, even scrubbing the garbage pails and cleaning out the grease traps. We ate potatoes with every meal, so there were always tons of them to peel. We peeled them all by hand with a paring knife.

We were issued a meal card that you had to show to a mess cook before they would allow you to eat in the mess hall. Here's my meal card.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barracks:

Our barracks were old wooden buildings built in the 1940s as "temporary" housing for soldiers during training in WWII. The photos below are excellent example of the thing we were responsible for in and around the barracks. Our foot lockers MUST be organized exactly as we were instructed. No deviation was allowed or the drill sergeant would usually dump it out and make you keep at it until you got it right. The bunks had to be made perfectly too or the mattress and linens would be dumped on the floor until it was made correctly. Many guys either slept on the floor or on top of the covers so it would get messed up. Mail call was the high light of every day. I loved getting mail. So if you know anyone in the service, please write them or email them so they can keep in touch. We were allowed to make a limited amount of phone calls. I always called home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inspection:


The army inspected everything and everybody. They inspected us, our uniforms, foot lockers, wall lockers, weapons, the inside of our barracks, the outside of our barracks, under our barracks, hell, they inspected everything we touched. If it didn't pass you caught hell, if it did pass, they hardly said a word. One morning we were standing in formation and the drill sergeant found one guy that hadn't shaved that morning. Did he just punish the offender, oh no. He punished us all. We were a team and when one man failed, everyone failed. He sent us all back into the barracks to get our razors. While the drill sergeant and the drill corporal closely watch us, he made us dry shave. That means that we had to shave our faces without using shaving cream or even water. Then he sent a man to company head quarters to get a gallon of mimeograph fluid. The fluid is basically an alcohol based fluid used in the predecessor to today's copy machine. Then he walked around, poured a little in each persons hands and made us rub it on our faces like it was shaving lotion, and you men know how much that can burn. HOLY CRAP! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Man did that shit burn! He told us that from now on, we were to keep our razors in our shirt pocket. Next time someone didn't shave, we would all have to do this again. We never did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We went through all different types of training during basic. Some fun and some not fun at all. Training consisted of many different subjects all of which you had to be proficient in to graduate from basic. I used to play "War" all the time with my friends when we were kids and during a lot of the training, it was almost like I was playing it all over again.

Basic Combat Training is divided into three phases. During Phase I, recruits are subject to "Total Control," meaning their every action is monitored and constantly corrected by drill sergeants. The first week of training is commonly referred to as "Hell Week," due to the intense period of adjustment required on the part of the new recruits. Marches are common throughout basic training. For this and many other exercises, soldiers are issued fake rifles known as "rubber ducks," so that they can become familiar with the proper handling of their weapon before they have actually been trained to use it. Recruits are sent to the "gas chamber" during Phase I, as part of training for defensive chemical warfare. They are also introduced to their standard-issue weapon, the M16-A2 (with us, it was an M14) assault rifle. Phase II is where Soldiers begin actually firing weapons. With the assault rifle (M14). Other weapons the recruit becomes familiarized with include various grenades (such as the M67 fragmentation grenade) and grenade launchers (such as the M203). Recruits are then familiarized with the bayonet, anti-tank/armor weaponry and other heavy weapons. There is also an obstacle course which the soldiers are expected to negotiate in certain amount of time. Additionally, there is continual, intense PT, as well as drill and ceremony training. At the conclusion of Phase II, soldiers are expected to demonstrate proficiency with the various weaponry in which they trained. Phase III "Blue Phase" is the culmination and the most challenging of all the training phases. During the first week, there is a PT final. Recruits that fail are not allowed to go into the field with the rest of the platoon. The final PT Test consists of the Standard Army Annual PT Examination. A minimum of 150 points is required to pass US Army Basic Training. Those that pass will move on to "Bivouwac" (camping) and FTX (Field Training Exercises), such as nighttime combat operations. Drill sergeants will make much of this an adversarial process, working against the recruits in many of the night operations, trying to foil plans, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Physical Training:



JUMPING JACKS, PUSH UP, PULL UPS, SQUAT THRUSTS! We had physical training, or PT as it was called all the frigging time. Most of us weren't in that good of shape, so we needed it to get into condition to make it through basic training. If you couldn't handle it all, you didn't graduate from basic, simple as that. None of the drill instructors EVER wanted to have any of there men not graduate. I'm sure it was a reflection on them in one way or another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hand to Hand Combat and Pugil Stick:


This was kind of scary. Not that I was afraid of doing it, but scared that some day I may have to use these skills in combat. There was no frigging way I EVER wanted to get that close to the enemy.

Hand-to-hand combat is an engagement between two or more persons in an empty-handed struggle or with hand held weapons such as knives, sticks, and rifles with bayonets.

Hand to hand combat is a crash course in martial arts, including boxing and wrestling. It was a lot of fun beating up on each other. Sometimes you got paired up with a DI and even though he'd kick your ass, it felt good getting in a shot or two.

A pugil stick is a heavily padded training weapon used by military personnel for bayonet training since the 1930s or 1940s. Similar to a quarterstaff or Japanese bo, the pugil stick may be marked at one end to indicate which portion represents the bayonet proper and which the butt of the rifle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CBR - Chemical, Biological and Radiological:


This was our introduction to gas attacks. I disliked this training more than anything else. First we practiced putting the gas mask on and getting it make a good seal. Then they sent us into a sealed concrete bunker with a DI or two. One time they released chlorine gas and made us take our masks off. Then we had to stand there for what seemed like forever before they let us out. If you could hold your breath a long time, you had it made. If not, you coughed your lungs out. The worst part of this training was without a gas mask. One time they made us all sit in a group on the ground. We were instructed not to get up or run away when they released the gas. Next they popped a canister up wind from us. We felt the effects immediately.

CS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile) a substance that is used as a riot control agent and is claimed to be non-lethal. The chemical reacts with moisture on the skin and in the eyes causing a burning sensation and the immediate forceful and uncontrollable shutting of the eyes. Reported effects can include tears streaming from the eyes, running nose full of mucus, burning in the nose and throat areas, disorientation, dizziness and restricted breathing. In highly concentrated doses it can also induce severe coughing and vomiting.CS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile) a substance that is used as a riot control agent and is claimed to be non-lethal. The chemical reacts with moisture on the skin and in the eyes causing a burning sensation and the immediate forceful and uncontrollable shutting of the eyes. Reported effects can include tears streaming from the eyes, running nose full of mucus, burning in the nose and throat areas, disorientation, dizziness and restricted breathing. In highly concentrated doses it can also induce severe coughing and vomiting.

Of course a bunch of guys took off running, a lot just stood up like me and then others stayed on the ground. The guys that ran away had to go through it again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bayonets:


"FIX BAYONETS! Then they had us go through the drills you learned with the pugil stick. They had some straw filled dummies we practiced stabbing too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Aid:


You better pay attention here. We all carried at least one bandage with us in Vietnam. You never know if you'll be called upon to use it to dress your buddy's wound or even your own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drill and Ceremonies:


"FALL IN! DRESS RIGHT DRESS!" Those are the orders we received more time than I can count. If we ALL did it correctly, we were standing in formation with straight ranks and everyone evenly spaced. "ORDER ARMS! RIGHT SHOULDER ARMS!" Damn, that rifle got heavy after awhile or practicing these drills. Then there was the marching. Oh how we did march. Frigging everywhere. Sometimes we had to stay in step with double timing! Oh what fun that was. ;-)

The one thing that helped everyone stay in step when we were marching, was cadence.

In the armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching.

Here's an example something we sang often.

They Say That In The Army

They say that in the Army the coffee's mighty fine
It looks like muddy water and tastes like turpentine
Chorus:
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go
Oh Lord, I wanna go hoo-hoo-hoooome EH!
They say that in the Army the chow is mighty fine
a chicken jumped off the table and started marking time
Chorus:
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go
Oh Lord, I wanna go hoo-hoo-hoooome EH!
They say that in the Army the biscuits are mighty fine
one rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine
Chorus:
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go
Oh Lord, I wanna go hoo-hoo-hoooome EH!
They say that in the Army the training's might fine
last night there were ten of us, now there's only nine
Chorus:
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go
Oh Lord, I wanna go hoo-hoo-hoooome EH!
They say that in the Army the pay is mighty fine
they give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine
Chorus:
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go
Oh Lord, I wanna go hoo-hoo-hoooome EH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25-Meter Range:


This is the first rifle range you go to and where you learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. These are the targets I shot at on the first day at the range. The one on the left was from the morning and the one on the right the afternoon. I fired a 22 cal while I was growing up in Florida, so had some idea how handle a rifle. Not bad for my first day at the range with an M-14 with unlined sights.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Target Detection:


This training teaches you how to spot the enemy when your on patrol or on guard duty. You are taught how to scan the area and spot "targets" they have placed as you walk through it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Field Firing:


Here we fired at targets about the size of a man that popped up out of a trench. When you hit the target it dropped back down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Train Fire:


This range is where you learned all of the different firing positions. We practiced here quite a bit. Practice, practice, practice. You won't do well when you qualify if you practice firing your weapon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Record Firing:


This range has firing positions at different distance from the targets. When you hit one it goes down. A scorer keeps track. If you fail to qualify the first time, you go back for retraining and keep trying until you do. I qualified as a Sharpshooter with the M-14.

RATING STANDARD

EXPERT
36-40

SHARPSHOOTER
30-35

MARKSMAN
23-29

UNQUALIFIED
22-BELOW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cleaning Weapons:


Obviously when your done firing for the day, you have to clean your weapon. You completely disassemble it, clean it and apply a light coating of oil to the metal parts. Then the DI is usually the one to check it out and make sure you did a through job. If not, you do it over until he's satisfied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bayonet Assault Course:


This was another thing I hoped I'd never have to do in combat. Who in their right mind would want to stand up and charge the enemy and try to stab them, all while they are firing at you? Not me that's for sure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Individual Tactical Training:


This was kind of cool. You crawled on your belly through this course, while making believe you were sneaking up on the enemy. We became good at crawling, because every morning, we crawled the length of a canvas mat stretched out on the ground at one end of the company area that we had to do a belly crawl on every day. We learned that when you use both your arms and feet together, you go a lot slower than if you pushed mostly with your feet and slide along the ground on your chest. That method didn't do much good when your carrying your weapon in your arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hand Grenade:


FIRE IN THE HOLE! Now this was cool! When we were kids and played army, we made believe we were tossing grenades a lot. Now we actually got to do it. We practiced a lot with dummy hand grenades and then got to throw a live one. The instructor stood in a bunker with you and then handed you a hand grenade. If you did what you were trained to do, everything was fine. But if you were like one asshole in my company, you fucked up and almost killed yourself and the instructor. MAN! Did he catch hell for that one! We only threw one in basic, but in Vietnam, I threw quite a few. We tossed them in about any hole was saw when we were on patrol. Every where there were vent holes for the tunnel system in the Cu Chi area where we were. When we found what looked like a tunnel entrance, we'd tossed a hand grenade in it. We blew up lots of stuff there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guard Duty:


Guard duty SUCKED! From day one in the reception station we all took turns standing fire watch guard duty. You always wanted to be the first one to stand guard. It was only for an hour, I think, so while everyone was trying to get to sleep, you walked guard. You got to sleep just a little later than everyone else. The worst guard duty was the last one. That meant you had to get up extra early and sleep was very precious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Confidence Course:


This course was used to help you build your confidence. It was made sufficiently difficult, so when you completed everything, you gained confidence in your self as well as gained confidence in others when they successfully completed the course too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Infiltration Course:


This simulated actual combat as best as it could. You started at one end and crawled 100 yards to the other end on your belly. You cradled your weapon in your arms and crawled across and under barriers and barbed wire. We did this course at night. The pits you see in the picture had explosives in them. They set them off randomly as we all crawled along. Scares the living piss out of you. All the while someone is sitting in a tower firing live rounds from an M60 machine gun over your head. You can here the bullets and see the red tracer rounds as they whizzed by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marches and Bivouac:


Camping! We marched a long frigging way with full pack and our weapons to the bivouac site. Then we joined our tent half with someone else's and put up the tent. We dug foxholes and then ate a meal with our "mess kit". That night, we were taken to someplace some distance from camp and told to find our way back using our compass and the things were have been trained. This was so cool!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Technique of Fire:


Here's where we learned how to direct our fire in a simulated fire fight. We had designated areas to cover. When your in combat you are usually side by side in your perimeter and must cover your area. The rest of the guys cover theirs. That way the entire perimeter is covered by someone. This is where the Target Detection training came in handy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Close Combat:


Here you learn to work as a team while approaching and objective. You can cover a lot more area spread out than moving in the typical single file.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Night Fire:


This one is done at night, so I'm not sure why it shows this in day light. While scanning for the imaginary enemy, they shoot off flares over head. They tell you to to close one eye and keep looking. That way you don't totally loose your night vision. We all got a chance to look through a hight vision scope too. It turns night into day, but everything is green.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Physical Combat Proficiency Test:


They run you through this course a number of different times while your in basic. It's used to see test your level of conditioning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of Cycle Proficiency Test:


This was the make you or break you test. If you passed, you graduated basic training, if not, you didn't, then you were left back and had to go to a special kind of basic to get you in shape. Nobody that failed was discharged. That would be too easy. We were told that those that achieved a particular high score, would be allowed to go on leave into Columbia on the weekend. This would be the first time we were allowed off base in something like 8 weeks. I busted my ass and made it! After everyone finished, they told those that qualified that we had a decision to make. That either just the group of men that qualified could go into town, or we could vote to let everyone go. Of course we voted to let everyone go. We all had a ball!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was pretty much the end of basic training for us. All that was left to do now was to practice for the graduation ceremony. Graduation! That word was music to our ears.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 5

One day towards the end of basic training I was asked if I would volunteer to drive an honor guard to a funeral off base on Sunday. The funeral was for a soldier killed in Vietnam. Another driver volunteered to drive the rifle party. The honor guard would be the casket escort and the rifle party would be firing the 3-volley salute. There was a bugler in the group too, but I don't remember which van he rode in.

3-Volley Salute The 3-volley salute is a salute performed at military and police funerals as part of the drill and ceremony of the Honor Guard. A rifle party, usually consisting of an odd number of firers, usually from 3 to 7 firearms. The firing party is positioned such that, when they shoulder their arms for firing, the muzzles are pointed over the casket of the deceased who is being honored. On the command of the NCO-in-charge, the firing party fires their weapons in unison, for a total of three volleys. The three-volley salute is not to be confused with the 21-gun salute (or even lesser gun salutes, such as 19-gun or 17-gun, etc) which use cannon.

The night before the funeral, the drill sergeant in charge of the detail, supervised us as we prepared or uniforms for the next day. We had to look or best and our best it would be. We spent a good part of the time before lights out getting our uniforms ready, polishing our brass and boots and then spit shinning the toe of our boots. That's where I learned to spit shine my boots. Yes, you actually do spit on the boots.

The next morning we woke up extra early and ate breakfast before everyone else because we had to be on the road very early. After breakfast we got into our uniforms and stood inspection so the drill sergeant could make sure we were ready. After the inspection, I walked over to the motor pool with the other driver to pick up our vans. We drove the vans back to the company area and picked up everyone. The drill sergeant in charge rode with me.

The drill sergeant was very relaxed and very friendly that day. A friendly drill sergeant was strange to us, but we were getting very close to graduation and most of the bull shit had stopped by now. Still, the drill sergeants had a rep to up hold and a friendly drill sergeant just wasn't the norm.

The drive took about 1 1/2 hours, but we arrived at the church with plenty of time to spare. The church was a baptist church and looked pretty much like the one on Kingsley Lake I'd attended when I was growing up in Florida. A plain cinder block building lined inside with pews, but not much else.

Here I am that day in my finest army issue khaki's. The church is in the back ground.

The pastor came over and explained what the service would be like and showed us around. The honor guard did a dry run and then we all took our places to wait for everyone to arrive. I stood out in the parking lot near the van with the other driver, the bugler and rifle party.

Pretty soon the mourners started arriving and eventually filled the church. The honor guard took their position and was ready when the hearse pulled up. I think the hearse was waiting near by until everyone had entered the church, because as soon as the honor guard was ready, it pulled up.

The honor guard then escorted the casket into the church. One man from the honor guard was assigned to stand at each end of the casket. Every 15 minutes they would be relieved by two other men. They would repeat that until the service was over.

When the singing of the hymns started, I walked over to the church and looked in a window. Everyone was standing up and singing. I remembered most of the hymns from my days in church and sang along quietly to myself. My parents weren't big church goers, but I did go a lot on my own. I could walk to the Baptist church on Kingsley Lake or I went with my friend and his parents to their Episcopal church. They were in the choir and got me permission to sit with them. From day one in that church I was in the choir.

Not long before the service was over, the bugler and rifle party took their positions near the grave, out in the field behind the church. When the service ended, the honor guard escorted the casket out into the field and placed it over the grave. The pastor said a few words and then the 3-volley salute was fired.

Next the bugler played "Taps" and a chill ran up and down my spine as he played. I'm pretty sure I got the chills because this was the first time it really hit home that the young man we were there for had been killed in Vietnam. I knew it was almost certain that I'd be sent there too and what was happening and that some day I might be the one killed in combat and had Taps played over my casket. Then the flag was removed from the casket, folded and handed to one of the family. I think it was the man's mother.

Not to long after that, all of the soldiers headed back to the van. We all talked for a few minutes about what everyone had experienced. The drill sergeant told us how proud he was of all us and how good of a job we'd all done. He said that we should be proud of ourselves too, because we volunteered to do something very important. He reminded us of how much it meant to the family and friends of the deceased soldier. A few minutes later, the pastor and a few members of the family came over to speak to us. They wanted to thank everyone for what we did that day. That made everyone feel pretty special to be thanked like that.

On the way back to the post, the drill sergeant had me stop at a gas station and so we could make a pit stop and get a cold drink. The man at the gas station in the gas station asked us what we were all doing out here and when we told him, he wouldn't let us pay. We stood around talking for a few minutes until everyone had finished in the bathroom. Then we got back in the van and headed back to the base.

This was really my first direct exposure to the effects of the war in Vietnam. Before this funeral, almost everything I'd seen or heard about Vietnam was on the news or in the newspaper, but this was the first time I felt the effects in person.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 4

Our first pay day was very special. That's the day the cooks that roomed in our barracks promised us that they would smuggle in ice cream from the base soft serve store. You see, we weren't allowed to eat or drink anything but water and what they provided us at meal times, so after a month of being denied any sort of treat, the ice cream hit the spot. It did come a premium of about 5 times what they paid for it, but we all paid willingly. This happened regularly until they got caught. I think someone squealed on them.

Many men tried to do things that would get them kicked out of the army. Things that I'm sure many of them would have never done as a civilian. One night two men in my barracks were caught "snuggling" naked in one of their bunks. I'm not sure if they were really gay, or were just putting on an act. It did get them kicked out of the army though. Then, as is today, gays aren't allowed in the military.

Another man, Ben Caraballo, claimed he could not speak one word of English. He was from Puerto Rico. There were a few guys in our company from there. Each time he spoke our was spoken to, another guy that spoke Spanish would interpret things for him. The drill sergeant absolutely hated him for that. It drove him crazy. A few guys claimed to have heard him speak English, but I never did. If he was putting on an act, it was a good one. One of the other guys from Puerto Rico said that all kids in Puerto Rico learned to speak, read and write English in school, so personally, I believed that he was acting.

In one of the other barracks, a guy refused to take a shower. Guess he figured if he smelled bad enough, they'd kick him out of the army. It took about three weeks of him smelling up the place when his barrack mates got tired of the stench and gave him a blanket party and a GI shower.

Blanket Party - A blanket party is a means of corporal punishment or hazing conducted by a peer group. Blanket parties are most frequently conducted by groups within the military, or military academies. A blanket party is conducted by an individual being restrained, while his peers strike him repeatedly with improvised 'flails' (generally a sock or a washrag containing something solid, i.e. a bar of soap). GI Shower - GI Shower Given to someone who usually is in need of a shower but who refuses. The offender is forced into the shower (sometimes blindfolded) where others scrub him or her with scrub brushes or steel wool. The intent is to encourage him or her to maintain minimal standards of cleanliness and the outcome is often painful and even bloody. It is an illegal assault and can be punished under the UCMJ. It happens rarely. http://www.answers.com

It was done on a Sunday when all of the DIs were off duty and usually off base. The only NCOs were in the company HQ and usually never bothered us. A bunch of guys wrapped the guy in a blanket and roughed him up a little. Then they took him in the shower and scrubbed him down with things like a broom, brush and anything else they could fine that was used to clean things with. Then they warned him and told him he would shower every day from now on or it would happen again, or maybe something worse. They also warned him not to tell on them, our else! He never did tell on them and showered every day after that.

One day towards the end of basic training I was assigned as a driver and missed a big event back in the company area, but I was told all about it when I got back. Late in the day after training was over, SSG Temple and Corporal Levato got drunk and thought it would be funny to harass the our platoon even more than usual. They got the bright idea to make my platoon dress in odd uniform combinations. They gave them just a few minutes to get into each uniform combination and then stand in formation for “inspection”. They also made the men strip to their underwear and crawl in the dirt on their bellies.

This kind of harassment, and more, went on for awhile, but stopped when the battalion commander just happened to come to our company area to look around. I think he showed up because one of the other NCOs tipped him off. The battalion commander sent Temple and the corporal to our company HQ and then dismissed our platoon to so they could get cleaned up and straighten up the barracks. Both NCOs got in serious trouble for what they had done. They were court marshaled, busted down a rank and docked some pay.

We were confined to the company area in basic except on Sundays when were allowed to walk to the base chapel for church service. You'd surprised at how many men took up religion once they found out that we stopped at the base soft serve ice cream store on the way back after church.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 3

The next story in the continuing saga of BTExpress' army adventures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once everyone had arrived in basic later that week, SSG Temple called us to formation in front of our barracks. Temple asked us if there was anyone in our platoon that thought they could kick his ass. No one spoke up at first until one guy raised his hand. Temple called him to the front.

Temple got in his face yelling and screaming that "... who did he think he was? Asking him "...if he thought he was a tough guy?" All kind of thing like that. The guy stood right up and unflinchingly said, "...yes." Temple asked him "...if he thought he was so tough, to come with him behind the barracks and try!" Then off they went.

HOLY CRAP! Was that guy crazy or something. Temple was about the toughest sounding guy I'd ever seen and he was sure to kick the guys ass. We all stood silently listening for the sound of a fight, but we never heard anything. A few minutes later they both came out from behind the barracks looking just like they did before this whole thing started.

The guy stood next to Temple with both of them facing us. Temple told us that he was our Platoon Leader and in charge when none of the NCOs were around. He wrapped a blue arm band around his upper arm that had three stripes on it. This arm band signified his position.

Platoon Leader SGT Dallas Cook











Temple instructed Cook to choose one man to be his assistant. He would also get an arm band, but with two stripes. He choose this man.

Platoon Leader Corporal Robert Cleckly











Temple's choice of these two men made for problems sometimes for basically two reasons. They let their positions go to there heads and turned into a couple of first class pricks. Also because these two guys were black. Remember this was 1968 and racial tensions were running quite high in the USA at the time. And since out of the 56 men in our platoon, 8 men were black. The rest were either white or some other nationality.

On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots erupt in major American cities for several days afterward. The Washington, D.C. riots of April 4–8, 1968 erupted with the April 4, 1968 assassination of Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil unrest affected at least 110 U.S. cities; Washington, along with Chicago and Baltimore, was among the most impacted. Then on April 11 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

One evening just before bed, Cook began walking up and down the center aisle with his dick hanging out of his boxers stroking it as he walked. Truthfully, it was huge! He asked if anyone wanted to get fucked or blow him. Everyone was afraid of him, so no one said a word and just tried to ignore him. Then he jumped on a few bunks, including mine acting like he was trying to fuck you. He didn't do anything except laugh, make humping motions and stroke his dick. When he got tired of playing the game, he stopped and went to bed.

That night I was suddenly awakened when my bunk was pushed over. My arm was between the foot locker and the bunk when we hit the floor, but I didn't get hurt. We were pushed over by Cook and his partner in crime Cleckly. They knock over one or two more bunks too.

By then everyone in the barracks had woken up. Someone woke up Temple and and he came running up the stairs to see what was going on. Cook and Cleckly were ratted out immediately and the two of them were taken to the company HQ. Temple asked if anyone was hurt, but no one was hurt, just shaken up. We were told to straighten things up and go back to bed.

The next day during morning formation, Temple made Cook and Cleckly apologize, but that was it! Well, except that they weren't allowed out of the company area for a while. No one thought that was fair, but Temple said since there was no real harm done, it would just be dropped.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 2

One day during zero week in Basic Training,....

Wait, I better explain something before I continue. We were in basic training for nine weeks. The first week of basic training is called zero week and spent waiting for the rest of the new recruits to arrive and just trying to learn the basics and what was expected of us. The real training didn’t start until the second week of basic which they called week one. Makes sense, right? Okay, now I'll continue.

One day during zero week, someone asked us if any of us had a driver’s license. I did, so I raised my hand along with a few other guys. I think only about a dozen guys in the entire company had drivers licenses. We were pulled aside and were asked about our driving experience. I had my license for a couple of years already and even was a truck driver the electric company back home. Our licenses were checked and we were assigned to take the Light Vehicle Drivers Course.

Light Vehicle Drivers Course - This course trains and qualifies selected personnel for duty as military drivers capable of safe light vehicle operations and operations limitations, maintenance and emergency devices.

I loved driving school. I spent my days in school instead of being harassed by the drill instructors. I also got to stop by the ice cream stand walking back and forth to drivers training, which was forbidden! Having experience as a truck driver came in very handy for me. To get our military drivers license, we had to qualify in a jeep and five different sized trucks. The largest truck was one was the ‘Deuce and a Half’ and was used for carrying cargo or troops. I drove a line trucks for the electric company that were about the same size as this deuce and a half I became licensed to drive.
I passed the drivers training and issued my license on May 17, 1968. Here's the proof I passed.

Getting that drivers license was the best thing that happened to me while in training. I was regularly assigned as a driver which got me out of so much bull shit and even KP at least once a week. The guys were always so envious of me, especially the guys that had to relieve me from KP if they needed me to drive.

The best assignment as a driver was driving for the battalion commander. I’d just sit on a bench in battalion HQ waiting and then drove him around in a jeep so he could observe training. There was nothing like sitting around in the jeep watching the training instead of going through it.

Chapter 4: Basic Training - Part 1

After our week in the reception center we were bused to our respective basic training areas for 9 weeks of basic training.

Upon completion of a four-day processing period, in the Reception Station, trainees were assigned to Fort Gordon or one of the Basic Combat Training Brigades, either the 1st or 2d Training Brigade, at Jackson.

I was assigned to the 2d Training Brigade at Fort Jackson: Company A, 6th Battalion, 2d Training Brigade to be exact.

The 1st and 2d Training Brigades were responsible for the conduct of 215 hours of company-taught subjects. These subjects included: (1) Drill and Ceremonies, (2) Marches and Bivouacs, (3) Pugil Stick, (4) Bayonet, (5) Hand- to-Hand Combat, and (6) Mechanical Training with the M14 Rifle.

The Committee Group would teach us other lots of cool things.

The Committee Group was responsible for the conduct of 117 hours of instruction in Basic Combat Training subjects. The Committee Group taught two general subjects: (1) Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Training and (2) First Aid. Additionally, the Committee Group conducted training in such Combat Indoctrination subjects as: (1) Infiltration Course; (2) Hand Grenades (3) Night Firing and Vision; and (4) Individual Tactical Training, which included negotiating barbed wire obstacles, individual field emplacements, and individual camouflage. Finally, the Committee Group conducted training in Basic Rifle Marksmanship to include marksmanship fundamentals on the 25 Meter Firing Ranges, Field Target Detection, Field Firing Exercises, and Record or Qualification Firing.

These are just some of the men responsible for turning us into soldiers during basic training.




Our platoon drill instructors were SSG Jerry Temple, SGT Krietz and Corporal Levato.

This is SSG Temple. What a prick! He was a real redneck Rebel from the back woods of Tennessee and hated Yankees. Since most of us were from the northern states, he gave us shit for almost the entire time we were in basic. He was the most despised drill sergeant I ever came in contact with.







This is SGT Krietz and the most liked of all the NCOs commanding us. Just look at him, can you blame us for liking the guy?

Who does he remind you of? You'll know if you ever watched the Andy Griffith Show or Mayberry RFD. Yep, the spitting image of Deputy Barney Fife the bumbling dope of a deputy of Sheriff Taylor. But Sgt Kreitz was far from a bumbling dope. He was an excellent instructor.

Or does he remind you of Opie, Andy's son?


Sorry, no picture available of Corporal Levato. He wasn’t assigned to our company until after these pictures were taken.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as our bus arrived at the basic training company area, the door opened and SSG Temple jumped aboard and the yelling began. OFF THE BUS, OFF THE BUSS! FALL IN! DOUBLE TIME, DOUBLE TIME! FALL IN, FALL IN! LINE UP! DRESS RIGHT DRESS!

Our heads were spinning trying to comprehend what he wanted, because it seemed like no matter what we did, it wasn’t done correctly or fast enough. To test our speed, we were ordered to dump our carefully packed duffel bags out and repack them. Of course we were too slow and repeated this I don’t remember how many times. After a while, the drill sergeant much have gotten bored with this games and dismissed us to the barracks. We fell out of formation and double-timed into the barracks, which would be our new home for the next 9 weeks.

The barracks were built in the 1940s as temporary barracks and looking at these pictures, hadn’t changed a bit. The first picture was taken in the 1940s and the second in the 1960s.

The barracks were two floors high with bunk beds lining both sides of the room and with two wall lockers in between the bunks near the wall and two footlockers at the foot of the bed. The drill sergeant had a room at one end of the first floor. The mess cooks stayed in a room at one end of the second floor. The barracks was spotless and the floors were so shiny you could practically see yourself in it. Of course, everyone walked down the center aisle between the rows of bunks scuffing the highly polished wax as they walked.

Soon the drill sergeant and the drill corporal walked in and started that incessant yelling again. We fell in at attention at the foot of our bunks as the drill sergeant walked down the center aisle chastising us for walking on “HIS” floor and scuffing it up. We were told to never walk on that floor again. That the DI's were the only ones allowed to walk on the center aisle, which they did at least once a day probably to scuff it up and give us more work to do. There was one exception, we could walk on it while we were cleaning and buffing it to that high sign with a buffer.