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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.