If you served your Country in military service, then you benefitted the Nation and the Nation benefitted you.
First, I get that not everyone is cut out for it. Even Moses in the Bible prefaces his comments on military service by first saying that anyone being drafted into military service should be at least 20 years old and of a courageous mind.
Additionally you need to be physically fit and also some kind of athlete. Not everyone is.
The training usually begins with induction. They physically examine you and make sure you are not deformed or diseased. The next step is they check your records to make sure you are no criminal. Not a good idea to teach military skills to felons. Plus nobody wants a thief around.
Then they give you some kind of physical fitness test. The smart candidates will already have been training for this, and together with their athletic backgrounds makes this usually easy.
For me, I had to get my mile run under 6 minutes -- not hard. My record time was 5 1/2 mins.
Then for distance running I had to run 3 miles -- I ran 5 easily instead.
I had to get my pull-up's to about 20. I got them up to 25.
Sit-up's had to be 80 in 2 minutes. That just took practice.
Basic training is usually called boot camp, where the drill instructor sergeants yell at you, because as a civilian you are woefully unprepared for warfare, and their job is to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve.
Our boot camp began with getting off the bus and standing in the yellow footprints.
The first thing we learned was the position of attention -- body erect, facing forward, eyes front, chest out, gut in, hands at your sides, feet at an angle with the ankles together, fingers with the natural curl relaxed.
Then we were marched (as a herd not in cadence) to the medical clinic to be inspected.
Then to the supply hooch to get our battle dress utility gear (BDU).
Then we were marched to the barbers to get sheared like sheep.
Then we were marched to the barracks where we organized our bunks and lockers.
From that point on, every day was a new learning experience.
First we learned to march in cadence. We had one guy named Bauer whom I will never forget who was about as coordinated as Gomer Pyle. The D/I's called him Gomer Pyle.
When it became my turn to lead drill for marching, I stopped everyone and explained to them I would be using a continuous cadence for the benefit of Bauer so that he could learn to march.
A continuous cadence sounds like this:
Left / right / left / right / left / right / left.
Pause. Then again:
Left / right / left / right / left / right / left.
I had learned that in Civil Air Patrol.
It worked, and Bauer came around and learned his left from his right. The D/I's chewed me out however and asked me if I thought I was Jack Web or somebody like that ?!
Next we learned how to shoot. Back then the M-14 was the battle rifle for the Corps. I have loved the M-14 ever since, and my current duty carbine at home is the Ruger Mini 14.
Next we learned individual infantry movement, and field sanitation. Field sanitation involves keeping yourself clean with a helmet and water and soap and a rag. You wash from head to foot on only about 1/2 gallon of water.
Then we learned squad and platoon tactics. For company tactics that would be saved until later and advanced infantry training in officer school.
There was also military law, military logistics, theory of war, and endless physical training.
Running 5 miles became very easy for me. I worked my way up to a half marathon and then ran that once a week on Sundays after Catholic mass. Daily running was the ideal. Weightlifting became a hobby.
Duty in the fleet after graduation and commissioning became that of watching over chain gangs of troops who were not too motivated to do much of anything. They had to be inspired and challenged. I used to lead the company runs because the other officers weren't in as good shape as I was.
We held a lot of refresher courses on weapons employment so the men's skills would stay sharp.
One of the other officer's wives tried to fuck everybody in the company. Her hubby was discharged for the convenience of the government with her. I cannot believe this was a Catholic couple, but then Irish girls sometimes are incorrigible. The Protestants were stunned. The other Catholics and I were embarrassed.
After 6 years I resigned and went back to grad school for a Master's degree. The Navy paid for my grad school for me. I have been doing civilian work ever since.
What I got out of the military experience was toughness and determination. I still backpack and it takes me back to infantry school. I still shoot too. I have been a hunter since the age of 12 and that's why infantry was perfect for me. Hunting is the most dangerous game.
What Uncle Sam got out of me is that I stood my watch against Russia and China so that we could keep speaking English rather than having to lean Russian or Chinese, just like my original drill instructor said.
Thank you for your service, my Brothers, and my Sisters. Semper Fi.
First, I get that not everyone is cut out for it. Even Moses in the Bible prefaces his comments on military service by first saying that anyone being drafted into military service should be at least 20 years old and of a courageous mind.
Additionally you need to be physically fit and also some kind of athlete. Not everyone is.
The training usually begins with induction. They physically examine you and make sure you are not deformed or diseased. The next step is they check your records to make sure you are no criminal. Not a good idea to teach military skills to felons. Plus nobody wants a thief around.
Then they give you some kind of physical fitness test. The smart candidates will already have been training for this, and together with their athletic backgrounds makes this usually easy.
For me, I had to get my mile run under 6 minutes -- not hard. My record time was 5 1/2 mins.
Then for distance running I had to run 3 miles -- I ran 5 easily instead.
I had to get my pull-up's to about 20. I got them up to 25.
Sit-up's had to be 80 in 2 minutes. That just took practice.
Basic training is usually called boot camp, where the drill instructor sergeants yell at you, because as a civilian you are woefully unprepared for warfare, and their job is to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve.
Our boot camp began with getting off the bus and standing in the yellow footprints.
The first thing we learned was the position of attention -- body erect, facing forward, eyes front, chest out, gut in, hands at your sides, feet at an angle with the ankles together, fingers with the natural curl relaxed.
Then we were marched (as a herd not in cadence) to the medical clinic to be inspected.
Then to the supply hooch to get our battle dress utility gear (BDU).
Then we were marched to the barbers to get sheared like sheep.
Then we were marched to the barracks where we organized our bunks and lockers.
From that point on, every day was a new learning experience.
First we learned to march in cadence. We had one guy named Bauer whom I will never forget who was about as coordinated as Gomer Pyle. The D/I's called him Gomer Pyle.
When it became my turn to lead drill for marching, I stopped everyone and explained to them I would be using a continuous cadence for the benefit of Bauer so that he could learn to march.
A continuous cadence sounds like this:
Left / right / left / right / left / right / left.
Pause. Then again:
Left / right / left / right / left / right / left.
I had learned that in Civil Air Patrol.
It worked, and Bauer came around and learned his left from his right. The D/I's chewed me out however and asked me if I thought I was Jack Web or somebody like that ?!
Next we learned how to shoot. Back then the M-14 was the battle rifle for the Corps. I have loved the M-14 ever since, and my current duty carbine at home is the Ruger Mini 14.
Next we learned individual infantry movement, and field sanitation. Field sanitation involves keeping yourself clean with a helmet and water and soap and a rag. You wash from head to foot on only about 1/2 gallon of water.
Then we learned squad and platoon tactics. For company tactics that would be saved until later and advanced infantry training in officer school.
There was also military law, military logistics, theory of war, and endless physical training.
Running 5 miles became very easy for me. I worked my way up to a half marathon and then ran that once a week on Sundays after Catholic mass. Daily running was the ideal. Weightlifting became a hobby.
Duty in the fleet after graduation and commissioning became that of watching over chain gangs of troops who were not too motivated to do much of anything. They had to be inspired and challenged. I used to lead the company runs because the other officers weren't in as good shape as I was.
We held a lot of refresher courses on weapons employment so the men's skills would stay sharp.
One of the other officer's wives tried to fuck everybody in the company. Her hubby was discharged for the convenience of the government with her. I cannot believe this was a Catholic couple, but then Irish girls sometimes are incorrigible. The Protestants were stunned. The other Catholics and I were embarrassed.
After 6 years I resigned and went back to grad school for a Master's degree. The Navy paid for my grad school for me. I have been doing civilian work ever since.
What I got out of the military experience was toughness and determination. I still backpack and it takes me back to infantry school. I still shoot too. I have been a hunter since the age of 12 and that's why infantry was perfect for me. Hunting is the most dangerous game.
What Uncle Sam got out of me is that I stood my watch against Russia and China so that we could keep speaking English rather than having to lean Russian or Chinese, just like my original drill instructor said.
Thank you for your service, my Brothers, and my Sisters. Semper Fi.
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