so army guys and gals, what do you think of this

[dukeboy_318]

Army May Slash 'Warrior Task' Training

Looks like the army is wanting to streamline basic training,
I have mixed opinions about it

 

[FSquareSKS]

Im in the middle on that... when i went through basic I swear part of it was like American Gladiators... who is gonna be running on a log over water while trying to hit another person with a pillow on a stick.... Or who is gonna be trying to go up a rope feet first?

AS long as they keep warrior tower i guess Im good.

 

[SSGSAD]

Army May Slash 'Warrior Task' Training

Looks like the army is wanting to streamline basic training,
I have mixed opinions about it

In 26 years, combined, USMC, Army, and INARNG, I thought we NEVER got ENOUGH REAL training, to much "down time" , and othes B> S> !!!! just MHO.....

 

[jeremy]

Personally I think Basic should be closer to 16 weeks in length. And just a little bit tougher to get though... Just my .02...

 

[dukeboy_318]

Im in the middle on that... when i went through basic I swear part of it was like American Gladiators... who is gonna be running on a log over water while trying to hit another person with a pillow on a stick.... Or who is gonna be trying to go up a rope feet first?

AS long as they keep warrior tower i guess Im good.

im in the same boat, eliminate the stupid competition crap like that and focus more on shooting and other tactical stuff that will save your life instead of give you bragging rights for the 9 weeks you are in basic. ROTC is just as bad. The school i went to spent 4 days every semester training cadets how to jump off a high dive into a swimming pool with a dummy M16 and out dated vietnam issue web gear. Whats the point? okay sure, Airborne may drop into water from a C130, but your average infantry Officer?

Personally I think Basic should be closer to 16 weeks in length. And just a little bit tougher to get though... Just my .02...

Agreed, we spent only one day on land nav back in 04 when I went through, they need to do like 3 weeks of it, especially after hearing how many times soldiers are killed because they made a wrong turn in Iraq or Afganistan and ended up in a terrorist hot bed

 

[Militarypol21]

(trainers saw a lot of the effort as a waste of time.) So it's a waste of time now... wait until they need to call in a 9-line or an unexploded ordinace while overseas. It won't be a waste of time then.

I will agree going through BCT/AIT a lot is thrown at you at one time but it's not something that should only be taught once. It should be introduced over and over and over throughout each soldiers career until it is second nature.

Personally I think Basic should be closer to 16 weeks in length. And just a little bit tougher to get though... Just my .02...

Right as I got out they started issueing the "Stress Cards" which could be used anytime a soldier is feeling stressed out after being yelled at. The drill sgt. had to stop talking and walk away for however long. The soldier could use the card as many times as he/she felt need. I bet they wished they had that card when the rounds start going over their heads in battle.

 

[kedie]

Are you sure about that? That's a rumor that has been around a long time. I went to basic in '98 and that rumor existed then. If they are giving out these things that's a big load of

 

[dukeboy_318]

Are you sure about that? That's a rumor that has been around a long time. I went to basic in '98 and that rumor existed then. If they are giving out these things that's a big load of

This is partially true, the army did try stress cards for a short time in random basic training companies. The day before I graduated AIT in 05, we watch B Company fill, the drill sgts were handing out this white credit card looking things and through out the day we'd see privates holding these cards up while being smoked or yelled at and then drill sgt would walk away or let the private up. We finally asked our drill sgt and he showed us a box of these "stress cards" that he was going to have to use starting with the next cycle after ours. On them was a sticker that had instructions, privates were allowed to use the card once a day and the drill sgts had to give them 45 minutes to relax and were forbidden from retaliating against the private for using it. Exceptions against use was during reguarly schedule PT and training such as the night inflitration course. No stress cards could be used during AITs though. Drill Sgt Cain was pretty pissed about having to use them

 

[kedie]

What post was this at?

 

[dukeboy_318]

This was at Fort Lost in the Woods aka Fort Leonardwood, MO. The company in which I saw the cards being used was B Company, 787th MP Battlian, 14th MP brigade. I was D Company, 787.

 

[Militarypol21]

This was at Fort Lost in the Woods aka Fort Leonardwood, MO. The company in which I saw the cards being used was B Company, 787th MP Battlian, 14th MP brigade. I was D Company, 787.

Exactly. It was B 787 MP Company as we were getting smoked in A 787 you could see them over there laughing and carrying on holding up their stress cards.

 

[MoparMan]

Almost all of those tasks were taught in the class i was in 1996 at Benning without any fancy name attached to it. What really helps is the extra/refresher training you hopefully receive in your unit after you leave basic.

 

[ABN82]

Other than making Basic Training (ALOT) longer, I think it is a great idea. The Army (and Military in general) is on information overload! Focus on the crucial task and perfect them! Then get your additional training when you get to your unit.

 

[kedie]

Exactly. It was B 787 MP Company as we were getting smoked in A 787 you could see them over there laughing and carrying on holding up their stress cards.

This disappoints and angers me.

 

[Cemetery-man]

when i went through basic I swear part of it was like American Gladiators... who is gonna be running on a log over water while trying to hit another person with a pillow on a stick.... Or who is gonna be trying to go up a rope feet first?

AS long as they keep warrior tower i guess Im good.

What the???? I was in the Air Force. Are there really things like that? We always figured they were rumors and there was no such thing as an obstacle course.

Basic was tough... wake up, go to breakfast then off to class then lunch, back to class, 2 laps around the track 50 set-ups then dinner. After that back to the dorm, tidy up the room, gab session, let the DI in after stumbling back from a night of drinking, 1 hr of guard duty and then off to sleep. 6 weeks of this hell and I was a mean lean fighting machine!

The worst part was having to wait until week 3 before we could go to the theatre and then having to buss tables at the DI lounge on week 5.

 

[hornadylnl]

I think they figured out teaching butter bars how to use a compass was a lost cause.

 

[darinb]

I went through army basic rigth before 9/11 and was very dissappointed at the lack of challenges. They really rushed you through everything. The real good training came when I got in my unit which had an awesome section seargeant who did not allow any down time. If we did not have any MOS specific work to do we would do land nav, PT, hand to hand combatives or whatever else we wanted to learn or brush up on.

 

[mike8170]

I joined in Dec '87, and when I went to basic, we had the Common Task Training, which I don't remember as being much more than D&C, personal and equipment maintenance, etc. AIT was much more, and I am sure I still have my manual in a footlocker here somewhere. It was everything from the M16 rifle to the M2 HMG, the LAW to the Dragon, and every mine deployed by U.S. Forces. Not to mention all of the first aid, hygiene, fieldcraft, survival, advanced marksmanship, react to NBC attack, and who knows what else we had to learn just to graduate. IMHO, there is no information overload, just the Army wanting to rush soldiers through for the tasks currently at hand. No one is concerned that some day, some of these soldiers may be forced to fight a delaying action, or conduct rear operations when the SHTF. I had to deal with the Warrior Training my last tour, and it made me want to puke. Not enough training on a task, plus soldiers are not taught to think for themselves. And cutting Battle Drills from 11 to 4 is completely asinine in my book. My 1932 Infantry manual has the 11 battle drills, and it has worked for us since the end of WW1, for good reason. Battle drills are react, fight, kill and survive, which will keep a Joe alive when it gets sticky.

Ok, I have to get off of my soapbox, before I really get started. What I learned in my initial training made me a Paratrooper, Pathfinder, Sniper, heck, I started in a Mech unit, with V-Nam vets teaching me how to wire claymores to the side of the track in case of an ambush!

Cutting training = increasing casualties Just ask ANY Senior NCO that has half of a brain!

 

[ABN82]

I joined in Dec '87, and when I went to basic, we had the Common Task Training, which I don't remember as being much more than D&C, personal and equipment maintenance, etc. AIT was much more, and I am sure I still have my manual in a footlocker here somewhere. It was everything from the M16 rifle to the M2 HMG, the LAW to the Dragon, and every mine deployed by U.S. Forces. Not to mention all of the first aid, hygiene, fieldcraft, survival, advanced marksmanship, react to NBC attack, and who knows what else we had to learn just to graduate. IMHO, there is no information overload, just the Army wanting to rush soldiers through for the tasks currently at hand. No one is concerned that some day, some of these soldiers may be forced to fight a delaying action, or conduct rear operations when the SHTF. I had to deal with the Warrior Training my last tour, and it made me want to puke. Not enough training on a task, plus soldiers are not taught to think for themselves. And cutting Battle Drills from 11 to 4 is completely asinine in my book. My 1932 Infantry manual has the 11 battle drills, and it has worked for us since the end of WW1, for good reason. Battle drills are react, fight, kill and survive, which will keep a Joe alive when it gets sticky.

Ok, I have to get off of my soapbox, before I really get started. What I learned in my initial training made me a Paratrooper, Pathfinder, Sniper, heck, I started in a Mech unit, with V-Nam vets teaching me how to wire claymores to the side of the track in case of an ambush!

Cutting training = increasing casualties Just ask ANY Senior NCO that has half of a brain!

Are you serving right now? If so, in what capacity?

 

[Joe Williams]

What the???? I was in the Air Force. Are there really things like that? We always figured they were rumors and there was no such thing as an obstacle course.

Basic was tough... wake up, go to breakfast then off to class then lunch, back to class, 2 laps around the track 50 set-ups then dinner. After that back to the dorm, tidy up the room, gab session, let the DI in after stumbling back from a night of drinking, 1 hr of guard duty and then off to sleep. 6 weeks of this hell and I was a mean lean fighting machine!

The worst part was having to wait until week 3 before we could go to the theatre and then having to buss tables at the DI lounge on week 5.

He's pretty much not joking. I did both Army Basic, and the first two weeks of Air Force basic before I moved on to the SP Academy. I was NOT impressed with Air Force basic.