I went through Army Basic Training in 1967, and I've talked to many Marines about their Boot Camp training during the same period. The conditions, treatment, and training were quite comparable. At the time, the Army was ginning up the buildup in Vietnam.
When the Army went "all volunteer" and coed, stories about how complete, "mean" and rigorous Basic Training was made it seem like the war time training was worlds away from what's now done.
That makes sense in a way There's no sense in alienating the hearts and minds of tender volunteers who are not expected to experience the rigors of combat during the term of their enlistment. They'll hate the Army and everybody in it, plus they'll poison the well for recruiters who won't be able to fill the ranks.
If it does look like cannon fodder is needed, a few weeks of "old time combat training" can be given to separate those who can't be deployed from those soldiers among them.
The "feel good" army of Gen Shinseki and his black berets is comical in a way to an old soldier. Everytime I see a soft "soldier" wearing one, I'm a bit put off and yet full of pity at the same time. Then I remember they're not going into combat. They have a daytime job, and they're filling slots.
The risk of having a soft, untrained Army during peacetime is that it cannot be hardened and made ready in short order should the need arise. That's balanced against having an army trained to press buttons, configure weapons, and understand the science behind our wonder gizmos. The gizmos are intentded to whack an enemy long before the rigors of slugging it out in combat ever become probable.
It's hard for me to identify with, but "Join the Army for fun and training in highly technical fields" makes a certain amount of sense.
That said, I don't know if this post makes sense to anybody else....
When the Army went "all volunteer" and coed, stories about how complete, "mean" and rigorous Basic Training was made it seem like the war time training was worlds away from what's now done.
That makes sense in a way There's no sense in alienating the hearts and minds of tender volunteers who are not expected to experience the rigors of combat during the term of their enlistment. They'll hate the Army and everybody in it, plus they'll poison the well for recruiters who won't be able to fill the ranks.
If it does look like cannon fodder is needed, a few weeks of "old time combat training" can be given to separate those who can't be deployed from those soldiers among them.
The "feel good" army of Gen Shinseki and his black berets is comical in a way to an old soldier. Everytime I see a soft "soldier" wearing one, I'm a bit put off and yet full of pity at the same time. Then I remember they're not going into combat. They have a daytime job, and they're filling slots.
The risk of having a soft, untrained Army during peacetime is that it cannot be hardened and made ready in short order should the need arise. That's balanced against having an army trained to press buttons, configure weapons, and understand the science behind our wonder gizmos. The gizmos are intentded to whack an enemy long before the rigors of slugging it out in combat ever become probable.
It's hard for me to identify with, but "Join the Army for fun and training in highly technical fields" makes a certain amount of sense.
That said, I don't know if this post makes sense to anybody else....
