Basic Training.
Rank: Airman Basic E-1 no stripes. Pay:
$95.00 a month, before deductions.
Upon Graduation, a Promotion to E-2 Airman 1 stripe and a
small raise.
Awarded Honor Graduate in Basic Training.
Earned National Defense Medal/Ribbon and
the Expert Marksman Ribbon.
Meeting at the Recruiters office and then getting on the bus was a scary experience. It was very early, and a cold morning January 3rd, 1968. I had packed my personal stuff, pictures of my girlfriend, and suddenly felt the "what have I done" feeling. The bus trip from Pontiac Michigan would take all night to reach San Antonio Texas.
In the wee hours on January 4th, 1968, the bus reached the front gate of Lackland Air Force Base. My new home for the next 6 weeks. I met some of my new fellow military recruits and our drill sergeants. The meeting was memorable.
Imagine 3 grown men, dressed in military uniforms, Smokey the
Bear hats, screaming at you at the top of their lungs.
Our boss Sergeant, the biggest and loudest, was a huge black man about 6 feet
tall, snaggle-toothed, and spit when he talked. (between the gaps in his teeth)
We just got off this bus where we could barely move for 20+ hours, crowded, and needed to
stretch a bit! What is all the rush to fall in on "that" line?
You know, I wasn't aware you could get so much done before breakfast! By noon, we had our first haircut, stood in many lines for shots, uniforms, breakfast, and just because we needed to stand in a line. We then took our first attempt at learning to march to the barracks. The main drill sergeant, spitting all the way, was barking... "left ... yer left ... right ... left." "....you people WILL learn to march!" "You look like a bunch of monkeys f@#king a football."
Upon arriving at the barracks (WWII barracks) we would call home for the next 6 weeks, we all were assigned rooms and bunks. The Building was 2 stories, center hallways and I think 4 to a room. A community restroom that was spotless was centrally located on each floor. Oh, it's called a "Latrine" in the Air Force.
We were called into the dayroom which had a TV, and ping pong table and was quite spacious. A TV we would not watch, ping pong ...maybe later. We were given study materials, the UCMJ-Uniformed Code of Military Justice, and a list of all the people within our command, to be memorized immediately. Heck, I still had hair in my collar. I guess I can't complain because that haircut was the free one and only took a minute!
There is a set of pictures taken in Basic Training and they
are usually for the Press. The were printed in my local newspaper and were also
used for publishing any notices for MIA or KIA. The smiling picture is for
family and friends while the non-smiling was the
most
widely
used photo for the press releases and things like IDs and the likes. (For
a larger view click on the image)
We were really impressive in our brand new uniforms, fancy haircuts, and the bill of the hat was spit-polished like our shoes. You could shave with them as they had a mirror finish!! We worked hours with water, cotton balls, shoe polish, lighter fluid and lots of wax-on wax-off motions. If you have seen movies about how orderly one's lockers and gear was stored or hung up, it's true! Had to bounce a quarter off our bunks, T-Shirts and boxer shorts, sox, were all folded and 6 inches. Since we had a dresser drawer, out items also had a special place where the items could be placed and they had to be there. If t-shirts were on the left, then that is the only place they could be. Don't let them be placed in the center or right side! Many times the dresser drawer is removed and dumped in the floor.
Miles of marching, not like other branches, but still marching to and from everywhere. Many times, just to be marching. Basic training was to make you a part of a team and not an individual. The reason most folks still enjoy their former service is because of the team building and camaraderie. You make and take from the military what you put in and how you perceive it. I enjoyed Basic Training. Call me crazy, but it was what I made of it that made it fun. Don't confuse it with "funny" or not serious, it was very serious and very intense in many ways. I was mentally prepared to enjoy it from day one. I didn't enjoy some things but you come to expect some defeat. I have, all my life, suffered with shortness of breath and always had issues running long distances, even when I was fit. The service required you to run a mile in under 7 minutes. (I think) That was one of my un-fun things.
Marksmanship was a serious and deadly practice in Basic. You learned safety first and foremost. Again, you were required to qualify with an M-1 carbine and then the new M-16. You also had classes on all the parts of the weapon and how to take it down for cleaning and repairs. Your life may depend on that one ability-to fix it and fire it rapidly. I fired Expert in Basic Training with both rifles. I had been a hunter of game before the military and had been shooting since I was 12 or just a bit older. It was hard shooting in the military due to distance and positions required. Standing, sitting, kneeling, and prone (on your belly). "With 5 rounds, lock and load"...... and always someone making sure some idiot didn't put the muzzle of the weapon anywhere but down-range at the targets. Picking up brass after firing was part of the job too.
The Obstacle course and other fine training items were included in our stay. So after studying, firing weapons, and then marching to and fro, a couple of meals we had these things to look forward to. As I recall, a trip thru a chemical weapon building where gas was administered. Of course, we wore a gas mask, but then had to remove it. Not pleasant. The Obstacle course was climbing, running, crawling under barbed wire with live rounds being fired over your head, a rope swing across a water hazard, and more. It was a physical endurance test I may never forget.
Since this is a work in progress, I may post more later....