You know you are getting old when:

[2jakes]

I was never foul mouthed as a Drill Sgt...but I was mean..I mean truly mean...

My Drill Sgt. was similar to you.

He didn’t have to swear or yell at the top of his lungs at all.
Just by that look he gave you spoke volumes.
Even now looking at your avatar gives me chills!
I can say this from the safety of being far from you!
Just kidding Sarge... ()


Seriously though...
I really appreciate what he shared with us and helped
us in a situation in a place that made no sense and was
mostly chaos.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Ha...you don't need to be fearful of me. That was just a job that I did years ago, and as usual, if I had to do it, I wanted to do it to the best of my ability. I saw just what the Army was trying to accomplish with basic training. However, my goal was to help a young soldier save his own ass and hopefully his buddies as I stated earlier. This was sincerely my concern regardless of and in spite of the political BS of controversy that we all had to deal with. Made it easier on me.
I have a pretty good idea that we would have some interesting conversations and probably a few laughs if we ever met.

 

[BlueTrain]

I very likely have a different view of the army than you. I'm very un-politically correct. You might look up fragging to see what I'm talking about if you've never heard the expression. However, my opinion of the army is very high and I was not drafted. It's far more progressive and flexible than it gets credit for. Coincidentally, both my father, my son and I all took our basic training at the same place, though not at the same time, of course. I almost reenlisted after college but at the time but chance led me in other directions. But I later served in the D.C. National Guard in the 1970s.

My father-in-law was in the Army Air Corps but none of my in-laws served in the armed forces. One of my wife's cousins (out of three) was Inspector General of the Air Force and one of his daughters graduated from the US Air Force Academy. But we really aren't a military family.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Why would Drill Sgts have anything to do with 'fragging'??
Why would you think I am politically correct? Far from all that BS. I don't come from a military family at all. My Father designed aircraft during WW2 in San Diego. Non military job. I just got caught up in the draft and really had no interest in the military, but My experience was quite different than yours. I trained recruits at TigerLand and most shipped out on their way to Nam. Some returned to Ft. Polk's hospital missing limbs and personalities. The horrors of war is what I saw rather than much else.

 

[2jakes]

I can relate to this scene 100%.
I had a similar encounter with a
“drop-dead” gorgeous “wimman" Officer!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I was a squad leader in basic and was sent to the PX for other trainees supplies. I was wanting to be an MP. However, while walking to the PX I passed a woman officer ( Captain ) and said hello Maam..but failed to salute. She swiftly dressed me down and demanded a salute. Red faced I returned it as two MPs were sitting in their squad car nearby who I had been talking to. They said..' Well Pvt Brown you can forget about being an MP now.

 

[2jakes]

I was a squad leader in basic and was sent to the PX for other trainees supplies. I was wanting to be an MP. However, while walking to the PX I passed a woman officer ( Captain ) and said hello Maam..but failed to salute. She swiftly dressed me down and demanded a salute. Red faced I returned it as two MPs were sitting in their squad car nearby who I had been talking to. They said..' Well Pvt Brown you can forget about being an MP now.

I was late and running to get to my location.
I thought I was far away but apparently in her opinion I guess I wasn’t. (Woman officer)
She called to me to come closer where she dressed me down about not saluting or something. She got up close to my
face.
All I could think was how sensuous her lips were and the more she went on only got me more excited.
I gave a salute, but was embarrassed about my situation that also stood at attention.
She looked down and immediately turned around and walked away.

 

[BlueTrain]

So, did you figure out what fragging was?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

So, did you figure out what fragging was?

Dunno...what do you think there BlueTrain. Are you deliberately attempting to be condescending or just coming across that way as you type.

 

[MisterCairo]

When I was young I had a record player that could play 16, 33-1/3, 45, and 78 rpm albums

As promised, pictures of my parents' "stereo" (as in, it was simply referred to throughout my childhood as "the stereo").

A little worse for wear on the exterior, not too bad, but my father on moving it once thought it a good idea to TAPE the two lids shut.

With duct tape (we are hopefully moving soon, so it will have a better home, as it works perfectly):

 

[MisterCairo]

The "full range acoustic" panel up close:

 

[MisterCairo]

And, sorry for the flash, the turntable with speed selector:

 

[MisterCairo]

Naturally it came with full schematics:

And, it being about 1968 when bought, it knew you would expand your stereophonic system in the "future" (still got it plastic liner in what is the record album storage far left):

 

[BlueTrain]

Fragging, as I'm sure you know, was (or is) when junior enlisted men murdered their seniors (with fragmentation grenades) for whatever reason. I'm not saying it was because of their experiences in basic and AIT but bad experiences at the hands of people who are supposed to be on your side wouldn't help. I didn't have any bad experiences during training, nor did I see any, with the exception of some very vulgar name-calling, which you say you never did. Neither did the NCOs that I trained under, nor any officers I was under. But one does wonder where the reason for murdering your own officers and NCOs originated. Maybe they just brought it with them when they entered the service.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I think it may have come about by some 'newly in country' 2nd Louies egotistically issuing stupid orders jeopardizing some seasoned NCO's men on more than one occasion. Believe me, I ran across some very self centered 2nd Lt's fresh out of OT that wouldn't listen to any advice from their underling NCOs. That doesn't go over well in heated combat. I'm not justifying that practice of friendly fire, but it does happen and probably for that very reason. I'm sure it didn't just start with Nam.
HD

 

[2jakes]

I think it may have come about by some 'newly in country' 2nd Louies egotistically issuing stupid orders jeopardizing some seasoned NCO's men on more than one occasion. Believe me, I ran across some very self centered 2nd Lt's fresh out of OT that wouldn't listen to any advice from their underling NCOs. That doesn't go over well in heated combat. I'm not justifying that practice of friendly fire, but it does happen and probably for that very reason. I'm sure it didn't just start with Nam.
HD

My dad, a WW2 veteran, on occasions
would tell about the times when he was
in a foxhole at night.
He could hear "friendly voices",
"Hey Joe, where are you, I need help!"

My dad knew better, he kept his mouth
shut!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Smart Dad.......

 

[Trenchfriend]

I can relate to this 100% when I had an encounter with a
“drop-dead” gorgeous “wimman" Officer!

I don't want to know, what Cpt. Kathrin Janeway would have done with the guy on the right. Probably "tauten" him, at least.

 

[2jakes]

I don't want to know, what Cpt. Kathrin Janeway would have done with the guy on the right. Probably "tauten" him, at least.

Probably.
Eis lief durch ihre Adern !

 

[BlueTrain]

An interesting thing about Vietnam is that the senior officers had mostly all served in Korea or WWII, which was also the case in the unit that I was stationed with. And likewise, the senior officers in WWII had mostly served in WWI. For WWI, it was the Spanish-American war and for the Spanish-American war, a few senior officers had served during the Civil War, a few even serving in the Confederate Army. And so on.