Did you enjoy Basic Training?

First time, USN RTC Great Lakes: NO. HELL NO!!!! Second time, US Army Ft. Sill (C 1/19), yeah, because I was more mature and could better handle the psychological stressors. Besides, by that time, I knew that when I got to real honest-to-God muscle-failure, all the yelling in the world wasn't going to get me up off the deck.

Most of the time yes. It's what you make of it is what I tell Troops before they go in. You can't take things personally that's for sure. Everything that the DS has you do is for a reason! And it only makes you stronger. When I went in it was right at the Rodney King issue and "they" knew I was a police officer so "some" of them tried to make my life a living hell and one of the DS actually put me in ICU...(yes, he lost his hat for it) only cause there were witness's otherwise it would have been something I think I would have handled on my own?? But I graduated with the class and still got 290+ on my APFT even! The other DS's really liked me and fought for me and so that really helped my morale and actually made me a strong Soldier throughout my 20 years! I actually thought about becoming a DS!

I really enjoyed basic training because I was in a place where I needed some tough love and what was nice was when basic and IT was done the drill sergeants told us to keep our noses down and just do our jobs. This was the best advise I got from any drill sergeant or sergeant period. Drill Sergeants can smell out the bad soldier and they drill them till they quit or make them better. I got drill some days for stupid shit because Drill Sergeants were bored, but by the time I left I new I was in the best shape of my life and I felt like a real bad ass. Then I woke up when I got to my duty station and found out I was not a bad ass as I thought. lol

Went to Ft. Benning, GA in 1982. OSUT - One Station Unit Training - Basic Training and AIT all in one. I was 11 H - Anti-tank. Very tough few weeks - taught me a lot about me. Pushed myself harder than I ever thought I could and then gave some more. "More PT...Drill Sergeant...More PT!" Helped me start out as a SOLDIER. Even helped in my later years as a journalist - I could still talk the talk. Walking the walk got harder ... but still maxed the PT test in year 21.

Did I enjoy Basic? Lord no!! But, I had fun each and everyday of it! Someone would always do, or say, something that would make you laugh so hard you'd almost whiz in your pants, sometimes I was the idiot to cause the laughter!

Someone asked for my Basic Training Pix...have only a few....Tigerland, Ft. Polk, circa 1973..hopefully the pdf works...look for the Stache...it was the new VOLAR and met the standard then. While the DIs didn't like it, I was the 1st platoon guide for all 8 weeks. An exhausting job but much fun.

SFC Hulka and I had a blast! Especially that "marching in a straight line" business.

Back them, I would have to say my opinion of it was probably not very favorable. I remember wanting to find that damn recruiter when I got back so I could kick his ass. A good portion of my unit was there because the judge gave them a choice of either joining the Army or going to jail. Looking back on it now, I have very fond memories of it.

I went through an OSUT (one station unit training) program so we had the same DI's, same barracks, same everything for basic and AIT - didn't get a break or anything, just finished one and started the other.

Hell no, As I went when I was older and when the drill sergeants found out what I did before the military, they keep me up asking questions instead of letting me sleep like everyone else.

For me it was a give or take situation, we had poor Instructors who either were drunk,or fat slugs, One of our Drills was a SSG King who got his truck stuck in the mud one day while drunk, wound up coming in and forming a detail to get it out, could hardly stand the poor sap, he was drunk a good portion of the time. Our Commander ,a Cpt Smith was always taking taxis during our runs or road marches and claiming he could smoke all of us with his pot gut when he would jump out of bushes along the route,do a few cals with us and as soon as you could hear him panting he would give the formation back to 1sg Mcbride ( of One the most racist black person I ever met) and would disappear into a taxi again. we wound up doing a skit at graduation and some portrayed fat lazy out of shape drills and almost got recycled.