I was told that you aren't a real infantryman unless you went to basic training at Fort Benning. What are your opinions on this?

I have never been to Ft. Benning. Retired with 23 years as an MOSQ Infantryman. I received my infantry training at Camp Geiger, NC and Quantico, VA. Army said it was good enough.

Fort Polk TIGER LAND was a baby stroll vs actual combat

Graduates of the U.S. Army Training Center - Infantry, at "Tiger Land" in Fort Polk, LA, might take exception to that supposition!

Graduates of "Tiger Land", the U.S. Army Training Center - Infantry, at Fort Polk, LA, in the '60s and '70s, might be willing to share "a difference of opinion" with that supposition!

That's some funny stuff. Ft. Benning might be the "Home of The Infantry." But that don't mean you have to train there to be "real". When I joined most trained elsewhere. Benning was just one Post. Myself, Basic at Ft. Ord and Advanced Infantry Training at Ft Polk. Anyone wants to tell me I ain't real can kiss my ass. Now the Army might be small enough they can do all training at one Post. But those of us that trained at Polk, Leonard Wood, Lewis, Knox, where ever are as Infantry as anyone.

That's so much horse...had basic at Ft Lewis and AIT at Ft. Polk and they were both rough and tumble infantry training. BUT there is no better training than OJT. First Eagle Flight in country we hit a hot LZ; now that will pucker your butt.

It’s the old United States Marine Corps argument within the Army… Parris Island vrs San Diego ….. They both make Marines… doesn’t really matter..

Yeah, sure!, just like A-wholes, who use the term POG, for anyone who doesn't have that infantry patch.

This is interesting to me as I went through basic combat training at Harmony Church D-8-2 (*WETSU BULLDOGS*) at Fort Benning graduating before Christmas in 1968. I enlisted RA for three years active duty in '68 for the MOS 95Bravo. The SFC recruiter told me I would need one or two extra years than a two year US draftee would serve if I wanted a chance at the 95B MOS. I'm not sure if that was true or not the recruiter may have put one over on me that day. The army actually came through after BCT and sent me to Brems Barracks at Fort Gordon, Georgia for Military Police AIT.

Basic Training Facility pride and nothing more. Take it with a grain of salt and move on.