What is the worst detail you have ever been assigned?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:34:22 -0400

Everybody has been on bad work details. What is your most memorable? Hopefully it is not as bad as the one below.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Apr 15 at 2014 12:46 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:46:17 -0400

Only if they knew the aftermath of the total destruction of the atomic bomb or did they when those SMs sat as witnesses. 

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2014 2:23 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 02:23:25 -0400

Response by SFC Aaron Calmes made Apr 15 at 2014 3:52 AM

SFC Aaron Calmes — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 03:52:04 -0400

Back at Basic Training at Benning in the heat of the Georgia summer they had us clean all the MRE trash and cups from the outside latrines (wooden building over a big hole basically) at one of the ranges. About four of us had to go in with our M-16 protective mask and NBC gloves and fish out trash with a long pole with a fishing net on the end. The smell was horrible. As we fished out the trash from amongst the other non trash items floating in the uh, lets just say water, it was all covered in hundreds of maggots. One guy threw up in his mask and those things were a pain to clean.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2014 3:55 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 03:55:45 -0400

Happened a few days ago, I had to escort an afghan general and his crew. It was just a waste of time until AFN radio played "courtesy of the red white and blue" and me and my guys started singing it. Great times.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2014 4:19 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 04:19:52 -0400

I have seen some a-bomb test pictures and video footage. I think those troops would have been honored to live to tell the tale that they survived a nuclear blast in tact thanks to uncle sam's quality training.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Apr 15 at 2014 8:43 AM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 08:43:31 -0400

Personally it was the crap-burning details that I had to be a part of in the initial days of our operations in Baghdad in 2003. As for worst overall, having to rotate my Soldiers through a detail that required them to be in full MOPP-4 to assist in the clean-up of the Martyrs' Monument in Baghdad that my TF occupied after we pushed out from BIAP into Baghdad to conduct SASO. The place had been used by Iraqi forces as part of their "defense" of Baghdad, and then afterwards by USMC forces prior to us using it as our base of operations for SASO. Well let's just say that humans can be very creative in where they decide to conduct Class-I Solid Downloads, and the TF Soldiers had to go through the entire monument, including the sub-basement areas and clean up a lot of feces.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2014 10:28 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 10:28:34 -0400

I had to shovel over two tons of rocks into a pit at the grenade range on Jackson the day before a PT test, my push-ups were sub par.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2014 5:42 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 05:42:51 -0400

Back in Basic Training the worst detail I had was separating plastic from all other garbage at a recycling facility and cleaning up dumpster juice... needless to say my brand new basic training boots were destroyed. 

Response by SSG Jeffrey Spencer made Apr 16 at 2014 8:45 PM

SSG Jeffrey Spencer — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 20:45:40 -0400

Support of tank gunnery, Mountain Home, ID, mid-January to mid-February, 1984. Some of that time was in a GP medium with a yukon stove that ran out of fuel at 4am.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Jun 30 at 2014 1:45 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 13:45:04 -0400

Painting rocks...............

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 15 at 2014 1:43 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:43:50 -0400

SFC Private RallyPoint Member, that pic looks like earth is being raped by a satan, and his ejaculate can wipe out by the thousands.

I had a few "crappy" details, but not nearly as "crappy" as many here describe. By the way I was attached to Kadena 2007-2010. How's the weather?

Response by Cpl Glynis Sakowicz made Jul 15 at 2014 2:33 PM

Cpl Glynis Sakowicz — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 14:33:12 -0400

Hands down, it would be the waxing of a school bus before an IG. Someone has to get onto the overhead, and kneel... FOR HOURS... the entire time, I kept wondering what I did to the Gunny to end up on that detail.... somtimes, I still do!

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 15 at 2014 7:37 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 19:37:47 -0400

Anything that includes the words "article", "15" and "investigation" in the title

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Jul 15 at 2014 10:34 PM

SSG Ed Mikus — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 22:34:37 -0400

Recruiting

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 3 at 2014 6:27 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 06:27:21 -0400

Poop burning detail. You have to continually stir it, put fuel on it to burn it and the smell is AWFUL. The smell gets in your uniform, and when you are on a small CP for days at a time = horrible. Plus, pulling it out of the makeshift outhouse was equally disgusting.

Response by SSG Tim Everett made Nov 17 at 2014 9:52 AM

SSG Tim Everett — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 09:52:26 -0500

Hands down, shit-burning detail.

Response by SPC David S. made Nov 17 at 2014 9:57 AM

SPC David S. — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 09:57:42 -0500

Guarding special weapons. You stare at it, I stare at you. I stare at it, you stare at me. You look in I look out and we shake it all about. That how you kill 12 hours in the Army.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2015 10:26 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 22:26:29 -0400

My worst detail was in Vietnam doing what was called "gook guard". I went with about 20-30 Vietnamese men and women to clear more area for bunkers at the green line. I had not been there long so I really didn't know anything about the people. The whole time they were hacking away, they were spitting out dark red stuff. I thought OMG, these people are bleeding from the mouth. I felt sorry for them. When I returned from the detail I was telling some guys about it. They all busted out laughing at what I said. They said that's Beatle Nut. They chew it to get a high and it turns their teeth black as piano keys. I thought they had bad teeth, but I was wrong on that one too. After I had been there about a month we got mortared one night from a big hill outside the wire. We air assaulted them and some of the dead ones were the same ones on gook guard. They found maps with lines drawn to the airfield and the hospital on post. I never saw any of mine write anything because they didn't write it down then. They remembered the details and drew those maps. I learned a lot about how not to trust any of them.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Mar 11 at 2015 12:18 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 00:18:59 -0400

Trash sifting/sorting at JRTC ..Medical waste over in that pile, Ammo over on that pile, soiled underwear.. of that can stay in the big pile, MRE box, open that up.....................hmm just human waste and TP, no issues, as long as there are no unused MRE heaters.. yup that box can stay..................

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2015 12:33 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 00:33:12 -0400

Thank you Jimmy Bleeding Heart Carter

Response by SSG Jeffrey Spencer made Mar 11 at 2015 11:52 AM

SSG Jeffrey Spencer — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:52:34 -0400

Guarding tank rounds in a GP medium at Mountain Home, ID in late January. The Yukon stove ran out of fuel at 4 a.m. I got walking pneumonia from that episode and am reminded each time I get bronchitis.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2015 11:59 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:59:44 -0400

when I was stationed at Fort Lewis and 82 we had to go on please call on the far side of the base and found 55 gallon buckets of dead dogs in them someone was illegally dog fighting there we load the map on the back of a deuce and a half take him to the MP's so they could do an investigation on them man did it stink

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2015 1:51 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 13:51:01 -0400

I replied to this question yesterday, but I remembered something that grossed me out even more. The shit detail. In Vietnam we had outhouses. Some were two holers, some were four holers with 55 gallon drums cut in half. When you had the caca detail, you removed the drums of caca, put them on a mule, and went to a designated place. At the designated place you poured jet fuel on the caca, and lit it on fire. If that wasn't bad enough, you had to stir the caca to make sure it all burned. Then you went to another designated place and dumped out the burnt caca, came back and did it again until all the drums were empty. I loved the smell of burning caca in the morning.
Did You Know There Is A Patch For Shit Burning?

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2015 8:53 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 08:53:50 -0400

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Mar 14 at 2015 10:27 AM

SSgt Dan Montague — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 10:27:33 -0400

Because I was a 5 ton driver I was put on the BN S-4 working party for a month. Lucky me one day had to pick up an entire truck load of horse manure. This was the first of 2 loads. My job was to prep all the dirt areas in the BN for planting grass. Some how the other Marine that was to help me skated out. So for 3 weeks I spread shit around the area by hand with the use of a shovel and wheelbarrow. I was teased by others and some thought I was doing extra duty because of a BN level NJP. All because I was a 5 ton driver that didn't have the "gun driver" stamp on my tactical license yet.
Ok let the "crapy" jokes begin

Response by SSG Arnie Jones made Mar 14 at 2015 11:04 PM

SSG Arnie Jones — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 23:04:15 -0400

You got mine operation Desert Storm

Response by SSG Mark DeTillion made Mar 18 at 2015 8:39 PM

SSG Mark DeTillion — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 20:39:15 -0400

Luckily I didn't have a lot of shit details. The detail that wore me out the most was mowing the rifle range with sling blades. That was 1976 at Parris Island SC in July. I would've rather blown a goat than done that again.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Apr 6 at 2015 10:16 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 10:16:59 -0400

Short arm inspections......

Response by PFC Dale Mattison made Apr 6 at 2015 10:25 AM

PFC Dale Mattison — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 10:25:19 -0400

Ash and Trash, right up there with KP

Response by SGT John Rauch made Apr 6 at 2015 11:23 AM

SGT John Rauch — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 11:23:03 -0400

myself and one other guy were assigned as a security detail to an afghan colonel. every time he went outside the wire, so did we, so it was always the two of us and one afgan colonel wandering the streets of bala-murghab afghanistan so he could go shopping in the local bazaar. we were always a bit on edge.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 6 at 2015 11:34 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 11:34:36 -0400

Maybe it's because I'm CBRN, and everyone knows we are all crazy, but I think I would have enjoyed the detail shown in the OPs photo.

Response by SGT Charles Tittl made Apr 10 at 2015 7:08 PM

SGT Charles Tittl — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 19:08:40 -0400

Medical officer pistol qualification day. Completely terrifying!

Response by SGT Josh Suchoski made Apr 11 at 2015 12:15 AM

SGT Josh Suchoski — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 00:15:50 -0400

My captain ordered me to Drink local water near Mosul. We were meeting a local mufti and he was getting offended that no one would accept the water he was offering. My commander said I had to drink it, and that was why I had been given all those shots. Horrible case of the squirts followed real quick.

Response by SPC Matt Johnson made Apr 11 at 2015 6:35 PM

SPC Matt Johnson — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 18:35:23 -0400

carrying a dead dog to a dumpster outside the wall a POS sergeant shot for fun in our outpost

Response by SPC Matt Johnson made Apr 11 at 2015 6:43 PM

SPC Matt Johnson — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 18:43:33 -0400

i thought shit burning detail was bad untill I was forced to carry a dead dog alone outside our outpost across a sniper lane where none of our guys could see me and none of the Iraqi Army guys would even go out side the gate to cover me. I never ran so fast in my life

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2015 11:54 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 23:54:02 -0400

It was either cleaning up the giant piles of feces that the Iraqi Army had left in damn near every building on our new JSS at Nassar Wa-Saalam or picking up the bloody bandages, IV bags, soiled clothing, needles and chunks of skin/parts of people after one of our VBID MASCALs in Iraq. The garbage was piled in a 20 x 40foot room 6-12 inches high.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2015 4:30 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 16:30:49 -0400

Being supervised, supervising the supervisors of the rock raking / painting detail during post wide clean up.....

Wasn't difficult or nearly the worst (as compared to others), but probably one of the biggest waste of time and uses of personnel.