What is your wildest story from basic training?

we had 2 brothers that were black belts and were being picked on a lot by this one drill instructor. finally after a lot of harassment the drill instructor told them to go behind the head for some private instruction. we were in formation and waiting. out walk the two marines followed a few minutes later by the drill instructer. he was a mess and never bothered the brothers again. it was great!

In Basic one thing you do a lot of is run. Several overweight teenagers were running and having a difficult time keeping up with the pack. One stopped and appeared to have to barf. The DI was immediately over there screaming "encouragements" to the troop. The DI said don't you dare throw-up on my track. The troop responded with: I think I am sick. " Sick?" screamed the DI, do you know how you have to prove to me that you are sick? You have to die!

I was drafted and everyone told me not to volunteer for anything. At Fort Polk for basic training in May 1968. The Drill Sergeant asked for volunteers for a weekend. Well me and several others volunteered. We packed and boarded the truck. Went about 50 miles from base. Set up tents near a cotton field. Come to find out the father of one the soldiers in our company passed away. So we were there to pull weeds from the rows of cotton. On Saturday night we went out to a local bar. When the people found out what we were doing, we didn’t have to pay for any drinks.
This is an event I will never forget.

At Fort Bliss, Texas, during a snow storm our platoon was on the range firing M16s for Marksmanship qualification. The wind was blowing hard making the snow pretty much horizontal. The targets were barely visible, if at all. Nevertheless, we were firing without really being able to see the target. No problem. The range personnel used pencils to punch holes in the targets and everyone qualified!

The craziest Drill Sergeant with the most rage called my name. I didn't know it was that particular Drill Sergeant. I thought it was one of my buddies. When he called my name, I answered a loud "WHAT". Of course I got yelled at and had to do elavated push ups. I actually thought he was going to strike me. He wasn't all there upstairs.

zi was door guard at a barracks. An e-9 came in and wouldn't sign in, which was required. When he went to leave I confronted him to sign in and out. He wanted to know what I would do if he didn't. I gold him I would holler 10 Men. He wanted to know what good that would do and I told him I would be with them. He laughed and signed in and out. The TI came down to chew me out and saw the two signatures, and went back upstairs.

In 1989, RTC Orlando, K016 - “surf and turf”. For the US Navy’s birthday. A recruit across the table from me took a fork to her wrist….she was taken out of the mess hall while the rest of us eyed her tray until someone called “dibs!”

SSGT Larry Allen Bradley. I joined the Marines In early 1962. I took Basic Training at MCRD San Diego, stating in the summer of 1962. I weighed 128 pounds and was assigned to Platon 151 under the leadership of SSGT Cockren. He was a black Marine from Arkansas. He was one of the very few black Marines at the Depot. He liked my can-do attitude and positive spirit. He once told me that "Giving me a compliment was like pouring gasoline on a fire". I liked that quote so much that I had it tattooed to my left arm, right under the Globe and Anchor.

As we were entering the bus to go to training, the drill sgts kept telling us to put our faces in our duffle bags. I looked up once and a female drill saw me & started immediately screaming at me along with every other drill Sgt. It was petrifing at 19 yrs old to be the center of attention & off to a very bad start of my first day.

1991 Fort McClellan, on KP duty. It was that or church with the Evangelicals. I decided I would take a previously proportioned dessert plate from the stacks of desserts. I would tuck it under my arm or, yes down the front of my bdu pants (the desserts were individually wrapped on plates with Saran Wrap).
I would sneak into the bathroom and enjoy every bite of the dessert. Then I would discretely wrap the plate in toilet paper and stuff it in the trash.
I did this no less than 10 times while there from May-September! I often wondered if anyone found the count wrong.