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Air Force Basic Training...What should have been cruise control in our final two weeks of our six week BMT, turned into quite the late night event. AB Williams who was our initial Dorm Chief was relieved approximately 10 days into training. He fit into being one of the guys and never had any issues. Then there was AB Green. Green was a good guy albeit quite the jokester. I myself was always one of the last to get to sleep. Insomnia was my closest friend. So anyway this one late night while most everyone was asleep or on their way to sleep, I noticed someone down on all fours crawling on the floor and making a growling noise. I heard someone say, "what the hell are you doing, get back to bed." I looked over and Williams was down on all fours and next to Green's bed. Williams was growling at Green and then said, "Greenie, I'm gonna bite you Greenie!" The new Dorm Chief, Barney, wakes up and runs over yelling, knock it off and get back to bed. The dorm guard comes running over with his flashlight and sure enough William eyes are glazed over and is still growling and frothing at the mouth and threatening to bite Green, who jumped up and is freaking out. Several of us grab Williams and are holding him down. All of a sudden Williams stops fighting closes his eyes and then instantly opens them again as if to awake from a dream. He looks at us and says, "what's up guys?" Apparently not knowing what has happened and an apparent sleepwalking episode of dramatic proportions. Not sure whatever happened to Williams but never graduated with us but his story lives on.
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I've always heard that sleep walking is a permanent ticket home. But I'm not sure if that applies to the whole, entire U.S. military, or just the Marines. But going by the fact that you never saw the guy again, I would imagine that it applies to every branch of service.
TSgt James Herslebs
In my Basic Training Flight we had an Airman that couldn't manage to wake up in the morning. About a week into Basic Training the TI grabbed side rail of his bunk and proceeded to give him flight lessons! He woke up mid-air screaming and landed with a thud on the floor. We never saw him again!
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1984 Parris Island, SC. While getting dinner in the chow hall, the ball fell off the ice cream machine. Thank God the DI was yelling at other recruits at the other end and unsure where the other DIs were. My entire plate was covered in ice cream the male recruit reached down and grabbed the ball (t rolled across the floor near him) and placed the ball on the machine. He was scared to death like I was. The male Marine was standing there with a tray and a sponge. His DI looked away at another recruit yelling about him, staring at a female. So when I say God was on both sides, I mean it. When it was time to sit down, I was the next recruit to start a new row which meant being away from the DI. Needless to say, I did not get ice cream again.
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The first day of BCT our Senior Drill Instructor had us all sit on the grass and asked us if anyone is offended by foul language. Of course, there has to be the one recruit that raises his hand. The SDI has him stand up and he stands inches away from the recruit’s face. He then yelled out swear words for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, he calmly asks if there was anyone else who was offended by foul language. That was 52 years ago and I still can remember that recruit’s face.
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one of the dental officers lost the bolt to his M16 rifle when cleaning it. I mean, of all the parts to lose, that's the biggest one!
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At Ft. Wood in 1967, we had a NEW recruit that was drafted. Guess what? HE HAD POLIO AND WAS ON CRUTCHES!!! Figure that one out!
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MSG Thomas Currie
I was Training NCO for a Basic Training company at Fort Knox. First week of training one cycle we had a recruit whose drill sergeant sent him to the orderly room to see about getting permission to leave the company area. The recruit wanted to go the the bank to cash a check that his parents had forwarded to him after it came in the mail at his home. This kind of thing wasn't common, but it did happen from time to time. The recruit showed me the check -- it was a New York State disability check that he received for being legally blind!
Hmmm.... Something not quite right. We arranged for him to cash his check -- and we also sent him to the eye clinic to be tested. He came back with a slip saying his vision without glasses was something like 20/400 (20/200 is legally blind) and that the Army would not be issuing him eyeglasses because the best they could correct his vision with glasses was [I forget the numbers, but it wasn't good enough for the Army to issue him glasses].
We tried to have him processed out, but found out that 1) He enlisted, and 2) He had a medical waiver for his eyesight!! Best guess is that someone somewhere signed off one the waiver thinking it said 20/40 instead of 20/400. Bottom line was that he had a valid waiver and he wanted to be in the army so we couldn't get him discharged for his vision.
We immediately submitted a request for a Rifle Qualification Waiver since no one wanted to see this guy on a rifle range. Training Command approved the rifle qualification waiver but still required "familiarization" which consisted mechanical and safety training followed by firing 10 rounds at the rifle range. Two drill sergeants took him to the rifle range and stacked up two piles of sand bags with a narrow space between them so he could only point the rifle down the middle of the range. One magazine of 10 rounds. He was "familiarized" with the M16 rifle.
He graduated from Basic Training and was sent directly to a unit for On The Job training as a cook. I have no idea how that worked out.
Hmmm.... Something not quite right. We arranged for him to cash his check -- and we also sent him to the eye clinic to be tested. He came back with a slip saying his vision without glasses was something like 20/400 (20/200 is legally blind) and that the Army would not be issuing him eyeglasses because the best they could correct his vision with glasses was [I forget the numbers, but it wasn't good enough for the Army to issue him glasses].
We tried to have him processed out, but found out that 1) He enlisted, and 2) He had a medical waiver for his eyesight!! Best guess is that someone somewhere signed off one the waiver thinking it said 20/40 instead of 20/400. Bottom line was that he had a valid waiver and he wanted to be in the army so we couldn't get him discharged for his vision.
We immediately submitted a request for a Rifle Qualification Waiver since no one wanted to see this guy on a rifle range. Training Command approved the rifle qualification waiver but still required "familiarization" which consisted mechanical and safety training followed by firing 10 rounds at the rifle range. Two drill sergeants took him to the rifle range and stacked up two piles of sand bags with a narrow space between them so he could only point the rifle down the middle of the range. One magazine of 10 rounds. He was "familiarized" with the M16 rifle.
He graduated from Basic Training and was sent directly to a unit for On The Job training as a cook. I have no idea how that worked out.
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SPC Michael Terrell
I had five medical 4F, including being legally blind without fairly tick glasses. I was rejected for enlistment, then I was drafted. I was interested in Avionics. I ended up a Broadcast Engineer.
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One of the wildest stories I have ever experienced in life is falling asleep while standing up. Another soldier & I was standing in formation snoring. Drill Sergeant had told the other soldiers all those who awoke to step to the left of the formation. Suddenly I heard loud laughter as the other soldier & I was still standing in place. Drill Sergeant smoked us until we woke up. However, a few hours later I was caught hugging a tree while sleeping. My battle buddy was exhausted & begged for a new battle buddy. I always got caught sleeping because of my loud snoring. When my battle buddy first join she struggled after doing five push-ups. But before we graduated, she & I could do ninety-nine push-ups in two minutes. I told her thanks to me getting us all that extra P.T. we became undefeated. I told her we were meant to be. LOL! Needless to say that she wasn't excited about it like I was & was happy to graduate from having a battle buddy. LOL!
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It was the ‘80s and I had my hair highlighted like Madonna. The TI nickname for me, Cyndi Lauper!?
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I had just turned 17 and I went to basic at Ft. Dix New Jersey Oct.- Dec. 1971. I met a kid there that was having a hard time. In talking to him I found out he had tried to get into the Marines, Air Force, and Navy, and was turned down by all of them, but the Army took him. I didn't think he had what it would take to make it through basic, and figured he would wash out and be sent home. Next day on the rifle range he put the barrel of his M-16 in his mouth, and on full auto blew his brans out.
Michael Starbird
Michael Starbird
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From my perspective, that qualifies more as "horrific", than "wild", but I won't rule out "wild" entirely.
SPC Michael Terrell
We had a really gung ho guy in our company that washed out half way through basic.
We also had a jerk that beat off most of the night, making his bunk squeak in the old wood barracks. People would yell at him to stop, but he would start in again a few minutes later. I think he was trying to be kicked out.
Another that would sit with his leg crossed like a woman. and hold a cigarette like one in an attempt to be sent home.
We also had a jerk that beat off most of the night, making his bunk squeak in the old wood barracks. People would yell at him to stop, but he would start in again a few minutes later. I think he was trying to be kicked out.
Another that would sit with his leg crossed like a woman. and hold a cigarette like one in an attempt to be sent home.
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It was summer of '58, Ft. Jackson, S.C. Mid-way thru basic training. Standing in the chow line after an exhaustive day in the hot sand of South Carolina. A trainee, (his last name was "WILD") began taunting me about my failures of the day. We all had some. I'd finally had enough and told him to meet me behind the mess hall after chow. Well, everyone heard what was going on and they got ready for a fight.
Ya see, Wild was the "Bully" of our platoon. As I tried to eat, and couldn't, my two buddies promised to back me up.
Finally, we're all out behind the mess hall and Wild shows up w/ a couple of his buddies. He comes up to me, shouting a few challenges. As he gets close, I haul off and hit him in the head with a hard left fist. Not hesitating, I slam him in the stomach with my right, as hard as I could. I put my whole body into that punch. It must have been the combination of the belly punch and the "evening meal." Down he went, all curled up, laying there on the ground CRYING! I stood there for only a moment, turned and slowly walked back to the barracks w/ my buddies Tom and Jack. We wondered what next to expect from Trainee Wild.
Just before lights out, here comes Wild, up to my bunk. He looks at me, sticks out his hand and asks if we could be friends. I took his hand and told him; No more pushin' around, anybody." He agreed and the guys around us hollered and cheered. No more bullying in the company. Never saw or heard about WILD after Basic. He did not go with us to be Paratroopers! Jim RLTW/L&P
Ya see, Wild was the "Bully" of our platoon. As I tried to eat, and couldn't, my two buddies promised to back me up.
Finally, we're all out behind the mess hall and Wild shows up w/ a couple of his buddies. He comes up to me, shouting a few challenges. As he gets close, I haul off and hit him in the head with a hard left fist. Not hesitating, I slam him in the stomach with my right, as hard as I could. I put my whole body into that punch. It must have been the combination of the belly punch and the "evening meal." Down he went, all curled up, laying there on the ground CRYING! I stood there for only a moment, turned and slowly walked back to the barracks w/ my buddies Tom and Jack. We wondered what next to expect from Trainee Wild.
Just before lights out, here comes Wild, up to my bunk. He looks at me, sticks out his hand and asks if we could be friends. I took his hand and told him; No more pushin' around, anybody." He agreed and the guys around us hollered and cheered. No more bullying in the company. Never saw or heard about WILD after Basic. He did not go with us to be Paratroopers! Jim RLTW/L&P
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SPEC4 John Leslie During training I passed out and went to the hospital with URI (upper respiratory infection. I missed most of my rifle training. Several days later I got released and was sent to the firing range to qualify with the M14 and M16. I never fired a gun before, so I got in the back of the line so I would not have to go first. Then they counted off in groups of 4 and you guessed it I was number one in my group. I was unsure about loading and firing, so I sat there and did not fire with the rest of my company. The drill sergeant pulled out of the pit and grabbed my rifle and loaded it and shoved it back to me with some harsh words which I won't repeat, to get back in the pit and fire my weapon. He scared the hell out of me. They checked the target and I had fired all 3 rounds in the bullseye. The sergeant came up to me and told me, son you just zeroed your weapon. To say I was relieved would be an understatement!
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