Speaking of the entitled generation....

[Tmall]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Question for current and former Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen:

If you're already in good shape, exercise regularly, lift weights, etc., would basic training be somewhat easy?

I gained body fat at basic and my arms got smaller. But, ours might be easier.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

But how does that make them "entitled"? A high percentage of people join the military for the GI bill or because that's their only option.

I don't know about that. I think a lot of people join because they want to. Anyone who joined the military since 9/11 know what they're in for. You are likely going to see combat in a very dangerous part of the world and there are easier ways to pay for school vs getting shot at and possibly killed.

I think a lot of it is just old timer "back when I was... we had to carry rabid elephants on our backs while getting kicked in the balls by kangaroos". I'm sure if you take a civil war soldier and show them a WW2 soldier they'd just think they are pussies.

I've read reports and stories where the military find that games help make more affective soldiers because they are use to killing in games and when killing in the battlefield they adapt easier. I think one problem the military had was where soldiers would freeze up when faced with the decision of wether to kill another human being. An example is the military switching from circle targets to silloute targets in I think WW1. It made it more realistic.

Physical fitness can be fixed. From what I understand basic does a great job of that.

[Archren]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Question for current and former Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen:

If you're already in good shape, exercise regularly, lift weights, etc., would basic training be somewhat easy?

In terms of the PT, yes. In terms of long hours, stress, etc., a little. You would be more prepared physically and mentally than Joe Blow off the street who has never seen the inside of a gym (like I was, since I was fresh out of HS and my PE credit was marching band ). But it still wouldn't be "easy", per se. It's more of a mind game, really. The whole process of breaking you down to build you back up. Once you figure out the "game", as it were, it gets a hell of a lot easier.

But the kudos of being a PT stud probably would go a long way.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

I've been in a squad leader position all but about 4 months since I got my 5's. It's retarded.

I hope BNCOC will be the second to last school I have to attend. The last being WOC school in a year or so.

You do realize that as a warrent you will have to through the OES system right? A CW3 in my unit jut graduated CGSC

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

Question for current and former Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen:

If you're already in good shape, exercise regularly, lift weights, etc., would basic training be somewhat easy?

Easier, yes. Easy, no. You would have an advantage on the 6 miles runs and getting smoked at 2 am, but you still have to deal with the emotional/mental portion, and the sleep deprivation.

Originally Posted by derf

You do realize that as a warrent you will have to through the OES system right? A CW3 in my unit jut graduated CGSC

Yeah, I know. Guess I meant NCO courses. The OES courses are different, kinda. Though I guess they are trying to change how warrants do it now too.
Some CW must have gotten on the bad side of a full bird or something and they are changing it from warrants having their own schools to instead go to the regular officer courses. Complete and utter bullshit. Warrants have a completely different role in the Army.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Yeah, I know. Guess I meant NCO courses. The OES courses are different, kinda. Though I guess they are trying to change how warrants do it now too.
Some CW must have gotten on the bad side of a full bird or something and they are changing it from warrants having their own schools to instead go to the regular officer courses. Complete and utter bullshit. Warrants have a completely different role in the Army.

Warrents never had their own schools except for WOC, only in the last year or 2 have they been made to go to CCC, CGSC and ILE. And i dont know what you have seen, but I distinclty remember being treated much better in ANCOC than I treated captains and majors who were reporting to me for school (when i was assigned to a school unit). In fact i treated them like shit yelled and screamed and made them scared of me. I got to run their PT, room inspections, and some FTX stuff. Didn't get much more fun than that. ANCOC is more like ILE, show up for the classroom stuff, have my reports reading and analysis reports ready, and then we were left alone. The damn class sessions were only from 9 to 3 each day with a 2 hour lunch.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

I don't know about that. I think a lot of people join because they want to. Anyone who joined the military since 9/11 know what they're in for. You are likely going to see combat in a very dangerous part of the world and there are easier ways to pay for school vs getting shot at and possibly killed.

I think a lot of it is just old timer "back when I was... we had to carry rabid elephants on our backs while getting kicked in the balls by kangaroos". I'm sure if you take a civil war soldier and show them a WW2 soldier they'd just think they are pussies.

I've read reports and stories where the military find that games help make more affective soldiers because they are use to killing in games and when killing in the battlefield they adapt easier. I think one problem the military had was where soldiers would freeze up when faced with the decision of wether to kill another human being. An example is the military switching from circle targets to silloute targets in I think WW1. It made it more realistic.

Physical fitness can be fixed. From what I understand basic does a great job of that.

Come on the last few years aren't indicative of the entire military history of the U.S. Remember all those reservists who wanted to quit instead of go to Iraq? There are those that joined in the decades between Vietnam and Iraq that NEVER planned to even fire a round in anger. Trust me, I was one of them at first!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Come on the last few years aren't indicative of the entire military history of the U.S. Remember all those reservists who wanted to quit instead of go to Iraq? There are those that joined in the decades between Vietnam and Iraq that NEVER planned to even fire a round in anger. Trust me, I was one of them at first!

heh i was surprised at how many nam guys were still around and trying to get deployed. Even ran across one lrrp guy at like 3am in al daura one night who couldnt wait to tell me how much better icdc was than arvn

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by derf

Warrents never had their own schools except for WOC, only in the last year or 2 have they been made to go to CCC, CGSC and ILE. And i dont know what you have seen, but I distinclty remember being treated much better in ANCOC than I treated captains and majors who were reporting to me for school (when i was assigned to a school unit). In fact i treated them like shit yelled and screamed and made them scared of me. I got to run their PT, room inspections, and some FTX stuff. Didn't get much more fun than that. ANCOC is more like ILE, show up for the classroom stuff, have my reports reading and analysis reports ready, and then we were left alone. The damn class sessions were only from 9 to 3 each day with a 2 hour lunch.

Warrants need to go to a school to move up to the next grade, just like NCO's.
Those courses, up until now, (at least for maintenance) have been Warrant specific.
I agree that NCO's in schools probably get treated better than regular officers. I am talking about the day to day activities. Warrant officers do not fall under any direct chain of command. They do what they want, when they want, for the most part. They get paid far better than the enlisted, don't have to put up with (as much) of the stupidity of the enlisted, and get away from some of the political BS associated with commissioned officers.
For example, we have 2 warrants with us in my BN. A CW3 that is the BMO, and a WO1 that is the S-6 OIC. They both report to the BC (0-5) and most of the time he forgets that they exist.

Maybe warrants in your area are different, or maybe it's just the maintenance aspect of it that changes things. Just going off the Chiefs that I know, and my experiences with them.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Warrants need to go to a school to move up to the next grade, just like NCO's.
Those courses, up until now, (at least for maintenance) have been Warrant specific.
I agree that NCO's in schools probably get treated better than regular officers. I am talking about the day to day activities. Warrant officers do not fall under any direct chain of command. They do what they want, when they want, for the most part. They get paid far better than the enlisted, don't have to put up with (as much) of the stupidity of the enlisted, and get away from some of the political BS associated with commissioned officers.
For example, we have 2 warrants with us in my BN. A CW3 that is the BMO, and a WO1 that is the S-6 OIC. They both report to the BC (0-5) and most of the time he forgets that they exist.

Maybe warrants in your area are different, or maybe it's just the maintenance aspect of it that changes things. Just going off the Chiefs that I know, and my experiences with them.

Yeh thats pretty much how they live, but for the past few years the army as a whole have been trying to get them to be more officerish, schools, traning, responsibility and all that stuff.