Sailors Getting Soldiers' Training in S.C.

[Judi Lynn]

Sailors Getting Soldiers' Training in S.C.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 23, 2006
Filed at 1:32 p.m. ET

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) -- Navy sailors are trading their sea legs for dry land combat skills to help them survive in war zones, and the training is coming from an unusual place -- the Army.

The Navy is sending thousands of men and women to Iraq and Afghanistan to relieve pressure on Army and Marine ground forces, some of whom have faced repeated deployments to the region.

''Hit the ground and brace yourself with your weapon!'' Army senior drill instructor Warren Brown yelled at a dozen Navy trainees slithering across a mud-soaked field. ''Look around, pick yourself up and go! You're under fire!''

After struggling up from the mud with her M-16 in hand, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jade Permenter acknowledged Brown's instructions to keep her head and butt down might save her life someday.
(snip/...)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Navy-Army-Training.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[TomInTib]

1. I joined the Navy to learn navigation and spent 27 months in combat

way back when (Vietnam and Laos).

[0007]

2. Jehoshaphat! What's next the boy scouts?

[classysassy]

3. Whos next?

"as we go flying off into the wild blue yonder",airman report to Ft.Jackson for retraining.

[BrotherBuzz]

6. Airmen are already doing a lot of scut work in Iraq

Airmen have been performing many jobs for the Army since the beginning of operations in Iraq, including ground convoy duties, guarding detainees, interrogating prisoners, security operations and explosive ordnance disposal.

Boy scouts, indeed, may recruited if the freepers don't slither out of their parent's basement and make their way down to the recruitment centers to volunteer.

[wakeme2008]

10. They have been training AF up in Maryland for over a year

:(

[Robbien]

4. "The name of the game is staying alive"

Still, while Army basic training usually lasts about nine weeks, the transplanted sailors are given only two weeks of training, putting in 12 to 16 hours a day.

And while fresh Army recruits spend two to three weeks training with their weapons, the sailors have just two or three days to acquaint themselves with a 9 mm pistol or M-16 rifle.

Not good

[driver8]

5. I posted this on my Navy vets board (mostly freepers). One of

the guys said that the reason Navy sailors have to learn combat skills "is because Clinton down sized the military and left Bush with insufficient resources to fight a war."

We might as well accept it -- everything is Clinton's fault.

[ptolle]

7. freeps etc.

I know it doesn't do much good to try to present facts, logic and that good stuff to freepers, but you did remind them that most of Clinton's reductions were the result of him actually carrying out proposals put forward when dead eye dick cheney was secdef under boosh the elder, did you not?

[Joey Liberal]

9. I hear that a lot from republicans

I always remind them that Bush has closed bases and has cut personnel from the military.

[underpants]

17. Wow really?

Amazing.

IF that were the case wouldn't that make the invasion of Iraq all the more idiotic?

[Joey Liberal]

8. Next they'll send the "Bush Youth" to Iraq n.t

[KeepItReal]

11. Highest % of troops working outside of their specialty areas thanks 2 Bush

I heard that reported once.

[Rex]

12. They need legs on the ground.

Anything but a draft is okay to the BFEE.

[KeepItReal]

13. They are going to ruin recuitment for the other branches now

Lord knows the Army is suffering enough.

If potential recruits start thinking that the Navy and Air Force is a potential one-way ticket to walking around Baghdad with an M-16...

[Rex]

14. It is a sign of sheer desperation, nothing is going according to plan

for Rummy or Bush. They have mid terms coming up and Iraq is about to turn into an all out civil war. They know it, we know it, everyone knows it.

[Historic NY]

15. "Operation Blue to Green"

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/a/artransfer.htm

[Nickster]

16. Whoa boy, say hello to Tank Hill for me and the Victory Tower! Good Times.