Doesn't THIS look fun?

[underpants]

From a series of photos on Yahoo News Photos







And my personal favorite Aw basic training (I was in the Army not the Marines).



A United States Marine Corps recruit stands at attention during lights out in Parris Island, South Carolina January 6, 2005. Recruits go through a twelve week training program where the objective is to instill self-discipline and confidence, high moral standards, warrior spirit, basic military knowledge and individual skills, physical fitness and wellness as a way of life, respect and love of Country and Corps. More than 21,000 new Marines leave Parris Island each year after graduating from recruit training. Picture taken January 6, 2005.

[redqueen]

1. Your favorite was

facing a wall? What am I missing here?

[underpants]

5. The absurdity of it (outside of that world)

That guy has to stand there, at attention, for god knows how long. It builds "discipline" (read: if you can convince someone to stand and stare at a wall he/she will be willing to do anything else you might need them to do). My own personal experience was that I found my self doing things that normally I would have laughed at but hey you gotta do it-like not sitting down while waiting for paint to dry (long story).

[redqueen]

15. Interesting...

wonder if anyone's ever fallen asleep doing that.

[underpants]

19. I knew MANY guys who could sleep standing up

and one who slept with his eyes open. Not that is freaky at 3 AM when you go to wake him up. Scared the living sh*t out of me.

[trotsky]

2. Thank you for serving, underpants.

I never would have survived basic training.

[underpants]

7. you don't need to thank me I got paid to do it

but thanks anyway

[tk2kewl]

13. couldn't pay me enough

you deserve the thank yous

[underpants]

26. Oh yeah...the pay

not really very much but hey FREE FOOD! and FREE HEALTH CARE (if they let you go to sick call). We actually had a Sgt. tell us that all included we had the equivalent of a $30,000 a year job.....we laughed rather hard at that one.

[tk2kewl]

11. I second that thank you.

and i don't think i could have maid it through basic training either. i wouldve mouthed off too much and been badly hurt i think

[BrainRants]

3. Been there. Done that. n/t

[goddess40]

4. you forgot the most important part of basic training

Making it possible to believe it is ok to kill another humanbeing without question!

[underpants]

12. Actually (in the Army) mention "death" more than they mention "kill"

They have been at this a long time they know what they are doing.

When I was in basic training several of us noticed that we didn't hear KILL! as much as movies had made us expect we heard "Die" "or you will die" much more. Once you realize that you might die (and get comfortable with it) you are much more willing to do anything you are told and anything you are told to prevent it...like killing the other guy first. That is what I observed anyway.

[FormerDittoHead]

14. It goes farther than that - fully stated.

...basic training creates an individual who will take orders, possibly from someone who they don't personally know, and without question, is willing to *risk their life* in order to KILL A COMPLETE STRANGER.

[goddess40]

33. well put

I find it hard to even think about, but you are all correct.

I hear people talk about how glad their husband, son, daughter, cousin... came back in one piece. But I know that after seeing what they've seen and doing what they had to do to survive that they can't be all in one piece. Their lives are forever changed.

[tk2kewl]

25. you get a well deserved thank you too

:toast:

[JohnnyRingo]

6. Not your typical recruiting drive....

...."Join the Marines, you Maggot!"

[johnnie]

8. I was told not to join

My father, who served in the Marines for 25 years active reserve and 43 something years before officially retired told me when I was young that it is best if I didn't join. He was all for people serving, but he said he had a feeling I would get into a lot of trouble if I joined up. :shrug:

[liberal N proud]

9. Why don't they show those pictures in the recruiting literature

and commercials?
A little truth in advertising would be helpful here.

[underpants]

28. "Why were you sitting down?"

That question stunned me. I had no answer. I was literally waiting for paint to dry (in basic) and never thought twice that I should stand there while I waited. Oh yeah I had fallen asleep in the First Sgts. office, I woke to my "buddy" at parade rest and Top sitting behind his desk.

"Why were you sitting down?" In addition to just waking up and the realization that my ass was fried (not too bad really) I couldn't process that question. I just stood there and finally said, "I don't know".

True story

[DS1]

10. THAT brings back memories

:7

Nothing in life like someone stupid yelling stupid things in your ear

[underpants]

17. "All these general orders seem to have something to do with guard duty"

A memorable line from the "reception" period of joining the Army. Oh if we had only known. I once guarded a "Water buffalo" of course there were two guys guarding the track park it was sitting in and another guy (right over there) guarding the ammo truck and two other guys guarding the gate (50 feet away) and another guy guarding.....well we never figured out what he was supposed to be guarding but he was there none the less.

[redqueen]

18. Yeah, don't most people have to wait till they get married for that?

[DS1]

20. Marriage is an institution

but who wants to live in an institution?

[XNASA]

16. OORAH!!!!!!

Looks like fun. When I was 17 I could have done it standing on my head.

Well, actually I went to Navy Boot when I was 17. There wasn't a lot of yelling and screaming or humiliation...

But there was a lot of mind games. At some point 'everyone' fails an inspection and gets sent to "Happy Hour". No matter if you didn't do anything wrong everyone has to go the "Happy Hour"

Happy Hour consists of 2 hours of the most dreadful kind of physical exertion you can possibly imagine. Starts off with about 500 jumping jacks and just gets worse from there. I remember running lap after lap in the drill hall, with a rifle held over my head (elbows locked) wearing a Pea Coat. Man.....did that suck.

[redqueen]

21. What about crossing the equator?

Or when is it that guys dress up as women? Was someone kidding me about this? I've seen pics... but ... maybe it was his hobby...

[XNASA]

27. Pollywogs and Shellbacks........

Until you cross the equator aboard a ship, you're Pollywog. Once you do...You're a Shellback. And yes, there are strange initiations. Here's an account by someone else. I myself am still a Pollywog.

"For instance, in the case of my own initiation, the crew of the cruiser I was on built a canvas tank about three feet high on the fantail, filled it with seawater and garbage, and let it ripen for a few days in the tropical sun before assigning two burly sailors to grab each initiate as he was pushed into the tank and ask him sternly, “Are you a pollywog or a shellback? Seeing the hapless victim just before him get dunked in the garbage upon saying “I’m a pollywog!’ The next guy, of course, said, “I’m a shellback!” Of course, he was immediately dunked, too, as it didn’t make the least difference what you said. After crawling on hands and knees about a hundred yards around the deck, clad only in skivvies and passing through a gauntlet of about a hundred sailors, each armed with a section of fire hose soaked in salt water with which to paddle initiates, each pollywog was allowed the opportunity to “kiss the Royal Baby’s Belly”. This latter person was the fattest crew member available, whose belly was smeared liberally with fuel oil and graphite. As the victim approached on his knees for the kiss, his head was pushed firmly against this mess, so that he acquired an immediate grease mask. And so on...... Don’t lose that card! "

[underpants]

29. It didn’t make the least difference what you said

LOL

[underpants]

24. Collective punishment

We had a running joke about ME not getting "dropped" (pushups) for like 6 weeks (out of 16). Believe it or not I was out of sight and out of mind-the Drills didn't seem to know I was there (I was shithouse lawyering after they left). Finally one day, "Fallout...hold it one more thing ________ DROP!" I think they either overheard us or someone ratted me out. Everyone cracked up laughing anyway.

In a pea coat huh?

[XNASA]

30. Yep. Indoors in a Pea Coat. With a watch cap on too I believe.

But that sounds about right. Even the most disciplined recruits, the ones who were squeaky clean had to, at some point, either go to Happy Hour or suffer through some kind of ridiculous watch.

For example..if you were one of the recruits in charge of a squad within the company...and your squad performed badly during an inspection or even in the classroom...you'd have to either drop, or stand watch outdoors in the middle of the night during a North Chicago winter. Nobody got a free pass.

[DontBlameMe]

31. You must have gone to Great Lakes or San Diego.

In Orlando the called it "cycling". Don't ask me why.

But otherwise it was the same. They do an inspection the day after work week. Invariably, someone screws something up and then it's the mother of all ass kickings.

I remember it well.

[XNASA]

32. Great Lakes in February/March.

The worst part was in the first couple of weeks. Little things like, we weren't allowed to hem our pants. We had to roll them up.

After a couple of weeks or so, we were allowed to hem our pants. You never saw a bunch of guys so happy to sew in your life. But hey, at least you learned to sew, or more importantly, make small repairs.

[DontBlameMe]

35. That's crazy.

Good god, they would have shot you in Orlando if you rolled up your pants! How un-sat!

I'm not sure what the worst one we had was. Maybe getting "canned". Stick your head in a metal garbage can and shout, "It's not ok to say ok, sir". Or maybe half sit-ups. Half up, half down.... Which means no movement. Just sitting at a 45 degree angle for 6 or 7 minutes. Got a torn abdominal from that one...

[MrScorpio]

22. I did my time

You can have it, Bud

[sui generis]

23. kind of like working in corporate america

only not as mean.

[KG]

34. thanks for reminding me why i never wanted to do the military thing.

[LeftCoast]

36. Ain't brainwashing great?

:eyes: