Remember when you were a squaddie?

9 months basic training before going on to career orientated work...

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks... months of hell...

Bromide in the tea... cheap porn mags to keep you happy when you were not allowed leave and had to do guard duty...

Freezing your nuts off digging trenches in Otterburn with -12°c... took 4 hours to dig a trench...

1157 checks on your cupboards and seeing all your well folded clothes chucked all over the floor by some numbnut corporal who wanted to be the regimental sergent major....

Remember your first year in the army?

OHHHHhhhhhhh those were the days...

Here are a couple of videos that bring it all back :







Kindest respects

Rodinus

Funny vids ..

Held rank of captain back in those days and try hard to forget most of it ..
far more nightmares than good memories of my time in ..
would offer you a beer but my miscreant macaque finished the last of my stockpile couple days ago ..
Ta for a good laugh

originally posted by: Expat888
Funny vids ..

Held rank of captain back in those days and try hard to forget most of it ..
far more nightmares than good memories of my time in ..
would offer you a beer but my miscreant macaque finished the last of my stockpile couple days ago ..
Ta for a good laugh

Expat;;;

I was an NCO for a while before finishing off my studies with the RAVC and then being attached to 2 Para as Second lieutenant...

That bloody macaque (Mullata or fasicularis?) needs to be weaned mate?... You do realise that I am a primatologist?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Hes a macaca fuscata - japanese macaque ended up with him on a visit to a hot springs in hokkaido .. he had learned to act like humans at the time the macaque would bring towels to guests , bring beers and do dishes .. but found out later he picked up some bad habits as well .. he also takes baths and wears clothes had wondered at the time why the owner of the place seemed relieved when the little bugger decided to follow ..
Had been meaning to ask you about it as seen wild ones get similar effect from eating fermented fruit .. between bad signal out here lately and getting sidetracked been slow to get the pm sent to you ..

Ahh you were smart worked your way up 2 para is a good unit met a few of them years ago when was in uk .. was out by then so was on hol / pub hopping at the time ..

a reply to: Expat888

Buggered for your monkey mate... he/she was probably taken from his/her mother at an early age.

Keep him/her but keep him/her off the beer as his/her liver will pack in fairly quickly... don't expect him/her to live over 15 years in captivity compared to 15 to 20 years in the wild.

Did some good jumps with 2 Para back in the olden days and even spent alot of time yomping with them over to Port Stanley in the Falklands when we first started working with Alsations.

Kindest respects

Rod

Ahh hadnt thought of him being taken from his mother too early .. had figured he was part of the troup of macaques that lived near the hotsprings and had just decided to follow people .. he still eats fruit , veggies .. and even fish which surprised me always washes his food before eating too .. he is out of luck on beer the next few months as couple days ago he managed to nick the last one .. little bugger figured out how to pick locks as had tried padlocking the door to my storage room .. scary at times how smart they are .. pretty much let him have his freedom out here but when go downriver make sure he stays close and try not to let him get into mischief .. not sure of how old he is .. had him three years now ..

Ahh jumping one of the few things i miss .. had thought they used shepherds didnt realise they started using alsations ..

a reply to: Rodinus


I was such a disgusting civie puke when I arrived at basic. I was as useful as a football bat, and as sloppy as a soup sandwich.

Thank the good lord above for the U.S. ARMY having such talent working for TRADOC.

Drill sergeant Wise....when the buses came for us, and all the drill Sergeants got out, I took one look at them and said "plz GOD, let me have any of them but that guy"....ya I got "that" guy. We were in the training environ for less than 20 minutes, and one of the biggest guys I ever saw was crying for his mother, Drill Sergeant Wise punched out a ceiling tile, it hit the concrete roof above it and exploded.....I swear to GOD, this stone cold SOB didnt even blink when it came down and hit him in the head.

A.I.T. was suppossed to be easy, passes, no more BS, just school and smooth sailing.

I went to the only place in America where they train my particular MOS, 13-E cannon fire direction control specialist, at Alphatraz 2-80th field artillery battalion at Fort Sill Oklahoma "STEEL RAIN!!!!", yes I still fear that Drill sergeant Marshall will come and eat my sould if I mention the unit without loudly and proudly saying the moto.

I though DS Wise was bad, my AIT made my basic look like summer camp. We were in hell week for 10 weeks.

It was explained at the end, that it is so hard on us in my job, because we can not ever, not once, under any criteria, ever make a single mistake, otherwise our guys die.

Either they dont get the fires they need when they need them (time on target), or worse, we shoot short and hit our own.

I plotted a chart that was off by 1 mill one time, I had to carry a 200 LBS 205mm howitzer round around the entire school compound, even the marines felt bad for me as they watched. I am only 155LBS so humping that shell for the better part of a mile was quite rough, the marines and some soldiers from Isreal, Pakistan, Canada and another country I cant remember were there having a smoke break, they all started yelling and encouraging me on the last 300 meters or so.

Even SR. Drill Sergeant Marshall, Lord Vader himself, pityless and full of nothing but anger and malice, congratulated me, and patted me on the back, he said "private, I have made many people hump that shell around the compound, most dont make it past the front stairs before they give up, you are going to make one hell of an artillery man!!!"

I learned a lot about me and what I was capable of in basic and AIT.

That was in late 99 early 2000.

I spent the couple of years, well almost 2 years, training and doing my job...."Pull string gun go boom".

Then 911 happened. January the following year we mobed and got deployed around many times just guarding military stuff for a year at a time here, a couple of months there etc.... for the next 4 years.

I never got to fire( well plot and give the gun line coordinates to the target) a single 19er8 round in anger, or even my weapon.

I did get to shake down a bunch of civies though.

What is it about civies? They are working on a post, with outrageous security, with signs everywhere warning them not to ever leave this exact set of roads for any reason.

So where do we find them? Walking down the road, right in front of the bunkers containing the most dangerous substance known to man.

They always act sooo shocked when they are in the most restricted area they have ever heard of, and 4 humvees pull up on them from all sides at once, and men with "guns" get out and start ordering them to drop their ID back up 15 feet and lay on the ground with their arms and legs spread apart. They usually just look at you like your stupid, then the guy on the .50 cal racks one into the chamber, and they automatically remember how to speak english.

9 out of 10 times it was a bat researcher. The other 1 it was a construction worker.

Kinda reminded me of the movie super troopers honestly....good times.

a reply to: Rodinus

G,day mate. hmm 10 weeks in the bull ring.( recruit training )
Kapooka New South Wales out from a town called Wagga Wagga in the middle of a bloody cold winter i breezed through in 6 weeks
old man was an RSM during the big one and i had already down school cadets and time with the Citizens Military Forces
under one very switched on Cadet corps/ CMF officer who also happened to be a retired British Army officer
well done on the Stanley war games Rod. thought you might be a former troopie
i'm a bit before your time closer to Pat. same war games
Back in the day the aussie army was running ads on tv and radio recommending to people that they should join Australia's new army
so the Royal Melbourne show was on and i mentioned to a couple of mates in the boozer just after watching the ad on tv that we should go down to the show and join this new army because this old one we were in was cactus f***tus because we had to walk or run everywhere and the ad showed blokes being driven around in APC's and coming out the back of the APC's
in what looked like lighty starched very clean jungle greens with roofing nails on their heads (yank style helmets)
So we showed up in civvies at the Royal Melbourne show army recuiting display and tent.
got talking the the Cpl recruiter.
after listening to this young bloke waffle on about how fantastic this new Australian Army was we told him we were interested in joining this new Australian Army
we were ushered into the tent and i have to admit i was rather surprised that the ruse was working as we must have been the only four blokes in the show grounds apart from the recruiting team with short bloody hair.
anyway we were handed over to a Sgt. take a pew lads and he started to sign us up
then it got interesting
i was first cab of the rank
he asked me a few questions place of birth and several others that i forget and then it came
and what do you do for a living at the moment mate
biro poised over the recruiting papers. I HAD THE BUGGA
I'M IN THE OLD ARMY.
I could feel the Cpl. behind me freeze. i looked at the Sgt. and smiled. his face started to go red and expand.
he snapped the biro. so i said come on Sarg we're jack of the old army we want to ride around in APC'S and look flash.
he very slowly stood up both hands on the table head lowered and ever so politely said in may i add a sweet melodious voice GET THE F**K OUT OF MY BLOODY OFFICE.
So, we did what all good troopies do after pushing a senior NCO to the point of suffering a complete mental breakdown.
WE BOLTED
We ran out the tent turned a corner and then walked very camly into the nearest showgrounds boozer.
in fits of laughter we had managed to down half a glass when the very astute or blood hound bred Cpl walked in.
instant silence. he walked up to us looked us each in the eye and burst out laughing and said you pack of b*****ds
you really upset the old prick. i'm supposed to find you and march you back. he's sent for the provo's and if he gets you he intends to charge the 4 of you. so you bugga's owe me a beer right here right now then you need to p**soff real quick and get the hell out of the showgrounds
Yep mate they were good times some times
oh. i have whispering grass on 45 record still play it. good show it aint half hot mum
ok where is Bally, he is bound to have a good one to tell
take care Rod, you too Pat

a reply to: oblvion

Off topic a bit, as I'm a civ (Marine Corps wouldn't have me, due to medical issues) but, having grown up and still living 40 miles away from Ft. Sill, I love hearing stories about the place. Even at such a distance, there are many times you can hear the low rumble of training rounds. Shake the windows sometimes when they bring out the big 'uns! Also used to lay out in the field as a kid, and watch T-37 and T-38's from Shepard AFB, Wichita Falls TX "dogfight" all day. Not to mention finding some great outdoor gear from the MILSURP store from Ft. Sill. Great museums as well, Geronimo's cell had a circle worn into the stone floor, where he paced around like a caged tiger for some twenty-odd years.

Great hiking country around the Mt. Scott area (well, the molehills we okies call "mountains") with much of it fenced off, clearly marked as training grounds. Heard stories from buddies who wandered a little to close to the fence during hikes, to be intercepted by a Humvee hauling asphalt full of pissed off MP's. Didn't make that mistake again!

originally posted by: CloudsTasteMetallic
a reply to: oblvion

Off topic a bit, as I'm a civ (Marine Corps wouldn't have me, due to medical issues) but, having grown up and still living 40 miles away from Ft. Sill, I love hearing stories about the place. Even at such a distance, there are many times you can hear the low rumble of training rounds. Shake the windows sometimes when they bring out the big 'uns! Also used to lay out in the field as a kid, and watch T-37 and T-38's from Shepard AFB, Wichita Falls TX "dogfight" all day. Not to mention finding some great outdoor gear from the MILSURP store from Ft. Sill. Great museums as well, Geronimo's cell had a circle worn into the stone floor, where he paced around like a caged tiger for some twenty-odd years.

Great hiking country around the Mt. Scott area (well, the molehills we okies call "mountains") with much of it fenced off, clearly marked as training grounds. Heard stories from buddies who wandered a little to close to the fence during hikes, to be intercepted by a Humvee hauling asphalt full of pissed off MP's. Didn't make that mistake again!

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

I am right down the road from you, in Wichita Falls.

I moved here a year and a half ago, from Indianapolis.


Ya I shot a lot of rounds at Fort Sill. The artillery museum is amazing. I even have a pic with me standing next to Atomic Annie.

a reply to: Rodinus

I look back (now) with history painting a picture tinted with a light-hearted reflection of camaraderie.

Not a frightened 18 year old being thrust into the mix in 1981.

SnF for bringing some good times back to the forefront of memory.

I jumped into the armed forces when I was 18.

Went through all the testing, passed with flying colours... Was told that I qualified for any position I wanted.

Then two days before we were leaving for bootcamp in Cornwall, they showed us a video of what bootcamp was all about and I thought to myself, "What, am I nuts ?! I'm never going to be able to 'yes sir, no sir' anyone at my age, I'm too damned stubborn !!"

That day I totally chickened out... backed out of the whole thing.

I had dreams of joining the air force, flying planes... I've regretted not going for it to this day.

Could've been one of those "top guns"... the world was my oyster.



*sigh*

... life's regrets... woulda coulda shoulda.

What a life experience I missed out on.

a reply to: oblvion

Small world, huh? I'm straight up highway 81 from ya. My Grandpa was a radar operator for the AF, active duty in Nam. All his brothers were in other branches as well. We still have his footlocker, use it to keep jewelery and other valuables safe. When I was younger we'd go around the air show circuit, Shepard in Wichita Falls always had one of the best. Forgot about the artillery museum until you mentioned it, tons of cool stuff there! Need to go back soon, and pass it on to the young ones.

May have not been in WF, but as a kid back in the 90's I remember seeing either a F-117 or B-2 at an airshow (memory's getting fuzzy now) behind ropes, 4 guards armed with M16's and a sign that made it VERY clear that they would shoot to kill, and no flash photograhpy. That sure kept young me from getting any funny ideas!

Hope you're enjoying this part of the country, but I prefer this side of the Red River.