Military "War Stories"

[Marauder_Santa]

My first day at USAF basic training Aug 18, 1976.

After a long flight from NY to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/ /><st1:place alt=</st1:place><st1:City w:st="on">San Antonio</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State>, a wait in the airport for our bus ride to Lackland and then my first chow hall meal at 0 dark 30 it was time to meet our TI's (Training Instructors).
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/ /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P><P><FONT color=black><FONT face=Verdana>Of course we were screamed at to get off the bus, line up and place our bags next to us. The first routine the TI's put us through was running in place. Of course we could never be fast enough so we did it over and over again. </P><P><SPAN style=Then the TI's added a bonus, "Pick-em_up_put_em_down". Pick up the bags you brought and then put them down. Again - we could never do it fast enough or pretty enough for the TI's - so we did this for a while. <o:p></o:p></SPAN>
<o:p></o:p>
Now for an additional added bonus - the TI's put us through the ol Pickem-up-and run in place with your bags over your head" routine.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
"Flash Back" Before leaving for basic someone told me to only bring the clothes on my back and a shaving kit. I don't remember who told me this, but if I ever remember I owe him something. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Piece of cake - I only had this small shaving kit, the guy next to me must have heard we were doing boot camp on a cruise ship - he had at least 3 large suitcases.
<o:p></o:p>
Now fast forward an hour or so to us in our barracks. At the time Lackland still had the old 2 story wooden barracks, my bunk was on the second floor. After being introduced to my bunk and dropping off my stuff we were instructed to grab a pencil and the Student Study Guide (Stupid Study Guide) from our footlocker and haul ass downstairs for our first "briefing". I grabbed the Stupid Study Guide and ran downstairs. Oops - forgot the pencil - turned around to go back upstairs and as soon as I turned around I had a face full of TI. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
All the time he was yelling at me and saying how we smelled like civilians and such, all I could think about was 24 hours earlier I was holding up the Bar at Macs next to the Babylon train station in Babylon LI NY. I could be there now with my buddies instead of having this TI in my face.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
All this happened on day one - I would experience many more humorous and gut wrenching events during my 28 years traveling the world as an Air Transportationist in the USAF. I will never regret joining; I would not be where I'm at today if it was not for the military.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Thanks for reading.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
David Doerrier<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>

[Taemian]

My first day at USAF basic training Aug 18, 1976.

After a long flight from NY to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/ /><st1:place alt=</st1:place><st1:City w:st="on">San Antonio</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State>, a wait in the airport for our bus ride to Lackland and then my first chow hall meal at 0 dark 30 it was time to meat our TI's (Training Instructors).
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/ /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></P><P><FONT color=black><FONT face=Verdana>Of course we were screamed at to get off the bus, line up and place our bags next to us. The first routine the TI's put us through was running in place. Of course we could never be fast enough so we did it over and over again. </P><P><SPAN style=Then the TI's added a bonus, "Pick-em_up_put_em_down". Pick up the bags you brought and then put them down. Again - we could never do it fast enough or pretty enough for the TI's - so we did this for a while. <o:p></o:p></SPAN>
<o:p></o:p>
Now for an additional added bonus - the TI's put us through the ol Pickem-up-and run in place with your bags over your head" routine.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
"Flash Back" Before leaving for basic someone told me to only bring the clothes on my back and a shaving kit. I don't remember who told me this, but if I ever remember I owe him something. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Piece of cake - I only had this small shaving kit, the guy next to me must have heard we were doing boot camp on a cruise ship - he had at least 3 large suitcases.
<o:p></o:p>
Now fast forward an hour or so to us in our barracks. At the time Lackland still had the old 2 story wooden barracks, my bunk was on the second floor. After being introduced to my bunk and dropping off my stuff we were instructed to grab a pencil and the Student Study Guide (Stupid Study Guide) from our footlocker and haul ass downstairs for our first "briefing". I grabbed the Stupid Study Guide and ran downstairs. Oops - forgot the pencil - turned around to go back upstairs and as soon as I turned around I had a face full of TI. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
All the time he was yelling at me and saying how we smelled like civilians and such, all I could think about was 24 hours earlier I was holding up the Bar at Macs next to the Babylon train station in Babylon LI NY. I could be there now with my buddies instead of having this TI in my face.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
All this happened on day one - I would experience many more humorous and gut wrenching events during my 28 years traveling the world as an Air Transportationist in the USAF. I will never regret joining; I would not be where I'm at today if it was not for the military.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Thanks for reading.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
David Doerrier<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>

Thank you for your service!

[Mike Poore]

I have two stories about boot camp. The first few day's story is much the same as yours, only as an Army inductee, I went to Fort Jackson, SC, in May, 1962.
There was the screaming, confusion and being herded around like so many cattle. We were sort of at attention and the instructor screamed for us to"fall out"; one of the commands we had learned early on. Just before that final instruction we were told to go into the barracks get the BLUFFLER and have the place standing tall. Once inside, shaking in our new boots, we were running around, looking for and wanting to know, what the hell was a BLUFFLER. Turns out one of the guys knew what it was, this having been his second time around. Let me tell you, your first time you get your hands on a BLUFFLER, or floor polisher as some know it, is a never to be forgotten experience. It was bedlam, in which the instructor didn't see a single shred of humor.:)

I'll save the next, and much better story for later. I'll call it recruit's revenge. :D

[TAKEDOWN]

I recall being... shocked!

[Haggis]

I have two stories about boot camp. The first few day's story is much the same as yours, only as an Army inductee, I went to Fort Jackson, SC, in May, 1962.
There was the screaming, confusion and being herded around like so many cattle. We were sort of at attention and the instructor screamed for us to"fall out"; one of the commands we had learned early on. Just before that final instruction we were told to go into the barracks get the BLUFFLER and have the place standing tall. Once inside, shaking in our new boots, we were running around, looking for and wanting to know, what the hell was a BLUFFLER. Turns out one of the guys knew what it was, this having been his second time around. Let me tell you, your first time you get your hands on a BLUFFLER, or floor polisher as some know it, is a never to be forgotten experience. It was bedlam, in which the instructor didn't see a single shred of humor.:)

I'll save the next, and much better story for later. I'll call it recruit's revenge. :D

What the hell is a 'BLUFFER', REMF?

[Bluerauder]

Let me tell you, your first time you get your hands on a BLUFFLER, or floor polisher as some know it, is a never to be forgotten experience. It was bedlam, in which the instructor didn't see a single shred of humor.:)
Never heard it called a "Bluffler" during my career in the US Army. During basic training, it was very comical to see the big guys trying to manhandle the floor buffer and try to get it to swing right and left by sheer brute force. They'd be worn out in 5 minutes. Using the buffer required a certain finesse. Just tilt up or back and it would do the work itself. I buffed many floors during basic training -- easy -- and sure much better than some of the other "duties" to be assigned.

We had one guy during basic that broke out his baby blue pajamas before hopping into the rack o the 1st night in the barracks. That went over VERY well. Come to think of it, he washed out in about 2 weeks. :rolleyes:

And how about the privacy afforded by the open 10-head shower in the latrine and the open line of 8 crappers against the wall. ;) Hey Joe, can you pass the shoe polish.

[2,4shofast]

Some good stories....My favorite story from Basic Training happened the second night that we had been at Lackland AFB. Our MTI's had a sense of humor that we didnt quite understand at the time ;)

Well we all got crammed into the meeting room to get the first of many briefings and our head MTI came into the room as straight faced as could be and explained to us how the Air Force was going down hill. His boss wanted to see if there were any new Recruits, that would like to bypass Basic Training and become apart of the AF Bowling Team. As you can imagine there were about 7 of us that raised our hands(I'm horrible at bowling, btw).

We were then notified that we would be bowling 3 times a day for the rest of Basic Training! I smiled for the first time in two days at that point, about 30 seconds after the awesome news he informed us that our "bowling" would be cleaning the toilet bowls, sinks and showers! It was pretty discusting to clean up after 59 other men for 2 months:puke: I should have know better. Guess that is what I get trying to take the easy way out ;)

[CBT]

I joined the Navy with my best friend. The night before we got on a bus from Memphis to Great Lakes for boot camp we had to stay at a hotel in Memphis. We were banned from the pool around 8 p.m. because we were jumping from the third story balcony into it. Around 10 p.m. I was standing on the dresser that James had just done a backflip off of, ready to do my best WWF flying leap onto his head when some giant rent-a-cop walked thru our open door and yelled at us and told us "Taps, taps. Lights out!" We told him were to stick his mag-lite. He told us Sgt. Brown wasn't going to be happy. We told him where he could stick Sgt. Brown, since we were joining the Navy, and Navy don't have Sgt's. We decided to hit Beale Street and get lit. Along the way we passed a hotel that looked very familiar, it took a few minutes to click, but it was the Lorraine. We found Beale, got tore up, made it back to the room somehow, and were promptly woken up and hustled down to get inducted into the United States Navy....by Sgt. Brown. He wanted to beat the shite out of us. I know this because he told us. Repeatedly. Then we were loaded on a Greyhound and were Illinois bound. The bus driver told me and James about every 50 miles we were not allowed to smoke on the bus. We told him to kick us off. He didn't, and all the other boot campers were too scared to light up. We finally get there, pull up onto "the grinder" and pile off the bus. Me and James had just stubbed out our cigs so we were ready for this Navy thing.
We were lined up, welcomed with kind words, and they asked if anyone wanted to smoke before we got started, get them out. Maaaaaan, as soon as the cigs came out the Company Commanders started cursing us, our mommas, our girlfriends, you name it, while some joker with a box was waiting to collect them before anyone could light up. Me and James just shrugged at each other since we just had one. Everyone else was giving us dirty looks though! That was day 1 of over 20 years of non-stop mayhem.

[sd8683]

What the hell is a 'BLUFFER', REMF?


Haha! I had a nun tell me what "REMF" meant.