Author Topic: Tigerland...the movie (Read 739 times)

BBF · « **on:** April 14, 2011, 05:16:40 AM »

I watched to movie "Tigerland" yesterday on TV.
The main theme is a buch of recruits going thru Basic just prior to being shipped out to Vietnam.
There were several scenses that showed one NCO badly abusing some of the soldiers in view of other cadre which indicates to me that it was an accepted situation.

My basic training was around 1960(Army) and I never saw anything like it or even heard any rumours to that effect.

I'm grateful, I would not have liked to spent the rest of my life in Ft. Leavenworth.

I'm was told in times prior to my Basic, NCO's would take some"deserving" recruits out back and "teach" them respect.

My question: Did anybody on this Site go through basics at the time period of the movie and saw or was subject to that sort of trearment?

Spirithawk · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2011, 07:08:48 AM »

Our introduction to our USAF TI, 1972 Lackland AFB, was when he walked into the room and knocked several guys ass over tea kettle! Trust me, it was an accepted practice.

myronman3 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2011, 11:44:13 AM »

i went through basic training in the fall of 91. i saw several people get destroyed by the drills. when i got to my unit, it was even more diciplined. shortly after my arrival, clinton took office and i watched discipline and honor erode and almost disappear over the next 3 years. that is when they hatched the 'stress card' plan, and i watched the quality of people nosedive. i have some very good friends that are still serving, and unfortunately just the other day the 'stress card' b.s. came up in conversation and it seems it hasnt gotten any better. i cant even imagine.
i had joined and chose my m.o.s. because i wanted to be one of the best and serve with the best. we were getting new guys that if you raised your voice with them, they would start to cry. very, very sad.

Pat/Rick · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2011, 12:09:30 PM »

1972 Ft Ord,I never saw any "one on one" type incidences. But our DI's could sure make a guy wish he didn't smart off or other, with liberal doses of PT dished out.

1972 Ft Benning Jump School, ya just didn't want to mes with the "Black Hats", the training cadre. Officers as well as enlisted were fair game if one or the other were to foul up. They didn't have to touch you.

All The Way!

BBF · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2011, 09:21:59 AM »

Would some of that "touching" be a reason for some individuals getting fragged in 'Nam?

Thinking back to my 1st oversea duty one of my CO's would have been the first guy shot by one of his own if the North Koreans had come.

leadbutt · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2011, 10:06:16 AM »

FT.Knox 68' was an accepted practice, for those who thought they knew more or better, and who needed more reinforcement to understand the "Army Way" hell my time in basic was more like the movie "Full Metal Jacket" my DS' where out Marine the Marines, but it kept me in one piece. Had a son that went in the 70's and it was hands off at that time, all they could do was exercise punishment

teddy12b · « **Reply #6 on:** April 15, 2011, 10:11:41 AM »

I went to Basic at Ft. Leonard Wood two months after Sept. 11. It was safe to safe that everyone was pretty amped up rearing for a fight and we got some outstanding training because of it. I never saw a Drill Sergeant hit anyone, but there were definately times when I wish they would have just hit me instead of the PT we did.

My uncle was in Vietnam and he said before deployment they took everyone to a base somewhere very close to the jungles over there. He said there were green snakes hanging from trees about head height that they called "three steppers". If you got bit you'd make about three steps before you were dead. What he described sounded a lot like the movie tigerland.

Spirithawk · « **Reply #7 on:** April 15, 2011, 10:46:33 AM »

Yep, I still hate snakes!

AtlLaw · « **Reply #8 on:** April 16, 2011, 05:37:52 AM »

Quote from: teddy12b on April 15, 2011, 10:11:41 AM

there were green snakes hanging from trees about head height that they called "three steppers".

Bamboo Vipers... beautiful snake... I could tell you stories...

I could also tell some stories about the DI's at Parris Island in '63...

No need, we have a kinder and gentler military now...

OldSchoolRanger · « **Reply #9 on:** April 16, 2011, 05:33:38 PM »

Never saw the movie Tigerland, I did see Full Metal Jacket, the boot camp scenes reminded me of the basic training I went through in 1969. The DS's made it a point to stress that if someone in a platoon was a F***up, the entire platoon would pay the price by getting additional PT. We had a kid in our platoon (he was a recycle from a previous training cycle, and he bunked on a single cot) that cost us a lot of extra PT, after one especially grueling and tiring PT session, the rest of the platoon decided we had enough. That night we picked up the single cot that the problem kid was sleeping on and deposited in the middle of the company street. You can imagine his surprise, and punishment when the DS's found and woke him up in the middle of the company street.

I do remember one incident where the DS's took a young strapping wise guy from one of the poorer urban areas out back, and "showed" him who was boss after he challenged a DS's authority. The kid became damaged government property for a few days, no sick call was permitted for him until he wised up. I could never understand the resistance to learning the skills that were necessary for your survival, most of us ended going to VN as grunts.

OldSchoolRanger · « **Reply #10 on:** April 16, 2011, 05:38:57 PM »

Quote from: scatterbrain on April 15, 2011, 09:21:59 AM

Would some of that "touching" be a reason for some individuals getting fragged in 'Nam?

Thinking back to my 1st oversea duty one of my CO's would have been the first guy shot by one of his own if the North Koreans had come.

"Incompetence" on the part of a NCO/CO, in my opinion would probably be a more likely reason. Think about it, you don't want to frag a competent NCO/CO who is going to keep you alive, would you?

bobg · « **Reply #11 on:** April 17, 2011, 01:29:03 AM »

A friend of mine told me stories about life at Parris Island in '63. I think these are the same stories Richard could tell us. One of the stories was about calling his rifle a gun. He was told boy without that rifle you are nothing. He was told every night for a week the rifle would be put on his bunk while he slept on the floor. Also said every morning he had to stand in front of everyone for a week with his rifle in one hand and his crotch in the other saying this is my rifle and he would raise the rifle. Than while shaking the other thing saying this is my gun. Raise the rifle and say this is for killing. Shake the thing in his other hand and say this is for fun. Never did find out if this story was true. He stuck right to it that it was.

Hooker · « **Reply #12 on:** April 17, 2011, 05:27:26 AM »

When we were kids at Ft. Sill we use to go down an watch them torture new recruits

Much to the displeasure of our mothers because of the new and colorful metaphors we learned.

Pat

AtlLaw · « **Reply #13 on:** April 17, 2011, 06:42:49 AM »

Quote from: bobg on April 17, 2011, 01:29:03 AM

Never did find out if this story was true. He stuck right to it that it was.

This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for killing, this is for fun.

Nope, never heard it... < more then a thousand times anyway...

>

Y'all might find any information on Parris Island boots and "Ribbon Creek" in what, '61 - '62 ? interesting. Don't know if there's anything about it on the net or not. $:-\$

Spirithawk · « **Reply #14 on:** April 17, 2011, 07:02:10 AM »

If I die in Vietnam
Send my body home to mom
In a coffin made of pine
Grounded to the inspection side

Foggy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 17, 2011, 10:25:08 AM »

our squardon in basic had several former Marine DIs as TIs(AF for DI) the former Marine TI where tougher during drill or pt and would Flame you in a minute I seen a couple guys get their hat adjusted by a TI but it was the AF TI usally the former Marines had a better nut act, and a fondness for push ups

BBF · « **Reply #16 on:** April 17, 2011, 11:22:29 AM »

Quote from: OldSchoolRanger on April 16, 2011, 05:38:57 PM

Quote from: scatterbrain on April 15, 2011, 09:21:59 AM
Would some of that "touching" be a reason for some individuals getting fragged in 'Nam?

Thinking back to my 1st oversea duty one of my CO's would have been the first guy shot by one of his own if the North Koreans had come.
"Incompetence" on the part of a NCO/CO, in my opinion would probably be a more likely reason. Think about it, you don't want to frag a competent NCO/CO who is going to keep you alive, would you?

Reads reasonable, this CO however was a glory hound at the expense of others.

ToadHill · « **Reply #17 on:** April 18, 2011, 12:48:30 PM »

Had one guy who never showered for the first 5 weeks of basic. Several guys took him into the shower and washed him down with floor scrubbing brushes.

Our huts were on blocks about 4 feet off the ground, when this clown reported his shower to the CO, he said that if he didn't want to shower for 5 weeks then for the sake of the rest of his bunk mates he could move his bunk out and sleep under the hut for the rest of training.

It lasted for about 4 days before he decided showers might be a better idea.

teddy12b · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2011, 03:08:42 AM »

It's always amazed me how you can have a room full of great guys who are smart and you'd be happy to let watch your back, and then there's that "One Guy". We had a little hill billy named Williams in my platoon at basic and for the life of me that guy never got anything right. He's actually asked the DS's if we "were going to go on a camping trip". I'll never forget that idiot as long as I live or all the extra PT we did because of him.

BBF · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2011, 09:55:15 AM »

Quote from: teddy12b on April 19, 2011, 03:08:42 AM

It's always amazed me how you can have a room full of great guys who are smart and you'd be happy to let watch your back, and then there's that "One Guy". We had a little hill billy named Williams in my platoon at basic and for the life of me that guy never got anything right. He's actually asked the DS's if we "were going to go on a camping trip". I'll never forget that idiot as long as I live or all the extra PT we did because of him.

This is the kind of thing that would get me really really torqued. If this guy is putting on an act and making the entire platoon suffer it needs "fixing" !!
If this guy just has no clue and isn't going to have one in this life I would probably have come unglued ( Section

.

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #20 on:** April 19, 2011, 10:18:06 AM »

Navy boot camp, started in June, 1962. Never saw anyone get hit, but we sure did a lot of PT if we screwed up. This was in San Diego. We had one kid go over the fence at night. We got him back a couple of days later from the marines - he hadn't realized that the other side of the fence was Marine Corps territory. They worked him over pretty good.

There was a special company for the screw ups. I don't remember the number of it, but he was transferred to it. We saw that kid later holding a 5" dummy projectile over his head while the company commander screamed at him. I think they weighed a good 3 pounds...

Me? I stayed quiet and did what I was told. I didn't want any blanket party in my honor, no sir!

-Kees-

teddy12b · « **Reply #21 on:** April 19, 2011, 10:38:43 AM »

Quote from: Winter Hawk on April 19, 2011, 10:18:06 AM

Me? I stayed quiet and did what I was told. I didn't want any blanket party in my honor, no sir!

That was my strategy as well. I didn't want them to know my name, or my birthday.

BBF · « **Reply #22 on:** April 19, 2011, 10:39:18 AM »

The thought of what my reaction would have been when I was 18 at a guy screaming at me while I held a tossable missile over my head is not reassuring

myronman3 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 19, 2011, 11:05:15 AM »

our resident dumb @$$ was named garth. this cat was DUMB. we were at the grenade range, as the cadre was teaching us the proper way to "arm" the grenade; somehow garth ends up with a fragmentation grenade in his hand. we must have been very focused on the instructor, because no one saw how he got his hands on it. we didnt realize he had one until we saw the spoon go flying through the air, and him standing there with the grenade in his hand with that same stupid expression on his face.... the instructor was from st. thomas, with a heavy island accent. he instantly starts screaming "TROW DA GRENADE, TROW DA DAMN TING! TROW IT!" while charging at him. he grabs the grenade, throws it, throws garth on the ground, then dives for the dirt himself..... we all hit the deck, and the grenade blew before it even hit the ground. to this day i have no idea how garth came to have that grenade in his hand. i think they ended up sending his butt to the 7th i.d. in fort orde, california, if i remembered correctly. in fact, we had a couple of real winners that got sent there.

Spirithawk · « **Reply #24 on:** April 19, 2011, 01:57:42 PM »

We had a guy in Basic that was deathly afraid of needles. Kinda strange that he was going out for Para Rescue which involved medical training. He would refuse orders to take a shot and had to physicly be held down. Then there was the guy standing next to me on the firing line that just disapeared from my perpheral vision. We had just popped fresh clips in our M-16's and flipped the selector switch to full auto. I had a TI over my shoulder giving me firing instructions so I couldn't turn my head to look nor ask questions. Afterwards everyone came up to me and told me what happened. The guy that disapeared did so because as he popped the clip in and hit full auto his M-16 was pointed directly at my legs at knee level! None of us ever saw that guy again. Then some guy decided he wanted a live round as a souvenier. He got caught with it and got an instant Court Martial. We had an Airman that was apointed Wing Leader and who gave a guy permission to go to the BX. The guy was seen by our TI and got busted big time for it because the Wing Leader denied giving him permission, even though we all saw and heard him do so. Remember Blanket Parties? The lying Wing Leader got one and was tossed down a flight of stairs! Yep life was interesting, and that was just Basic! lol The town I took Tech School in was a Colledge town. A group of colledge guys beat an Airman half to death because they didn't like him flirting with colledge girls. That night our whole Squadron went into town and cleaned house. We were facing both civilian and military charges. Our lovable Sarge, from the Bronks, got us out of trouble and then threw a party for us. All at his own exspense. He then gave us a lecture about colledge guys, and anyone in general, and how to handle them. First we were to try talking. Then, if that didn't work, we were to run.......just as far as the nearest alley, where there were no witnesses, and where we were to turn and beat the living crap out of them!