Army Rant

Well, since I got reminded of this terrible time in my life in another thread, I figured I would rant on everythign at once.

Recruiter/MEPS: Well, I originally contacted a National Guard recruiter about enlisting. I was sent to take the ASVAB, and was then contacted by the NG recruiter. I had gotten the highest ASVAB score in 10 yrs in Tarrant County, and he felt it would be better if I went active, and he had a recruiter contact me. A new recruiter contacted me, picked me up, gave me a long speech on how Vveterans in Texas get free school after 4 yrs of active service. I also mentioned that I had some tickets I needed to deal with, and he told me, "I'll take care of them", and even provided me a letter stating all the tickets had been dropped so I could join the Army. They weren't, and I found that out 8yrs later when I came home and got taken to jail for them. Now, back to the other lies from the recruiter. I went to MEPS, and they showed me my job options: Carpentry/Masonry, 4wh light vehicle mech (63B), and Communications Specialist (31U). I was baffled, I asked why I only had three choices if I scored so well on the test. I was told that the unit had to be within 45min of my home of record. I was again confused...why did it have to be near my home? I was joining to get away from my family! That is when they told me I was joining the Reserves, not active. I told them I wasn't doing it. I was going active, not reserves. My recruiter came in and told me that I was going reserves, but that my Basic/AIT would be long enough that I would be able to switch right into an active unit, since the required wait is 6months, and my school times was 6months, 14 days. They said to redo the paperwork would take a few months, and they knew I wasn't wanting to wait (I told them from the start, "I want gone yesterday".) So I signed, and found out that it's 6months AT YOUR RESERVE UNIT after I completed my school. So I got lied to over and over again, just so the douche recruiter could get his numbers.

Basic Training: I selected the 31U MOS (combat support) and went to basic at Ft. Jackson. I really don't have any bad memories from basic. I was actually expecting "Full Metal Jacket" style, but it was soo soft, it was funny at times. I had it harder living at home. I actually had the senior drill sergeant come say to me, "One day, you're gonna run into me in the stairwell, and one of us isn't gonna come out." I almost died laughing, but kept a straight face, "But Drill Sergeant, we really need you." Wait, one thing that did piss me off, was our platoon sergeant was a female who was sleeping with the senior DS. She was a piece of shit, but I guess she was good at other things. This was a few months before the Aberdeen thing came up in the news.

AIT (tech school): Piss poor instructors. I taught 2 of the classes myself. I got screwed out of getting the Distinguished Honor Grad. There were a few requirements to get DHG (only 1 per class) and Honor Grad (5 people).
1- Can not fail any tests.
2- Must have at least a 90+ academic average to get DHG.

I had an average of 93 for the course, 2d guy had an 87. The max score you could get was 95, and the final 5 pts (to get 100) were awarded by the DS. I had DHG easy, since I was 6 pts ahead of the next guy. I didn't kiss-ass, so I knew I wasn't gonna get the 5pts. The day before the last test, we had a blood donation day. I went and gave. Well, the trainee who took my blood dropped the clamps and I ended up losing 2+ quarts onto the floor. I was given bedrest for the rest of the day. The last test was on one piece of equipment, and the training was one day. I missed that day, so when I went in the next day and they were testing on it, I refused, cause I hadn't been trained on it and didn't want to lose my DHG cause I failed a test. I was also the only person thus far to not fail a test. I was told to take it, and if I failed, they wouldn't count it, and I could get trained during lunch, and then retake it, with no penalty. I still almost passed, a 67, with ZERO TRAINING, and having never even seen the unit before. I got trained, and got a perfect score after lunch. I figured I had DHG locked in. When we were getting ready for graduation, they called out the people who were DHG and HG for the class before we got there, and I wasn't on the list. I was pissed. I had the highest average, hadn't failed a test, and was the only one who met the required 90+ academic score to get DHG. I went and talked to the head of the school, and was told that the last test I took DQ'd me from getting the DHG. He didn't know why I wasn't selected on the HG list, cause I should have been, and there wasn't time to change it. Then when I mentioned that the guy getting the DHG had failed 2 tests, he couldn't believe it. He called in the DS and the instructors and yelled at them for 10 mins, and then called me back in. He said he was sorry, but there was nothing he could do on the day of.

I don't know if there is a character limit on these, so I'm gonna break it up.

Reserve Unit: Was pretty cool. Very laid back. The Sigo was an IBM exec or something, so he just sat on his laptop all day. He was a Major, and the Company CO (CPT) would come in and try to make us do stuff, and the Major would tell him we're busy and to go away. We were all laying on shelfs sleeping!! I also got a spot on Active Reserve, since they knew I wanted to go active. It was sweet...E2 making $2200/mo after taxes!!! Gotta love housing allowance! I didn't even earn that much when I was deployed in Iraq as an E4 with all my combat pay!!!

First Assignment: Well, I got my transfer to active after my Grp XO LTC Anderson (I still remember his name, he was that cool..retired SF!!) pulled a few strings. I got to the Prior-service barracks at Ft. Leonard Wood, and, damn, WWII barracks where we used to stay up at night and watch the rats run across the floor. Only 3 showers, 1 toilet, and 40 people. That was the out-processing station for Korea. Korea was pretty awesome. I was gonna do 20yrs for sure. I was in charge of an E5, as an E2, and I got my E3 waved for TIS/TIR (time in service/time in rank), which is a big deal, since you are only allowed to get one of those waved for a promotion. (takes a Colonel to sign off on it for both). I tried to do Green to Gold, and placed 2d overall after the boards, but they only had one person they could send that yr for a full "scholarship" and I didn't get it. If I had even a semester of college already, I would have been accepted. I had put in for an extension to stay in Korea, when I got my orders for my new unit. It was 5th SF GRP, Ft. Lewis. I talked to my Commo Chief, and he said to call the unit and talk to their Sigo and see what the unit was like. I was told they worked mostly in civies, had shuttles to the local colleges, and worked only 3-4 days a week. I cancelled my extension so I could go there and get some college and, hopefully, get accepted in Green to Gold!!

2d Assignment: I arrive at Ft. Lewis, and call the unit to pick me up. They tell me my spot is gone, and that I am going to normal inprocessing to goto another unit. The spot had been taken even before I called them!!! My new unit was decent, the 1SG was seriously cool. But I wasn't allowed to goto college. They had a sign-up sheet to enroll in the on-base college in the 1SG's office. I worked in the Orderly Room, so I was in the next room over, and I tried to sign up, but was told, "You are too mission critical to be away at school." because I was the only Commo guy in the unit. The supply sergeant was a told bitch. She tried to write me up for chewing gum in uniform. She woke me up one night in the field to change the batteries in the radio, the one she was manning. I told her it was her job, cause it was OPERATOR LEVEL to change batteries, and she threatened to write me up. She woke up the 1SG (same tent) yelling at me, and he told her to do her fucking job. Then, same field problem, she tried to write me up for backing a vehicle (HMMWV) without a ground guide. I was driving the 1SG's vehicle, and he told me to do it. Plus for a vehicle under 2.5tons, you aren't required to use a ground guide when backing during the day. She still wrote it up, and the 1SG watched her do it. He pulled me out and told me to go for a walk for about an hour or so. When I came back, the supply sergeant was pouting in the corner, and I was told she tried to get the 1SG to sign the write up and to put me in for an Art.15. The 1SG torn it up, wrote her up, and put it in her NCOER. I did all the proofing and typed all the NCOERs for the unit, so I got the privilege of actually typing it in!!! I hated her.

Then we got in a new CO and 1SG. I got an Art.15 for going to visit my soldier in the hospital. He got bit by a brown recluse (sp?) at the firing range the day before. I took him to the ER, and stayed with him until 3am. I called the 1SG, told him the situation, and he told me to come in after PT at 0900. I went back to the hospital and brought him some breakfast at 0800, found out they had saved his arm (they were saying they might have to cut it off), and showed up to work at 0900. The CO wrote me up for missing PT, and gave me an Art.15. The 1SG just shugged his shoulders when I tried to get him to help. Then the CO tried to write me up AGAIN for going to church while I was on extra duty for the Art.15. I went to JAG, and talked to the JAG officer. "What's your CO's number? Better yet, here is my number, you tell him to call me." I gave the number to the CO, and he was pissed!! I got a call from the JAG officer about an hour later, and was told that he had been effectively served a "restraining order". The CO had told the JAG officer that he was keeping 15% of the unit on extra duty, cause that is what he was taught in Company Commander course, and that I was the easiest for him to keep an eye on, and that's why I was getting the Art. 15s. She told him that he isn't to even mutter a bad word in my direction, or she would personally get his commision revoked and put him in prison. The next week, we had a ruckmarch, and the CO checked every one's rucks afterwards to ensure it was packed to the proper weight. He even weighed the 1SGs. When I came up in the line, he looked at me, and said, "Yours is good." without even weighing it. Unfortunately, my soldier (yes, same one with the bite) had put pillows in his ruck, so I volunteered to do the 12mile ruck again with him. Nothing like 24miles in one day (morning, and then evening) with a 55lbs ruck. The requirement was for 35lbs, but that's for pussies. :cat:

I was a super hard charger back then, which explains why I have bad knees, hips, and back now.

Third Assignment: Well, I was actually at the end of my enlistment, and I was getting out. I was getting married, and my fiancee wanted me to stay in so we would have a good start, not struggling to find work and place to live. So I re-upped, figured if I did 4yrs single, 4yrs married would be a cake walk!

Well, she picked Ft. Polk, since it was the least deployed station in my options. I wanted Ft. Benning, or Ft. Bragg, but she didn't want me to deply. I tried to goto Bosnia with 1st Cav. My old Commo Chief from Korea was there and called me asking if I wanted to fill the empty spot in thier manning. The 1SG wouldn't sign off, cause I was "too mission critical for this unit to let you go." I was good at my job. VERY GOOD. It wasn't a hard job to do, so that's not really bragging.

Well, I get to Ft. Polk, and my fiancee leaves me. That's another LONG story. The new unit is filled with complete fucking morons. 19Dumbasses!! I did PLDC there, and I knew infantry tactics better than they did, and they were TRAINED in it, I just read alot of field manuals!! I had never even done land nav (non-combat arms, and reserves, gotta love it!!) and I almost passed with a broken compass. I got a good one, and got all 4 points in 30 min (everyone else took HOURS!!!). I actually volunteered to deploy for Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and got sent to Cp. Doha for 6months.

Kuwait: I was the only guy in the unit who wasn't allowed to leave camp except for patrols. I had to be within 5mins of the barracks at all times. I was also the Arms Room guy, so I got almost zero sleep. Escort patrols would leave every 2 hrs, and return at random. I actually slept with my shoes on, cause that was an extra 30sec of sleep I was getting. I had a guy pull me to the side in the PX (it was within 5 min, it was across the street) and ask me if I had been in a fight, cause I had the biggest pair of black eyes he had ever seen. I just said, "Try getting 20 min of sleep a day for the last 4 months." I was DEAD. I fell asleep EATING a few times. I even had a .50cal fall on my foot and break 2 bones. I didn't feel it. I just noticed pick it back up and went back to signing out weapons. That night my foot was soo big I couldn't get my shoe off, and my XO took me to the aid station, and I got x-rays. I got to goto the rec camp (swimming pool, pool tables, video games) once, for 4th of July security.

Iraq: I figured Iraq would be a place where common sense ruled. It was the same old BS. I got written up for not properly clearing my rifle when coming back in to camp. I didn't lock the bolt to the rear, I only held it back, checked the chamber, and then released it. It was my own 1SG, who I was driving. And the 3 people after me did it EXACTLY the same. I would mention it everytime someone did it when the 1SG was standing there watching them. You know what they got? Me to give a class on how to do it properly!!! They didn't get wrote up for it. HQ platoon even got volunteered to do all the shit-burning details...by our own Platoon Sergeant!!! But the worst part was when we were having commo issues.

The 1SG (yes, the same one) told me to put a field expedient antenna on the roof to talk to the other building. Both buildings were concrete, so low power FM doesn't do well trying to go thru them, even worse with sand and heat issues like you find in the desert!! I told him I had 12 miles of land line that I can run over there. Would take 45min and we wouldn't ever have issues again. His response: "And you want to be a civilian? What would your boss say if you told him you weren't gonna do what he told you to do? You aren't gonna make it very long in the outside world!"
"Well, 1SG, my job is being the unit commo specialist. I am the one who knows what is the best way to fix this problem, it's my JOB. In the civilian world, they would have ASKED me how to fix it, not tell me what to do."

I was told to do it anyways, so I did. Amazingly, it still didn't work most of the time.

Then we got in a new CO, and we were in our first meeting, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Why don't we have a landline to the other building yet?" I just smiled, and said, "Well, sir, it was suggested and recommended, but I was told to do a field expedient instead." His response was fucking CLASSIC!!! "What fucking idiot told you how to do your job?"

I think that concludes most of my bad memories. I am sure I am repressing more.

Well, anyway, thanks for your service. There is NO more honorable job than to VOLUNTARILY join a military to protect the rest of us. That alone says alot for your character. Thanks again.
Alan

Thanks

That's why it's called service. Contrary to popular perception, it is not a job or a scholarship program but service to the nation that made it possible for you to be born free to choose.

I volunteered near the end of the Vietnam era and my recruiters busted their hump to get everything I asked for. The Army fulfilled every promise to me and I honored my promise to my nation without complaint or attitude. Your service gives you the right to compain and I am always glad to see someone exercising the rights paid for by the blood of patriots.

It sounds like you had a lot of service for a little amount of complaint, you were one of the lucky ones.