In the 18 months I spent at DLI, I’m happy to say I only met two insufferable sergeants. One criticized me about something almost every time I met him. He had been to airborne school and though he was a model soldier. Well, I’ve jumped out of a plane too; it’s not that big a deal. I was relieved when he failed out of the Arabic course.
The other sent me a condescending email after I incorrectly addressed a sergeant as ‘sergeant’ in an email as though I were speaking to him rather than the three-letter abbreviation followed by his last name. In fairness, I should have searched ‘how to write an Army email’. Anyway, this sergeant signed off his email with some silly title like ‘Lord Commander Viceroy Staff Sergeant So-and-so Esquire’. I replied to that email using the title he had just bestowed on himself and explained my mistake. And that was the last time he ever spoke rudely to me.
When I was about to leave DLI, I met him one more time. He asked me how I did. I said ‘I passed, sergeant’ then turned around and left. Throughout my life, I have been accosted by people who, even if I walked on water, would then yell at me for not knowing how to swim. Fortunately, I learned how to give them a taste of their own medicine.
I must say, the Army’s no drinking rule at DLI was good for me. I was forced to cut way back, which was good anyway because I doubt I could have learned Arabic or met the Army’s fitness standards had I been allowed to drink as I pleased. Nonetheless, the Army is the only branch at DLI with an alcohol ban and worked about as well as Prohibition did. The main effect of the alcohol ban was to make liars out of many otherwise good soldiers.
The base I went to after DLI was far less pleasant, in fact I felt like a juvenile delinquent in a minimum-security prison for the ten weeks I was there. It was disappointing that after completing one of the longest and hardest schools in the military, my reward was to be treated like a prisoner. One of the biggest and most chronic problems in the military is taking something which is acceptable in small doses and then taking it to such an absurd extreme that any possible benefit is gone. That is, it can be good to toughen people up with harsh treatment, but the amount I experienced was ridiculous.
The library was excellent, and it was there I read About Face by David Hackworth. It’s probably the single best book about what it’s like to be in the Army, both in war and peace. It was disappointing to read that many of the things he complained about are still present in the Army. These things include worthless and/or unrealistic training, pointless paperwork that is often falsified, and the punishment or discharge of soldiers for minor infractions. Hackworth himself lied about his age to get into the Army and had to falsify the paperwork again later to avoid punishment. He also won several medals for bravery as he rose to the rank of colonel, which I think more than compensates for his initial dishonesty.
And much to my chagrin, I had to do battle with another obnoxious sergeant there. It wasn’t just me. Nobody liked her and the only positive interaction I had with her was the time when she told me I had dropped my wallet. Once during the weekly mass breathalyzer, I didn’t take a big enough breath before I blew, so I had to take another halfway through. She yelled ‘why did you stop?’ and so after calming myself, I said to her very slowly ‘I. ran. out. of. breath.’ Stupid questions exist. They’re the kind that stupid people ask. They don’t get smart enough just in time to ask the question.
It was at this time that I learned that my first assignment would be with a military intelligence unit that supports the NSA. For a libertarian like me, it came as a bit of shock, but since I had come this far, there was no turning back. It was nice to arrive at Fort Gordon and be free of all the silly rules I tolerated while in training. It was especially pleasant to be able to buy alcohol and not have to lie about it or hide it. My mantra in training when asked if ever broke the no alcohol rule was to reply: I scrupulously follow all rules and regulations, just like everyone else in the Army.
I got there at the end of January 2018 and after a few months of in-processing and refresher classes, I went on mission in June of that year. I didn’t know how long my wait would be, and because I didn’t want to get stuck as a gate guard, I volunteered for a deployment to Syria that spring. I was relieved to have such a short wait for a real assignment. Many I knew from DLI had to wait months or even a year before they started doing the job they trained so long and hard for. It takes about 3,000 hours to train a military linguist and it costs about a quarter of a million dollars. And despite all the incentives, the burnout rate is high and the reenlistment rate, especially for the Army, is low.
As a side note, I had to sit through about 100 hours of PowerPoint between my arrival and Fort Gordon and my first day on mission. In my opinion, that’s about 95 hours too many and it’s on top of all the other death-by-PowerPoint sessions soldiers must endure these days. While I was trying to build up my promotion points, I spent many hours pointing and clicking to complete courses whose content was irrelevant or quickly forgotten. One course had a section on how to direct naval gunfire, which would be relevant…if it was 1942!
DLI safety brief: Ensure you card everyone at a party if you are serving alcohol.
Soldiers at party: Let me see your meal card. Yep, you are who you say you are.
Be careful to avoid health and welfare checks for alcohol and other things.
Naval gunfire is still a job – esp if working with Marines. NGLOS. Navy gun liason officer. We send 5″ rds to the shore. Not as sexy as 16″ but still usable.
They don’t go boom like they used to?
Reach out and touch someone, 20+ miles away, with a round that weighs as much as a small car. I still remember touring the New Jersey when I was a kid.
I visited the North Carolina, and still remember the map they had of the area showing the reach of the various guns in terms of where it would be able to shell from where the ship was berthed. Not quite as advanced as the Iowas, but I think its 16 inch guns were the same.
The North Carolina class and Iowa class had slightly different 16″ guns.
Well, that’s disappointing.
Looks like they were 16/45 instead of the 16/50 of the Iowa.
The guide said they could accurately hit any address within 20 miles. I recall from forward observer training the danger close was 1,000m.
For a moment I was hoping they were made just downriver from me, then I remembered – That’s an Army Facility, not Navy. Their 16″ guns didn’t go to sea.
Curious which nation’s army would be considered “world’s best” right now? Israel’s always seemed to get the nod, but is it still?
Well, experience wins the war, so, maybe Russia?
They seem to be holding their own whilst the western world pumps everything it can into the Ukuleles.
Whomever the US is fighting.
My army time was so long ago, for which I am a happy guy. I started in ’56, we didn’t have drill sergeants, we had leftover Korean vets that knew the bartenders at the NCO Club on a first name basis. Cadre, permanent party. Their job was to get us to the classes on time, turn us over to the instructors. Second Eight, which became AIT we had to march ourselves to the class rooms. After I re-enlisted for Microwave Repair student NCOs marched the junior troops to class. That was much like going to college. I went to France and immediately went off to an AF school in Germany. The AF was certainly different that what the army was.
Been retired 47 years from Sam’s Finest, I don’t think I could handle today’s military environment.
I was one signature away from going to the Air Farce Academy. I’m glad I realized at that young age that I don’t like being yelled at.
Still fun to read other’s experience. Thanks, Derpy!
to make liars out of many otherwise good soldiers
Similar to the Afghanistan effect, particularly for anyone above O-6.
Yes, this ANDF is a crack force with skyhigh morale. They will defend the Karzai govt to the last man. Never seen men so eager to kill the Taliban.
If it was up to me, every single GO that served there that could not substantiate his speaking to the contrary would be busted to O-6 and retired in disgrace.
So lenient?
Strip them of their commissions entirely and cashier them as E-1s.
I would never have made it in the military. Any branch. Ever.
They would have kicked my ass to the curb in a blink.
I don’t have the temprament for it. I very much rebel against being given orders.
Unless you’re the boss we all have to take orders. Mostly as a boss it is just giving assignments.
I went to many schools and had a lot of different jobs with very little supervision.
And even if you are the boss, you often have to take orders from customers, wives, or deities.
Even as a mere employee, I have been able to push back on or refuse stupid requests from on high. Never would it have put me in a position of being thrown in jail for doing so.
Well, G’Night Glibs.
I’m going to try to get a normal night’s sleep and work a normal remote day of work tomorrow, as symptoms have been trending down. Donno if I’ll be up for it, but I’m going to try.
See ya in the mornin’.
A good night’s sleep and you’ll be ready to take on the day’s challenges
I was never in the military but one time I spent half a day in Gary, Indiana.
I drove through several times on the turnpike, sometimes at night, does that count for anything?
Oh. Do you suffer from PTSD as well?
I remember getting off the interstate at Gary in 1972 to stop and eat (at a McDonald’s) — it was pretty sketchy even then.
Is Gary the setting for Ralphie and the b.b.gun Christmas story?
On the First and only day of Firstmas my true First gave to me….
Story of my life:
A. I was born, looked around, started screaming my head off. “Where the fuck am I and what the hell is going on around here?”
B. I fucked up a lot but I learned from it.
C. I didn’t fuck up so much
D. I have figured this shit out! I got this baby!
E. Chokes, gags, grabs throat. “Fuck! Not now! Why now?”
*falls over, tongue lolls out, eyes turn into little x’s*
A cheerful good morning to you all.
Comical, yet sobering… I think I’m at D, so E is imminent I guess.
Yeah…..same here. Just when you get it all figured out….
If I go before you Lack I will find all of the good fishing holes and save you a spot.
And then youโll be reborn because we all exist in a simulation and itโs more efficient to recycle our underlying code so cheer up. We get to keep doing this until the plug gets pulled or the power goes out.
My non-starter oldest is stuck between B and C only to go back to B. Which I guess can be said about a lot of 22 year olds.
This clip from a WW1 movie is based on real events. The actual armor used looked less absurd but was just as worthless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWS5MfJUbUg
My mom is doing better. She opened her eyes whenever I spoke to her. She had 2-hour session of dialysis today and it went well. She’s been on a ventilator for 4 days, and they have been weaning her off by reducing the extra oxygen and the breath cycles per minute. From what I’ve read, the progress of her ventilator treatment is about average. Hopefully in a day or two, she’ll be breathing on her own again. It’s hard to say what the future holds. I may end up moving nearby to help her and my dad when she is out of the hospital. That could be a blessing in disguise.
Thanks once more for the kind words. This site is a mental oasis for me.
I am glad to hear she is starting to do better. I’ll pray she continues to improve.
Thanks for sharing these stories.
So happy to hear she’s improving!
Glad mom is doing better. Hope she gets off the ventilator soon, that is a unique kind of torture.
Glad to hear she’s doing better.
How is it morning already?
๐๐
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7s8glZ-efMg
๐ถ๐ถ
“Many I knew from DLI had to wait months or even a year before they started doing the job they trained so long and hard for. It takes about 3,000 hours to train a military linguist and it costs about a quarter of a million dollars. And despite all the incentives, the burnout rate is high and the reenlistment rate, especially for the Army, is low.”
Efficient use of resources.
Not as many hours, but Air Force ground radar school was about 1300 hours of training and another 3-4 months OJT when you get to your command. I joined in 03 and didn’t see a non training radar until early 05ish. Then they spent more money to learn the NEXRAD weather radar at a cool 4 month class. For contrast, FAA radar classes are typically 5-6 weeks.
My one brother was offered nuke school in the Navy but it meant 2 years of training and then 4 years of duty. He declined (at age 19), and in retrospect said it may not have been the smartest decision.
So the 4-year enlistees versus the 6-year enlistees really did show. 4-year enlisted: by the time you were a journeyman, you were either off doing out processing or thinking of tacking on another 4.
6-year, if you were a fast burner in the radar field, could make E-6 if you had some deployment points. I was slated to test at 6 years in but I would have had to ace everything because never been deployed.
Good morning all!
As I said yesterday, no music today, just best wishes for a day well lived.
Cheers
Good morning, Beau, Lack, Sean, Derpy, Suthen, and U!
I got more sleep last night than I had the night before, so today has to be better, right?
My symptoms are down to lingering (or is it malingering) and I might be in a position to make it through the day without threatening my liver with medications
๐๐
My sentiments exactly.
Morning all. Nice chilly morning to go work on a radar.
Good morning, OBE! Welcome to winter in the Ohio River Valley! ๐ฅถ
Mornin’, reprobates!
29ยฐ here. Brr. But I am not complaining after looking at temps in the Midwest and snow in upstate NY. Yikes.
27 here, I didn’t even notice because my car windshield wasn’t frosted when I went to get breakfast
Its 19 right now but a steady breeze really is what is cutting through.
Hey, 19?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ11Vq6N7rk
Good morning, ‘patzie! 20 here in SW OH (“Feels like 6,”) and I’m just hoping the “Mostly cloudy” is “mostly” enough to have prevented rock-hard frost on my car windows.
Mornin, GT.
Fun time of the year, when the migratory hate birds leave for warmer climes, leaving the year-round hate birds behind to brave the winter. They are LOUD.
It’s been a while since we had a cold snap of sufficient severity and duration to freeze the local lakes and ponds, which would cull those lazy stay behinds. Rooting for a good one this year.
A balmy 32 in these parts, but breezy.
We got some flurries here.
Too bad we don’t have a free press (the kind that has access to the WH briefing room that is) to just plop that chart right at diversity hire’s feet. We all know gas prices tend to drop at this point so hearing any president lay claim is always a hoot. Anyway, still 20% higher than the 10-year average according to their number crunching.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/no-its-not-biden-gasoline-prices-fall-almost-every-year-between-august-november
UnCiv, re: sink:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SinkShroom-1-00-in-1-5-in-Bathroom-Sink-Drain-Protector-Hair-Catcher-Stainless-Steel-Finish-WSSULTR5/321189966
This little gadget (and even moreso the tub version) has made my life much easier re: whatever mineral water is plumbed to my house coupled with my neanderthal pelt.
My water leaves a scum. I try to wipe it off but it gets annoying.
Another way I have recognized that NYC is awash with dollars in ways that the rest of the state is not – the water is pristine there.
Oh, re: my status, I am NOT and probably never will be a New Yorker. When I first moved here, that was made painfully clear. And still the locals treat me with suspicion. I’m at the point where even if friendship was extended towards me I probably would slap the hand back.
I would leave someplace that hated me so much. ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
New Yorkers aren’t even friendly to each other, so you’re in no danger there.
That would require ripping out functional fixtures to install a fix to a problem I’m not having. Maybe I don’t shed as much hair.
Akshually, it drops over the op rod, so no ripping out required.