US Army Basic Training

[Rexedgar]

Who went to basic in this style barracks?



OCT72-JAN73, Fort Ord, CA

 

[Jredbaron96]

My barracks bay didn't have windows with blinds from what I remember.

 

[RF667799]

Who went to basic in this style barracks?

View attachment 67397918

OCT72-JAN73, Fort Ord, CA

Kind of like that in '81. Three stories, anyway. They were red brick as I recall, with a platoon on each floor. 8 man rooms for the most part, with each floor having a couple 2 man rooms on each floor down at the ends. Those were reserved for squad leaders.

 

[HIP56948]

The barracks I lived in during basic and Jump school (Parachute), were a sight to behold. Put it this way>
If those barracks were like they were, way back then..and they also were on the housing market today, there would be a sign on the front>
"Free, but please don't shit on the floor....OK, at least don't leave it there." Not kidding. Even the cockroaches stayed away..too disgusting for them.
On Edit: After training, things got WAY better.

 

[venice_ca]

There was a time when the barracks at Fort Ord were notorious and in the news for a period of several years — spinal meningitis infections.

MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTIONS. FORT ORD AND CALIFORNIA - PubMed

Meningococcal meningitis began to occur in outbreak proportions during 1962 at Fort Ord, Monterey County. This increase in incidence continued until basic training was stopped at that post late in 1964. Most of the cases were among basic trainees in the first eight weeks of training, although...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Edited to add: I went to a high school that had previously been a VA hospital, and the administrative buildings had the same look as above — only with wheelchair ramps.

 

[SkyChief]

Navy.

Our barracks looked somewhat different, but the principles were most likely the same.

i.e., Destroy the enemy.

This will not change. All branches of the armed forces share this common objective.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

From what I remember my barracks had fewer and smaller windows than that. They told us once they had trouble with people trying to jump out of them, but I feel like that wasn’t the reason for the window size.

 

[RF667799]

aFrom what I remember my barracks had fewer and smaller windows than that. They told us once they had trouble with people trying to jump out of them, but I feel like that wasn’t the reason for the window size.

I don't really remember much about the windows in basic. I'm sure the barracks where I attended PLDC at Ft Knox had those long spans of windows the full length of a rather large 6 or 8 man room.

 

[Tangmo]

Try this, Ft. Dix NJ in 1962.

It was our first year of uni ROTC summer training. We stayed in the same old WW I barracks as the Army basic training guys did except for when we were there.

Our barracks were right along the runway of McGuire AFB which is still active. Most mornings before dawn we'd wake up to a bigarse MATS cargo craft revving its four powerful engines to take off for Germany loaded up with all kinds of happy stuff for the cold war grunts over there.

It wasn't only the huge roaring going on that awoke us. The engines shook the barracks too which does get your attention for sure. First couple of times there were guys who ran outside certain the shacks we were in were going to crumble into a pile of dust. Then you get used to it.

Venetian Blinds ha ha ha ha ha ha...you gotta be kidding. We didn't even have that in Boy Scouts.

 

[Rexedgar]

There was a time when the barracks at Fort Ord were notorious and in the news for a period of several years — spinal meningitis infections.

MENINGOCOCCAL INFECTIONS. FORT ORD AND CALIFORNIA - PubMed

Meningococcal meningitis began to occur in outbreak proportions during 1962 at Fort Ord, Monterey County. This increase in incidence continued until basic training was stopped at that post late in 1964. Most of the cases were among basic trainees in the first eight weeks of training, although...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Edited to add: I went to a high school that had previously been a VA hospital, and the administrative buildings had the same look as above — only with wheelchair ramps.

When we arrived at FT Ord, were held at an assembly area for about a week, while the companies were assembled. I remember that for that time we were bunked head to foot. The guy next to your bunk, on either side were situated so that heads were looking at feet and so on.

 

[NWRatCon]

Ours were brick and "modern" - built circa 1960. Fort Knox. Except for the paint job, just like that. But, then I also trained/housed in WWII barracks. Wooden. See the movies Stripes or Chip, War Dog.

I had the same experiences at Fort Lewis and Fort Bliss during mobilization. On both Active Duty and while processing mobilized units we used these same buildings. They were mostly torn down over the last couple of years.

 

[Tangmo]

This is what uni ROTC had at Ft. Dix your second two years, Military Science III and IV. That's when everyone was fully signed up and committed, had a full scholarship and were officer candidates, ie, no longer cadets.

You're a cadet the first two years of GT, ie, General Training, GT-1 and GT-2. Some of us had a full scholarship already and right out of high school so we were already locked in. But most cadets in GT can quit any time and haven't any scholarship award. A definite majority graduate as it were to MS from GT.

These barracks existed at Ft. Dix while we were put up in the old wooden barracks that shook when an AF cargo plane took off right there at the runway next to our buildings. These barracks were paradise ha: you could get more than three grunts into the latrine to include shower as these latrines were big and spacious. Double bunks still but each set separated by a panel. Shades on the windows that were bare at the old barracks. The floor didn't give under your foot with each step -- which happened to be a lot of 'em ha. Air conditioned which was amazing.

Thingy is we didn't spend much time here, weekends mostly and weeklong breaks during the academic year (not every weekend of course). Summer Field Training Exercises then were at Ft. Lewis WA. Army buses cross country that tested your endurance ha stamina and temperament. At Ft. Lewis they took us directly out to the wilderness which is where we stayed the whole six weeks.

We stayed In two man "pup" tents besides instead of the squad tents the grunts got in the Real Army. Smelled like a herd of sheep we did. (A remark I still remember cause it was so wittily caustic: "How do sheep stand each other?")


This happens to be Army Training Brigade Barracks Building 5606 Ft. Dix NJ early-mid 1960s.

 

[Moon]

Air Force.

Our hotels were okay, but only got local channels, no movie channels. One night the chocolate they left on my pillow after turn down was a little stale, so had to deal with that inconvenience. Room service was okay, though a little slow. But at least the limos we rode in to go to training were really nice.

All in all it was a rough time, but we endured and made it through.

 

[NWRatCon]

Found a picture of my actual barracks,
.

 

[Rexedgar]

Ours were brick and "modern" - built circa 1960. Fort Knox. Except for the paint job, just like that. But, then I also trained/housed in WWII barracks. Wooden. See the movies Stripes or Chip, War Dog.

I had the same experiences at Fort Lewis and Fort Bliss during mobilization. On both Active Duty and while processing mobilized units we used these same buildings. They were mostly torn down over the last couple of years.

I spent two years in those, we were in what was called “the Old Division area” on Ft. Bragg. The ADA battalion near Pope AFB, next door to the 82nd tankers. I rose to get the private room on the first floor across from the company orderly room.

 

[NWRatCon]

I spent two years in those, we were in what was called “the Old Division area” on Ft. Bragg. The ADA battalion near Pope AFB, next door to the 82nd tankers. I rose to get the private room on the first floor across from the company orderly room.

Wow, my ADA unit (35th) was also in those WWII buildings (on Lewis). By then I lived off-post, as an officer. My entire first tour in 9th ID then I Corps was in WWII buildings. It wasn't until I got to my next tour that my office was in bricks (circa 1920s) - but the courtroom was still in wood!

 

[Rexedgar]

Wow, my ADA unit (35th) was also in those WWII buildings (on Lewis). By then I lived off-post, as an officer. My entire first tour in 9th ID then I Corps was in WWII buildings. It wasn't until I got to my next tour that my office was in bricks (circa 1920s) - but the courtroom was still in wood!

Musta been ADA discrimination, (3/4) ABN attached. We spent a long weekend @Indiantown Gap in high school. There the wooden barracks had coal boilers that had to be manned during the night, gave Fire Guard a whole new meaning.

 

[Fledermaus]

Who went to basic in this style barracks?

View attachment 67397918

OCT72-JAN73, Fort Ord, CA

A combination of more modern (for the 1970s) concrete and WWII era wooden barracks.

 

[Tangmo]

Every cadet or officer candidate has the same first name btw.

Cadet Jones, Cadet Smith, Cadet Kowalski, Cadet Murphy, Cadet Santiago and so on. Everybody's first name is "Cadet." It's the required form of address while doing ROTC.

Or, Officer Candidate Johnson, Officer Candidate Cippolini, OC Burger, OC Mason and so on. Even then and except for the most strict moments, you still had the more convenient first name of "Cadet."


ROTC "Summer Camp" Ft. Lewis WA 1960 Information Booklet for Cadets.

Hit my funny bone it did.







ROTC "Advanced Summer Camp" Ft. Lewis WA 1965. I wuz there! Somewhere, but there. At the moment I wuz with everybody else "out there" ha.

Class 1-001 of ROTC Summer Field Training Exercises Leader Development and Assessment Course at the newly consolidated Ft. Knox ROTC Training Center, June 2014.

A Norwich University Vermont ROTC MS III Squad Leader of the Day has some directions to give to peer MS III's. Since 2014 / 8,000 ROTC cadets process through annual summer field training exercises in six staggered/staggering ha Intake Cycles at Ft. Knox KY which is HQ Army Cadet Command headed by a 2-star.

 

[Rexedgar]

Like the dreaded Hydra of mythology!

 

[Tangmo]

Air Force.

Our hotels were okay, but only got local channels, no movie channels. One night the chocolate they left on my pillow after turn down was a little stale, so had to deal with that inconvenience. Room service was okay, though a little slow. But at least the limos we rode in to go to training were really nice.

All in all it was a rough time, but we endured and made it through.

You musta got AF hardship pay.

 

[Tangmo]

Like the dreaded Hydra of mythology!

The thread is prose not fiction.

 

[Rexedgar]

The thread is prose not fiction.

NGAF!

 

[Moon]

You musta got AF hardship pay.

Earned every penny!

 

[NWRatCon]

Every cadet or officer candidate has the same first name btw.

Ironically, I didn't have a Last name. When the Drill Sergeant wanted me (I was platoon guide), he'd yell "get the PFC!" Everyone just referred to me as "PFC".

Funny thing is, I wasn't the only PFC, but I was the only one he referred to, or allowed anyone else to refer to, as PFC.