16 weeks of hell in Fort Benning but it was worth it. Definitely glad I did 2 years in the Corps before I enlisted.

[This message has been edited by ArmyBear13 (edited 9/4/2011 11:39p).]

Welcome to the brotherhood of the blue cord

In one way or another, everyone else supports the Infantry. It is where the combat boot meets the road. "Executioners of National Policy for the last 300 to 500 meters." Congrats and Hooah!

Congrats! Wear our blue cord with total pride!!

My tank can reach out and execute national policy in the last 2500 to 3000 meters.

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My tank can reach out and execute national policy in the last 2500 to 3000 meters.

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But, can you be sure it is destroyed?

Sure, just send a Kiowa over to look at it.

Seriously though, great job. Look forward to flying you to an LZ some day.

Best part was I got back just in time to celebrate my 23rd birthday and listen to the Aggies stomp SMU. Hopefully I can make it down to Aggieland for a game this year

When a MPAT/SABOT round hits something.......destroyed. Don't have to even take a second look.

Congrats and good luck as an Infantryman. I hope you liked Ft Benning, because more than likely, you'll make several more trips there during your career.

Congrats!

What is your follow on duty station?

Congrats! Ft Benning is my favorite post. Yes, where are you going next?

While I am in school I'll be with the 56th Stryker BCT 28th ID in Pennsylvania. I am trying to get stationed back in Texas if I get a chance to go Active Duty. Just about everyone in my OSUT graduating class got Fort Lewis. A few got Germany. 1 got Korea. 1 got Fort Bliss. A few got Fort Hood. 1 got Fort Riley. I think 1 or 2 got Fort Drum and maybe another 2 or 3 got Fort Carson. Everyone else was either Airborne/RASP or National Guard.

Just a question, why the long face?

If you wanted to stay home, you should have stayed home....

Enjoy the experience. You are the very few who can say they have it (once you actually did it).

welcome to the brotherhood! I can say my 3 years in the Corps made OSUT so much easier. If you want to transfer into the TX National Guard I have a great unit for you. What was your unit at Benning?

I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country. Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.
24 Feb 1836

Congrats, look forward to working with you down the road.

Chowdah I put the sad face because 1) After being in Benning for 15ish weeks, it feels really weird to be back on a college campus, especially up here in PA; 2) Normally the Active Duty guys give us Guard guys a lot of sh-t (Fort Living Room, Weekend Warriors, go fill some sandbags, etc). It just ticks me off a bit because I know that my current unit is not the "typical" Guard unit, I actually look forward to deploying with them at least once, and also the point of me joining the Guard in the first place was to get a head-start on my military career while I finish my degree. Part of me wishes I would've gone Active right off the bat but I know that the way I am doing things will work out the best for me. Most of my fellow graduates are headed to Afghaniland November, December, and January already. I hope their units get them prepared in time, at least enough so that they come back safe.

RebelE - I was in Charlie 1-19. I've thought about transferring to the TX Guard and using my educational benefits to go back to A&M but I already have an Associate's in Criminal Justice and don't think I ccould stay in school another 3 years finishing my Spatial Sciences degree. As much as I love Aggieland, I'd probably lose my mind!

[This message has been edited by ArmyBear13 (edited 9/23/2011 1:51a).]

Smile and tell them they must be jealous and walk away. You would not believe how much being upbeat will tick people off. I do it all the time ;-)

Actually I usually am upbeat and it does piss people off. Sometimes my friends will be in a bad mood and yell at me "Why are you always smiling!?" The hardest part of OSUT was trying not to smile or laugh.

As a former Bravo 2/54 I must say that Sand Hill is a horrible place to spend time. I was 28 when I went through (2002) and had 4 years in the Corps, yet it was a long, long several months. Not too difficult. LONG.

I know what you mean about trying not to laugh. I was always a 'buzz fish' in the Corps and had issues at OSUT as well. There is a lot to laugh at between some of the dumbest 18 year old kids you have ever met and the boot in the back side the Drill Sgt gives them.

The first day after our initial smoking we were 'toeing the line' in the barracks when I had my first of several buzzing incidents.

Our main Drill Sgt was this mean SOB from Compton, CA who was all attitude, had the eyes of a hawk, heard everything, never slept, didn't want to be there, etc. Much more intimidating than a sophomore in the Corps.

So the Drill Sgt started alphabetically down the line and went through each persons Bio out loud in front of all 50 of us in the Company. I was number 2 in line and got as thorough a butt chewing as one can get. All I could think was man this crap just got real and there are 48 more people so shouldn't you move along? Eventually it ended and he went on to number 3.

I hadn't met number 3 officially yet but he was a black kid from Chicago going into the National Guard. He was as nice as can be and we became pretty good friends over the next few months.

Number 3 got a pretty good ripping as well for a few minutes until the Drill Sgt stopped dead in his tracks and said, "what the f*** is that in your mouth private?" Number 3 shouted out that nothing was in his mouth. The Drill Sgt took a step back and motioned for the two other Drill Sgts to come take a look. So now this poor kid has three dudes in his face and you could tell in his voice he was scared to death. Finally after some more fun and games the Drill Sgt says, "your tooth private, what f*** is on your tooth?"

Unbeknownst to us, number 3 had a gold front tooth with the letter "L" in diamonds on it. They made him open his mouth so they could examine it and the Drill Sgt rhetorically yells, "what the f*** does 'L' stand for...LOSER?" To which number 3 proudly responds, "no Drills Sgt, it means Leon the Love Machine!"

Upon hearing this, even with just having my butt chewed, it started.

My lips started twitching but I fought as hard as I could by biting my cheeks and tongue. I wish I could say I let out a small snort or spit a little on myself and recovered but this went from bad to worse as I laughed uncontrollably out loud in front of the whole company. There were three Drill Sgt on me like a fly on poo but the only thing that really saved me was that upon my outburst a chain raction started down the line and there was suddenly no control.

Push-ups commenced and we were at a leaning rest for about an hour. At one point the Drill Sgts went to their room (which was just about 10 feet from mine and Leon the Love Machine's bunks) and we could here them in there trying to control their laughter. Leon and I just looked at each other and smiled.

Good luck to you. Make the best of it and have fun.





[This message has been edited by Lobster Twins (edited 9/28/2011 1:43p).]

Congrats ArmyBear13. I know a lot of 11Bs. They all tell me that as a 12B, I'm just an 11B with a shovel.

Hey AggieNAnnArbor, your statement "When a MPAT/SABOT round hits something.......destroyed. Don't have to even take a second look." isn't completely true. I KNOW FOR A FACT that an M9ACE can take the hit from an M1A2 Abrams main gun in its blade and keep running--couldn't open the blade to fill the bowl afterwards, but it could still dig and push. To be fair, there was a nice size hole in the ACE's blade and it was spun around 135 degrees from the direction it was facing before it was hit. The ACE was damaged for sure, but it was still mission capable. This happened at 2355 on 07April2003. I just wish I could say the same thing about my Soldier who was killed by shrapnel from that same blast. A cinder block flew about 50 feet and body-slammed my Solder down the hatch of his M113 APC, broke his neck in 14 places



AGGIE12B
JC '88
If you value the Freedom and Liberties you have in your life, be sure to Thank a Veteran everyday!

[This message has been edited by Aggie12B (edited 10/13/2011 8:25p).]

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Normally the Active Duty guys give us Guard guys a lot of sh-t

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And I asked those guys - "Lemme ask you this? Would my National Guard bullets make you any less dead than a Regular Army bullet?"

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Much more intimidating than a sophomore in the Corps.

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You never had the privelege of meeting Mr. Theo Franklin.

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Number 3 shouted out that nothing was in his mouth

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Reminds me of the day when one of our SPC4s had the 1SG make him take his tongue stud out in front of the formation (and that was in the 1990s).

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They all tell me that as a 12B, I'm just an 11B with a shovel.

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I used to work construction in Galveston with a guy who had been in the Ranger Battalions. When I told him that after A&M, I planned to become a Combat Engineer, he stopped cold and said - Wow. Yeah, you guys are Infantry Plus. He said, You have to do everything an Infantry guy does plus you have to do all that Combat Engineering stuff. It was pretty cool. This was circa 1990 and this dude was about 40 y/o and still wore jungle boots to work. A little weird but, the super muscular USMC Viet Nam vet guy vouched for him and that was good enough for me.

Aggie12B - that M1A2 story is unsettling. Thanks for sharing. We have far too many of our guys lost to accidents/mistakes, etc.

Just found out I am a SAW gunner. And now I have a girlfriend who is a 15P. Thinking I should take her down to Aggieland and show her some of the ....traditions.

15P...well, at least she will know some helicopter dudes who can pick you up if you get in a bind.

Lobster,

Thanks for that story, kinda takes me back to my OSUT training as an MP. Man we pulled some dumb stuff.

Echo Company 3-32nd Infantry, Sand Hill (FEB-MAY 1989) Been a day or two.....








We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live!

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15P...well, at least she will know some helicopter dudes who can pick you up if you get in a bind.

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Don't think I'll be hearing from her anymore. She broke up with me after drill this past weekend on account of her "being too busy." I told her there was no way we could remain friends and she got pissed and told me she planned on getting with a friend of hers that is coming back from Afghanistan in December. An Air Force guy. I then proceeded to laugh out loud. Stupid girl forgets that I am on a college campus known for loose women and it's Halloween season.

By the way I found out her last boyfriend is also in the Army. They went to Basic this past Summer together and he went home because of a death in the family and cheated on her while she was still in training. I sure can pick em...

Stay away from Army chicks is what I say. Banged out with a chick in the British Army once tho. An no she wasnt hideous hahahaha. I look at it like dating wags in the Corps...bad bull if you were in our unit. Now....GO GET SOME REBOUND POOSY!!!!

Agree with above poster. Everyone in the Army has a story, and in this story army girls should reveal they are crazy. If not, you cant read. Air Force I've been with haven't been bad and they like Army guys.

Funny thing is I tried dating a Wag sophomore year and she tried screwing me over too! Haven't talked to her in forever and recently found out she bats for the other team now.

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GO GET SOME REBOUND POOSY!!!!

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YES.