MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

The Range

The Range: Basic Training, Parks AFB, 1956 By Stewart James Ritchey Of course we should have known better. After so many mornings of..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Remembering basic training—songs from trash cans, USO dances

My worst memory is a first sergeant waking us up at 4 a.m. using trash can lids as an alarm..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Looking for a few good men—all need not apply

Parris Island, S.C., boot camp in 1961 was demanding, as it was designed to be for fledgling want-to-be Marines. Most..
4,647 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

First airplane ride

Being unmarried and 24 years old and not taking a student deferment resulted in my being drafted in 1966 and..
2,787 views
My time at Fort Lewis, Wash.
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

My time at Fort Lewis, Wash.

My time at Fort Lewis, Wash., started in November 1967 on my first day in basic training. As we got..
3,328 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Hurry up and wait

I took basic training in 1967 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. The only thing that I remember vividly..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Kitchen police, pots and pans

I joined the Army at age 17 and the one duty I really hated was kitchen police (KP). There were..
2,987 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

100 percent participation

I went through Navy boot camp in 1968 at Great Lakes, Ill. with Company 387. Every minute from "Reveille" to..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Wise words from basic training in 1951 at Lackland Air Force Base

First day of Basic Training the drill instructor told us: "If I tell you a piss ant can pull a..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Troubleshooters

I'll always remember our days one through five at Recruit Training Command in San Diego. We had received our Bicillin..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A great adventure

I made so many good friends and some I went on to tech school with. I remember marching and not..
2,320 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Hot in basic

In early September 1964, I got to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The heat was almost unbearable at..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A good drill sergeant in 1966 at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

My first encounter with Sgt. Bob Burnett was on my first day of basic training in October 1966 in the..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Fondest and worst memories of basic training at Fort Benning, Ga.

I was drafted in August of 1967 and sent to Fort Benning, Ga., for basic training. My fondest memory: Before going out..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Lowest form of animal life

I had just turned 18 years of age when I enlisted in the Air Force in March 1952 and was..
3,300 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Finding religion in basic training

I grew up in the Methodist faith. That meant every Sunday the whole family attended church. As I grew older..
2,600 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Basic training during the Korean War

I was drafted on March 13, 1951, sworn in at 7 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn., and boarded a train for..
6,738 views
Keep your hands down
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Keep your hands down

In October 1970 I found myself at Fort Jackson, S.C., undergoing basic training. It was in the midst of the..
3,471 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Stormy basic training memory

Basic training in 1971 was held at Fort McClellan, Ala., for Women's Army Corps. Early one morning we had a..
2,674 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Given a nickname

I enlisted in the Marine Corps in October of 1965. One of my drill instructors, Sgt. Lischin, at the Marine..
2,705 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Thankful for my father's advice

In August 1964, I went into basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. Being 23 years old, I was considered an..
2,616 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A moment of calm at Parris Island, S.C.

I have many memories of my time spent on "the Island," but the most special happened every afternoon at the..
2,770 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A night in the barracks latrine

My favorite story about boot camp begins at the draft physical. My friend John was a good enough shot to..
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Basic in 1974 at Fort Ord, Calif.
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Basic in 1974 at Fort Ord, Calif.

I enlisted in June 1974, a year after high school. Exams and tests were done in Portland, Ore., and took..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Showing who is boss

During boot camp it was my turn to be the flight chow runner; the job was to let so many..
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FAMILY LEGACY

Military is in our blood

Lexington, VA
The Preysz family has produced a number of military men. For example, my grandfather, Louis R. F. Preysz, was in..
3,452 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Heading for basic training

I was drafted in 1966 and took the troop train from Boston to Columbia, S.C., to be trained for Vietnam..
2,765 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Basic training—an 'eye-opener'

It was August of 1959 when I decided to join the Army and leave the comfort of my small town..
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MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Worst memory, fondest memory of basic training

Christmas Day 1954, while on kitchen police duty, I cleaned a grease trap on Tank Hill at Fort Jackson, S.C.,..
2,625 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Doc adds new movement to close-order drill

In August 1969, I went to basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., with Training Company D-5-1. We were one of..
2,627 views