Mmmm.... how 'bout make basic one day longer?

Quick summary of changes to Army Basic Training:

- will be taught, but don't need to pass grenade toss
- will be taught, but don't need to pass LandNav
- will be required to qualify using iron sights
- minimum physical fitness score upped to 60 from 50
- upped hand-to-hand combat training from 22 to 33 hours
- more emphasis on discipline
- upgraded medical training
- more communications training

https://www.armytimes.com/news...army-basic-training/

I have a necklaces made of grenade pins from grenades that I threw. The jungle and now MOUT are the perfect places for grenades and will remain that way.

Pale Horse said...

"It’s been 20 or so since I’ve thrown one and I’m p So the only way that radar tech won’t know how to throw a grenade a year after basic is if he never learned in the first place."

Spot on! Anyone remember this? These young warriors were from the 49th DivArty radar section fighting as 11B's. I don't think they cover grenades in radar school. Every soldier needs to learn basic infantry skills!

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictur...inton-zuckerberg/13/

quote:

Originally posted by threefeathers:
I have a necklaces made of grenade pins from grenades that I threw. The jungle and now MOUT are the perfect places for grenades and will remain that way.

I use one as a key ring.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:
Quick summary of changes to Army Basic Training:

- will be taught, but don't need to pass grenade toss
- will be taught, but don't need to pass LandNav
- will be required to qualify using iron sights
- minimum physical fitness score upped to 60 from 50
- upped hand-to-hand combat training from 22 to 33 hours
- more emphasis on discipline
- upgraded medical training
- more communications training

https://www.armytimes.com/news...army-basic-training/

Wait, what?

Did they eliminate using iron sights to qualify somewhere along the line?

ETA: just read the Army Times article.

Jesus H Christmas! I guess I’m an old fart with my Army Basic Training in July-Sept 1991; we did EVERYTHING they are trying to “bring back”! WTF happened in the past 15-20 years? Our asses marched everywhere, to every training event, to chow and back, everywhere. If there were 3 or more of you needing to move anywhere, your ass was marching.

Does anyone else find it curious that after they eliminated things like polishing boots and ironing uniforms that discipline seemed to go to hell?

quote:

Originally posted by fatmanspencer:
How far is 30 meters? is it over 20 yards? Cuz I can throw a football about that far.

Slightly over 30 yds.

The (dummy) grenade throw as part of the physical fitness test was my nemesis in Basic. I wasn’t into baseball or other throwing things sports before I enlisted and the physical conditioning did nothing to improve one’s ability to throw things; it was just, “Do it.” The same was true of the “run, dodge, and jump,” but fortunately I had long legs and was speedy enough for that. Ironically, that was during the Vietnam buildup and the only real concern in basic training was to push people through; mine lasted only six weeks, and it took a lot to be recycled. No one, of course, was discharged for failing to pass anything.

Fortunately military intelligence units usually didn’t care about PT in those days so it was a few years later before being assigned to one with a commander who didn’t know much about counterintelligence, but he could time a mile run and check the tire pressure on our vehicles. During that stint I discovered that although I couldn’t throw a grenade for sour apples with both knees on the ground, all I had to do was raise one knee up and get a bit more full body force into the throw to easily meet the distance requirement (and never had any problem with accuracy).

During my career I found that most non-Infantry types were actually afraid of grenades and wanted nothing to do with them. The limited number I saw were usually swaddled in 100-mph tape and would have taken five minutes to make ready to use. In Viet Nam we were in an isolated site and had plenty of weapons for our half-squad sized unit, including some LAWs based on rumors there were PT-76 tanks in the area—but the few grenades were carefully left in their original shipping containers.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:
Quick summary of changes to Army Basic Training:

- will be taught, but don't need to pass grenade toss
- will be taught, but don't need to pass LandNav
- will be required to qualify using iron sights
- minimum physical fitness score upped to 60 from 50
- upped hand-to-hand combat training from 22 to 33 hours
- more emphasis on discipline
- upgraded medical training
- more communications training

https://www.armytimes.com/news...army-basic-training/

Wait, what?

Did they eliminate using iron sights to qualify somewhere along the line?

ETA: just read the Army Times article.

Jesus H Christmas! I guess I’m an old fart with my Army Basic Training in July-Sept 1991; we did EVERYTHING they are trying to “bring back”! WTF happened in the past 15-20 years? Our asses marched everywhere, to every training event, to chow and back, everywhere. If there were 3 or more of you needing to move anywhere, your ass was marching.

Does anyone else find it curious that after they eliminated things like polishing boots and ironing uniforms that discipline seemed to go to hell?

I went through in '86 and agree with you. I also believe the Army is going to have to train genders separately to really improve the quality of the recruits being sent to units.

I went through basic in 2010, and it was a joke. It was completely different from when I went through OSUT in 1993.

It seemed like most of the time we sat and watched power point.

I thought learning to throw the grenade and actually throwing a live one was the high light of training. Even the second time doing it, the sheer force and destructive power of a grenade is impressive.

When I went through in 2010, a lot more time was spent on the range but a lot of the shooting was done with the Aimpoint.

I do agree with more communications training and medical training. The second time through I do not remember even doing commo training, and if we did it was very minuscule.

To be honest, I suck at land nav, and I could use all the help and time I could get.

It was one of those tasks that I had to spent a lot of time working on.

I was in the last class of trainees to go through basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. It was the last class of all male trainees and even then discipline was not as rigid as it should have been.

This reminds me of the scene in Starship Troopers where Jake Busey is complaining about learning to throw a knife when all they have to do is push a button on the nuke launcher.

Then he gets a knife through the hand.

Classic.

Best part of basic training was turning 19 on the grenade qualification course. Got two live grenades to throw for my birthday present.

Probably replace the grenade training with another death by power point on EO training..

We had to throw a grenade during basic but no way was it 90 or so feet. Our squad lined up behind a concrete wall maybe five feet high and we threw it over then we all had to squat. It was still kind of cool though.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
‘What we have found is it is taking far, far too much time,’ said Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, the commanding general of the US Army Center of Initial Military Training.

Far, far too much time, huh? It took my company one whole afternoon to get through it. Yep, those couple of hours seemed like a lifetime and I just shudder to think what we missed out on learning because we spent far, far too much time at the grenade range...that afternoon.

I'm sorry General, but you are an idiot and have no business being in command of anything.

And, yes, it can still be taught in AIT, but everyone in uniform is a soldier first, regardless of their MOS. As such, they need to be taught basic soldiering skills rather than just their MOS. How to handle a grenade is a basic soldiering skill.

Hush! They could have had a solid Powerpoint session about sexual harassment in that afternoon!

No hand grenades for me. The USAF used the XM148. The bastard stepchild of the M203. And carrying around the extra grenades was a pain in the ass.

quote:

Originally posted by fatmanspencer:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by fatmanspencer:
How far is 30 meters? is it over 20 yards? Cuz I can throw a football about that far.

Up your IQ man.

Rhino I was making the point that basic throwing skills, which I would say a football 20 yards would be, is fairly simple. I did indeed make it read dumber than intended, but still, not being able to throw a small hand sized item 20 yards well... I'm not sure I want you defending my cornflakes, let alone the country. I got expectations ya know?

Simply a commentary on not knowing a general yard to meter conversion, nothing more, nothing less.

quote:

Originally posted by jc91087:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
Sadly this is another effort to lower standards to make the military more 'do-able' by females.

Make no mistake.

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When I went through grenade qualification it was mostly the guys that couldn't throw.

Plus like mentioned above it's not like throwing a baseball.

I can't even throw a baseball--never have been able to. I also can't run well. I was the kid that no one wanted on his team.

flashguy

I'm sure it is up to the cadre, but I liked how our instructors 'rewarded' the top shooters and throwers with extra ammo and HE rounds during crew served weapons, grenade, and AT4 training. Those that missed with the paint and chalk rounds still passed the training, but the best shooters were selected to demonstrate the effects of HE. A nice incentive for those who truly enjoyed blowing sh*t up!