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The new kinder gentler Army...would like a latte with that?

I was a Coastie after putting 3 active and 3 reserve in the Army. Coast Guard ain't no joke.
Must add, if you ever said sir to a Drill Instructor in the Army you would be doing push ups or worse. If you said "Sir, Yes Sir" to an officer you would be doing push ups. It was simply Yes Sir!
 
First day of basic training at Fort Jackson SC, summer of 1983. Buses arrived close to 1800 hours.

They marched us to the mess hall for dinner, I ended up at the front of the far right column.

The Drill Sergeant, SSG Clayton, calls out "File from the right..."

And after all the years of JROTC (and my father's instruction) I look over my shoulder and call out "Column Right."

Immediately, and I mean like NINJA speed, the DI is right in my face asking what the #$!% I just said, who the $%*& do I think I am, what the @#$(%&&*! do I think I'm doing, etc.

As the lead of that file, I and two others are told that we are to take a tray of food, eat nothing, throw the food into the trash and run back to "guard" the baggage that we unloaded from the buses.

Minutes later, as I stand in a pouring rain, a 1LT walks up and asks me what I and my two fellow newbies are doing. After I saluted and I told him we were guarding the baggage, he instructed us to stand under a near by awning.

A bit after that my whole platoon shows up from the mess hall. The awning I was under was where we were to draw our uniforms.

SSG Clayton immediately sees me standing under an awning and not in the soaking rain and I'm down pumping out push ups.

Who the (#@!$ did I think I was? What the %^*(# did I think I was doing? Didn't he tell me to watch the (*($#)@&%&(!)) baggage!?!?!!?

And then, those four words that no one ever wants to hear in basic training:

"What's your name, private?"

Yep, first day and I was on the menu. My DI's rode me hard until they realized I wasn't a screw up dirt bag. I came out of basic able to max the pushups in less than one minute. Still slow runner, but man, I was one giant pectoral muscle!

They tore you down to build you back up. And they never knew what they were getting off those buses.
 
First day of basic training at Fort Jackson SC, summer of 1983. Buses arrived close to 1800 hours.

They marched us to the mess hall for dinner, I ended up at the front of the far right column.

The Drill Sergeant, SSG Clayton, calls out "File from the right..."

And after all the years of JROTC (and my father's instruction) I look over my shoulder and call out "Column Right."

Immediately, and I mean like NINJA speed, the DI is right in my face asking what the #$!% I just said, who the $%*& do I think I am, what the @#$(%&&*! do I think I'm doing, etc.

As the lead of that file, I and two others are told that we are to take a tray of food, eat nothing, throw the food into the trash and run back to "guard" the baggage that we unloaded from the buses.

Minutes later, as I stand in a pouring rain, a 1LT walks up and asks me what I and my two fellow newbies are doing. After I saluted and I told him we were guarding the baggage, he instructed us to stand under a near by awning.

A bit after that my whole platoon shows up from the mess hall. The awning I was under was where we were to draw our uniforms.

SSG Clayton immediately sees me standing under an awning and not in the soaking rain and I'm down pumping out push ups.

Who the (#@!$ did I think I was? What the %^*(# did I think I was doing? Didn't he tell me to watch the (*($#)@&%&(!)) baggage!?!?!!?

And then, those four words that no one ever wants to hear in basic training:

"What's your name, private?"

Yep, first day and I was on the menu. My DI's rode me hard until they realized I wasn't a screw up dirt bag. I came out of basic able to max the pushups in less than one minute. Still slow runner, but man, I was one giant pectoral muscle!

They tore you down to build you back up. And they never knew what they were getting off those buses.
Being young and dumb (still dumb) I was showing off while doing pushups and started doing it with one arm. Got spotted and yep from then on every pushup was done one handed.
I can't do pushups anymore but I can do all the letdowns you want.
 
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