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| Army basic training must honor the Soldier's Creed. |
Today, it seems that the U.S. Army has lowered its standards to the point where just about anyone can enter Army basic training. Does the U.S. Army really want to put men and women, whose backgrounds are questionable, in positions of authority over those who serve with pride and honor?
There are situations within our U.S. Army training facilities you probably wouldn't believe until you actually experienced them. Every citizen should fear for those soldiers in basic military training who are actually allowed to be stoned by other soldiers in their unit, while the drill sergeant looks on. Is this supposed to make them "Army Strong" or teach them the "Soldiers' Creed" or any military code of honor?
All men and women in Army basic training should at least feel safe from the attack of those who would be "watching their backs" in an actual combat situation. They should not be hazed in the middle of the night or forced to do push-ups until their nose bleeds.
It seems that a lot of things currently occurring in Army basic training are in direct conflict with U. S. Army regulations, according to two Army Chaplains and a Sergeant Major.
The following is a true account of one soldier's actual training experience that occurred after Army basic training. The soldier's name is Mike.
Mike had just finished Army basic training, which included extra activities like being hazed in the middle of the night and being stoned by fellow soldiers. Graduation day had finally arrived and now Mike was ready to leave for his first duty station and become a part of the U.S. Army family.
Upon arrival at his duty station, Mike learned that his room in the barracks was on the fifth floor. There were no elevators, only stairs. He had a 70-pound duffle bag, a laundry bag, and two pieces of luggage to take to his room. The problem here was that Mike's sergeant told him he could only make one trip up to his room. On the way up the stairs, Mike heard something "pop" in his right knee and now had to limp up three more flights of stairs.
The next morning Mike asked his sergeant if he could go to the doctor to get his knee checked out, but the sergeant refused to allow him to seek medical attention. Mike was told to "suck it up, soldier!" and immediately ordered into the "sand pit". The "sand pit" was a large sandbox about 75 feet long. For the next two hours Mike was ordered to crawl back and forth through this large sand pit as punishment for simply asking to go to the doctor.
For the next five hours, Mike was required to undergo further training with sand down his back and all over him. Mike was quickly realizing that the training he was now receiving was far worse than Army basic training.
Mike did not drink alcoholic beverages, but for some reason his sergeant labeled him as a "drunk". As punishment, Mike was ordered to carry around a 65 pound boulder everywhere he went on post. He still had not been permitted to seek medical attention for his injured knee.
The weekend finally arrived and Mike felt that he might be able to get a few minutes of peace and quiet. On Sunday morning, there was a knock on his door. It was another soldier who said he just wanted to come in for a while. After a brief visit, the other soldier left.
Just a few minutes later, Mike was told that his sergeant wanted to see him. Upon arrival at the sergeant's office, Mike was told that he was being charged with harboring a fugitive. The soldier who had visited him earlier was A.W.O.L.
Mike didn't know whether he had been set up or what was going on. What he did know was that during the soldier's visit, he had stolen his credit card information and was using it to charge merchandise. The Army finally caught the fugitive, but made no effort to help Mike concerning the purchases made on his stolen credit card.
The Army placed Mike on financial counseling, which gave his team leader the authority to put Mike on an allowance and manage how and when he spent his money. It seemed as though Mike was again being punished for some other soldier's actions.
The next week Mike was finally allowed to go to the doctor to get his knee checked out. The doctor excused Mike from physical training of any kind, but his sergeant forced him to participate in a six mile run anyway. Since Mike could not finish the run, his entire team was punished.
Mike's injured knee, the thought of being sent to a war zone, the unfair treatment, and the loneliness of just being a soldier were really bad one day and his sergeant picked up on it immediately. His sergeant now tagged him as "depressive". Mike was not allowed to participate in any training activities involving weapons. He wasn't even allowed to be in a room or place where weapons were present. Mike's pocket knife was taken from him and given to his team leader. On several occasions the team leader played with the knife in front of Mike.
On one occasion, Mike's duties consisted of standing in a hallway for eight hours. If his buddy hadn't come to relieve him, he wouldn't have even been allowed to go to the restroom. On another occasion, Mike's duties involved standing gate guard with no weapon.
Mike considered himself a good soldier and always wanted to be better. He just didn't understand how he could trust other soldiers who turned on him based on whatever the sergeant told them. He felt that he was whatever the Army said he was.
Army basic training is sometimes very tough and rigid. It has to be when soldiers' lives are at stake. The U. S. Army definitely has problems in its training facilities. It sometimes places rogue soldiers in positions of authority to administer training using techniques that wouldn't be allowed to be inflicted upon a prisoner of war.
The soldiers of the U. S. Army are sworn to protect every American citizen, but who will protect the soldiers?
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As a freelance writer, I write on many other topics outside government and politics. If you need some help writing those high quality blog posts, you can get in touch over here. - Ken
