Fort Jackson, SC, summer of 1983. Drill Sgts: SFC Colon-Robles, and SSG Clayton (one blue eye, one green with a swath of white hair on the side of his head). We were A-2-1, in "Old Hollywood". I lucked out an scored a two man room. But I had to go through several room mates (hey, it really wasn't my fault that they freaked out mentally, just because the only common denominator was me doesn't prove anything).
There was a company of female recruits one building over. They wanted nothing to do with us for the first six weeks.
While in Basic I received orders "promoting" me to an ROTC Cadet as I was accepted for early enrollment in ROTC as an SMP (Simultaneous Membership Program). I was to get paid as an E-5, and was supposed to wear ROTC insignia. My two drill sgts were very good ("cool") about it. They kept me humble by assigning me latrine duty regularly, and making me do lots of push-ups. In fact (true story) when we took the final PT test I did 69 push ups in the first minute. That was the max in 1983, and well before "extra" points for exceeding the max. But I was, and remain, a slow runner. I was "advised" to remove my ROTC insignia at times and just be a dumb private, depending on where we were going. I always heeded their counsel and appreciated it. They knew their stuff. SFC Colon-Robles later was an ROTC cadre at another university.
I was at Ft Sill in the fall and winter of 1988. FACBOC then Missile Officer Course. And I clearly remember the evening they sent us up a hill in the hard wind just to "acclimate" us to cold winds. Three or four hours of sitting in a group like a bunch of penguins, everyone alternating who was on the outer rim.
There was a company of female recruits one building over. They wanted nothing to do with us for the first six weeks.
While in Basic I received orders "promoting" me to an ROTC Cadet as I was accepted for early enrollment in ROTC as an SMP (Simultaneous Membership Program). I was to get paid as an E-5, and was supposed to wear ROTC insignia. My two drill sgts were very good ("cool") about it. They kept me humble by assigning me latrine duty regularly, and making me do lots of push-ups. In fact (true story) when we took the final PT test I did 69 push ups in the first minute. That was the max in 1983, and well before "extra" points for exceeding the max. But I was, and remain, a slow runner. I was "advised" to remove my ROTC insignia at times and just be a dumb private, depending on where we were going. I always heeded their counsel and appreciated it. They knew their stuff. SFC Colon-Robles later was an ROTC cadre at another university.
I was at Ft Sill in the fall and winter of 1988. FACBOC then Missile Officer Course. And I clearly remember the evening they sent us up a hill in the hard wind just to "acclimate" us to cold winds. Three or four hours of sitting in a group like a bunch of penguins, everyone alternating who was on the outer rim.
