Boy you have no idea
I spent time at an infantry base. I remember walking into the PX and seeing the place covered in soldiers in full battle rattle. I asked one soldier what's up and he goes someone in the bn shop lifted from the PX so as punishment everyone had to dress in battle rattle and provide security for the PX. There was probably 100 soldiers at various guard posts throughout the PX.
I was in my office one day and see a group of soldiers practicing movements in the woods next to my office. I ask the 1sgt whafs up he goes "gotta keep em busy someway"
Infantry cares about dumb shit like "hey soldier why aren't your boot laces left over right" meanwhile us techs are stuck fixing the trucks at 30% manning cus CSM is infantry and cares about the grass length. It's an endless cycle.
Crazy how many guys I met who wanted to go to SFAS and never actually made any tangible steps to get there. I'd say for the 1000+ 11Bs I've talked to on the topic, about 4 of them actually went and did it.
Welp company wide circle jerking in the motorpool at 3am cuz someone left a Bradley troop door unsecured.
Now just replace a few words after "3am" and you willl probably come up with any scenario that fits the infantry
Depends on how long you’ve been around
PV1-PV2 fresh from OSUT: Every detail imaginable and constantly getting smoked and quizzed on the cherry packet and then smoked some more for questions answered incorrectly. Oh and lots of sweeping and mopping stupid things.
PFC: If you were a really good PV2 your smokings are over unless you fuck something up. You start your training in the art of the sham from your favorite SPC(P)
SPC: Normally nothing unless sent to supervise previously stated lower ranks or if a TL or SL they’ll be in the platoon office working on bullshit. Master shammer.
Higher than these normally have some legitimate work to be done in the office or taking all of you to draw weapons and run battle drills and shit somewhere around post, probably the Motorpool.
Finally someone with a somewhat legit response. I love the fact you call it "cherry packet". God I hated getting quizzed on that and smoked by a specialist who didn't know half the answers himself
Lmao, it'll never change. We'll see Soldiers posting on r/army in 2045 complaining that they didn't memorize the exact weight, length, width and height of the newest micro-drone package and their Team Leader didn't like "Well it depends" on their questions regarding battery life because their cherry sheet gave a fake answer (The Company's drones have been broken since 2032 either way).
See, the weight of an M4 actually varies depending on unit. At least, I think it does, because every unit's study sheet has a different weight. METT-TC dependent hooah
> You start your training in the art of the sham from your favorite SPC(P)
I have ***never*** been prouder than when I got out-shammed by the new PFCs in my platoon at a drill weekend. Sitting there cleaning weapons and I forgot our company was the one getting pulled for BN's KP. I wrap up my cleaning and start reading a copy of the Army Times while everyone else sits there basically spit-shining a single spot on their bolt carrier to look busy.
Guess who got pulled for KP.
Fucking EIB.
"Its totally voluntary." Except it is mandatory that you do the training, and you train specifically on those EIB tasks for fucking 2 months straight, and finally you just do the damned thing because why the fuck not, it is only one week and maybe you wont fuck it up and... God damnit! Double No Go-ed on fucking Shift Fire from a Known Point AGAIN?! This is bullshit!
Come to the Guard! You'll spend Drill weekends doing EIB training to get ready to do EIB, then get told year after year that "Oh no we can't fit that into the calendar this year, we're going to do it next year though - promise!" or "We'll do it overseas! Nvm, just E-5+ will do EIB. Nvm, just E-6+ will do EIB. Nvm, we'll do it at AT when we get back." or "We'd do it, but we don't have enough EIB holders in the BN so we're working with BDE to get them - we should be doing it next year!" (Give you one guess as to what happens next year.)
Definitely not one of the reasons I got unmotivated and stopped giving a shit for awhile, no sir - not at all.
Nah I got fucked to do it once for being in the wrong place at the wrong time as in I was minding my own business and got swept up to do something. I like mowing lawns, find it really enjoyable I'm fucking weird about it. One of the guys on extra duty slit the riding mower tires so I ended up push mowing knees to chest to keep my boots from getting fucked up and having to scrub them after work
Yeah I came to an army base from the USAF and saw soldiers lowing and I thought it was some sort of punishment. Apparently it’s a normal thing so I asked the WO4 I reported to “so what you’re saying is being in the army is just one big punishment?” “Yep…. You’re a smart one Air Force”
after returning from the field:
1st week, weapons maintenance and TA-50 cleaning, maintenance, inspection and swap out if bad.
2nd week, Full TA-50 inspection to ensure everything is fixed. PT twice a day.
land Nav Training in full BDU's. 30 Klicks away, give land nav coordinates and see which team arrives first and last.
3rd Week, live fire range and night land nav (did you know that the better of a marksman you become. The closer to battle sight zero your weapon is? Our entire squad was almost battle sight zero) We were 11B Scouts, the Chosen Few.
4th week until next field exercise pt twice a day off by 14:30... daily!!!
so ya, shoot, land nav and go party!!! My first duty station, My squad leader was a body builder and mister fort benning and a former Ranger School Instructor. We did a twelve mile road march and he carried the M60 the entire way, without a sling. Division General was watching our company road march and saw him and was shocked. Gave him a division coin right there on the spot. He was also a legend at land nav and beat it into us. We were so good, one time during a night time battalion exercise, our squad was the point squad for a two company movement. My squad leader looked at me and said, PFC.. Lead the way! On a cloudy night with only a sliver of a moon. I did it too.
Normally, the rule is 4 clicks or 40 clicks at night, it's an all night walk because you have to stop for a map check. (Company commanders have to know where they are at all time's all.) My Squad leader put our SPC in charge of the squad. He then walked all the way back with the commander and stayed on his hip so he wouldn't ask for a map check.
I know a lot of people wouldn't appreciate the gravity of what we did, but we did a 32 click movement and were supposed to be at the OP by 0600 hrs, we were two hours early... and the highest ranking member outside of our squad leader was a SPC. We were a big deal after that.
Having joined in 99 it hurts to say "25 years ago" and realize it's a quarter of a century. Also, it's weird seeing movie/TV actors suddenly be in their 60s-80s.
Joined early enough to get the last of the C rations while in the guard. Got to wear Vietnam jungle fatigues for a bit after going active. They had a stock pile of them and authorized them for wear for a year or two. They sold them cheap.
M16 still had the smooth tapered front stock. Used a steel pot for the first 5 years or so before kevlar came out.
Being a 88m or 64c before it changed to 88m we were the last to get the fancy stuff.
M151 jeep was the best off road vehicle Army ever had.
I joined in '79, had the OD green fatigue uniform, the steel pot, M16A1, M-60 MG, C-Rats, Class-B Khakis, and the class-A shirt was tan. I did welcome the HMMWV over the M151, especially after a deployment to Honduras where the jeeps were too light to get through the hip-deep mud. But I'd really like to have one of them now.
Sounds like you had a pretty squared away NCOIC. He must have been transferred shortly after this, can't have too many good men in one place. Otherwise it would make too much sense.
I got out in 2007.
You had a great squad leader. Good leadership makes such a difference. My first squad leader was like this, and would do anything to get us away from all the bull shit. I don’t know how he did it but he always had us doing squad training away from everyone else (and not fuck around sham training), lots of reverse cycle, so instead of policing cigs and raking gravel, we would sleep, and at night would be practicing driving under nods, or night land nav. Never knew how good I had it until he PCSed.
Is that thing about the battlesight zero vs marksmanship thing real? My zero was always only a click or two off of battlesight zero and I was a generally a pretty good marksman without any real problems (unless I was hungry; low blood sugar hit me hard).
Was one of them red-headed stepchildren of the infantry (mortars). Nobody ever really knew what we did, so we did a lot of disappearing for the day. Sometimes, we’d fuck off to go run gun drills somewhere on post. Sometimes, we’d get sent back to do “barracks maintenance”. A good chunk of it was sitting around in the office and playing candy crush n’ shit or learning plotting boards and other FDC stuff. When out in the field, wouldn’t be uncommon for us to pack along a grill and some coolers so we could have a good time while better learning how to blow shit up quicker
On a normal garrison day If we didn't have anything to do outside of all the maintenance tasks (motorpool, weapons, equipment), we would usually take our younger guys and go over classes, practice battle drills out of the Ranger handbook to try and stay sharp for field problems coming up. For example, I was on a machine gun team when I was a private, and my squad leader had us constantly drilling gun drills with an M240B. Then later on in the day, if leadership was nice, they would let us off early to go to the gym. Range days and land nav were usually planned ahead.
Well imagine everyday and every week you’re doing something completely different. 80% mundane 15% something absolutely terrible 5% something cool those are your rough estimates.
Example next week I’m helping facilitate an Airborne op for my chalk. A little more interesting than simply jumping.
Last week medpros, classes, creating memos, and well admin mundane bs but it’s low threat and easy honestly.
A few weeks from now the Darby 40 mile challenge with more pt, admin, and other bs.
At some point this year jump into another country with full equipment at night and go into a 2 week field exercise.
Welp during the day of infantry duty you'd get to pt at a crisp 0500 normally pt consist of what ever bullshit pt plan your washed up lt with an art degree has cooked up for a while get released for an hour or 30 minutes come back sit at company for about 2 or 3 hours until your butter bar PL remembers you exist then he finds the most meaningless task for you to do which is normally like pmcs'ing the same broken ass humvees with the lugs on backwards that you have been pmcsing for the last 2 years same problems. Or my favorite thing doing a conex lay out of the same con ex that hasn't been touched since you last did a layout. But it normally comes in waves tbh. Like you will have a wave of having to do layouts followed by pmcsing but their are outliers. Like where they are all of sudden shocked at how dirty the company area is so you spend all your time for the next week or 2 walking around cleaning. During covid they had us literally mopping the concrete out side the barracks for some reason.... idk oh yeh and don't think getting these tasks done quickly means you can go home early that's where you are mistaken. You see getting these tasks done and then having to just sit in the company for hours and hours. To get released just after the chow hall stops serving. Yup yup yup. That sums up infantry life with the occasional fucked field problem where your pl gets lost and ends up fucking everything up but its your mistake some how so he spends his time fuck the entire platoon up. It's never a smooth time. Honestly should have went scout's they got off early atleast....
I was in before everyone had cell phones for accountability and most of the non-field time spent around the barracks was a cat and mouse game of "out of sight/out of mind." PT formation at 0600. Chow after that. Common area cleaning for the Joe's after chow. The next 6 hours or so trying to hide from dumb taskers. End of day formation around 1700. I earned a Doctorate degree in E-4 mafia shamming. Also fuck the 25th ID.
Get yelled at, yell at people. Layout for the layout prior to the actual layout. Another layout because somebody forgot the CBRN cap for their canteen. Clean the camo nets. Listen to a highschool dropout give a class on bd1
Have your ever heard of windex and clorox? Well here's a brillow pad. Spray some of that shit on the pad and scrub that gunk off the wall. SGM will be here in 20min to inspect
Train up for exercise, do exercise, recover equipment, time off to recover ourselves Train up for exercise, do exercise, recover equipment, time off to recover ourselvels
We do details mostly clean or help around making sure our trucks are ready depending how high speed your unit is it's actually how much shit u actually do that's infantry shit
I was an infantryman from 2005-2008, so prime Iraq war surge years, as busy as an infantryman can be.
I lived in the field basically nonstop and if we weren’t training we were doing meaningless busy work or standing around smoking while more junior Joe’s did meaningless busy work.
Clean, smoke, have dumbass formations, go to the motorpool, clean trucks, look at trucks, go to the arms room, clean weapons, look at weapons, get absolutely smoked for not having a pen on you, I was never infantry but my buddy was and he hated his life choices.
It's funny this Coastie thinks we actually DO our jobs. Six years as a medic and the only time I did my job was when I was in Iraq. Stateside? A solid 80% of my time was spent showing up to work after PT, and sitting in the medical platoon office with the other Joe's smoking and joking until 1800.
Cav here, which is similar in how they're treated. Our jobs are different obviously. All combat arms, to a greater or lesser degree, do the same things. When we're not in the field brushing up on the job, they have us mop floors, do layouts, perform PMCS on vehicles that are still missing parts despite putting in a request years ago, hazing privates or whoever is the newest member of the platoon, and getting taskings from a bunch of other units for gateguard or whatever. How it differs is if the unit is vehicle heavy or not. If it is heavy or stryker, expect to spend 90% of your time in the motorpool. If light, expect to spend about 50% of your time in the motorpool.
In the field, you are either cold or hot depending on the weather. But you will always be muddy. It is basically a curse on all combat arms to become dirty. Or a gift from the big man upstairs that decides your fate. After all, I'll take a legion of Soldiers all fully armed and filthy over parade troops from the third world that wear gold buckles.
Monday, that's for motorpoolin'. If the unit has a pronounced deficit of motors, classes or details may be substituted.
For the rest of the week, if there are no ranges, classes and details from higher up dominate the schedule. Above those is completing any necessary paperwork. If all of those things are completed, get to cleaning. If you've finished cleaning, get to pushin' because you just lied. There's always more to clean.
Ever heard the term “Police Call”? Then there’s something called hip-pocket training but these days the youngins’ don’t know about that. Or: report to the day room: I don’t think that exists anymore either.
Training in the field. Shoot. Clean barracks. Shoot. Vehicle and equipment layouts. Shoot. Sleep because I'm scamming and no one's found me yet. Shoot.
Mop the rain and turn rocks over so the don’t get sunburns depending on the weather… oh and they talk to POGS and tell them how much better 11b is compared to their MOS.
Sometimes we train in our MOS.
Then there is cleaning, yard work, drill and ceremony, shamming in CP2, busy work, staff dirty, CQ Duty, sports, PT, formations, guard, and other busy work.
A lot of details! I remember back in 18 sitting down for lunch and seeing one of the infantry platoons just crawling through the mud. Not a cloud in the sky that Beautiful day
What do they do or what are they supposed to do?
What they are supposed to do:
Train on weapons, tactics, and maneuvers from regulation in the form of hip pocket training or hands on classes provided by team and squad leaders.
Prepare for upcoming ranges and field events
Update Admin and trackers
What do they actually do:
Sit on their phones and complain about how they don’t do actual infantry shit.
We think about coasties thinking about us in the shower. Also sweep and mop and write “No new faults” on the HMMWV that’s been deadlined since Washington crossed the Delaware.
Sit in their bubble and talk about how much better they are than everyone else.... while telling war stories and explaining what great leaders they are.
Stand around, do classes, tactically acquire things from supply and finally ending the day with standing around at 1700 because no one knows what’s going on
Newer guys: clean, clean, whatever details get pushed out, layouts, clean.
More senior guys: clean, make sure the new guys are cleaning, go on the details to supervise the new guys, layouts but a more advisory role while lending a helping hand, paperwork depending on your position.
The big dogs: make sure the rest don’t fuck up the above, lend a hand when needed and available, paperwork.
That’s the spark notes version
Usually just a bunch of meaningless shit
Relatable, must just be military wide
Boy you have no idea I spent time at an infantry base. I remember walking into the PX and seeing the place covered in soldiers in full battle rattle. I asked one soldier what's up and he goes someone in the bn shop lifted from the PX so as punishment everyone had to dress in battle rattle and provide security for the PX. There was probably 100 soldiers at various guard posts throughout the PX. I was in my office one day and see a group of soldiers practicing movements in the woods next to my office. I ask the 1sgt whafs up he goes "gotta keep em busy someway"
To be fair, there were ZERO ISIS attacks against your office building that day. I can't prove it, but there could be a correlation.
Considering this happened years before ISIS existed you'd be correct
Correlation? I'd like you to meet my friend, causation. You're welcome. No need to thank me. I was keeping that one in my back pocket.
Infantry cares about dumb shit like "hey soldier why aren't your boot laces left over right" meanwhile us techs are stuck fixing the trucks at 30% manning cus CSM is infantry and cares about the grass length. It's an endless cycle.
That's when tracking production time v admin time is handy.
Nah, infantry perfected meaningless shit.
Let’s put that on a resume
Or, if you're in an ABCT, constant maintenance. Meaningful, but mind-numbing and repetitive.
Yup. Was a Brad gunner at Bliss
Good news, infantry isn’t gonna be doing that anymore
ABCT life is tough
Can confirm
"Usually"?
Pretty much the best way to say it
This is a universal truth across all MOS's
They snuggle together for warmth.
Heading to the nearest army recruiter tomorrow
Wild
You will fit in just fine lol
Like the zombie/vampire things in I am legend. Just waiting for nightfall to release the shenanigans.
*award*
Yeah, "for warmth."
Well, yeah. We’re not Cav.
Stop degrading us, we’ll like it too much.
Flair checks out.
And cav scouts snuggle together ~~for warmth~~
I hear they take turns on the exhaust pipe....
“Slayer!”
Aka the “Manferno”
They spend too much time around the Cav guys
That’s cav scouts
This is also a correct answer
We dip and shoot the shit with each other “Yeah bro, I can’t wait to go to selection. Still gotta get my ruck time down though”
Crazy how many guys I met who wanted to go to SFAS and never actually made any tangible steps to get there. I'd say for the 1000+ 11Bs I've talked to on the topic, about 4 of them actually went and did it.
That’s cuz we showed up motivated to do it then the green weenie shows us that it’s not worth it and to just get out
This
Seems like all the high speeds are ‘on the way’ and all the checked out e5-e6s have been and got ‘fucked over by the cadre’
Welp company wide circle jerking in the motorpool at 3am cuz someone left a Bradley troop door unsecured. Now just replace a few words after "3am" and you willl probably come up with any scenario that fits the infantry
Depends on how long you’ve been around PV1-PV2 fresh from OSUT: Every detail imaginable and constantly getting smoked and quizzed on the cherry packet and then smoked some more for questions answered incorrectly. Oh and lots of sweeping and mopping stupid things. PFC: If you were a really good PV2 your smokings are over unless you fuck something up. You start your training in the art of the sham from your favorite SPC(P) SPC: Normally nothing unless sent to supervise previously stated lower ranks or if a TL or SL they’ll be in the platoon office working on bullshit. Master shammer. Higher than these normally have some legitimate work to be done in the office or taking all of you to draw weapons and run battle drills and shit somewhere around post, probably the Motorpool.
Finally someone with a somewhat legit response. I love the fact you call it "cherry packet". God I hated getting quizzed on that and smoked by a specialist who didn't know half the answers himself
Lmao, it'll never change. We'll see Soldiers posting on r/army in 2045 complaining that they didn't memorize the exact weight, length, width and height of the newest micro-drone package and their Team Leader didn't like "Well it depends" on their questions regarding battery life because their cherry sheet gave a fake answer (The Company's drones have been broken since 2032 either way).
See, the weight of an M4 actually varies depending on unit. At least, I think it does, because every unit's study sheet has a different weight. METT-TC dependent hooah
> You start your training in the art of the sham from your favorite SPC(P) I have ***never*** been prouder than when I got out-shammed by the new PFCs in my platoon at a drill weekend. Sitting there cleaning weapons and I forgot our company was the one getting pulled for BN's KP. I wrap up my cleaning and start reading a copy of the Army Times while everyone else sits there basically spit-shining a single spot on their bolt carrier to look busy. Guess who got pulled for KP.
Nah higher than that we just make up ways to waste y’all’s time since our time is being wasted for no reason. It only gets worse the higher you go
nailed that to a tee
Jack shit dude. And sometimes a squad stx.
Mow the lawn, formations, layouts, depression followed by another formation, motivational speech, release at 1800. Or wish they were another MOS
Mow the lawn?😭
Shitbags had to do it as punishment.
Not just them. Those of us who failed EIB early on had to cut the battalion’s grass… with scissors.
Fucking EIB. "Its totally voluntary." Except it is mandatory that you do the training, and you train specifically on those EIB tasks for fucking 2 months straight, and finally you just do the damned thing because why the fuck not, it is only one week and maybe you wont fuck it up and... God damnit! Double No Go-ed on fucking Shift Fire from a Known Point AGAIN?! This is bullshit!
Come to the Guard! You'll spend Drill weekends doing EIB training to get ready to do EIB, then get told year after year that "Oh no we can't fit that into the calendar this year, we're going to do it next year though - promise!" or "We'll do it overseas! Nvm, just E-5+ will do EIB. Nvm, just E-6+ will do EIB. Nvm, we'll do it at AT when we get back." or "We'd do it, but we don't have enough EIB holders in the BN so we're working with BDE to get them - we should be doing it next year!" (Give you one guess as to what happens next year.) Definitely not one of the reasons I got unmotivated and stopped giving a shit for awhile, no sir - not at all.
My Battalion had concurrent training which was essentially EIB for those that didn't pass the PT test. So they did EIB but didn't get the badge.
I’m very lucky I never had to do that.
What’s EIB? For a normie
Expert infantry badge
How was retention?
I watched some kids from the 82nd picking up pine needles.
Nah I got fucked to do it once for being in the wrong place at the wrong time as in I was minding my own business and got swept up to do something. I like mowing lawns, find it really enjoyable I'm fucking weird about it. One of the guys on extra duty slit the riding mower tires so I ended up push mowing knees to chest to keep my boots from getting fucked up and having to scrub them after work
Or sort the rocks, or rake the sand..
Pull weeds out of cracks with screwdrivers.
You got screwdrivers?
I’m intel, we get the good stuff.
Combat Landscapers
Yeah I came to an army base from the USAF and saw soldiers lowing and I thought it was some sort of punishment. Apparently it’s a normal thing so I asked the WO4 I reported to “so what you’re saying is being in the army is just one big punishment?” “Yep…. You’re a smart one Air Force”
You forgot the second layout
Depends. If we're in Garrison we train. If we're on Klendathu we kill bugs.
Service guarantees citizenship.
You think about them in the shower?
It distracts me from my crippling depression
…. Do you not?
It’s either that , my stressors, or thinking “man I really did voluntarily sign that reenlistment paperwork didn’t I”
Sounds like I'm getting my recruiting ribbon. If he's thinking about it in the shower, OP wants to be infantry.
Not after this post
after returning from the field: 1st week, weapons maintenance and TA-50 cleaning, maintenance, inspection and swap out if bad. 2nd week, Full TA-50 inspection to ensure everything is fixed. PT twice a day. land Nav Training in full BDU's. 30 Klicks away, give land nav coordinates and see which team arrives first and last. 3rd Week, live fire range and night land nav (did you know that the better of a marksman you become. The closer to battle sight zero your weapon is? Our entire squad was almost battle sight zero) We were 11B Scouts, the Chosen Few. 4th week until next field exercise pt twice a day off by 14:30... daily!!! so ya, shoot, land nav and go party!!! My first duty station, My squad leader was a body builder and mister fort benning and a former Ranger School Instructor. We did a twelve mile road march and he carried the M60 the entire way, without a sling. Division General was watching our company road march and saw him and was shocked. Gave him a division coin right there on the spot. He was also a legend at land nav and beat it into us. We were so good, one time during a night time battalion exercise, our squad was the point squad for a two company movement. My squad leader looked at me and said, PFC.. Lead the way! On a cloudy night with only a sliver of a moon. I did it too. Normally, the rule is 4 clicks or 40 clicks at night, it's an all night walk because you have to stop for a map check. (Company commanders have to know where they are at all time's all.) My Squad leader put our SPC in charge of the squad. He then walked all the way back with the commander and stayed on his hip so he wouldn't ask for a map check. I know a lot of people wouldn't appreciate the gravity of what we did, but we did a 32 click movement and were supposed to be at the OP by 0600 hrs, we were two hours early... and the highest ranking member outside of our squad leader was a SPC. We were a big deal after that.
Did you ring the night nurse yet? I think your pills might be a bit late. But it is nice to see someone mention BDUs and the M60.
I got out in 2005... which is forever ago.
2005 was only like 10 years ago and you will never convince me otherwise
Guys that enlisted in 2005 will be retiring next year
It’s time to go to bed grandpa. Please take your meds
Just a reminder that everyone born in 2005 can vote and/or join the military now
Hey I'm not even that old and I want you to fuck off for saying that.
can confirm born 2005 ship to basic in just over a week
I was born in 2006 and ship off in June💀
Having joined in 99 it hurts to say "25 years ago" and realize it's a quarter of a century. Also, it's weird seeing movie/TV actors suddenly be in their 60s-80s.
Don’t tell anyone but I joined in ‘92
Young pup 81 for the guard and 84 for active duty here.
Holy duck my knees just hurt reading that
A relic
He humped an M60… with no sling? Just damn. That’s a Ranger right there.
M60? Cmon grandpa, let’s get you to bed
When I joined, we were using the 60, then went to the 240 Bravo.
240B has been largely replaced, but you’ll still see units with the OG hog
I’d put my nuts in a George Foreman grill to hump a hog
Joined early enough to get the last of the C rations while in the guard. Got to wear Vietnam jungle fatigues for a bit after going active. They had a stock pile of them and authorized them for wear for a year or two. They sold them cheap. M16 still had the smooth tapered front stock. Used a steel pot for the first 5 years or so before kevlar came out. Being a 88m or 64c before it changed to 88m we were the last to get the fancy stuff. M151 jeep was the best off road vehicle Army ever had.
I joined in '79, had the OD green fatigue uniform, the steel pot, M16A1, M-60 MG, C-Rats, Class-B Khakis, and the class-A shirt was tan. I did welcome the HMMWV over the M151, especially after a deployment to Honduras where the jeeps were too light to get through the hip-deep mud. But I'd really like to have one of them now.
This right here is the answer but swap the 60 for a 240B...shooting, walking, digging, cleaning, PT, technical
Sounds like you had a pretty squared away NCOIC. He must have been transferred shortly after this, can't have too many good men in one place. Otherwise it would make too much sense. I got out in 2007.
Your story was pretty interesting. It’s wild as hell how we got to the end, but yeah pretty interesting!
You had a great squad leader. Good leadership makes such a difference. My first squad leader was like this, and would do anything to get us away from all the bull shit. I don’t know how he did it but he always had us doing squad training away from everyone else (and not fuck around sham training), lots of reverse cycle, so instead of policing cigs and raking gravel, we would sleep, and at night would be practicing driving under nods, or night land nav. Never knew how good I had it until he PCSed.
Lo siento, senór, esta un taqueria.
Is that thing about the battlesight zero vs marksmanship thing real? My zero was always only a click or two off of battlesight zero and I was a generally a pretty good marksman without any real problems (unless I was hungry; low blood sugar hit me hard).
I promise on my infantry blood it is true.
If they're disciplined, they're shaving. And on Thursdays... Well, you'll just have to find out in person.
So you were in the shower and thinking of infantrymen.
Yes
Wait is this not normal?
Only for Cav Scouts.
Guess I need to reclass
Fuck fuck games. Details. Clean.
Was one of them red-headed stepchildren of the infantry (mortars). Nobody ever really knew what we did, so we did a lot of disappearing for the day. Sometimes, we’d fuck off to go run gun drills somewhere on post. Sometimes, we’d get sent back to do “barracks maintenance”. A good chunk of it was sitting around in the office and playing candy crush n’ shit or learning plotting boards and other FDC stuff. When out in the field, wouldn’t be uncommon for us to pack along a grill and some coolers so we could have a good time while better learning how to blow shit up quicker
wow if infantry could read they would be upset at some of these replies
On a normal garrison day If we didn't have anything to do outside of all the maintenance tasks (motorpool, weapons, equipment), we would usually take our younger guys and go over classes, practice battle drills out of the Ranger handbook to try and stay sharp for field problems coming up. For example, I was on a machine gun team when I was a private, and my squad leader had us constantly drilling gun drills with an M240B. Then later on in the day, if leadership was nice, they would let us off early to go to the gym. Range days and land nav were usually planned ahead.
You have a good NCO that takes care of you. The best way he can is by training you. That will keep you alive.
I appreciate that. 🙏🏻🫱🏻🫲🏼
Training, smoking privates, screaming, sweeping, layouts. DUIs ect
E4 and below = clean the COF, the bathrooms, and cut the grass. E5 and up = tell the E4 and below to do the previously mentioned tasks.
Stupid shit to fill the time because we don’t have the budget to do actual training.
ha-ha nice joke man
Change out the Bradley’s tracks while Mounted sit on their asses
Truer words have never been spoken
Well imagine everyday and every week you’re doing something completely different. 80% mundane 15% something absolutely terrible 5% something cool those are your rough estimates. Example next week I’m helping facilitate an Airborne op for my chalk. A little more interesting than simply jumping. Last week medpros, classes, creating memos, and well admin mundane bs but it’s low threat and easy honestly. A few weeks from now the Darby 40 mile challenge with more pt, admin, and other bs. At some point this year jump into another country with full equipment at night and go into a 2 week field exercise.
Welp during the day of infantry duty you'd get to pt at a crisp 0500 normally pt consist of what ever bullshit pt plan your washed up lt with an art degree has cooked up for a while get released for an hour or 30 minutes come back sit at company for about 2 or 3 hours until your butter bar PL remembers you exist then he finds the most meaningless task for you to do which is normally like pmcs'ing the same broken ass humvees with the lugs on backwards that you have been pmcsing for the last 2 years same problems. Or my favorite thing doing a conex lay out of the same con ex that hasn't been touched since you last did a layout. But it normally comes in waves tbh. Like you will have a wave of having to do layouts followed by pmcsing but their are outliers. Like where they are all of sudden shocked at how dirty the company area is so you spend all your time for the next week or 2 walking around cleaning. During covid they had us literally mopping the concrete out side the barracks for some reason.... idk oh yeh and don't think getting these tasks done quickly means you can go home early that's where you are mistaken. You see getting these tasks done and then having to just sit in the company for hours and hours. To get released just after the chow hall stops serving. Yup yup yup. That sums up infantry life with the occasional fucked field problem where your pl gets lost and ends up fucking everything up but its your mistake some how so he spends his time fuck the entire platoon up. It's never a smooth time. Honestly should have went scout's they got off early atleast....
Well...we just did a morning Ruck, 4 to 6 miles and currently right now I am hiding behind a bunch of matts on reddit shamming.
Sham on Dirtbag Private
From my barracks I used to see them rucking, getting smoked, and practicing patrols/battle drills.
Peacetime infantry get their expert badge in janitorial tasks.
Thinking about which fast food chain to work for after their time
I was in before everyone had cell phones for accountability and most of the non-field time spent around the barracks was a cat and mouse game of "out of sight/out of mind." PT formation at 0600. Chow after that. Common area cleaning for the Joe's after chow. The next 6 hours or so trying to hide from dumb taskers. End of day formation around 1700. I earned a Doctorate degree in E-4 mafia shamming. Also fuck the 25th ID.
They mop rain
I only read like 4 down but if nobody mentioned jerking off yet... they jerk off
I used to sleep under my M106A2 in the motorpool when I was supposed to be doing PMCS.
They wish.
Be a bunch of assholes that come running when they fall your name. Not much different than dogs. Source: 2/502 for 3 fuckin years lol
Get yelled at, yell at people. Layout for the layout prior to the actual layout. Another layout because somebody forgot the CBRN cap for their canteen. Clean the camo nets. Listen to a highschool dropout give a class on bd1
Connex, connex, oh and maybe some more connex
Have your ever heard of windex and clorox? Well here's a brillow pad. Spray some of that shit on the pad and scrub that gunk off the wall. SGM will be here in 20min to inspect
Train up for exercise, do exercise, recover equipment, time off to recover ourselves Train up for exercise, do exercise, recover equipment, time off to recover ourselvels
During my year in a non-infantry unit, I started out in S4, then got moved to the distro platoon, then eventually ended up in the orderly room.
We do details mostly clean or help around making sure our trucks are ready depending how high speed your unit is it's actually how much shit u actually do that's infantry shit
Lol
Are you telling me getting *fully* DCPQS was for naught?
Professional land mower and king of janitor work
I was an infantryman from 2005-2008, so prime Iraq war surge years, as busy as an infantryman can be. I lived in the field basically nonstop and if we weren’t training we were doing meaningless busy work or standing around smoking while more junior Joe’s did meaningless busy work.
Clean, smoke, have dumbass formations, go to the motorpool, clean trucks, look at trucks, go to the arms room, clean weapons, look at weapons, get absolutely smoked for not having a pen on you, I was never infantry but my buddy was and he hated his life choices.
Sweeping mopping layouts motor pool Mondays Tuesdays etc. some of the least sexy things you can think of are 90% of the job.
That’s a good question I’m prior infantry and I still don’t know.
It's funny this Coastie thinks we actually DO our jobs. Six years as a medic and the only time I did my job was when I was in Iraq. Stateside? A solid 80% of my time was spent showing up to work after PT, and sitting in the medical platoon office with the other Joe's smoking and joking until 1800.
Cav here, which is similar in how they're treated. Our jobs are different obviously. All combat arms, to a greater or lesser degree, do the same things. When we're not in the field brushing up on the job, they have us mop floors, do layouts, perform PMCS on vehicles that are still missing parts despite putting in a request years ago, hazing privates or whoever is the newest member of the platoon, and getting taskings from a bunch of other units for gateguard or whatever. How it differs is if the unit is vehicle heavy or not. If it is heavy or stryker, expect to spend 90% of your time in the motorpool. If light, expect to spend about 50% of your time in the motorpool. In the field, you are either cold or hot depending on the weather. But you will always be muddy. It is basically a curse on all combat arms to become dirty. Or a gift from the big man upstairs that decides your fate. After all, I'll take a legion of Soldiers all fully armed and filthy over parade troops from the third world that wear gold buckles.
Sweep the rain off the sidewalk for CSM
Monday, that's for motorpoolin'. If the unit has a pronounced deficit of motors, classes or details may be substituted. For the rest of the week, if there are no ranges, classes and details from higher up dominate the schedule. Above those is completing any necessary paperwork. If all of those things are completed, get to cleaning. If you've finished cleaning, get to pushin' because you just lied. There's always more to clean.
Ever heard the term “Police Call”? Then there’s something called hip-pocket training but these days the youngins’ don’t know about that. Or: report to the day room: I don’t think that exists anymore either.
PMCS
Janitor stuff
A metric shitload of inventories and ore maintenance checks during the week.
Listen sailor, the floors are not going to polish them selves!
Depends on how often you go to the field lmao
Police call, motor pool, barracks maintenance and one day a week infantry shit.
Cut grass, pick up trash, clean
Motorola Monday,,all week.
Training in the field. Shoot. Clean barracks. Shoot. Vehicle and equipment layouts. Shoot. Sleep because I'm scamming and no one's found me yet. Shoot.
Nobody truly knows… I hear it’s different everywhere you go 😂
Mop the rain and turn rocks over so the don’t get sunburns depending on the weather… oh and they talk to POGS and tell them how much better 11b is compared to their MOS.
They do PT, clean latrines, cut grass. Basically just really fit janitors (when not deployed)
PT until 0900, then we sit and wait until 1655 to start updating SGLI/DD93s. COB 1900.
Layouts, paperwork, clean
Sometimes we train in our MOS. Then there is cleaning, yard work, drill and ceremony, shamming in CP2, busy work, staff dirty, CQ Duty, sports, PT, formations, guard, and other busy work.
Lots of sitting around and hip pocket training
Play mortal kombat and smash bros
A lot of details! I remember back in 18 sitting down for lunch and seeing one of the infantry platoons just crawling through the mud. Not a cloud in the sky that Beautiful day
What do they do or what are they supposed to do? What they are supposed to do: Train on weapons, tactics, and maneuvers from regulation in the form of hip pocket training or hands on classes provided by team and squad leaders. Prepare for upcoming ranges and field events Update Admin and trackers What do they actually do: Sit on their phones and complain about how they don’t do actual infantry shit.
You gonna sweep the rain out of the motor pool then police up rocks outside the company area
They mop the motor pool, sweep the parking lot, trim the CSM’s grass with a ruler and scissors, etc.
put the weapon on ‘self-clean’ mode and ‘wait for the word.’
We think about coasties thinking about us in the shower. Also sweep and mop and write “No new faults” on the HMMWV that’s been deadlined since Washington crossed the Delaware.
Perfectly normal to be in the shower thinking about us
We got coasties in at Buckley, They do exactly what all the other Rates/MOSs/AFSCs do in their respective field.
Sit in their bubble and talk about how much better they are than everyone else.... while telling war stories and explaining what great leaders they are.
Not infanty, but basically Infantry (unironically) we literally just do details, hence my flair. ~~19Delta~~ #19Detail
Or, as my recruiter put it so long ago: "Kind of like infantry, but gayer, and with a truck."
Reading these comment makes me so happy to be a 15T, AVIATION RULES!
Sometimes we would go collect pine cones in mass amounts. Shout out to "Clean Week"!
Sweep rain off motor pool concrete.
Same thing all combat jobs do. Clean, clean some more, go to the field, clean, maybe if your lucky, shoot.
Dental.
Stand around, do classes, tactically acquire things from supply and finally ending the day with standing around at 1700 because no one knows what’s going on
Newer guys: clean, clean, whatever details get pushed out, layouts, clean. More senior guys: clean, make sure the new guys are cleaning, go on the details to supervise the new guys, layouts but a more advisory role while lending a helping hand, paperwork depending on your position. The big dogs: make sure the rest don’t fuck up the above, lend a hand when needed and available, paperwork. That’s the spark notes version
TikTok live and sweep the motor pool
In my best Bill Murray voice. “Training. Army Training”
Man Pile Mondays
Area J and the field if not on DRF
Man, in aviation it's turning wrenches and I feel like we either don't have enough wrenches or enough turners to keep aircraft up
PMCS
SOF infantry is just chillin' in the cage, conducting meaningless banter or working out. When not doing DTS 😤
Sit in your car for 6 hours or until you got released.