Basic Training (Read 5,260 times)

dude, I was in basic the same time frame. I got out my old training yearbook, it was mostly generic except for a few photos from my flight. My squadron was 3706 and Flight 0202. My TI's are both in the book, TSGT Simpson and TSGT Pike. I was there from Feb. 3rd to March sometime as well. Then off to Chanute, Il for school. Man it was cold in Rantoul, Il that March too.

GOLLEEEEE- Washers and dryers :rofl :rofl Basic training- July '52 at Sampson AFB on Lake Seneca, NY - formerly US NAVY boot training during WW2..... Our barracks still had the Morse code on the wall along with the hand held semophore flags.......... Sign over the door to the latrine said HEAD.... Our washing machine was each man on his kness in the latrine with a GI scrub brush and a bar of Fels Naptha (brown) soap scubbing your one piece fatiques...... Took forever to rinse the soap out - then you got use the hand operated wringer that was used to wring out the scrub mops, or you and a buddy twisted them until your hands hurt... There were clothes lines outside the barracks to hang your clothes to dry............ The only reason there were walls between the crapper stalls was for some place to mount the paper holder......... The urinal was a long trough and the shower was one big room with shower heads mounted all the way around......... Uniforms were hung on a rack between bunks and your one piece fatuques were hung with the legs folded in the front pockets........... We were issued OD wife beater underwear tops and OD boxer shorts, along with either OD or black work socks....... Some of us got issued rough out brown brogans that we had to dye black and polish........... And of course all your stuff had to be rolled a certain way and put in your footlocker in a certain position....I got promoted and graduated from basic and went into casual status waiting for tech school, so I went to the BX and bought white tee shirts and jockey shorts and put those OD things in the bottom of my duffle bag.......... Never had to roll my stuff again for Junk on the Bunk ( clothing showdown)insp because it was already rolled.... Even if you lived off base, you brought all your issue clothing in for insp. AND you better hope it fit, because you might just be told to put something on.... If it didn't fit, you made a trip to clothing sales.......... In 1969, I was getting packed to return to the States from Japan and decided that I was tired of lugging 17 year old underwear around............ I unrolled a pair of shorts, and they rolled right back up again, same with the tops........ If I remember correctly, the waist size was 28!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now it is about 40 !!!!!!!!
I went to General Jet School at Amarillo and we were a brand new squadron and had brand new barracks near the Route 66 gate.......... 3 man rooms with wall closets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I accelerated out of every branch in school and believe I finished a month and a half a head of the guys I started with........... Honor grad- you got a piece of paper congratulating you for your efforts ............. You were offered your base of choice from 5 bases........... No ribbons, no promotion.......... we all got KP 2-3 times during basic and again in tech school............ Basic at that time was 12 weeks.................... TIs wore helmet liners as did the ass'ts.......................Amarillo could and did get damned cold and it snowed horizontally there.............. During my career I made it back to Amarillo 2 more times for F-102 school and for F-106 school (1959), the last time I was in the same barracks that I was in in 52-53.... BTW we didn't have day rooms at Sampson, you sat on your footlocker at the foot of your bed and shot the $hit, polished shoes, studied the Airman's Handbook or wrote letters after you got done drilling at about 7:30 PM and lights out at 9PM....................... I finished out the last 4 weeks as ass't TI because I could drill the troops. We took the drill comp trophy from an old TSgt who had won it about 5 times in a row......... Wonder what happened to all the memorbilla when Sampson closed- even from Amarillo for that matter.............. Remember constantly sweeping grain out of the door tracks and off the floor of the hangar at Amarillo because after WW2 it had been used as a grain elevator

8-)That was still going a round in 1971 when i went through.

never heard that one before!!....can't see where that would be legal for the di to do..

Steve

I was a bit earlier than The Old Sarge in getting to Basic.

I arrived in Santone, on 6 February 1952, the day King George VI of England died.

There were 78 of us from California on the Southern Pacific train from Los Angeles.

We were taken to Lackland, where we were handed to a couple of corporals, who took us to the Tent City.

There were 12 man tents, on wooden floors, with wooden walls about 4 feet high. There were screens above the walls, with tent flaps to cover them.

Each tent had it's own oil stove in the middle of the tent, on a metal plate, with the stove pipe extending through the top of the tent, via a metal sleeve that was sealed so the rain wouldn't get in.

There were duck walks from the tents to a central walkway, which led to the grass, gravel or paved assembly areas.

Early February in Santone can be cold and rainy. So the duck walks were appreciated.

To augment our 78 Californians, we got two men from Arkansas. That took us up to the Flight requirement of 80 men.

We were given our second physical exam. Guess they wanted to make sure nothing changed since we took the entrance physical.

We were also "issued" more shots in the arm than I knew existed, but none in the butt.

We were "marched" (wouldn't really call it marching) to a warehouse, where we went in by alphabetical order.

We were each handed a white duffel bag, and told to keep it open.

As we went from station to station, we were measured and given various articles of clothing and told how to fold them to put them in the duffel bag.

The Air Force was still issuing Olive Drab Army uniforms, but no one in our flight got them. We all got Air Force blues, including the very heavy all-wool overcoat (the horse blanket).

Unlike The Old Sarge, we all got white T Shirts, and boxer shorts. The shorts had ties at the waist, no snaps, buttons or elastic.

Some of the guys were issued the rough out shoes. They were also given a pack of sandpaper, and a bottle of black shoe dye. They had a lot of work to do.

The last thing we were issued was a Master Combination Lock for our duffel bags.

After 10 days at Lackland, learning how to march, salute and to stand in line at the chow hall, we were told to put on our dress blues and get packed.

We were marched to buses and took a trip to Wichita Falls and Sheppherd Field.

We finished our Basic at Sheppard.

WW2, two story barracks, small wooden shelf, with a coat hanger bar under it, 40 men on each floor, in bunk beds. The shoes were under the bed, the laundry bags hanging on the center aisle end of each bunk, footlockers, one in front, and one behind, were never locked, and we had no privacy.

Showers were in one large room off the latrine, with metal walls and, I think six shower heads. There were sinks along the back wall, a large trough like urinal, with a flush valve on one end. There were, I think, 5 commodes. Unlike Samson, we didn't have any walls between, the toilet paper was on the wall behind, which meant a twisting turn to get it. Either that or take some before you sat down.

Our laundry was done the same way The Old Sarge described, or we took it to the base laundry.

I got promoted to Private First Class during Basic, in the last couple of weeks, along with most everyone else in our flight.

I went to tech school at Sheppard, so just changed barracks, and mailing address.

Two big events, sort of, while at Lackland, involved airplanes.

Kelly Field, where the runways were, had C-99s stationed there.
When they would take off, everything shook, and the tent poles would vibrate to where we thought they would break. That happened at least once a day.

The other was the F-89s taking off.

They were the early models with 20mm cannons in the nose.

They would take off quite slowly, and very low, just past the Tent City. Kind of scary to see that big fighter so low, and too close to where we were.

The days of Basic Training were fun, challenging, disliked, hated, loved, despised, enjoyed, etc., depending on what day it was.

Jim Too

:god_bless_usa

I was fortunate enough to start basic at Lackland on April 23 1963. We had the same barracks, same routine etc. But we only had 4 1/2 weeks at lackland. No pass to San Antonio. Then we boarded a train for Denver and Lowery AFB for MA-1 training. Arriving at lowery for school we found out that 4 1/2 weeks at Lackland wasn't long enough to process our Secret Clearances so we got PATS and KP. I had 28 straight days of KP. I think my hands are still wrinkled from the pots and pans detail. So after a month delay we started school and Basic Phase 2 after school. Two hours a day for what seemed like eternity. In Phase 2 we had a TI from Chicago and his favorite was "Hero". That and polishing old plumbing pipes, carrying and polishing a brick to remind you of the "other right".
And carrying a purse if you had pocket bulge.
Ah the wonders of Lowery. I was back their for Y2K certification for the Federal Center. Thats what is on of Lowery. No more two story WWII barracks or marching troops. But Coors Brewery is still favorite stop.
Ah for the good old days...NOT!

Summer of 1971
We had a basic recruit that often forget to lock his footlocker. The Instructor 4 or 5 times did a Texas Twister in his foot locker. That is where the instructor stood up the can of shaving cream and put an object on the button and closed the lid on it. Filled the top with cream. Always made a mess.
Leaving a foot locker unsecured was a major violation.
Then one day after lunch we returned back to the barracks early.
The Instructor went inside the barracks first then the assistant instructor told us to fall out and ready for inspection.
We went upstairs to our beds and stood at attention. One of the screens were missing off the window I figure that was odd.
The instructor then got in this recruits face about his footlocker being left unlocked again. He picked up the recruits footlocker and carried it to the window and threw it out.
I knew this wasn't good!
The the Instructor yelled about teamwork, security, etc, etc.....! Then he lowered the boom. We were told to pick up our footlockers and take them outside. Once outside he yelled. From now on when recruit dumbass violates security you all suffer.
We were instructed to put our footlockers on our shoulders and run around the barracks five times then be ready for full footlocker inspection in 10 minutes.
We all pasted inspection.
That night recruit dumbass received a blanket party by most of the recruits on our floor. His blanket was pulled up over his head and he was held down while others punched him over and over and told him each time he forgot to lock his locked he'd get the same.
He looked pretty bad the next morning and when the Instructor asked what happened to him he replied, Fell in the shower. The Instructor responded, "Sure you did" and as he walked away had a smirk on his face.
After that night everyone looked at his locker when the order to fall out was given. He never forgot after that.
I and quite a few others did not participate in the blanket party. Close to a dozen recruits did.

I posted these photos on a different thread some time ago, but thought I'd share them again on the Basic Training thread since it seems appropriate.

These are displays at the USAF Enlisted Heritage Museum at Lackland. I took them this past summer during a week visit to Wilford Hall before I retired.

Might bring back a few memories!

Went in on the 6 Feb,1967. Flew from Ia. to Texas and took a bus to Lackland and the rest is history. Man It's been 45 years for me. Time has flew by. That trip was the first time in a plane. Prop job to K.C. then jet to Texas. I think the prop job was Brannif Airlines.