Story about Basic Training out of my book. Hope you enjoy. Too bad the pictures will not paste also.
I'll add some at the end.
I departed home for U.S. Air Force Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, TX on July 7, 1971. The jet took off from Albany Airport, and I flew most of the day, changed planes once, but I don’t recall where that took place. I do remember that was my first jet aircraft flight. A blue military bus picked up a few dozen new recruits up at the airport from all over the country, and took us to Lackland Air Force Base.
It was around 11:00 PM or midnight I guess, when we arrived, and then it all got pretty wild after that. A Technical Instructor (TI) got on the bus and started yelling, “Get off, get off!” so we all bailed off the bus. We processed in and then were taken to our barracks about 4:00AM and instructed to get some rest. It sure didn’t take me long to fall asleep like everyone else. Then at about 5:30AM the lights came on and the TI’s were yelling again, “Get up, Get up, Get up!”
I was thinking to myself, “Damn, didn’t I just fall asleep?” Well we marched to the chow hall for breakfast and then it was shots, uniform fitting, haircuts (or should I say head shaving), and many briefings. It was a very long day and we were glad to hit the beds that evening.
When we were awakened the next morning by the TI’s, two beds were discovered empty. Two new recruits in just one day decided that this was not the life for them.
I was raised on a dairy farm and was used to rising early to milk cows and working late. The farm had me accustomed to hard work and long walks. Military Basic training was easy for me, but we had many city kids that were not used to this activity and they were constantly complaining.
One day it was my turn for barracks security patrol. This extra duty required the selected recruit to remain in the secured barracks for security and fire protection and prevention. You had rules of security to remember and a barracks building access list to follow. Any person not on that list was not authorized access into the barracks. As I stood guard at the door Captain Shepley walked down the squadron walkway and turned up our sidewalk, my heart started to pound.
He came up to the door and started banging on the door and demanded entrance. I checked the access list and guess what? I was shocked, not to find his name on it. He kept banging on the door yelling for me to open it. I informed him that his name was not on the access list and I was not authorized to allow him access.
His banging paused, and he said, “Please let me in I have to check on something?”
I repeated myself and told him he was not on the list so he was not authorized access today.
He banged a few more times then asked me, “Do you know who I am?”
I replied, “Yes Sir”
He snapped back, “Who the hell am I?”
I quickly responded, “Sir, you are the squadron commander, Sir”
He kept at me, “Yes I am your squadron Commander, so open this damn door!”
Again I refused and he changed his tactics. He started quizzing me on my security procedures. These were procedures that you were to have memorized and failure to recall any of the ten of them would get you demerits. Each time he asked me the specific numbered procedure I recited it perfectly. After about five or six minutes he banged on the door again and yelled, “Open this damn door so I can get in my barracks on official business”. Once again I refused to open the door and he departed the area.
This was an old WWII barracks without air-conditioning near the end of July and with the hot temperatures and the stress of the Captain’s attack I was soaked in sweat. My only thought was, “Games, just stupid games.”
When the flight returned the TI asked me if I had let the Captain in, I said, “Sir, NO Sir.” The TI was pleased with me as most new recruits always caved and let the Captain through the door.
Old Barracks, Lackland AFB, TX Photos: G.H. Price Sgt Carr, TI Capt. Shepley, CO
During the first few weeks of training we were scheduled to attend numerous training briefings and classes. I do recall a few of them. One long class was given by the Staff Judge Advocates Office where we were instructed on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). This is the military law and we were briefed on many of the don’ts from writing bad checks to assaults, along with the punishments. Military law is far more wide ranging and has higher conviction rates than civilian courts. Two medical personnel came and gave us instructions on first aid, and lots of information on how not to contract sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s). They even showed us visual aids, and those pictures scared the heck out of most of us. We had security briefings and a briefing on the local San Antonio area. You name it; we got briefed on it, or given a class on it.
Mail Call was always a fun and exciting time. The last thing you wanted was the TI or Drill Instructor (DI) to get something on you to make you stand out.
We were maybe 1/4 the way through basic training when mail call came one day. Our TI sat on a stool and we sat around on the floor as he read the names on the envelopes and tossed them at us when we said, “Here.”
My name was called and the TI just looked at the envelope or card, I don't remember which it was. Then he looked up and said, “Where are you?” "Sir, here, sir" was my reply. He said "This is trouble - from the selective service, you’ve been drafted and the Marines want you!" The TI then told me to pack. He called out a few more names and someone else also got a draft notice and the TI told him to pack also. In about 5 more minutes the mail call was over and we continued packing.
The TI then said, “Total barracks inspection in 10 minutes.” He then told me and the other guy packing, “Stop packing – I’ve decided to keep you both.” What a relief! There was no way that I or the other airman could unpack and get our lockers set up for inspection in only 10 minutes and the TI knew this.
But, by this time training and teamwork had been drilled into us and the whole flight pitched in and helped us unpack and set up our personal lockers and footlockers.
There was never a dull moment in basic.
At one time our TI, SSgt Carr yelled for me to get into his office. All I could think was, “Damn, what did I do now.” I sprinted into his office and reported, “Sir, Airman Basic Price reports as ordered, Sir!” He quickly snapped at me, “What do we have here, some kind of Mama’s Boy?” I firmly replied, “Sir, No Sir!” as I was thinking, what kind of game is this, and why me? I figured that I’d never live this down as I was sure most of the other recruits could hear us.
SSgt Carr then asked, “When is the last time you called home?” I quickly responded, “Sir I have not called home, Sir.” His next question was, “When did you write home last?” My response was the same, “Sir, I have not written home either, Sir?
Then he started yelling at me, “You dumb ass, why do you think we march you to the telephones twice a week, and give you time to buy stationary and stamps in the Base Exchange?” I was surprised and caught off guard by his outburst and comments. So I did not have a reply. He started in yelling at me again.
“You have been in training over a month and instructed numerous times to telephone and write home – now we have a Red Cross Inquiry from your Mama wanting to know what happened to her boy, are you sure you’re not some kind of damn Mama’s boy?” He quickly started yelling again, thus preventing me the chance to respond. He then yelled his orders, “You will run up to the telephones and call your Mama, and then run back here within 30 minutes, do you understand?” In a flash I replied, “Sir, yes Sir!” He then yelled, “Then get going!”
I made my phone call and returned to the barracks within the 30 minutes. I let my Mom know that I was not pleased with her calling the Red Cross and to not do anything like that again. That I did not enjoy my TI screaming at me in the barracks. The incident was never mentioned to me again by the TI or any of my fellow recruits.
Our TI loved Texas Twisters and greatly enjoyed giving them. A Texas Twister was caused and done to a recruit when a recruit would leave his foot locker unlocked or unsecured. If the TI found a footlocker unlocked, he’d take the cap off the shaving cream can. He’d then put an object onto the top of the shaving cream’s button valve and close the foot lockers lid, the weight of the lid would empty the shaving cream all over the inside of the recruits foot locker.
One recruit had left his foot locker unsecured for the 3rd time. He was only two beds away from me. When we entered the barracks I noticed the bug screen removed from one of the windows and wondered why. We all lined up at our bunks and the TI came in and went right to the recruit that for the 3rd time failed to secure his locker. The TI yelled and yelled, and I felt bad for the recruit, but I was glad it was not me. The TI then picked up that foot locker and carried it over to the window and emptied it out the window. We were on the 2nd floor.
I was thinking to myself, “Wow, sure glad that is over”. Next thing I heard was the TI say, “Thanks to this recruit, all of you on this floor will pick up your foot lockers on your shoulder and carry them down stairs and run around the barracks 3 times then back up stairs and be ready for inspection in 10 minutes.”
When we got back upstairs tired and bruised, the screen was back in the window and our TI’s were gone. I knew we only had 10 minutes and they would return. I heard one fellow recruit laugh and say, “I bet the TI’s are having a cold soda now and laughing.” He was likely right about that.
Then came the day when we got our first trip to the rifle range. The rifle range was between Lackland AFB and Kelley AFB, quite a long distance march. The first day was dry fire where we learned about the M-16 weapon. Learned how to dismantle it, clear it, clean it, and reassemble it. After all that, we did dry fire exercises. That is where you learn breath control and trigger squeezing. That afternoon we marched all the way back. The next day it was again the long march back to the rifle range and we got to do it all again. This time we got to shoot live ammo and smell the gun powder in the air. Reminds me of the line in the movie, “Apocalypse Now,” when the Commander says, “I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Morning!” You just need to switch Napalm with Gun Powder.
USAF Photo
I did pretty well on the rifle range. After all, I’d spent years hunting woodchucks on our farms with a 22 rifle. Hunted whitetail deer with a Winchester rifle, and wild turkey with a shotgun. I was almost born with a weapon in my hands.
Sometime between the Weapons Training and the Confidence Course we had our Training Flight picture taken. I’m in the center just above the Instructor’s hat.
3702 Basic Military Training Flight 1971 U.S.Air Force Photo
During our last week in basic training it was time for the obstacle course, commonly referred to as the Confidence Course. You had to complete it within a specific time frame to graduate from basic training. As I approached this water obstacle that you swung across on a rope a TI was standing in the way to stop me. “All I could think was, “Damn, this idiot’s going to delay me and cost me lost time.” Before I came to a complete stop from my running the TI spoke out loudly, “Run around - water moccasin was spotted in the pond!” My reply was, “Gladly Sir.” Not one recruit in our flight failed the obstacle course.
Now it was time we marched to a building were we met with Career Training Officers. When my turn came I was sent into a room with a Major. To a young recruit like myself an Air Force Major was almost like a God. I spoke up and said, “Airman Basic Price reporting as ordered, Sir!” The Major snapped back, “Take a seat Airman.”
The Major seemed to know more about me than I knew about myself, or remembered.
The major started off with, “I see you played football in high school, you were on your school’s swim team, and worked on the family farm, is that correct?” I quickly answered, “Sir, yes Sir!” The Major spoke again and said, “You are very active and physically fit.” I got the jump on him and replied again, “Sir, yes Sir.” I could tell he was not pleased with my fast answer as he leaned forward and looked into my eyes. He then remarked, “You scored high on your enlistment tests also, is that correct?” I knew my scores we good but I could not recall how good, so I replied, “Sir, I think so, Sir.” At this point the Major stood up, looked down at me, and said, “Airman, I’m not interested in what you think, I interested in what you know!” He went on and remarked, “Your record reflects that you scored very high with the M-16.” I remembered my TI saying that I’d come close to receiving a marksmanship ribbon. So I replied, “Yes Sir.”
The Major paced back and forth behind his desk for a few seconds then sat back down. He looked at me and said, “I see you mother has signed for you to enlist early. That your recruiter guaranteed you a job in the Aircraft Maintenance Career Field as a Jet Engine Mechanic. Again I answered, “Yes Sir.”
He went on and talked about how the Air Force needed Pararescue Personnel. That I’d get a good valuable education and training in emergency medical care, extensive survival training, and attend parachute training; I’d also get plenty of training and practice with military weapons. This sounded very exciting to me so we talked more. The Major wanted to know if I had questions, and I did. I learned that most pararescue men were sent to the jungles of South East Asia. When I was a kid on our farm I stepped on a rock and out crawled a rattlesnake. From then on I was deathly afraid of snakes. South East Asia had lots of snakes and so I declined the offer in pararescue.
The Major did his best to push me into pararescure training, I guess because of my high school sports and test scores, but I continued to decline. I don’t know what made me speak up, but I suggested that if the Air Force was not going to let me be a Jet Engine Mechanic, as my recruiter guaranteed, then I should be given a permanent deferment from being drafted and sent home.
The major leaned back in his chair and just looked at me for a short period of time. I kept my mouth shut waiting for him to say something. He glanced back down at my records and then said, “Jet Engine School it is, Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois.” My response was relief and my reply to the Major was, “Sir, Thank-you Sir!” The Major quickly replied, “Dismissed Airman, send in the next one!” I quickly responded, “Yes Sir” and got out of that office. I advised the next Airman it was his turn to go in.
Finally it came, Graduation Day! This was a very special day to me. I’d left high school after the eleventh grade and went into the Air Force. I was sick of high school and wanted to get started on a career and an adventure. It all worked out well for me as two years later I finished my high school education and got my diploma.
It was hot on the parade grounds Graduation day as we marched around. Later as we stood at parade rest and listened to a speech by some general we had two airman pass out. After all the pomp and ceremonies were over it was pass time. We all got weekend passes for good old San Antonio.
Our flight only suffered one embarrassment during the weekend pass. Two of our young airman hooked up with two young girls who had a vehicle. They drove out of town and promised the airman a good time. As the report went, the girls were in a convertible and after they stopped on a lonely dirt road the guys got out of the back seat and stood behind the car. The girls told them to remove their shirts and toss them in the back seat to prevent them from getting dirty, and to turn around and close their eyes until they were told they could open them. When they were told to open their eyes and turn around the girls had removed their shirts and bras. The sight of the two girls and naked breasts in the moonlight had them hooked. The girls then told the airman if they wanted the remainder of a good time, to remove their uniform pants and toss them in the back seat also preventing them from getting dirty. Of course the airmen did as they were told and the girls sped off with the airmen’s uniforms, wallets, including their military ID’s. Our TI had to go in the wee hours of the morning to the San Antonio Police Department to pick up the two airmen. They became a laughing stock until we all departed Lackland Air Force Base for our respective Technical Training Schools.
