Fort Benning Trainee "Double Timing" on Broken Leg
Apparently Fort Benning is not satisfied to leave Fort Sill resting on its laurels as the most documented location of abuse of injured Army trainees. The competition is heating up, so to speak. Sadly, as is common, the trainee in the following story has expressed that others are being treated worse than him. A young man who dreamed of nothing all his life except being a soldier is a trainee at Fort Benning. He seriously fractured his leg during Basic Training, and as a result is in a cast and on crutches.
He has been informed that he is receiving a medical discharge (known as a "Med Board"). The Army has up to 90 days to effect this, once the decision has been made. Despite the obvious evidence of this Private's injury, his officers and NCOs have decided to have a little fun with him. I guess there's no appropriate place for this young man to be while he waits out his unwanted medical discharge, because they have him sitting in a training battalion headquarters building with those his senior (which is nearly everyone when you are a trainee Private). [Note: This Trainee's particular Training Drill Sergeant is NOT a participant in the following incidents]
Outside of the miscellaneous insults he receives on a daily basis, the following are incidents of verbal and secondary physical ABUSE:
- An OFFICER of the training unit required the trainee to look up and read the definition of "infirm" out loud and then informed the trainee, "that is you, you are the weak, the helpless, the useless." Small stuff, you might think. Now remember that the Officers set the tone for those under their command and read on.
- A DRILL SERGEANT took the trainee's crutch away from him and threw it in the bushes. As a note, the trainee then tried to get permission from the medical staff to forego his crutch. That permission was refused.
- Another DRILL SERGEANT made the trainee DOUBLE TIME around the building on his broken leg. (Double time "begins with the left foot, raises the forearms to a horizontal position along the waistline, cups the hands with the knuckles out, and begins an easy run of 180 steps per minute with 30-inch steps, measured from heel to heel. Coordinated motion of the arms are maintained throughout")
- Yet another DRILL SERGEANT has ordered the trainee to recite the following [Note: as of this time, the trainee has refused to do it, and has recited the Soldiers' Creed instead]
I am an American Profile.
I am weakly, and a burden to the team.
I serve the hospital and the people who work in it.
I will always be the first to complain about the mission.
I will easily accept defeat.
I will always quit.
I will be the fallen comrade.
I am always hurt, physically, and/or mentally.
Trained and proficient in filling out the sick call slip,
I will always complain about my arms, my legs, and anything else wrong with me.
I am on crutches and I am on quarters.
I sit, ready to duck, dodge, and avoid the PT test conducted by the Army of the United States
of America.
I am a guardian of the clinic and a sorry way of life.
I am an American profile.***
Very clever, don't you think? Not quite on the level with Weird Al Yankovic, but considering the source, not a bad parody to use on an injured trainee who is already grappling with the apparent destruction of his lifelong dream. Causing physical pain and mental anguish to this young Private is justified, right? After all, he became injured in an attempt to serve his country, and that makes him useless, right? He should be out there running on a broken leg, right? Oh, but wait, HE ALREADY DID THAT.
I have cut and pasted both the public comments made by his family member elsewhere on this blog, and excerpts from her private comments to me (with her permission) below the actual Soldiers Creed.
***[The "Real"] Soldiers Creed
I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks
and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in
close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
Injured Trainee's Family Member Comments:
"I must say that had I read this a few months ago I would not have believed it. Now I know first hand. I have a son in the Army in basic at Benning and he is not being treated very well.
Until his injury we were receiving very upbeat letters from him talking about how he loved the Army and how excited he was, he told us basic was hard but he was doing very well. About six weeks in he was injured and he called us to tell us they are discharging him under a medical discharge. That was three weeks ago. The letters we get now tell us that he sits in the HQ all day for 12 hours and more, staring at the wall, he mentioned that he is called names. He told us that his own DS and his company treat him with respect but others do not. The injured are ridiculed often and are all treated like quitters.
It is interesting that they label him a quitter even though he marched on a fractured leg without complaint and then broke it the next morning while running.
Today's letter told us that a Cpt there made him look up the word "infirm" and tell him the definition of the word and then informed him that "this is you, weak, feeble and useless".
It scares me, he has only mentioned these things in passing, most of his letters are just his despair at being sent home and his despair at watching the others go out and train while he sits and waits.
I am angry over this treatment. I am a veteran and come from a family of veterans. I have taught my children patriotism and was proud when he chose to serve his country and proud of the letters I was receiving talking of his commitment to the Army and his desire to make a career of it and that he felt he had found a home, now I am ashamed that he is being treated like this. In my opinion there is nothing more precious that we can offer our country than our brave sons and daughters and for them to be treated in this manner is deplorable.
Reading this blog makes me even more concerned because it was my hope that he is simply facing a couple of people with no honor who are just being cruel, yet from reading this it seems it is common and I worry for his mental state if he has to stay in these conditions for very long. "
"He was part of the Young Marines program as a child and had trained in numerous martial arts programs all in preperation to become a soldier. He rarely talked about anything else growing up.
We received many letters, in them he spoke of his pride at being a soldier, he said the training was hard but he loved it, and how he believed he belonged in the Army. He was training to be an Infantryman. He spoke in letters of how he would most likely end up in Afghanatstein or Iraq and that we must not worry for him, that he was proud to go and serve, that it was his duty to do so.
And then he was injured.
On a ruck march he hurt his leg, he said he pushed himself and finished the march, his leg was bothering him but he was working through the pain. The next morning he went out to do PT and while running the bone fractured. The docters told him they think he fractured it the previous day on the march and fractured it worse when he attempted to run on it the next day.
Since that time, my son has been treated like a piece of garbage. He is called names which I cannot mention in an email to a stranger. He says that his own drill sergeant and his company do not mistreat him, they have told him he is a soldier at heart and they are sorry to see him injured.
He is being discharged. He found out about the discharge on (recent date deleted) of this year. He is still at the (designation deleted) at Benning, he has to sit at their HQ every day and endure insults by both officers and NCO's. As his mother I made the mistake of sending an email to the commander of the (designation removed) and I got a very respectful reply back, but I found out today that this man asked my son to look up the word "infirm" and read him the definition and then he told my son "that is you, you are the weak, the helpless, the useless".
My son is very depressed and told me today that he is trying to endure, but it is very hard, he does nothing all day except sit and stare at the wall. He does this for 12 hours or more every day, and it is only broken up by the moments when NCO's and Officers come in and give him verbal abuse and insult him. And even through all this all he really wants is to be able to stay in the Army and finish his traning and become and Infantryman. He is not a quitter and can take a lot of abuse but this mental abuse is horrible and I fear they will break him."
"All of them talk about his sitting around all day with nothing to do. He is not allowed to read or rest while the rest of the group are out training so he sits. Two letters make reference to the two persons who call him "broken dick" and the officer that made him look up the definition of "infirm". There are others there getting worse treatment. My son has it easy so to speak because he has the respect of his drill sgt and his group, some of the young men there have no one. I cannot imagine the torment of the ones who just are not able to make the stress of basic training or the ones whose injuries are not readily visible. My son is in a cast and on crutches so at least he has something visible to look at showing he is injured."
"He said one of his DS's told him that out of all the guys in the company that (name deleted) is the one he would not be afraid to go into battle with on day one. He said that made him proud.""He says he is reading his Bible and praying and that doing that plus having the support of his company and his own drill sgt as well as the first sgt enables him to get through the days where the others are messing with him all the time. He is going to church each Sunday and he is speaking with a Chaplain when everything starts to get more than he can bear."
Labels: army injury, basic training, Fort Benning, medical discharge, soldier's creed, trainee abuse
posted by Pat deV at 7:25 AM
33 Comments:
I don't know what your background with PTRP has been but I don't need to tell you (especially if you were a Soldier assigned to one) that there are two sides to every story. I have never heard very much from bloggers on this subject about what the Soldiers assigned to these units do contra to regulation, SOP's and basic good order and discipline when the unit Cadre are not around. Here is what I saw while assigned to a PTRP: the selling of prescription meds by trainees to one another and the rampant abuse of them, inappropriate (gay and straight) relationships between Soldiers, sneaking off from appointments to purchase unauthorized products such as tobacco and alcohol and then bringing them back into the billets for sale, (yes, there is a nice little cottage industry some Trainees have created at PTRP) smoking in government facilities, sneaking food into communal living quarters, disrespect to Officers and NCO's, disobeying lawful orders, failures to follow instructions and abusing fellow soldiers both physically and verbally.
I understand sort of where you are going with this blog- I just can't understand why you are not being evenhanded with it.
I think that there is an entire generation of young people who are completly disconnected with what the Army is supposed to be. It's not band camp it's BCT , and oh yes... we are at war currently on two fronts. I think you should perhaps be more familiar with the culture of the Army before you take sick call ranger out of context and use it as a point for your crusade. While eloquently written, the blog is a shoddy asessment and crusade for a one sided agenda. If your intent was to educate then I don't think you are doing a good job at it. That is just my opinion and lord knows everyone has one.. don't they?
The person who left the comment before me is a piece of garbage, and if he's in my chain of command, because I'm in Ft. Benning PTRP, then I'll say it to your face if you want me too.
The Cadre here DO NOT GIVE A DAMN about us, heres what I'VE seen while assigned to PTRP: The refusal to provide prescription and medication to soldiers by Cadre, Inappropriate relationships between certain NCOs and Officers (COUGH COUGH DS WHITEHURST AND CPT TRUET), Cadre bringing in boxes of pizza and other food, and eating it right in front of the privates, Smoking right in front of privates, dipping and chewing right in front of privates, rubbing it all in their faces that they can do these things and we cant. I've seen disrespect to soldiers from NCOs and Officers, enough to last TEN THOUSAND ENLISTMENTS AND CAUSE A BRIGADES WORTH OF SUICIDES. They box us up in a small bay for months straight with no relief and shake us up, yeah we sometimes get into fights, it's rare though, and anyone involved has 2 seconds to do what they want before the other 100 privates jump on them and break it up, none of us want trouble.
I expected to be treated like Trash during basic, thats fine. I didnt expect to be stuck in basic for 8 MONTHS, IT ISN'T THE SAME GOD DAMMIT. You get to go home every day unless you have CQ, I havent seen my family since January, and they was only for two weeks.
How dare you even try to "Balance the scale", You put us in a minefield and expect us not to step on one? WTF! Lets trade rank for ONE WEEK, you sit in the barracks for ONE WEEK as a private and me as a Staff Sergeant and I'll show you pain.
Sorry Bud, respect IS NOT a one way road.
Yeah, Lord knows everyone has one.
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I'm on CON leave right now from Basic at Ft Benning because I broke my wrist and I have seen nothing like this happen. If a DS were to take crutches from a private the DS would recieve an article 15 and be booted from his position. Maybe this happened a few years ago and it was the way things were, but as of 2009, things have changed. Well, except for lying privates.
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I'm an infantryman and as such graduated basic training and infantry school and your use of the term sick call ranger is wrong. A sick call ranger is a trainee that goes to sick call many times to evade training and still graduate it happens too much and that reflects badly on the ds the training unit and the army. This sounds hard to believe when you understand that the civillian staff which includes the PAs and at the end the BC will sit everyone down and ask about what has happened and complaints. The bc would destroy his entire basic training staff if he caught any of this just how mine destroyed 30th AG alpha co when I went through
First, to the poster who said:
"I don't know what your background with PTRP has been" & "I think you should perhaps be more familiar with the culture of the Army before you take sick call ranger out of context and use it as a point for your crusade. While eloquently written, the blog is a shoddy asessment (sic) and crusade for a one sided agenda."
For those of you who haven't bothered to read the other posts on this blog, I'm a current military mom of 2 Iraq veterans (1 still active duty on his 2nd tour), daughter, niece, cousin, ex-wife, & granddaughter of military veterans. The only agenda I have is to bring attention to the appalling hidden abuse in the PTRPs. I only delete "spam" comments such as ads.
I've met &/or interviewed some PTRP-ers, and corresponded and validated many stories from trainees/soldiers and/or their families. Since many trainees/soldiers are still active duty, I tell some stories without identifying the soldier by name. Sometimes they self identify in their comments. I have received many more documented stories than are told here. They remain unpublished for a variety of reasons.
More than anything else, I am impressed by the courage of those who do speak out. They have everything to lose, and receive mostly ridicule, disbelief, and punishment for their efforts to help their brothers in arms.
Most Drill Sergeants are fair & honest people who care about their trainees/soldiers.
Some are not...just as in the civilian world, some are unbalanced bullies. DS's are often assigned to run PTRP units when they are thought to be "burned out". They are often "burned out" because they did a tour (or 2) in Iraq & are sent to Basic Training to bring their valuable field experience. Some are okay. Others are not... you don't have to take my word for it. Look at the (Army) reports for Iraq veterans and violence/suicide. Drill Sergeants are not immune to PTSD, and not immune to other mental health problems. Even those who don't act out remain silent because they don't want to turn in a fellow NCO.
As to the drug abuse at PTRPs, yes, it can be a problem. Most PTRPs have the Drill Sergeants issue the medications at specific times. Again, most DSs are responsible people, but some are not. Some officers and NCOs have used their soldiers/trainees to bring in or sell contraband. Again, not my agenda, just look it up. One final thing I have to say about the drugs: If you have these young trainees/soldiers under lock and key (and PTRP-ers are largely kept similarly to prisoners), you tell them when to sleep eat, shower, shave, think, and say. If because of their injuries, they are prescribed narcotics...and as a result they become drug abusers, just whose responsibility is it to take care of that?
Fyi, no one can get into a PTRP without an Army doctor verified injury...and more often than not, all but emergency medical treatment is delayed (and in some cases, even that is delayed).
To the person who said I used the term Sick Call Ranger incorrectly, I used The Sick Call Ranger Creed in telling the story of a young man with a broken leg, just as it was told to me.
I'm sure that all of you who comment about Battery Commanders and congress people and such believe what you say. The fact of the matter is, it doesn't always happen that way. It's easy to say that something can't happen, until it happens to you or a family member. This isn't an "us" and "them" blog. I've received independent verification from officers and NCOs that corroborates many of the stories and comments posted here.
I don't have a staff, a hotline, or anything else. I have no affiliations. There's just me, and the courageous young men & women who serve our country & sometimes their families. Because of that the stories come out slowly, and with the painstaking research & effort of one person.
I am seeing this blog as kind of a "witch hunt" against PTRP's, their mission and the Cadre. I used to be a Drill Sergeant at PTRP at Ft. Benning and here is my story. The soldiers that come there are injured, we got that. The issue isn't with the injury itself but with the soldiers attitude. What these soldiers are not telling you is that they are afforded the chance to train (within the limits of their profiles) to make up the training that they need to graduate. We actually graduated 20 plus soldiers from PRTP that went to AIT or operational units. Most of the soldiers don't want it. They get down there feeling sorry for themselves and don't have the mental make-up to pull out of it. Nothing in the Army is handed to you, so why would PTRP be the exception? A typical weekend for one of these soldiers includes (if they weren't in trouble or not phasing) an on-post pass, use of their cell phones, electronics, watching TV and pizza. Now how many soldiers going through a normal basic training cycle get that? They don't. The reason why some soldiers stay down there so long is because they want to. Why would you give that up? Some people stay down there that long because they are actually injured to a point that it might take a lot of time for them to heal. DS's can fix a lot of things but they cannot heal the body or the mind for that matter. Desire to accomplish something, you either have it or you don't. The fact is that most of these injuries are because of the Monster swilling, X-Box Olympic champion, non-pysical lifestyle they lived before they joined the Army and stopped having it handed to them on a silver platter. This is in no means a stab at these individuals because they did volunteer during a time of war and I give the credit for that. It is just a fact of the current generation. I find it all amusing that non-military folks and soldiers with less time in the Army than my boots have the gall to comment about a process they know nothing about. Why don't these people get a clue and grow up.
Nice story you got here. I'd like to read more about this matter.
By the way look at the design I've made myself Young escorts
Just being straight up the military is not the Care Bear Club, ok? I think that basic training is starting to become a joke. If you can't handle people calling you names or making fun of you get out seriously. I also think there is two sides to this story as well because most, not all people that go and get a profile make an excuse not to do work or anything they don't want to do for that matter. So grow up and become a man and take what's giv'in to you and deal with it.
I agree. Any and all cruelty you get as an injured trainee is deserved. It is for the betterment of those around you, not you as an individual. You cost the Army money and time by being injured, and you ought to have to pay it back in whatever way the army sees fit.
DSs breaking crutches or what have you ought to be understood as a warning and an example to others in the unit. You are there to be put back into action, and anything that keeps you from being put back into action ought to be your fault.
Ms. DeVarennes, your actions on behalf of individual soldiers only weaken the ethic of discipline and of warriorship. Your kindness will get men killed. The Drill Sergeant must be given absolute authority and freedom to stop that happening, and I hope you do not sleep nights until you understand this.
Dear Frank, you must be a friend of Paul's... I sleep very well now, thank you...since both of my Iraq veteran sons, with 3 tours between them and multiple decorations aren't deployed any longer. Abusive tactics employed against injured trainees are illegal. Read your TR350-6 sometime. I know it nearly by heart now. I make no apology for my actions on behalf of the courageous young men and women who've spoken out about their treatment (or lack thereof). I'm only sorry I can't do more. Making an injured soldiers injuries worse than they already are makes them not only a liability to the Army as a whole, but a potential liability to their units. I wish for you to have to walk a mile in their boots, sometime. Meanwhile, you could practice by pulling the wings off of flies or setting cats on fire.
To PV2 Burnham: Bravo. There was much that you did not include but in what you did was very much the way it was in the bay.
Yes....we did get to participate in activeities that we would not have been able to while downrange. but when you are in a recovery and rehabilitaion program for SO long still in a VERY tightly controled enviroment for so long yes we all got abit twitchy and some even start to no longer care. Those that i saw get better and train up and got back down range i applauded them. those that i KNOW for fact did EVERYTHING within their power to stay in PTRP made me sick. Cases of privates takeing large books and hitting them selves over and over and over again just to stay there. Bums who just didnt try. Some of the DS's there were good people. I myself never had issue with DS Whitehurst but i know a few who did. It was DS Everett who helped me the most After i had received news that my daughter had been molested while i was there at benning. To him i owe a debt of gratitude that cannot be expressed enough. Most of the cadre though didnt want to be a PTRP DS. Thought it was demeaning for them to be leading a bunch of broke dicks. others just became so jaded that they quite caring about the soldiers under their command. Some thought it fun to poke fun at us with freedoms that they were openly allowed to enjoy but were actively denied to us.
But....this blog artical was about the happenings to a injured soldier while downrange still in a training. and yes.....i can honestly say i say DS's do things like that to those of us that were injured. I was not so fortunet as to have a DS that was understanding nor forgiveing for the fact that we were injured dureing training. we were publicly ridiculed and forced to still preform in alot of cases. One battle buddy of mine broke his foot while we ruck marching. i was behind me when i could actually hear the snap from inside his boot. He still pressed thru the whole march only to be informed that pain was "just bitch leaving the body." in some of the training i couldnt have agreed more but this mans foot was BROKEN! It took myself eating the dirt when my knee went out dureing morning PT before the DS would grant me sick call. even after i was put on profile i was still ordered to ruck and run on multiple occasions. As it stands im now a canidate for knee replacement surgery after this. Even after the Army doctor ruled my knee injury as "Chronic knee pain syndrome" for my med board.
I am proud of my time in the army. it saddens me that due to my injury i was forced to leave. Yes there are ALWAYS multiple sides to a story. I cant truly speak for others. All i can do is speak for my own. Yes i saw many things that were not right and did not in anyway fall within the creed we all spoke every morning. Saw both trainees and cadre do things that should have had them under court martial even...but the straight up abuse of soldiers by cadre CANNOT be tolerated.
To PV2 Burnham: Bravo. There was much that you did not include but in what you did was very much the way it was in the bay.
Yes....we did get to participate in activeities that we would not have been able to while downrange. but when you are in a recovery and rehabilitaion program for SO long still in a VERY tightly controled enviroment for so long yes we all got abit twitchy and some even start to no longer care. Those that i saw get better and train up and got back down range i applauded them. those that i KNOW for fact did EVERYTHING within their power to stay in PTRP made me sick. Cases of privates takeing large books and hitting them selves over and over and over again just to stay there. Bums who just didnt try. Some of the DS's there were good people. I myself never had issue with DS Whitehurst but i know a few who did. It was DS Everett who helped me the most After i had received news that my daughter had been molested while i was there at benning. To him i owe a debt of gratitude that cannot be expressed enough. Most of the cadre though didnt want to be a PTRP DS. Thought it was demeaning for them to be leading a bunch of broke dicks. others just became so jaded that they quite caring about the soldiers under their command. Some thought it fun to poke fun at us with freedoms that they were openly allowed to enjoy but were actively denied to us.
But....this blog artical was about the happenings to a injured soldier while downrange still in a training. and yes.....i can honestly say i say DS's do things like that to those of us that were injured. I was not so fortunet as to have a DS that was understanding nor forgiveing for the fact that we were injured dureing training. we were publicly ridiculed and forced to still preform in alot of cases. One battle buddy of mine broke his foot while we ruck marching. i was behind me when i could actually hear the snap from inside his boot. He still pressed thru the whole march only to be informed that pain was "just bitch leaving the body." in some of the training i couldnt have agreed more but this mans foot was BROKEN! It took myself eating the dirt when my knee went out dureing morning PT before the DS would grant me sick call. even after i was put on profile i was still ordered to ruck and run on multiple occasions. As it stands im now a canidate for knee replacement surgery after this. Even after the Army doctor ruled my knee injury as "Chronic knee pain syndrome" for my med board.
I am proud of my time in the army. it saddens me that due to my injury i was forced to leave. Yes there are ALWAYS multiple sides to a story. I cant truly speak for others. All i can do is speak for my own. Yes i saw many things that were not right and did not in anyway fall within the creed we all spoke every morning. Saw both trainees and cadre do things that should have had them under court martial even...but the straight up abuse of soldiers by cadre CANNOT be tolerated.
As a former DS at PTRP I assure you that most of these blogs are either not true or half true. I am a veteran and have been deployed multiple times. I earned my position with sweat and hardwork. i have served in the Army for more than ten years. The DS's at PTRP are not burn outs or PTSD cases and they do care. Most DS's in fact have done twelve months in training units prior to PTRP and served honorable and were asked to serve at 30th AG or placed for a reason. I was a DS for 18 months at PTRP, before a parent and trainee speak they need to get both sides of the story. I know PV2 Burnham, and i question his motives. I remember trainees, skipping training, missing appointments, selling and buying contraband to include cigarettes and smokeless tobbacco and unauthorized use of phones. These are the reason priveleges are taken from Soldiers because of there lack of respect towards the rules and regulations set forth and there contempt for there instructors. DS's have a job to do, remember that, that job is to mold your mind as well as your body, so when trainees opt not to train and whine and cry of the DS is going to take corrective action. Most trainees care and want to return to training. DS's do not have an issue with these personel, its the trainees who use there injuries as excuses not to train and spread there bad attitude and lack of respect threw are formations. I have not witnessed abuse or a cadre not following guidlines set forth. I have witnessed trainees who believe they are owed something when they have been in the Army less than a year and have know idea the challenges that face them in operational units. All DS's understand there responsibility to protect trainees, train them and there health and welfare. In regards to there treatment for there injuries, each one of them is under care of a pyhsical therapist which determines how long they stay at PTRP, there DS's only reccommend seperation based on there potential and of course there performance. Do not place blame on seasoned army NCO's who have nothing to do with them staying at PTRP for 8 months. The system at PTRP has been revamped the max stay now is 90 days, there are some exceptions made depending on injury and potential for the trainees recovery. Remember the word TRAINEE thats what they are, they are not Soldiers in operational units. They have much to learn to include how the army works. My advice to any TRAINEE at PTRP is to follow the program and listen to your instructors and Doctors and follow the rules and do not walk around complaining because right now there is line of men waiting to take your spot. The army spends allot of money to help you, take advantage of it and train to meet your goal when you joined, to be a Soldier.
I would just like to say that I was in Army boot camp in 1974 and nobody wanted to go on sick call even when they were very sick. I went on sick call once because my ears were totally stopped up, but I only did it because a drill Sgt. told us he would be in an office down stairs and he wanted us to come to him with any problems we had. I had to be MADE to go on sick call. People that had severe open blisters on their feet would come back with medical sandals and they were made fun of for wearing a goddamned jesus boot. Every morning when the call was given for sick call it was,"Sick Lame and Lazy!" :What Are You Sick OF?! My Army?! lol! :)
I used to be in MCU in ft benning right next to PTRP in 2006 I have seen both sides. Some of the cadre don't care at all and while some do I have seen pvts sell contraband all the time and even participated. at the time MCU was a test program which was a way to keep soldiers on base instead of sending them home to recuperate from their injuries so it was like being home, on base it was enough to make u miss home and to me it felt like a miniature prison no phone privileges but u had a tv and about 12 ppl to share it with. I don't know if it's still in existence but all in all the worst place to be in ft benning in my experience was the RHU... I don't want to say more about it because fromwhat I've seen and heard from privates before me it was bad
Grow some balls. I'm an E4 with 2 f***** up knees and can still run a 1318 2 mile. Every one going to BCT for 11B need to be tough, combat is hell 12 months in the Arghandab valley getting shot at with all kinds of things, IEDs going off every were you need to be tough. I watched a friend get hit by an IED and the next morning drove out to help some one who got hit in the same AO. So if you can't handle a little name calling get the fuck out!!!
I know of one there now trying hard as hell to stay in, but is being med boarded out anyway due to an injury. He shouldnt be isolated or mistreated due to an injury. He worked like hell to get there. Hasn't said anything about seeing anyone selling meds, or anything else qoted on here. Just a good kid that got hurt doing what he was told to do. Still, he is being treated like a piece of crap. Now for the 'fakers' or those that had second thoughts...fair game.
This is ridiculous. I know there are probably plenty of guys or "quitters" who would disobey. My husband is in the RHU unit right now and he has told me the things they do to the men. Some are quitters and some are injured. That doesn't give the officers to treat them like crap. Military life isn't made for everyone. My husband has wanted to be soldier all his life and he got discharged for having flat feet and plantar fascitiis. Its not his fault that MEPS didn't catch this small issue before he left. He has been stuck waiting to come home for 4 weeks now! He has been going through a lot of mental hardships too because of how the DS treat him. They have changed him and I can't say for the better.
So when I read this poor guys story and read what they have done to him, I completely believe it. I pray that this young man gets home safely and is protected from any further abuse. This puts shame on the US Army.
i recently returned from Ft. Bennings Infamous RHU. In lack of better terms PV2 Burnham is correct. I am prior service US Army 82 AA with Scout Sniper, Cav Scout, Ranger, and also Infantryman under my belt from 11 years of service ranging from the late 90's to present. And upon re-entering the US Army, I was in training for 45 out of 65 days before recieving a medical discharge for a heart condition that nearly that everyone lives with. Yes I understand that soldiers entering into the Amry into the MOS of Infantryman need to be tough, but really all soldiers entering the Army period need to be tough so who ever posted that comment about being 11B and a Specialist, Im sorry but as a former 1SGT and now retired SFC I out rank you and I firmly believe with no doubt in my mind that you are nothing more than a disrespectful soldier with some individuality. Now back to my point. RHU is a complete hell hole in FT Benning. There is mold and asbestos in the Vietnam era buildings that the "privates" are forced to clean with no protective gear such as facemasks. Most of the young men I served with in RHU, including myself, came down with upper respritory infections from the environment around us. The cadre? well, needless to say the Cadre do not give a damn. I repeat, THE CADRE DO NOT GIVE A DAMN. Ive been there and done that in any situation you could imagine ranging from Tecrit to Kuwait and lost many good men along the way but I have never seen anything as pothetic in my life as the RHU in FT. Benning. It is an out dated facility with no military bearing from the Cadre nor respect for that matter. I pray for any soldier of my great country and my Army that has to settle into RHU untill they return home.
How long does it take to send these injured soldiers home? My son has been injured for 4 Weeks and still waiting at fort benning
I was in PTRP (ftu) at benning. I had bilateral stress fractures in my feet and ankles. FTU isran like red phase. I would say it is half and half,some drill sergeants did care some did not. DS McNeill threw my crutches because I did not come down the hill fast enoughto get in formation. that was my first day at FTU. he accused me of faking the entire time I was there despite xrays at showed otherwise. I was given an article 15 for malingering, because the doctor denied my request to discontinue use of crutches. DS Bell showed an active interest in my recovery. after 60 days, I was recommended for med board. the company commander also accused me of faking. despite everyone's injuries, mass punishment was in force. if 1 soldier did something stupid everyone paid for it with PT. some soldiers were able to heal and go back to training. Some soldiers barely passed their pt tests, just enough to be sent back to training. Still injured. A lot of them worsening their injuries or reinjuring themselves. We'd be forced to stand sometimes for up to 2 hours waiting to get into the chow hall at 30th AG, once again, despite injuries. Most soldiers at PTRP suffered lower extremity injuries and had no standing profiles. the drill sergeants did not care. our entire day would consist of PT and cleaning. from morning to lights out. the doctors said the only way for stress fractures to heal is to stay of the injury and rest . They had ATC's (athletic training coordinators,.college interns) there to help modify the work outs so they wouldn't affect the injuries. those people just became pets to the drill sergeants. they themselves would act like a drill sergeant. The CO was not much better. She would watch the drill sergeants ridicule soldiers, break profiles, and allow this behavior. It's not a place for healing. It is however a great program for those who have a hard time passing PT tests without injuries. The training is great if you're not hurt. after my med board I was moved to RHU. I was treated great there. Med boards were shown a lot more respect than other soldiers, even given leadership roles. I was on medical hold from August 14th, 2011 until my discharge on January 24th, 2012. I spent a total of 9 months at fort benning. I would like to thank DS Hooks, Corinaldi, Hansen, Rodriguez, all of the drill sergeants at RHU for making the rest of my stay at benning as easy as possible and for teaching me all that you've taught me. There are some great people there.
My husband just got to RHU today, and I can believe it. I wouldn't have before - the worst I saw in my time at Fort Leonard Wood was a few insults thrown the quitters' way (quitters, not holdovers). But hearing everything that has happened to my husband, and seeing just how it has changed him, was very frightening. He actually tried to train a whole MONTH before his back pain finally became too much to bear, and he went to sick call. He shouldn't have even been let in to the Army in the first place - whoever medically cleared him at MEPS didn't correctly evaluate him.
Issues with contraband and fraternization aren't the point of this blog post, for those that couldn't tell. It's the way those being med boarded are being mistreated, even those who tried fighting through pain. Now they have to fight through two different kinds of pain. If this was okay by anyone's standards, there would not be investigations starting.
After spending a year and a half, mostly as an injured soldier, I can say the treatment of injured soldiers in training would appall most civilians. Part of the reasoning is by design and understandable the other part is a lack of quality leaders. Most of the trainees at Fort Benning are infantry meaning they are training not only to neutralize enemy combatants but to see the grisly truth of worst of war up close and personal. This takes a lot of desensitization from the majority of Americans in today's society. When I enlisted I expected a harsh reality to set in upon me. Being fortunate I was prepared for it. What I was not prepared for was becoming injury. I understood being treated like a lesser person while I was in an actual training unit. There are other men there that are influential. It's sad to say but many of today's generation will use what they can to make their life easier and for many that is an "injury". The lesson I was taught was that in war these men around me would be counting on me to survive. Once I was placed in PTRP the purpose of my training was very different. My job became getting healed to continue training. At this new "duty station" I can say I've seen both sides of the story. Most of the soldiers suffered weak morale that was instigated by the chain of command. We were treated worse than at our training units. We were constantly threatened with Article 15's for breaking our profiles at the same time not allowed to follow our profiles for fear of retaliation from a pissed off NCO. Most of the NCO's seemed to be like the trainees in both OSUT and PTRP. They knew it was their job, were willing to do their job, but damned well didn't have to like it. Do not get me wrong I've had the honor of working under some outstanding NCO's in the unit but that was not the standard. The comments about prescription drug abuse, malingering and contraband being rampant are all true comments. That responsibility does belong on the soldiers that choose to participate in such activities. That being said, the job of an NCO is to lead. From my experience the best way to lead is by example. If you spit in a soldiers face talking about how you get to go home and enjoy life while they are trapped here you are further demoralizing your troops. Not to mention the fact that some of us remained in a training environment long enough to do a tour overseas. It is the opinion of many combat veterans, including many infantrymen, I know that they would rather do a tour then spend a year in basic training. Some of these cadre talk about how "easy" it was. If it is that easy I challenge you to communicate mainly through mail with your family, being assigned menial cleaning tasks, knowing most of what you are doing is just keeping you busy and out of trouble so your leadership doesn't have to bother with you, being told you are worthless so often you truly begin to believe it and being stripped of basic liberties you have as Americans for extended periods of time. You cannot compare this to war because your assignments *outside of physical therapy* don't matter and you aren't helping your brothers in arms.
I Went through basic in FT. Benning and i wont say what battalion and company but i can say ive been hit pushed called names among other things. i'll never forget some of the better name calling but i dont see why people are so hurt i broke my hand in basic and didnt go to sick call for 3 weeks after the fact, even then it was only because a DS had seen how id been coddling that hand during exercise they forced me to go. i don't know whta peoples ideas of what basic is but i had fully intended to be insulted on a daily basis abused physically and mentally, i dont see why people complain so much and civlians dont get to see both sides. i've seen more trainees fake injurys or ride an injury longer then need to be because they dont want to train. out of my basic training at least 40% of the trainess i went with did everything they could to cheat the system so please look at both sides before you go off ona crusade. also one last thing so it's clear i'm not defending anyone here because lord knows that ive seen nco's and co's do just as bad but every case get thrown out of proportion quite often.
I think that you are full of shit. First off you don't outrank that Specialist because you are out and no longer hold any rank , so don't try to pull the I outrank you crap, cause you don't. Secondly, the fact that you claim to be a former 1SG (Which you curiosily misabbreviated) but retired as a SFC tells a lot. Thirdly , your resume sounds fishy. I totally agree that we are only hearing one side of the story here. As a former Drill Sergeant I have seen those that make accusations and try to manipulate facts in an effort to seek revenge against DS's because they felt wronged by them.
I was discharged in 2014 over a mild TBI and spent a total of six months in the army. During the time I was there I was criticised constantly being call a "quiter" and or failure even though it wasn't even my call to be recommended for a discharge it was my senior DS but the ironic part of this is that my DS' s were the most understanding and so was my platoon whom loved me very much and supported me those guys were the best. But anyone outside my platoon greeted me with only mockery and scorn of which I could have given less of a shit about. When I got to RHU it was in a new building but I had gotten the chance to do a detail to clean out the old one in which I saw first hand the living conditions of my predecessors. Another thing I'd like to point out was all of the privates getting out on chapter 5-17 and their stories were terrible and some of them were permanently scarred. It is true we do sign a contract and sign our lives away to the army or as my DS said you sell your first name to the army. But the fact remains that we are still human beings and deserve to be treated as such since only a small amount of the population signs up but you don't expect a hero's welcome or anything because its just the beginning
Here's my question; why the hell are the medical treatment protocols so ass backwards? These men are here to do a job. They signed up for it, and they get that. For many, it was their lifelong goal/dream. They came, they got injured. Not all were X-Box warriors or sitting their ass on the sofa. So, let's clarify that right now hard on. Stereotypes are going both directions here. Follow? This is the fucking United States of America! If a "trainee" is injured why are they being sent to some bullshit community hospital with a nurse practitioner making the calls? Why aren't they in physical therapy ASAP? We're too tough for ice now? A broken bone isn't their fault. There's a huge difference between "can't" and "won't." A high school JV tennis player gets better medical treatment than a training infantryman? That seem right to anyone? Sitting behind a desk and receiving ridicule helps no one besides the true pussy with a tough guy façade persona. Does it not make more sense to have that trainee in therapy? If the Army spends so much money(where do you think the money comes from genius? Perhaps, our tax dollars) then why aren't they doing everything they can to help this trainee get back to 100%? Waiting 7 weeks out of 14 just to have someone run the right radiograph on a break seems flat out ass backwards. Should teachers start calling your autistic child stupid? I bet your the first person to show up at your kids PTO meeting looking to pick a fight with the parent of a child who looked at your kid the wrong way. Karma will come around. I'm sure of it. Many of us are proud of what this country's military stands for and represents, but if you think for a second that a kid on crutches because of a break is a quitter, then you're a mental midget. We are not in mid-century medicine here. Some fractures will heal with a cast. MOST won't. Alignment, rotation, length all need to be restored if you want any chance of being 100% again. Hell, if you want any chance of having normal range of motion so you can perform the job you came here to do. I don't care how many times they've revamped the process, it sucks. You want better results you need better treatment. This is the HOME team for crying out loud! Do we not want the healthiest, biggest, hardest, military out there? When GITMO prisoners receive better treatment than our own we have a serious problem. I don't care how tough you are when serious medical treatment is needed it can't be ignored. If you're deployed and KIA I'll be sure to tell your family what a quitter you are.
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I hear ya buddy, I was in wtrp back when it was absolute hell, (2008). They where killing kids, no joke. What actually happened to me come to find out was I had a brain injury from an allergic reaction to the peanut butter shot. Just found that out in 2014 after the Va almost killed me with antibiotics, but that is another story, I was told I was mentally I'll, I had two DRL sgnt's dislocate my k ees because I was out of my mind, then I was forced through 5 weeks of basic training with a brain injury liver injury and two dislocated knees before being transitioned to wtrp, I told them I was going to kill a DRL sgnt if they didn't med me out on a head deal. I know have 100% military disability for the brain injury and am in process of suing the c . But its fucked, you sighn up expecting glory and respect and they take a giant shit on your face. Fuck them. I was in awsome shape before joining and now I'm a wreck. None of those assholes know what it is like to be an injured trainee.
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