View Full Version : Vietnam Era Question
NousDefionsDoc
01-07-2007, 08:05
Did draftees going to Vietnam get AIT, etc. or were they given "8 weeks of training and shipped off"?
Thanks
in 1969, my father was the 1SG at "Tigerland", Infantry AIT at Fort McClellan...it was typical infantry AIT, with an emphasis on preparing folks for duty in Vietnam, with the VC trail and mock-up village...
while i didn't go to Vietnam, everybody i knew from that era had some form of AIT...
Ambush Master
01-07-2007, 10:12
Did draftees going to Vietnam get AIT, etc. or were they given "8 weeks of training and shipped off"?
Thanks
It was Basic AND AIT.
NousDefionsDoc
01-07-2007, 11:16
Thank you.
incommin
01-07-2007, 18:32
Basic and AIT..... the only thing that got accelerated was a shake and bake NCO and officer program.....
Jim
longrange1947
01-08-2007, 20:49
That included Training Group in the late 60s, about 68 it started I think, and lasted for a couple of years. In as a E2 and out as a E5 or E6 if you were in the top 10 per cent.
I did training group in '67, there were no promotions while in training group at that time.
Did somebody believe there was no ait in those days?
For us who enlisted airborne infantry there was "airborne infantry" AIT that was run like jumpschool.
Running, pushups, spitshines and screaming airborne a lot.
Made jumpschool a cakewalk.
Ambush Master
01-13-2007, 15:35
It was Basic AND AIT.
'69-'70, I went through Basic@Bliss, 12B AIT@Lostinthewoods, Jump School@Benning, SFTG@Bragg then to 5th Group RVN!!
'69-'70, I went through Basic@Bliss, 12B AIT@Lostinthewoods, Jump School@Benning, SFTG@Bragg then to 5th Group RVN!!:D 70-71: Basic/AIT@Ft Ord, Jump School@Benning, SFTG@Bragg,5th Group@Bragg, TSH@Nha Trang, FANK@Long Hai(B-36 site). All non-infantry types going thru basic at Ft Ord in '70 stayed there for Infantry AIT, regardless of enlistment contract.
longrange1947
01-13-2007, 18:17
I did training group in '67, there were no promotions while in training group at that time.
Did somebody believe there was no ait in those days?
For us who enlisted airborne infantry there was "airborne infantry" AIT that was run like jumpschool.
Running, pushups, spitshines and screaming airborne a lot.
Made jumpschool a cakewalk.
I was there when it changed. I came in as an E2 in 67 and in 68 they changed to the shake and bake. My 91B class was all E-2s and when we got back to Bragg we were being ordered about by E5s with less time in the army then we had in Tng Group as we were still E2s. The powers to be stated that we came in under the "old program" and would stay E2s until we graduated. They gave us E3 at the start of final phase and E4 with our orders to Groups.
Hipshot, I too did the Fort Ord thing in 67. Did they have the white "Maggot" patch on your uniform as well during basic? Had something to do with menningitis and basic trainees being seperate form the rest fo post. Never did understand that one.
I suffered 10th and 1st Group instead of 5th. :lifter
I was there when it changed. I came in as an E2 in 67 and in 68 they changed to the shake and bake. My 91B class was all E-2s and when we got back to Bragg we were being ordered about by E5s with less time in the army then we had in Tng Group as we were still E2s. The powers to be stated that we came in under the "old program" and would stay E2s until we graduated. They gave us E3 at the start of final phase and E4 with our orders to Groups.
Hipshot, I too did the Fort Ord thing in 67. Did they have the white "Maggot" patch on your uniform as well during basic? Had something to do with menningitis and basic trainees being seperate form the rest fo post. Never did understand that one.
I suffered 10th and 1st Group instead of 5th. :lifter
:eek: Man - I had totally forgotten about the 'maggot tags' we had to wear in basic. If I remember correctly, it was a white tag, same size as the name tag on our fatigues (pre-BDU; even before ripstop!), worn above the name tag. That let everyone know that you were a trainee.
I made E3 out of basic (had 2 years of college), E4 once I hit Bragg and started training group, E5 when I completed training and went to Co. D, 5th Group in May '71. Made E6 in Sept 73 after BNCOES and Flintlock; ANCOES in '74 and would have made E7 in Sept '78, except I left the service. Broke my back in 2 places in '77 during a demo jump and lost my 'S' qualifier.
Remember ice plant and the beach ranges at Ord. The land nav course was out by Laguna Seca race track - we used to watch the drivers practice when we were running the course.
longrange1947
01-13-2007, 20:29
Hipshot, PM sent.
longrange1947
01-13-2007, 20:31
Hey NDD, want to see my 1967 Fort Ord Infrantry AIT photo? :D
NousDefionsDoc
01-14-2007, 00:05
Of course!
Phantasm
01-14-2007, 00:13
My basic was at Fort Ord 13Jan72. I also remember the land nav course and watching the drivers practice. The white “maggot” patches were not used when I was there. I was sent to Ft. Devens after that assigned to ASA (Army Security Agency) where I picked up the 98C20 MOS which later changed to a 98C2S while I was assigned to play with you tough guys...:rolleyes:
longrange1947
01-14-2007, 00:31
Hey NDD :p
:D :D :D
...where I picked up the 98C20 MOS which later changed to a 98C2S while I was assigned to play with you tough guys...that didn't happen unless you went to SFQC...your duty MOS might have been 98C2S, but your actual MOS was whatever you were qualified for...
longrange1947
01-14-2007, 18:35
OK NDD, here you go, no geek comments though. :D
Please note all of the very modern weaponary of the time. :lifter
incommin
01-14-2007, 18:38
Ah, when men trained with real combat rifles and not plastic ones!
Jim
NousDefionsDoc
01-14-2007, 20:03
OK NDD, here you go, no geek comments though. :D
Please note all of the very modern weaponary of the time. :lifter
You haven't changed a bit....
Thanks for sharing.
OK NDD, here you go, no geek comments though. :D
Please note all of the very modern weaponary of the time. :lifterYou were wearing bling before the bling-bling became a fad.:D
Stay safe.
Longrange, great photo. I was T/Oed on the M14, but it was not inservice in RVN when I got there ('69), except for designated "Company Sniper".
:eek: Man - I had totally forgotten about the 'maggot tags' we had to wear in basic. If I remember correctly, it was a white tag, same size as the name tag on our fatigues worn above the name tag. That let everyone know that you were a trainee.
Guys,
I was drafted in 1970 and then enlisted for the SF option. If I hadn't, it was to be BCT at Ft Ord, AIT + 2 week mine/booby trap course at FLW, and then RVN. Becasue of the SF option, I did the above and then went on to BAC at Ft Benning and SFTG at Ft Bragg. The rest is some sort of history.
The white name tags at Ft Ord had your BCT unit (mine was 1-A-5-1; 1 Plt, A Co, 5 Bn, 1 BCT Bde) and were used by the post to monitor trainees. For example, anyone with our unit tag was not allowed into the PX or any such facilities without a DI escort prior to the end of our 6th week of BCT. There was a board at the entrance to the PX which was updated weekly listing those units who were allowed to go there. With the "maggot tags" it was nearly impossible to sneak around and DIs pulled duty at the exchanges to look for "unauthorized" trainees trying to sneak into them for candy, beer, or the like.
Richard