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Old 11-29-2004, 16:17   #1
NousDefionsDoc
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What do you remember most about the Q Course/Training Group?

Strange the things you remember. I can still feel today, almost 20 years later, the feeling of road crossings gone bad - over and over.

Coming up on the linear danger area, stepping off those high banks, going ass over tea kettle. And my favorite, the frame on the green tick crashing into the back of the head like being hit with a lead pipe, driving my face into that soft sand. Of course getting a mouthful. But being quiet about it the whole time. It happened a lot. LOL.

I can also remember always being in a hurry for everything. Never having enough time. But I can also remember laughing a lot. At myself, at my buds, at the instructors, at the cold and wet. Felt good to be at home.

I remember leaving the 91B area and walking up to 300F-1. Walking into the SOCAS barracks and smelling the stink of sweaty gear and the sweet smell of gun oil. Seeing rucks and web gear hanging from every bunk. Not laid out, hanging to dry. Well worn kit. Not like the antispetic 91B barracks. Home.

Rocky Farr walking through at 0700 on Saturday mornings gathering up people to assist with an autopsy - looking for the most hung over to make them puke if he could. Pieces/Parts class.

Oral boards, trying to stay awake in class. Former Marine knocking me out of my chair in RS class for dozing after I asked him to "do whatever it takes to keep me awake." Then me doing him the same favor the next day.

Inge Jansen and his British accent, "Sergeant, are you still killing your patients?"
"Roger that Sergeant!"
"Carry on then."

Major Howard walking up to the formation and "asking" the TAC if he could join us for a "little walk". And thinking, "I'm actually rucking with a legend."

Reporting to Colonel Rowe and thinking, "I'm actually saluting a legend."

Mr. Hollingsworth and Jansen letting me think I failed trauma clinic all afternoon long, and then laughing at me and buying the beer.

Meeting The Reaper for the first time and being amazed that all he could worry about was his car. LOL

And finally, Froglegz picking me up at Battalion and his "briefing."
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.

Still want to quit?
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Old 11-29-2004, 17:39   #2
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The "Q"

That would be Engineer/Demo Class 66-4, "The Best of the Worst."
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Old 11-30-2004, 07:08   #3
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I look at the Q from a little different perspective. When I took over the Training Group my priority was training and I turned over the day to day operations to my DCO and the group staff. I spent my time in the field or the classroom and during that time I saw great soldiers, some just trying to get thru SFAS and others in the advanced programs like ASOT, O&I, SFARATEC, etc, with drive and commitment that exists no where else in our Army and perhaps in any Army in the world. This approach sort of pissed off the head shed because they could rarely find me but my priorities were where I felt they should be. I think the people that were the most initially shocked were the instuctors not just because they did not expect to see the "old man" but that I acutally had the audacity to get into the on going activities. I also saw a group of committed SF instructors that knew that their committment was to the soldier that they were training knowing full well that they may one day have that soldier working with him or one of his buddies. What I remember is that I had the privelidge of working with and for the best bunch of folks that every wore their country's uniform.

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Old 11-30-2004, 08:14   #4
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Ghosting

I presume you mean Training Group since I think I pre-dated "Q".

1. The TAC, Sgt Grogan (RIP), saying I was to answer to the name "Shithead" for the rest of my time in Training Group since he wasn't calling no man "Dahling". He actually referred to us as men rather than some other dispicable creatures.

2. GHOSTING: We were in the old wooden barracks on Smoke Bomb Hill and in between classes or while waiting for classes we pulled details. The art of Ghosting was developed and some excelled at it. If you don't know what ghosting is, it is the art of becoming a ghost and being invisible except for class and pay formation. It was treated almost with humor since it was really just a way of killing time. Walking around with a clip-board in one's hands was a good way to appear "busy". At the time we wore block caps, similar to the French Kepi. Each company had a plastic colored band on the cap designating his company. Co A wore Green. There were "ghost patrols" stationed at the Main PX and other places. We looked upon ghosting as training for clandestine operations. As the saying goes: The only crime was getting caught."

3. An instructor in the commo class sending me to the EM club one evening for a few beers. When I returned I passed the sending test with flying colors.
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Old 11-30-2004, 18:14   #5
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Talking What do you remember most about the Q?

What about Annex 10 in the RTC area on Sunday night??

BMT
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Old 11-30-2004, 18:47   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMT
What about Annex 10 in the RTC area on Sunday night??

BMT
I'm not sure which was annex 10.

We moved to the RTC area during the Christmas break in 63-64. There was an EM club right across the street from the commo class room. I think it was SFC Graves who sent me to the club to looses up.
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Old 11-30-2004, 19:15   #7
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Pay Day "B" Co. SFTG

Myself and another E-7 were payroll guards. CO. came back with the money threw me the sack and said pay the Co, Sgt. Don't come up SHORT or Over.
Troops were alittle surprised to see 2 E-7's paying.

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Old 11-30-2004, 19:26   #8
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SFC B***: An NCO who had been captured and escaped from the VC. He took it upon himself to be a SERE committee of one during the FTX phase of training. The medics hated him and constantly reported his antics to Group. He did things like packing ears with peanut butter. He received several warnings but was finally relieved from the committee. He was a fine soldier but suffered from PTSD before it had a name. The final straw was when he refused to medevac a student with appendicitis. The student nearly died when they finally got him out. B***'s rationale was that in the "real world" a medevac may not have been possible.
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Old 12-18-2004, 22:33   #9
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Wink

Quote:
Originally Posted by QRQ 30
I presume you mean Training Group since I think I pre-dated "Q".

1. The TAC, Sgt Grogan (RIP), saying I was to answer to the name "Shithead" for the rest of my time in Training Group since he wasn't calling no man "Dahling". He actually referred to us as men rather than some other dispicable creatures.

2. GHOSTING: We were in the old wooden barracks on Smoke Bomb Hill and in between classes or while waiting for classes we pulled details. The art of Ghosting was developed and some excelled at it. If you don't know what ghosting is, it is the art of becoming a ghost and being invisible except for class and pay formation. It was treated almost with humor since it was really just a way of killing time. Walking around with a clip-board in one's hands was a good way to appear "busy". At the time we wore block caps, similar to the French Kepi. Each company had a plastic colored band on the cap designating his company. Co A wore Green. There were "ghost patrols" stationed at the Main PX and other places. We looked upon ghosting as training for clandestine operations. As the saying goes: The only crime was getting caught."

3. An instructor in the commo class sending me to the EM club one evening for a few beers. When I returned I passed the sending test with flying colors.


I'm an "olderish" type as well SFTG. I started honing the fine art of ghosting at jump school. Never had much time off then, but when I did, NCO's and or Officers could spot a body that was free "detail material". Took one time. The clipboard works, but the one time I got roped into a detail, it was cleaning offices. HMMMM (light bulb). I grabbed a bunch of official manila size folders. After that, when I had some time off, I'd carry them walkiing around. Oh... and always walk with purpose.
I took those folders to Bragg with me.... worked great there too

Last edited by 12B4S; 12-18-2004 at 22:36.
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Old 12-19-2004, 09:37   #10
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What do you remember most about the Q Course?

Thirty days without a shower.

Being tired,cold and hungry.

Amazed by the "tough" guys that called it quits.

Col Howard (then a Maj) rucking with us, and rucking most of us into the ground....

Survival week and how I actually enjoyed the few days of peace and quiet.

Did I mention tired, cold and constantly hungry?
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Old 12-20-2004, 01:49   #11
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the land nav course, the first time I went through....I went through with this jarhead named Chris....he was a short guy, pretty squared away....good guy.

I was on some high ground, and happened to look off in the distance, and I saw a truck speeding down some hard ball...and in the cab of the truck....a diminutive head in profile....with a jarhead cover kicked back on his head, while he consulted his map.

I spewed.

A little later on, I came up a fire break, and there was a good old boy out hunting coon with his dog. He had some beers in the back, and offered me one. I told him thanks, I had a course to run, maybe another time. He told me to go ahead and take a six pack with me to drink when I was done.

I weighed it.

Was he a provocateur, testing me for an honor violation?

Nah.

Remember, this was the old days, 1984, long time ago. I graciously accepted a six pack...I think that it was Busch beer....blue cans....they were ice cold...pulled them out of an ice filled cooler....bundled them into my ruck...then went on to finish my course.

I hit my final point, had plenty of time, so I figured that I would wait a bit and see if any of my brothers were coming along behind me. Sure enough, my brother John T, a guy who had spent a lot of time in Hawaii, appeared at the bottom of the hill, and began laboring up it. It was a big hill.

I stood at the top, and I yelled, "John!" He paused, he looked up, and I held up a can of beer. He squinted, and then he broke into sprint. He virtually ran up that hill, hit the clacker for his last point, then grabbed that beer from me.

He said that it was the best beer that he had ever had.

There is something about the illicit....I cannot quantify it. I did not even really drink in those days. I shared the beers around with my brothers as they came into the rally point at the end of the course while we sat around the fire and dried off.

It was funny...it was hard....and we....HAD BEER.

You had to be there, I guess.

In retrospect, I am a little shocked. But it made sense at the time.

What can I say? I was young.

Good times.

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Old 12-20-2004, 09:28   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magician

Remember, this was the old days, 1984, long time ago.
Hey, when did you go through the course?? I started in Jan/Feb of 84.

What I remember most was the Survival FTX. My chicken escaped and I had to chase it through the woods til I caught it. I knew I would be out of the course if it got away. Killed him and ate him on the third day.

It rained for three out of the five days and my hooch got so water logged that it collapsed on me in the middle of the night. Slept the rest of the night in the rain. Then I had to fight hypothermia until the instructor showed up on day five.

At the end of the FTX, they picked everyone up from their camps and took us to an assembly point. Some instructors had their POV's there. Four of us were standing by an instructors pick-up truck. It was facing slightly downhill and about 2 or 3 inches of water was toward the front of the bed. We were all eyeing an Egg McMuffin that was completely submerged in the water. The instructor waived his finger at us and said "That's mine, boys!" Any one of us would have gladly eaten that soggy McMuffin.
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Old 12-20-2004, 10:37   #13
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Lightbulb

The "duffel bag drag" to the camp, following chem-lights.

Making the time limit, then the gates closed.

Those who didn't...caught HOLY HELL!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bunk-beds in shacks, with no damn mattresses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some Million $ shower facility, that wasn't worth shit! They should have thrown the MFer in jail in charge of building that!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Gallant" Knot...never even used it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playing electric football during breaks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting stuck at 13/13 during IMC for a week. The instructor says "drink a few beers during lunch." I come back that afternoon and pass.
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Old 12-20-2004, 10:38   #14
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Survival - I remember them picking us up in the 2 1/2 and I looked up to get a hand up and the first thing I saw was the smoked blackened faces and stares of the yankee boys. Seems they were uncomfortable in the woods all alone and spent the entire time huddled over their fires waiting for the boogeyman to come get them. I don't think they slept at all. LOL.
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Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.

Still want to quit?
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Old 12-20-2004, 11:48   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guy
Making the time limit, then the gates closed.

Those who didn't...caught HOLY HELL!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOL, On one of the "ruck Runs" theY were closing the gate as I approached. There were only about ten guys inside!!!! I was thinking WTF, only 10 inside! (There were about 270 of us!)

The instructor had the gate half closed. I was at a dead sprint with about 100lbs of lightweight gear.... The men inside yelld for me not to stop running. The instructor hearing the yelling turned to watch me. I was about 500 yards and he yelled;

"YOU KEEP RUNNING AND I'LL KEEP THIS GATE OPEN"

And believe me what Guy said is so true. Those that didn't make it inside of that gate before they closed it caught HELL.

TS
(Of course I didn't stop running. )
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