Not the Same #9 Air Force Basic Training Fun & Highlights

1975: Kirk decided that seeing he couldn’t race cars, he’d join the Air Force for a job, but what he found ended up being so much more than a job!

 

Cue: “Destination Unknown” https://youtu.be/-RqHBfUTIKY?si=0sRnyaopGsyNJWUy

 

 

“Drop your c***s and pull up your socks!”

No, Kirk didn’t hear this mythological phrase spoken during Air Force Basic Training, because it was only shouted in a couple war movies. Though, as Kirk found on day one, the intensity that the Basic Training Instructors (TIs) commanded, scolded, and taught occurred at the same level as the war movies without the expletive infused language.

So. Kirk survived the first day of basic training though he had to wonder if he could survive the weeks that lay ahead. Dead tired, he slept like a rock that second night along with his flight, the first, lowest level organization in the Air Force with the smallest unit of military members.

The next morning began much the same: FWEEEET! Followed by the now familiar click, click, click of the cleats on the TI’s boots. With the whistle, the rainbow trainees got to their feet and chaos ensued with mad dashes to the latrine to get their morning shaves done. Kirk, trying to be a free thinker, decided to make his bed first, possibly not the best decision, but as the morning unfolded, it worked out for him anyway.

Not going through every day verbatim, Kirk found the first three days as a rainbow happened more or less the same with marching, facing movements along with briefings covering morale, health, and welfare, along with lessons on discipline and military justice. A lesson that ended up longer than Kirk would’ve guessed concerned respect for the United States flag. There presented much on proper, respectful flag display in different situations on buildings, during parades, and at night. Surprising him was the detailed rules in the destruction of old, worn out flags by a dignified burning by folding it and setting it afire while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Early on, the trainees became pleasantly surprised that they would get an advance on their pay. They didn’t know how much that would be until they lined up at the paymaster’s window in a single file, in alphabetical order. Ten dollars was what they received, which I guess was more in 1975 than now at this writing, also considering that monthly pay hovered about a hundred dollars per month for the E-1 basic trainee with no time in service to speak of in the first week.

Rich now with cash in their pockets, the trainees got a chance to visit and shop at the base exchange (BX), but of course they had a basic training shopping list to purchase with their big advance pay. They had to buy health and personal maintenance items like soap with a soap dish, shower clogs, a sewing kit to self-repair their uniforms, a yet unexplained small pocket-sized booklet, and anything else they needed like razors. Also, a required item that no one expected, an ink stamp kit. This kit had an ink pad and a wooden stamp with their last initial and last four of their social security number (now considered military ID Number). They used this to mark every piece of their uniforms including underwear. No one is going to steal your skivvies with your ID on them!

Initially thought the handy little booklet’s purpose existed simply to keep notes in, which it could be used for as well, but it became revealed that its primary purpose was to keep track of the trainees’ cash. Maybe just another training device to see if they could “keep it all together,” but they were required to write down the serial numbers of every dollar bill on their person along with a running count total. Kirk instantly realized that he needed to keep the fewest number of bills as possible. What a genius!

The TI emphasized that during each trainee’s personal inspection of locker and personal items, which would happen too soon and too often for the trainees’ liking, this booklet would be used to ensure that they had kept meticulous records of their money. The TI didn’t say it, but Kirk and the others knew very well it meant an AF Form 341 if the numbers in their book didn’t match their cash. Remember, for inspections, the basic training guidebook was a handy size to fold their t-shirts and skivvies to the correct, perfect square.    

On that fourth day, Flight 293 found themselves back at the “Green Monster” supply warehouse. This time, they were issued their entire uniforms allowance. Kirk had to think that this event would be the defining factor to make them, at least look like, Air Force airmen. From what he gathered, they, as trainees would be called as such until they graduated basic to become and be referred to as “airmen.”

So, they got the olive-green duffel bags which they stuffed quite full of four sets of OG-107 fatigues with matching baseball-type caps. To match their fatigues, they got the same shade M-65 field jackets.  Kirk thought it pretty cool to see “Biscuit” on blue tape over the breast pocket opposite the U.S. Air Force tape. Huh! Kirk really didn’t know any of the other trainees’ names because of the limited time every day they had to interact so now, at least, they could refer to each other by reading name tapes. Come to think of it, up to this point the Tis couldn’t call out individual trainees either until they got into uniforms with their names on them. They also got issued the light weight khaki “1505” so-called low-maintenance summer uniforms.

 These tan 1505 summer weight uniforms happened to be a bit confusing to the trainees until explained in their uniform briefing that the 1505 was being phased out over time by 1978 and replaced with the more Air Force appearing light blue 1549 shirt worn with the dark blue 1550 trousers. This uniform being confusing for them because they’ve seen their TI wear the blue combo from day one and yet, they ended up with the 1505 khakis issued to them. The Air Force had a giant warehouse of them to get rid of, Kirk surmised. They also got the “blues,” service coat, tie, “bus driver wheel hat” along with the flight cap which went with the two uniform combos alongside the matching blue belt and brushed satin buckle. For footwear, they were issued combat boots, chukka boots, low quarters, and sneakers. To round things out, they got t-shirts, socks, underwear, towels, shorts, sweatshirt, and pants. All of these pieces had to be carefully stamped with their IDs with their handy little stamp kit. They had already been warned of physical training (PT) looming for them the next day and the days that followed on a regular scheduled basis.  

          Of course, along the way, the trainees received plenty of care information for their uniforms. Most of the uniforms were intended to be wash and wear, but then again, wrinkled, messy uniforms would earn trainees instant Air Force Form 341s the Excellence/Discrepancy Report which recorded infractions, behavioral write ups, uniform discrepancies that went into the trainee’s record, but were also used, though not very often, for something a trainee did exceptionally well.

So, they learned much about uniform wear along with “gig lines” which the trainee maintained by keeping a straight vertical line down the front closure seam of their shirts, edge of the belt buckle, and trouser fly to appear neat and tidy while standing at attention. Even fatigues, considered a work uniform, needed attention such as when first receiving them, for the trainees had to ensure there were no loose, protruding threads from seams or buttons. Fingernail clippers could do the job, but not as well nor as thoroughly as a cigarette lighter or matches that would burn the thread to the fabric source in a mini flare. Kirk borrowed a lighter from one of his fellow smoker trainees to get the thread burning job done on his new fatigues. Can’t leave an opportunity for a 341 on such a minor issue, but don’t even let yourself have a button unbuttoned! Kirk learned quickly to check button closures by running a finger down the front of his fatigue shirt, button on his fly, then flipping his pocket flaps, and checked rear trouser buttons because he knew the TI had a special RADAR for those discrepancies.     

Early on, they learned the importance of saluting and doing it perfectly. Kirk already put together that he needed to salute anybody that had shiny (brass or silver) accouterments on their collars meaning that they were officers. Saluting became a second nature easy move from standing, walking, or marching at attention. To execute a perfect salute, the right hand needed to be made flat with fingers together as the trainee moved their hand up, close to the front of his body, then, the first and second fingers perched either on the edge of hat brim or on edge of their eyebrow or glasses if without a hat brim. The hand must be slightly tipped downward as it was held. In execution, the salute should be smartly given with snap, finesse, and accuracy and held until returned by the superior officer or they pass by, but also held for the flag passing by or the playing of the national anthem. This remained just one essential skill necessary for all members of the military to learn early on in basic training and executed whenever the obligation arises throughout their four-year enlistment or career.

After a few days, mail began to trickle in and the trainees received it on mail call breaks on the patio. Kirk got warmly surprised that he received a heartfelt card from Sarah Elizabeth, it seemed a very quick turnaround indeed. As always, she passed on her encouragement, hoping he found his new life tolerable. Of course, she passed her love along as well with plenty of circles and exes.

Like stated before, they wore fatigues most days which as explained had their names above their breast pockets that identified each other seeing they appeared relatively similar with the same uniform and no hair to speak of. Funny, but Alexanderwicz’s name tape had to be much wider than the pockets and everyone’s tape to include all the letters in his name. He was given a nickname from fellow trainees and the TI of “Trainee Alphabet.”  Meanwhile, the little blond kid with a lisp now wore a name of Newsome who had always seemed under duress with the training so far, but mail call proved to be, perhaps, his undoing.

A letter from his mother stated that they had moved from their home in California, but they didn’t provide their new forwarding address. Kirk heard a couple snickers when he explained why he was so upset. Kirk felt sorry for him because no one needed more stress than what basic training provided every single day.

Sadly, though not wholly surprising, Newsome disappeared one afternoon after the TI pulled him aside. Totally unknown to the trainees if he had been washed back a week or washed-out which Kirk found out happened in extreme circumstances. He was the first to drop out of Flight 293 and one of only two trainees to leave during the training. Like Technical Sergeant Shaw had told Kirk, do whatever he could during training not to get washed back and get another week or more tacked on to your assigned basic training stint.

At this point, the trainees performed physical training (PT) every morning. Kirk took it all in stride, as it wasn’t anywhere as intense as his high school wrestling and track workouts. With long warm-ups consisting of jumping jacks and stretching, then moving on to pushups and sit ups, they ended up with a mile and half run with a cool down. Kirk maintained his middle of the pack philosophy.  The TI would ramp up the intensity on some days to get the trainees to do extra-long sets to pant, groan and sweat, but Kirk just did the work. The going thought among the trainees that the Tis had personality traits of dictatorial, intimidation Napolean Complex with a little sadism thrown in. Well, if that’s what it takes to convert young immature civilians into disciplined Air Force Airmen, so be it.  We do recall that Kirk is a few years older than the average trainee. Does it help or hurt? We’ll see.

Still early in basic training, Kirk’s birthday rolled around. He knew that nothing would be said or done for him during training and so, of course he didn’t tell anyone in his flight. Well, for Kirk, it was just another tough day of training until mail call came about. When his name was called, he was handed a box, a heavy box about 12 square by 5 inches. Kirk saw that it came from Sarah Elizabeth so he had an idea what it was. His free time at mail call was limited and they’d been warned about not keeping anything unauthorized from outside. This included food. Ripping the box open, he revealed a perfect double-chocolate cake with Happy Birthday, Kirk! Emblazoned across the top in fanciful script. Inside the box included a knife, paper plates and lots of napkins.

“Hey!” Kirk voiced, “Anyone want some chocolate cake?”

A few fellow trainees came right over and Kirk, rather clumsily, hacked off pieces of cake offering the plates and napkins. After the others took their pieces, Kirk grabbed one for himself and wolfed it down. He eyed the TI who eyed him back, who Kirk thought perhaps allowed an extra minute or so for devouring said rich cake.

But before too long…“Fall in!” The TI shouted. “Trainee Biscuit, dispose the remainder of your package.” 

Sadly, as Kirk wiped his lips, he closed up the box and threw away almost half the cake. He had to admit, that cake was the best he ever tasted, ‘course, the cake they occasionally offered in the chow hall couldn’t necessarily be called cake in the true sense of the confection. So, Kirk’s birthday began, proceeded and ended the same as most days in basic training.

At this point, Kirk was about halfway through his basic training. He seemed to be handling the pressure, stress and demands placed upon him and his fellow trainees. He must have been feeling proud of himself and the Air Force by this juncture because he bought a 3704 BMTS T-shirt and mailed it to Sarah Elizabeth. This might have been an indicator that the constant indoctrination and training had begun to transform Kirk into an adequate airman, though not quite yet an airman per se, but still, we have to admit, Kirk was not the same.

 

Author's Note

Again, I have to say that at 50 years after the basic training experience, details are a bit fuzzy, so bear with some of the events and experiences which may not be quite factual. I try my best!