Protecting the Free-Range Kid

[Okeefenokee]

Never felt the need to use violence of action against my own troops, they never crossed me, never even looked at me funny, they would have gone through the breach for me, at the forlorn hope, no questions asked, and that is in end, all of them that I would ask, so long as they go over the top when the whistle blows, no need for a lash, and all is forgiven therein.

We only ever got violent among ourselves. Fights between privates. Fights between sergeants. Drill Sergeant hit me in the chest on day one, but that was to teach me how close to stand. Don't stand close enough to get hit.

[Smitty-48]

What we found in the military, was focus, a team, and a mission, and as such, remedial PT and the like was not really a punishment, that was more the instructors saying "follow me", they didn't give remedial PT, they led remedial PT from the front, punishment, was to be decried in front of your peers by the chain of command, for having let the team down, that was the fiercest lash of them all.

Ours was a mix. When you fucked up you'd get smoked, and for me, it was being punished in front of others that was worse than a couple pushups. My motivation for not fucking up was not wanting to be publicly reprimanded. There was no way I was ever going to be in any remedial PT program. Not ever. Being put in leadership introduced a new problem where the fuckups of my soldiers reflected on me, so I wasn't gonna let that happen either.

The specter of a bad public image was what motivated me. Fuck some pushups.

Well, any sort of PT not on the schedule, is remedial PT as far as I am concerned, I wouldn't lead push-ups to punish anyone, I would only lead push-ups for moar PT, no more, no less.

As for troops reflecting, I agree, don't want them giving you a bad name, mind you, I still fostered a signifigant amount of swagger, don't kill the swagger being nanny platoon I say.

[Okeefenokee]

It's never been the Canadian way, no one in the chain of command ever laid a beating on my great grandfather, and he went over the top, from Second Ypres, to the Hundred Days, God, King, and Country, nary a lash required.

General Sir Arthur Currie, never had to flog the Canadian Corps over the top, not even to the last man fallen, on the last night of the war; Private George Lawrence Price 256265, at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

I read in the opening to the leadership manual that at Valley Forge, Washington and Co understood that they couldn't rely on physical discipline like the British Army did, because that took a long time to take effect, and they didn't have the time.

Might have been bullshit.

[Okeefenokee]

It used to be the American way. Even back in the Vietnam era they used to beat on recruits and conscripts.

I understand that was not the norm, but the result of having a bunch of non-compliant draftees.

[TheReal_ND]

I read in the opening to the leadership manual that at Valley Forge, Washington and Co understood that they couldn't rely on physical discipline like the British Army did, because that took a long time to take effect, and they didn't have the time.

Might have been bullshit.

What happened was Washington would spend a lot of time getting militia men literally whipped into shape and as soon as he got them somewhat decent he would get sent off to lead another detachment or their tour was over.

[Okeefenokee]

It's all in the mind, pain is not injury, pain is just pain, there was no rest for the wicked, so no sense training as if you were ever going to get any rest, on one course,did platoon attacks all day, dug trenches, patrolled all night, wash rinse repeat, for nine days straight, without any sleep at all, we could have taken a rest at anytime, but then we would be off the course and on the bus home without further ado.

Well not getting rest is not a positive before entering battle and anyone who said otherwise is full of shit. Being the more well rested and well fed army is an advantage, not a disadvantage.

No sense training for being the well rested, well fed army, as most likely you're not going to be, train as you fight, not as you are in garrison with three hots and a cot at all times. Doesn't require any training, to be well rested and well fed.

Hardening the mind and spririt to do it, when you're not, that's where the training comes in.

Somewhere around here I have my old notebooks. Daily patrol briefings included time tables. We had some insane stretches of a week or more where we were on mission somewhere around 90% of the hours. Training for that before hand made it possible. When attacks increased, SOP was to saturate the AO with patrols around the clock.

[Smitty-48]

It's never been the Canadian way, no one in the chain of command ever laid a beating on my great grandfather, and he went over the top, from Second Ypres, to the Hundred Days, God, King, and Country, nary a lash required.

General Sir Arthur Currie, never had to flog the Canadian Corps over the top, not even to the last man fallen, on the last night of the war; Private George Lawrence Price 256265, at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

I read in the opening to the leadership manual that at Valley Forge, Washington and Co understood that they couldn't rely on physical discipline like the British Army did, because that took a long time to take effect, and they didn't have the time.

Might have been bullshit.

In a sociopolitical sense, the army reflects the society it defends, and as this society jettisoned the class system of Europe, British North Americans were never ones for flogging the troops, just on principle, but moreover, in an institutional sense, the Canadian Army is built on the DNA of the all Canadian Corps formed after the Somme, and that Corps, was an elite corps, a Corps of Commandos in effect, and so there was no need to flog them, they went over the top for God, King, Country, and the Regiment, of their own free will, to win the war, so they could go home at last, no more motivation did they need; through mud and blood to the green fields beyond, or die trying, as otherwise, you'll never see the shores of Mother Canada again.

[Okeefenokee]

but there are no young ladies in the barracks, or at least, there weren't back then

Plenty of tail in the barracks now. Best not to mess with it, though.

[Okeefenokee]

I read in the opening to the leadership manual that at Valley Forge, Washington and Co understood that they couldn't rely on physical discipline like the British Army did, because that took a long time to take effect, and they didn't have the time.

Might have been bullshit.

What happened was Washington would spend a lot of time getting militia men literally whipped into shape and as soon as he got them somewhat decent he would get sent off to lead another detachment or their tour was over.

That makes sense. Longevity.

[Smitty-48]

but there are no young ladies in the barracks, or at least, there weren't back then

Plenty of tail in the barracks now. Best not to mess with it, though.

I stayed away from army women, not because there weren't any hotties, but spending a night in the arms of a young lady, was a rejuvenating escape from the army, last thing I wanted to do on a date, was talk army, dance army, then fuck army, that would have been army overload, on a date with a young lady, I wanted to be as far away from army as I could, just to keep things in balance, by keeping the professional and the personal in their places.

Don't shit where you eat, don't fuck where you work.