Ask the Infantry

[Banjo]

The reason this thread exists is because I am tired of reading hyped up fake bullshit about what it is to be in the United States Army infantry. I don't post very often because I believe this site is totally out of touch with it's roots, but I'm tired of hearing people signing up for something they aren't ready for.

I will give you the truth and the whole truth - nothing but. This includes MY RECORD and eventual separation. Please pose questions about the infantry here and get a realistic answer..

[The General]

do soliders really buttrape eachother or enimies?

[Clue]

What is the infantry like? What are the requirments and what a daily routine for a infantryman?

On top of that, how do you sleep out in the field in combat conditions?

[ComradeAsh]

How badass is Lee Ermey, in your opinion?

[Banjo]

To the first inquiry, I know you're trying to be fucking cute or something, but there was actually a case at Fort Benning where a pair of recruits were taking turns holding down helpless, smaller soldiers and sexually molesting them...


What is the infantry like? What are the requirments and what a daily routine for a infantryman?

On top of that, how do you sleep out in the field in combat conditions?


The infantry, I believe on general consensus, is overall a major let down to the people who join. You see, the infantry serves no purpose in the Garrison (that is, noncombat conditions on bases in America). Where as medics or lawyers can basically do exactly what they signed up for whether in combat or not, the infantry can only reproduce their skills on a very basic level and call it "training." Most of the time we're tasked out to do grunt work like clean things or get "voluntold" to do other duties like guarding something. Occasionally we spend time going out to the desert and "train," although this term is somewhat lacking. For every day you spend out in the field with all your equipment, consider how long it takes to set everything up, operate the range safely, and allow every squad in every platoon go through - you're talking maybe 1-2 hours of training a person per day at most. Although short, this time is valuable to go over battle drills and to do so with live ammunition. However, the sad truth is that the Infantry spends a lot of time sitting around waiting. Whether that's waiting for your turn at the range, or waiting to be told to do something period. In fact, the only thing really certain or routine about the job at all is, in the morning, they designate time for everyone to exercise (this is referred to as "PT" - yet this isn't unique to the infantry, rather every soldier is supposed to do it). They say that there is more stress on your physical fitness in an infantry unit than other ones, but my experience is that this is not true. Surely, to graduate OSUT/Basic as an enlisted infantryman you need to pass the 60% mark on your physical fitness standards, but this is only 10% more than any other MOS. I haven't had a PT test in over six months and I know the majority of my company would totally fail if they did one. Take that as you will, but it is true.

As far as sleeping in combat conditions, I will firstly address this point by acknowledging I have never deployed. However, I can say that we've rehearsed what it's supposed to be like (or could be like in the least favorable conditions, most FOBs in Iraq and Afghanistan are relatively well kept barracks at this point as far as I know). Fortunately for us, and note this isn't all units, but we're required to have tents by our Sergeant Major every time we roll out to do a field problem. So things are a little more bearable. I must admit my most miserable experiences in the army were waking up to freezing desert mornings on very few hours of sleep. There's no fire, and you need to exercise what is called "Light and noise discipline." This basically means you need to maintain a relatively low noise level and, if you're going to use a flashlight, make sure it has a red lens on it first.

I hope that answered your questions a bit.

[Banjo]

I used to watch Lee Ermey on Mail Call before I enlisted. I thought he was relatively bad ass, although sometimes I think he's exaggerating a character that a lot of people mistake for his actual identity too often. We actually had a conversation about him not too long ago. Unfortunately I must say most references to him are not about his actual career, but rather people quoting that fucking movie that I'm so sick of hearing about and have been nonstop since I enlisted (get used to that if you really want to sign up for it. You'll know everyone one of his insults by the time you graduate).

Oh, and Drill Sergeants aren't really like that. I know he was trying to be a DI rather, but honestly I think that whole mellow dramatic scene at basic wouldn't work on real privates anymore. I don't feel it would effectively scare anybody. I mean, a drill sergeant can only scream in your face so much until eventually you realize it doesn't mean anything.

[Rainycity]

so do you do any thing cool. is the food shit.

[Banjo]

Fortunately for me I got to shoot and work on a lot of cool guns. Although, admittedly most of your time is spend doing uncool things.

The food is underrated. I like it. You can usually go to a DFAC (Dining FACility) during the day to get chow, but MRE (meals - ready to eat) suck out loud. You'll get sick of those quick.

Training how to kill people was kind of cool. It's nice knowing that if there's ever a serious confrontation I'm more likely to come out on top of it, but it really isn't what it's cracked up to be..

[sAINT]

you said you havnt deployed..how long have you been in your unit? just curious. im an artilleryman in south korea right now...

[Banjo]

Hahaha, Korea... I hear a lot of stories about Camp Casey. I've been in this army for about a year and seven months. I got sent to a unit that was still standing up so I've been in the same place the whole time. We just became deployable not too long ago.

[plehem12]

no purpose in garrison indeed. i always feel sorry for you guys. everyday youre all mowing the lawn or doing some stupid ass bullshit. its gotta suck. today a bunch of you guys were at the motorpool looking like you were getting ready to do some decent training, all in full battle rattle and had some guys dressed up like iraqis. but i never saw anyone actually do anything but stand there or sit there in the hot ass sun.

edit: whats your rank and where are you stationed?

edit again...60% required PT score is everyone, not just infantry. and the rest of us know all about sitting around and waiting too, hah. and the dfac sucks. nigga you crazy

[Mantikore]

so what do you grunts generally try to do for a living after your military career?

[Banjo]

plehem12,

I apologize, I wasn't aware the 60% was for everyone. This further demotivates me. And yes, I understand a lot of the drudgery in an infantryman's life is part of every enlisted soldier's, yet felt the need to include them because most people just don't know.

I am a PFC, and stationed at Ft.Bliss.

Mantikore,

Most guys try to get into law enforcement or school to do something else. Although there's a lot of retards here, you'll find a lot of intelligent people filling the ranks of the infantry. I've come to find this is probably a result of the fact that intellectuals are quite susceptible to lofty ideas.

[plehem12]

plehem12,

I apologize, I wasn't aware the 60% was for everyone. This further demotivates me. And yes, I understand a lot of the drudgery in an infantryman's life is part of every enlisted soldier's, yet felt the need to include them because most people just don't know.

I am a PFC, and stationed at Ft.Bliss.

gotcha, didnt mean to disrespect. you gotta respect the infantry. i dont wanna do your job!

and cool man. im a PFC at ft. polk, we're not too far.

[porqueno los dos?]

What is Abu Ghraib like?
What is your major malfunction?
How many US marines does it take to change a lightbulb?

[HARDMAN]

How much hand to hand training do you do?

Also do you have to wear your body armor around all the time in basic?

[Banjo]

As far as hand to hand combat or "combatives" is concerned. We all went through a basic understanding of it in OSUT, but few went on to progress into further training concerning the topic. Guys break out into combatives matches (referred to as "rolling"), but beyond that we didn't focus on it that much.

As far as the armor is concerned, you wear it a lot, but not all the time.

[Machine Messiah]

What are the odds of someone getting their first choice of where they want to be stationed?

[Banjo]

I'll have to say I'm not 100% on that one... I've seen a lot of guys fail out of airborne school right after basic so they get sent somewhere they don't want to. Just remember your contract is at the discretion of the army and if they want to they'll send you elsewhere and find a reason to do so.

Oh..and if you're trying to get Hawaii, it isn't likely. EVERYONE wants Hawaii!

[Machine Messiah]

So if you fail any school, the army just sends you wherever they want?

[Banjo]

Generally the army seems to have a way of doing whatever it wants with anybody honestly...

And yes, if you sign up with a school and fail it, most likely you'll loose that duty station you were promised. MOST LIKELY, I haven't ever lived through this experience but I feel it's most likely what would happen. I know if you fail like, OSUT or whatever they'll more likely restart you instead. But if you actually fail you get a choice of other MOSs I believe.

[SteamPunk]

I was looking at enlisting as an engineer officer (I have a high enough ASVAB). I was just wondering if you knew anything about the engineer core and what's it like.

I mainly want to join up because I'm going to major in environmental/civil engineering and I wanted a "college job" that gave me the life-experience credits. I know it's the wrong reason to join but I never see anyone join for the right reason either.

I was just wondering a few things though:
1. Chance of deployment?
2. How much bureaucratic bullshit will I have to deal with?
3. How much engineering will I actually do? Will I just be setting up tents and digging holes?
4. Chances of a combat engagement as an EO?
5. Will I get screwed over as far as my education is concerned? I don't want to be in the army very long but I would like a scholarship/army education.

Thanks man. I'm in South Dakota and if I ask anyone what the army is like I get response that might as well be straight from a recruiter.

[mossah]

you need a college degree to be an officer
you can enlist as a combat engineer, but you wouldn't be an officer.
also as far as education goes, you can use the 9/11 GI bill to pay full tuition for university once your done with your service.
if you want to be an officer and get a scholarship check out ROTC programs in nearby colleges.

[T.K. Baha]

Do you have life insurance? Do you play counterstrike?

[SteamPunk]

you need a college degree to be an officer
you can enlist as a combat engineer, but you wouldn't be an officer.
also as far as education goes, you can use the 9/11 GI bill to pay full tuition for university once your done with your service.
if you want to be an officer and get a scholarship check out ROTC programs in nearby colleges.

Thanks man. I'm doing college right now (second semester) and I'm tired of the student loan bullshit.

[Animal Farm Pig]

What does a normal day look like for your unit when you're not training? When do you start the day? Until how late do you work? How much time is pointlessly wasted?

How is life in the barracks?

Are you able to have an sort of independent life after duty hours, or is the Army always up in your shit?

(I'd be interested to hear this not just from infantry but from anyone in the active Army)

[Mor3BL7]

how many babies/women have you raped?

[Venom]

how much does it pay?

[plehem12]

What does a normal day look like for your unit when you're not training? When do you start the day? Until how late do you work? How much time is pointlessly wasted?

How is life in the barracks?

Are you able to have an sort of independent life after duty hours, or is the Army always up in your shit?

(I'd be interested to hear this not just from infantry but from anyone in the active Army)

I'm active army, I'm a mechanic though not infantry.

A normal day is getting up about 5:30am, getting to formation and starting PT at 6:30. That lasts till 7:30, often a little later. Then we are released to go home. If you live in the barracks we do a police call (picking up trash, mostly just cigarette butts) but that only lasts about 5 mins since it's done daily. Then you go inside, shit n shower or some go back to sleep. Breakfast chow is whenever you feel like going during that time before work call. You show up to work at 9:15. Depending on if the motor sergeant is there or not and what work your squad has that day, you're either working a lot or sitting on your ass till 11:30. Then you're released for lunch and you get back at 10 mins to 1300. Then it's work till 1700. If the motor sergeant is there then he will keep us there pointlessly till 1730 or later, pissing us and our squad leaders off. Then you go home and do whatever.

Lots of time is pointlessly waited. I'm sure you've heard the term "hurry up and wait". There is a ridiculous amount of it, regardless of rank and your job. You can't help it, and you'll never understand why or get used to it. It'll piss you off every time.

Life in the barracks is alright, I guess. Here we have two man rooms, so there isn't much privacy. Very little storage space. Stuff breaks a lot. There's lots of rules for what you can and can't have. You'll have inspections regularly so you have to keep your shit clean and organized. You'll also be responsible for keeping the grass cut and the trash picked up.

After duty hours you can do whatever you want basically. There isn't always a lot of time for it though on the weekdays. But some people get drunk everyday, some go to the gym, some watch tv and post on zoklet and go fuck their hot neighbor. The weekends are yours. Get as drunk and stupid and STD'd as you want. But if you get a speeding ticket, beat your wife or kids, get a DUI, fail a drug test, or do any dumb shit that you know you shouldn't do and get caught for it the army will be up in your shit all the time, and depending on what you did you won't be having much free time at all for a while and may lose pay, and could get kicked out.

For everything though, it all depends on who is in charge. Some will let you go home in the middle of the day if there isn't any work to do, others (like ours) will keep you even later than they're supposed to even if there wasn't a single reason to bother standing up at all that day.

[mossah]

how do you feel about marines? do you feel they live up to all the hype? how do you feel they compare to the army? have you gone to airborne school, or ranger school?why did you enlist?

[Paco]

how many babies/women have you raped?

This :hrmph:

[RobinHood]

:r:so what do you grunts generally try to do for a living after your military career?



We make good janitors....and:sniper:

[Machine Messiah]

Alright, so I have an airborne infantry contract for November 18. In your opinion should I go through with it?

Background info=99 asvab 145 gt, good shape, not really too adamant about being an infantryman, just sort of "something to do" for me

[plehem12]

Alright, so I have an airborne infantry contract for November 18. In your opinion should I go through with it?

Background info=99 asvab 145 gt, good shape, not really too adamant about being an infantryman, just sort of "something to do" for me

if youre serious about those scores then you'd be an idiot to go infantry when you can do anything you want. be an officer. or do something where you can put your mind to use.

[hawkhix]

I am a Corporal, serving as an Infantry Fireteam Leader. I am with 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division, deployed to Iraq.

Been in for two years and some change; so I have kinda seen everything there is as far as garrison goes. I can also help to fill in some of the blanks as far as deployed life.

[Paco]

I am a Corporal, serving as an Infantry Fireteam Leader. I am with 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division, deployed to Iraq.

Been in for two years and some change; so I have kinda seen everything there is as far as garrison goes. I can also help to fill in some of the blanks as far as deployed life.

Whats you headshot count?

[blacklung]

I am a Corporal, serving as an Infantry Fireteam Leader. I am with 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division, deployed to Iraq.

Been in for two years and some change; so I have kinda seen everything there is as far as garrison goes. I can also help to fill in some of the blanks as far as deployed life.

I would have expected to see you ranting in the Right to Bear Arms section.

[hawkhix]

That's next of course. I was just feeling philanthropic.

[FuckedintheHead]

Fortunately for us, and note this isn't all units, but we're required to have tents by our Sergeant Major every time we roll out to do a field problem. So things are a little more bearable.

Holy Shit!! I thought you guys would be suckin' more than us! When we went to the field we would be sleeping under the camo net, or in the back of a highback HMMWV with the sides rolled up in the snow.

One particular cold night, I pulled a cot out, set it up next the the exhaust pipe of the our humvee and passed out right there. It was so col I didnt care if I died of carbon monoxide poisening or not. That shit was fuckin warm.

[xippilli]

Is this you?

http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/year_in_pictures/year_in_pictures_41.jpg

It's you, isnt it.

:)

[AprenticeChemist]

Ok well im glad the pfc with one and a half years of experince in the infantry is so confident to post a thread about asking the infantry. I myself am currently coming off of a deployment in Afghanistan as an infantryman with 3 and a half years in and SPC rank right now. Granted I am National guard so when im stateside I only do the infantry shit one weekend a month two weeks a year no difference in the two of us aside from amount of garrison time. As far as the persons question about sleeping conditions in combat if you are rolling in mraps some of the people will sleep in the truck if they choose others will sleep outside on the ground using whatever they decided to bring out on mission generally not much more than a sleeping bag depending on how cold it is. The times I had to sleep outside the wire I slept outside of the truck or on the hood of our cougar(version of MRAP) because it was a lot more comfortable than cramped in the fucking truck. Granted sleeping in the truck is safer but fuck it if you are going to get blown up its going to happen can't change that might as well be comfortable when it happens. Also thats pretty funny that you guys are required to have tents in my time in I have yet to sleep in a tent except for a few times on a fob because we haven't really had hardend structures. Every time I have been in the field it was just a sleeping bag and the fucking ground.

Also as far as the question about R Lee emery who knows how bad ass he is unless you do some research online. As far as his portrayl of a drill instructor in Full Metal jacket you have to realize that was Vietnam era DI so it was a WHOLE different beast. Anyone you talk to that went to basic more than 4-5 years ago DI's might not have been "allowed" to hit privates or do more than yell but that didn't fucking stop them. Basic training just keeps getting easier and easier as the years progress even in the 3 1/2 years I have been in its gotten more pussified. I heard stories from guys that only been in a year and their bayonet march was only 14 fucking miles versus the 22miles with extra shit I had to do and drill sergeants being not that bad. Fuck out of time on the computer ill finish this shit later.

[nuclearrabbit]

As far as hand to hand combat or "combatives" is concerned. We all went through a basic understanding of it in OSUT, but few went on to progress into further training concerning the topic. Guys break out into combatives matches (referred to as "rolling"), but beyond that we didn't focus on it that much.

As far as the armor is concerned, you wear it a lot, but not all the time.

Combatives is gay bullshit that wont give you any advantage for anything.

how do you feel about marines? do you feel they live up to all the hype? how do you feel they compare to the army? have you gone to airborne school, or ranger school?why did you enlist?

Marines below E4 are faggots who've adopted the "I'm a marine; I'm a badass" attitude and persona for every day, all the time.
Ranger school is super fucking hooah in a bad way.


Infantry sucks, but so does everything else in the army.

[Hammer Tank]

I enjoyed this thread, I'd love to hear more comments from enlisted men/women.

[Tre!nt]

if you met a delta guy would you pretty much have to get on your knees?

[@@@]

do you ever steal stuff from the army? do you respect obama as commander in chief?

[Mr. Dazed and Confused]

Oh..and if you're trying to get Hawaii, it isn't likely. EVERYONE wants Hawaii!

Haha, my cousin mentioned that to me. He's an NCO, he was an E-5 Marine MP and when his contract expired he had no idea what to do so he joined the Army, was promoted to an E-6 and was stationed in Hawaii with his wife. He then got deployed to Iraq and just got back. He says he's pretty lucky to be stationed in Hawaii but he's not a huge fan of the locals but he told me he'd gladly put up with them over Iraqis.

[T.K. Baha]

Is it better to dig graves with a backhoe or have the prisoners do it?