Professional Soldiers ® - View Single Post - What do you remember most about the Q Course/Training Group?

**Pete** · 02-07-2005, 09:27

several of us 'older' guys (from the 82nd and other places) looked at each other as if to ask 'what have i gotten myself into?'

I was in Jump School in July of 74 with orders to go straight to Bragg for SF training. All told there was 6 of us going SF in the class.

The last jump was delayed 1 day due to weather so we got out of Benning one day late. There was about 30 guys on the bus and all but us 6 were going to the 82nd. We drove all night and got to the 82nd Repo Depot about 0600.

A sergeant came out of the building and took charge of the other guys and marched them off. He told the 6 of us to stand right there and somebody would come and pick us up. About 30 minutes later a short fat sergeant "Ranger Sledge" came by in a stake bed truck, said that we were late and took us to the training HQ. We were feed, inproccessed and issued field gear, given a packing list, told to pack by it and be out front at someting like 1400.

At the appointed time a 2 1/2 ton drove up and the driver said we were late and to get in the back of the truck. Everybody so far had said we were late when we thought we we early. The trucks back bow was broken and the canvas was flapping so it was hard to see out the back. All we could see were miles and miles of pine trees anyway. Man, we were in the middle of nowhere.

After a long trip the truck stopped and the driver told us to get out. We got out and he drove off. We found ourselves in the middle of a compound surounded by more pine trees. The habitations were mostly GP meddium tents, two large tar paper shacks and a few smaller shacks. Nobody else was in sight.

We were wondering just what we had gotten into when we heard shouting off in the distance that was getting louder. A large group of soldiers came running into the compound and over to the sawdust pit. There was a lot of shouting and then it got real quiet. The TACs had noticed us.

Within about 2 seconds the TACs pounced on us and tried their very best to make up for the 24 hours we had missed. We found out that the class had got out there the day before and that's why everybody had been saying "You're late".

For about the next 1 1/2 hours the TACs gave us their undivided attention while the rest of the class stood at ease in the sawdust pit. That night we were told that everybody in the class was damn glad to see us because they needed the break.

Of the 6 on the bus only 3 would make it to the end. That was better than the 118 total in the class that started. Only 34 would make it to the end.

02-07-2005, 09:27	#69
Pete Quiet Professional Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Fayetteville Posts: 13,080	Gotten in to? several of us 'older' guys (from the 82nd and other places) looked at each other as if to ask 'what have i gotten myself into?' I was in Jump School in July of 74 with orders to go straight to Bragg for SF training. All told there was 6 of us going SF in the class. The last jump was delayed 1 day due to weather so we got out of Benning one day late. There was about 30 guys on the bus and all but us 6 were going to the 82nd. We drove all night and got to the 82nd Repo Depot about 0600. A sergeant came out of the building and took charge of the other guys and marched them off. He told the 6 of us to stand right there and somebody would come and pick us up. About 30 minutes later a short fat sergeant "Ranger Sledge" came by in a stake bed truck, said that we were late and took us to the training HQ. We were feed, inproccessed and issued field gear, given a packing list, told to pack by it and be out front at someting like 1400. At the appointed time a 2 1/2 ton drove up and the driver said we were late and to get in the back of the truck. Everybody so far had said we were late when we thought we we early. The trucks back bow was broken and the canvas was flapping so it was hard to see out the back. All we could see were miles and miles of pine trees anyway. Man, we were in the middle of nowhere. After a long trip the truck stopped and the driver told us to get out. We got out and he drove off. We found ourselves in the middle of a compound surounded by more pine trees. The habitations were mostly GP meddium tents, two large tar paper shacks and a few smaller shacks. Nobody else was in sight. We were wondering just what we had gotten into when we heard shouting off in the distance that was getting louder. A large group of soldiers came running into the compound and over to the sawdust pit. There was a lot of shouting and then it got real quiet. The TACs had noticed us. Within about 2 seconds the TACs pounced on us and tried their very best to make up for the 24 hours we had missed. We found out that the class had got out there the day before and that's why everybody had been saying "You're late". For about the next 1 1/2 hours the TACs gave us their undivided attention while the rest of the class stood at ease in the sawdust pit. That night we were told that everybody in the class was damn glad to see us because they needed the break. Of the 6 on the bus only 3 would make it to the end. That was better than the 118 total in the class that started. Only 34 would make it to the end.
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