Pt 4 Basic Training Week 2 through 4 in 1970  

I think I said where I was but if not let me refresh where I was for basic Training.
During the WAC (Women's Army Corp) years all females did their basic training at Ft Mc Clellan Alabama.
It was a beautiful base but I never knew it while in basic LOL.

I gave you pretty much what happened during the first week.
Week 2 through 4 was full of scheduled class room training. Basically learning the history of the Corp.
Both the Women's Corp and the actual Army.
We were given insight into how the 4 military services work together in peace time and in war.
I also learned during this time that we could be backing up the Marine Corp as far as medical and other services that their Corp did not offer as jobs.
It was a very interesting time.
If I did not tell you previously, I left the day after my 18th birthday
That would be July 30th, 1970. Man it was hotter than hell during that time too.
The humidity in Alabama was quite different than in Missouri where I was born and raised.
So by each water facet there was a container above it containing salt tablets.
We had to take between 8 to 12 a day
I had never heard of salt pills before I entered the army.
During the 1970's and prior we did not wear fatigues as the women do now. We had a blue uniform that looked like light blue denim called PT's we wore them everywhere unless we were told to dress in our Standard uniform. But that was only usually on fridays when platoons were graduating and we had to go to the graduation in each platoon under each company.
When we finished basic we turned these in
they never let these uniforms leave the Ft McClellan Base...still don't know the answer to that one on why not.
Except that they were truly UGLY!
Ok enough of the boring stuff on to the fun stuff.
LOL
When our Sgt would have us in formation whether at attention or at ease, we always had an eye out for any kind of a man looking thing LOL They were scarce in basic!
Finally there was a private cutting the grass in the middle of where the barracks were.
Of course we were all trying to peer at the first man we have seen since coming to this base...LOL
Our Sgt saw our eyes wander...and this is what she said to us.
C-3 do you see that private over there? We replied YES
SGT.
Well THAT is a TREE.
you could hear the twitter amongst the platoon.
Sgt said...Do you TALK to TREES?
NO SGT. we replied.
Ok then I do not expect to see you having a conversation with a man.
While you are in basic MEN ARE TREES!
So to get even with our Sgt, when we were at ease and waiting for her to come down from her room in the barracks, we would start singing....are you ready?
"Going to the Chapel"
LOL
See that was the last thing anyone in the army wanted to hear that a WAC was thinking of marriage.
To put a WAC through Basic training I was told it was close to 80,000.00 for the 8 weeks, then on to our Secondary school(AIT ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL TRAINING) that would be our job later.
So basically for the first year and half of our Army life they could not afford for us to get serious and married. It cost way to much money to put us through all the training.

You know during Viet Nam War the draft was on.
But we all know there was never a draft for women.
If a girl went in it was because she wanted to.
No one said YOU HAD TO.

Basic Training from what I understand when I went through it was harder on women mentally than men.
We were told that men could not have coped with what Basic put us through mentally.

We were not given mail for the first 4 weeks of basic.
Basically the Sgt was telling us that no one wanted to write us.
They were holding our mail up on us. to Toughen us up.
That sounds horrible doesn't it? At the time I thought so to. But what they were doing was making our platoon dependent on each other among the 53 girls that we were shoved together with.
Now lets talk a bit about the women that were in my platoon.
I had a couple of tall black women that looked like they should have signed on with the harlem globe trotters. Seriously they were tall. They were not afraid to use their height and color to scare off the weaker of us girls that did not know the prejudices that were out there.
Most of us were average middle class central state girls.
Few from the south, and a few more from other places.
We had quite a few spanish, mexican, and even a couple puerto Rican girls.
So we were well rounded out in culture.
The youngest girl (being me just turned 18)all the way to 31.
So we were well rounded in age diversity too.
There were a couple of girls that needed to lose some weight and a then ME that needed to gain desperately.
Let me explain how weight affected basic for me...

Every Friday we had inspection in order to have time off on Saturday and Sunday.
If we did not pass no one got out of the barracks
If we worked together and did well, we all got passes but only on base.
I was told to buff the floors.
Man this thing must have weighed more than me.
I did ok in the hall but when I started doing the center aisle down our barracks...I could not control the darn buffer because it was so heavy, and I knocked wall lockers and beds out of line.
We all learned that some did some things better than others, and since we did not want double work, (like putting the items back that I knocked out of align) the girls would swap jobs. BUT we could NOT GET CAUGHT.
WE would get automatic Demerits for doing someone elses chore.

So now that brings us up to the 4th week of basic.
our Platoon Sgt had handed out the chores on a thursday night before Friday inspection.
I was to wax the hall from one end of the barracks to the other end where the other girls platoon barracks were.
So here I am on my hands and knees using paste wax and putting it on the floor.
I get in front of the latrine and our Platoon Sgt's room.
I knock on her door to let her know I am placing the wax on the floor in front of her door.
Well this is 1970 and the year of the full hair dryers with the full piece you put on your head so you can't hear to well with all the noise the hair dryers used to make back in those days.
So I ASSUME she did not hear me.
Here comes the little 4ft 11 inch girl that is doing the showers in the latrine.
She asked me if I can help her do the tops of the showers that she cannot reach
I say sure and knock on the Sgt's door again to remind her NOT to come out....
So I am in the latrine in the shower stall and all of a sudden I hear the largest THUMP in the hall.
I peered out the door and saw the Sgt go back in her room and shut the door
I am now thinking I need to jump out the latrine window 3 stories up and go AWOL!
Next thing I hear...is...
PVT...and my last name.
I come peering around the corner of the latrine saying
"Yes Sgt.?"
When I saw her, I was so embarrassed!
Here in front of me was a Sgt in her head piece of her dryer, her bra, her half slip, her nylons, and one of her low quarter shoes on.
All down the left side of her was a lightish brown color of the paste wax...
I think you get the picture
She fell when she slipped on the wax when she heard the knock on the door!
I said Sgt I am SO sorry I knocked to tell you NOT to come out!
She just glared at me, and made the comment..."I honestly think we have a Gomer Pyle in our platoon."
That was all she said and nothing was ever discussed again about it.
So there you have pretty much of 2 to 4 weeks of basic.
I do have to tell you get ready for week 5 its a doozy! so stay tuned.