Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I spent 18 months (1967-1968) in Vietnam as head of the survey section in an Army construction battalion. The guys came and went as their tour dates dictated and all were competent surveyors. But there was one young private (Tom) that was clueless. I asked him about his survey skills; he had none. He had not gone through the Army's survey school and had no prior experience in the private sector. Before being drafted, he was a butcher in a grocery store.
He was totally clueless about the work we did. He had no personality, couldn't tap his foot or clap his hands to the beat of a song. The guy made Forrest Gump look like a genius. He was a menace to the safety of the other guys. He said he had been through basic training and sent directly to VN for on the job training.
Years later, I ran across this video about McNamara's Morons. I'm convinced Tom was one of these soldiers. I have no clue what eventually happened to him as I left VN while he was still there.
I went through MEPS in San Antonio Texas in 1988, prior to going to OCS. The recruiter told me to show up at 0600. I did, and then sat and waited for 8 hours. My introduction to the US military maxim "Hurry up and wait." Finally went into see the doctors with 25 other guys, all standing around in their boxers.
Among other things, we got in circle and "walked like a duck." At one point we got in line, and, one by one, went behind a screen with two old contract "surgeons." One of them grabbed my nuts (I'll never forget him, he must have been 85 years old), to make sure I had both nuts.
As we were waiting to leave, a small Hispanic kid went behind the screen, and shortly after, one of the old contract surgeons came out from behind the screen yelling, "He's only got one testicle! He's only got one testicle!' Like he'd just hit the lottery.
As we were leaving the room, I could hear one of the old contract surgeons asking the kid, "So, do you know where your other testicle went?"
I went through MEPS in San Antonio Texas in 1988, prior to going to OCS. The recruiter told me to show up at 0600. I did, and then sat and waited for 8 hours. My introduction to the US military maxim "Hurry up and wait." Finally went into see the doctors with 25 other guys, all standing around in their boxers.
Among other things, we got in circle and "walked like a duck." At one point we got in line, and, one by one, went behind a screen with two old contract "surgeons." One of them grabbed my nuts (I'll never forget him, he must have been 85 years old), to make sure I had both nuts.
As we were waiting to leave, a small Hispanic kid went behind the screen, and shortly after, one of the old contract surgeons came out from behind the screen yelling, "He's only got one testicle! He's only got one testicle!' Like he'd just hit the lottery.
As we were leaving the room, I could hear one of the old contract surgeons asking the kid, "So, do you know where your other testicle went?"
--
Oh man, that’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day. People that haven’t been through MEPS just don’t have any idea.
I know Wiki has it listed at 1982 but I joined in 1976 and I think I remember it being called MEPS then as well. For me it was Portland Maine as I grew up in Lewiston. I could be wrong as I was really a street kid at the time. 19 homeless and wondering what to do. It has been called MEPS as far as I can remember. JM2C.
Going back to the original post and problems and MEPS questions, I think it has a lot to do with something like 70% of military age Americans being unqualified for joining. The reasons range from medical issues (physical and mental both) to prior drug use to criminal involvement.
How many times do you see someone on here ask about enlisting even though they have a chronic medical condition that requires daily medication or inhibits their abilities physically (I remember one guy who was blind).
Well, all I can say about MEPS (late '99)is that aside from sitting around and waiting for the better part of the day, watching news on a loop, until it was time to be seen (do the duck walk, see physician, etc.) it seemed fairly normal.
Not sure you missed the point or not. MEPS is discussed frequently here, and when I signed up, it didn't exist. It was somewhat confusing to me, having never gone through it. My induction was pretty simple and quick. Now that I understand it better, I can better understand what posters here are going through.
Not sure you missed the point or not. MEPS is discussed frequently here, and when I signed up, it didn't exist. It was somewhat confusing to me, having never gone through it. My induction was pretty simple and quick. Now that I understand it better, I can better understand what posters here are going through.
I think what happened, since you went in during the draft, that in the intervening years the named changed and the process got more involved.
When I went in, 1980, I was going to AOCS at Pensacola. The recruiting station (likely not the right term) in Pittsburgh gave a preliminary physical and intake. Then I went home and waited a few weeks for orders to report.
Got them, went to Pensacola where we had three or four days of various physicals (now, a lot of that was "hurry up and wait") where there were things checked that I, at age 26, never knew existed. The physicals also included psych screening.
Based on one's scores (which followed you during your service)
I learned that is true. I went into the Air Force in 1979. In 1977, when I was a junior in high school, everyone had to take the ASVAB. Groups went into the school library on designated days and took the test. At that time I had no intention on joining the military, so really didn't care about doing well on the test. That was reflected in my test scores, which were horrible across the board. A few months later, after giving the Air Force some thought, I decided maybe I would join, and called the recruiter. He looked at my ASVAB scores and basically said there is no way you can go into the Air Force with those scores. I told him that I really didn't care about the ASVAB when I took it, and was sure I could do better if allowed to re-take the test. He arranged for that to happen, I took the test, and scored high across the board.
Flash forward about 3 or 4 years. I get a notification from personnel (CBPO for the Air Force then) that there was an error in my records regarding my ASVAB scores, it was corrected, and all my scores were adjusted. They were the scores from my original ASVAB test! I sort of laughed at it telling my co-workers there was no way I would be in the job I had (electronics technician) at the time if I had an electronics score that low on the ASVAB. But other than that I did nothing about it, thinking what's it matter at this point since I am already in the Air Force?
Flash forward about another 10 years, and my supervisory chain wants to send me to the NCO Academy. The problem however was because of my extremely low ASVAB test scores, the only way I could go to the Academy was to take another (probably not the ASVAB) test to determine if I was smarter than my ASVAB test scores reflected. I took that as an insult as in, do you really think I am so dumb to get scores that low on the ASVAB? Those scores were from my first ASVAB test, and if they used the scores from the second ASVAB, there would not be a question about my intelligence.
In the end, I refused to take their test. They got a waiver that allowed me to attend the NCO Academy. But yes, those scores do follow you throughout your career.
We had what was officially called Project 100,000 or unofficially McNamara’s Morons. People with medical problems or low IQ’s. One recruit in our platoon could not read or write and signed his name with an X that was witnessed and signed by another person.
In boot camp some illiterate recruits attended school to learn the basics of reading and writing. There were cases of drill instructors in the Army and Marine Corps having people take tests or rifle qualification for these people. And they went directly into the infantry where they had the highest casualty rates of any group in Vietnam.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
