Hegseth want to mistreat military basic trainees

[MineralMan]

18. I enlisted in the USAF in November of 1965.

Basic, at that time, was a mixed thing. It all depended on who you got as a DI. I was relatively fortunate to get one who was not a total AH. I quickly understood that the answer was to stay out of sight and avoid drawing attention to myself. The 8 weeks passed quickly and I was on to the next adventure in the USAF.

Even so, the basic structure of Basic military training is to strip away individuality and get compliance without question from the recruits. Once they break you down, they work to make you like everyone else. It works for most enlistees, actually. Others fight it and are not rewarded for that. Still others, like myself, understood the process and let it wash over them and didn't absorb it.

The Air Force was much less toxic in Basic Training than the other services, and Basic was pretty much where all that ended. Going forward, the treatment was much different.

It's no fun, though, whatever service you enlist in. It's not supposed to be. You have to find a way to accommodate.