How would you rate your military training?

[technique]

Those of you who are in or have been in the military, I'm wondering how well you feel you were trained?

Imma try not to ramble on but bare with me.

I was drinking with one of my buddies last night, he is a Desert Storm Vet and has also been to the "Stan" and Iraq in our current conflict. He has been in the military for a good long time.

So while we were BSing and catching up on things I was educating him on owning an AR here in Ca...so naturally we were surfing CG's and I was showing him around.

So we were reading a thread that well ended up being "cleaned up" so to say. But from this thread I got some interesting comments from my buddy.

I will try to remember some of exactly what he said:

"Bragging about your military training is like bragging you graduated from public school" "Most of what you learn is learned in the field...actual combat"

"Training in the military is very standardized unless you are a sticking around for a while. You get people from all over, some with firearm experience, some without...you get an idiot from every village! Most training is very basic, its meant for everyone including the idiots and just keeps you and your buddies alive"

So that got me thinking...how many of you Mil guys take training from outside sources? Like in your off time you decide to go into take a Magpul Dynamics class...how does this compare to what you have learned through the Mil?

Would you say these type of classes teach you more or less than the Mil?






I will leave it at that for now...but I'll post more after some comments roll in.

[Jonathan Doe]

I leaned my rifle shootng skills from the Marines. It helped me a lot. I still shoot high power matches, and yes, I have earned many medals. Marines and their rifles, it is a good combination.

[gucci pilot]

Are we talking about any military training? All modesty aside, when I entered the Air Force I had a commercial pilots license and flew for a couple noteworthy companies as a corporate pilot. However, my military pilot training is beyond reproach. The training the Air Force provides is the best in the world, IMHO. That's why most folks feel the most comfortable flying the airlines with pilots with military training.

What about my marksmanship training in the Air Force? Frankly, it sucks. I wish that we had more emphasis on close quarters like in an aircraft. Folks, let me come clean, I rely on the Marines and the Army to protect me. They are the combat experts and I'm grateful. When they need a ride to their next conflict or need close air support I'm there for 'em.

[M198]

I received very extensive training in the Military. I was issued an M16, an M9, M249, and a mossberg 500 at different times. (along with crew serveds for my squad). I also completed Jungle Warfare training (Oki crash course) and Mountain Warfare training (summer package). I was in a combat MOS, so we also dabbled in CQB/MOUNT and our SOC qual was in riot control/EPW handling. I never did get jump wings and only repelled a few different times, but I did do a crap load of fast rope drops. I suppose if you are a pogue in the Army, you aren't getting much training. It really depends on what your MOS and branch you were in. Also, I was unlucky enough to get a brown belt in MCMAP.

[M47_Dragon]

This is hard for me to answer... training for what?

I was taught marksmanship, but that is a diminishable skill.

I was trained in physical fitness, but now I am a fat bump on a log.

Squad tactics, closing with and destroying the enemy is all well and good, but when will I ever have to use that training? I mean, really?

I was a grunt in the USMC. I was trained for what I needed to do while I was in. I look back on all of that training fondly, but I don't know if is good for anything in my life today EXCEPT for the fact that little things don't bother me, I could sleep in a dirty, wet mud-hole for a week with no complaints, and I don't quit on things.

Oh, and I still don't like squids.


I did attend a couple of "training" classes when I got back into shooting. I was grateful for the information, but was a little shocked at how 'mall ninja-ish" the instructors seemed. I don't think any of them had military training, and if they did, it wasn't from my Marine Corps. They portrayed themselves as some high-speed, low-drag types, but were not believable to me. My BS detector was going off, but I can't really put my finger on why.

Did I mention that I still don't like squids?

[technique]

Cool keep the comments rolling. I was just curious. A lot of the guys I shoot with are Mil...everything I have learned from 10+ AR15 specific classes is slightly different from how they do things..but together we still get sh-t done...LOL

I'm trying to get a video from another buddy. I'm going to try and upload it on my laptop tomorrow. Its a good one....no real Combat footage but its a good video of the invasion of Iraq. One of the best videos along with a photos I have seen anywhere.

[technique]

This is hard for me to answer... training for what?

Just all around...tactics, shooting, and the like mainly.

I can say hunting from a very young age helped me to be able to ignore the elements...and to just keep on going. I'm sure the Mil gets you even harder.

[gucci pilot]

So, you don't give a crap about us flyboys, huh?

[JohnnyRooks]

i have buddy of mine who despised his military training. he was a grunt in army for 10 years and he told me army only teach them the basic stuff and that's about it. lol

he was in the army during the clinton era and maybe the training kinda sucks?

[snobord99]

"Bragging about your military training is like bragging you graduated from public school" "Most of what you learn is learned in the field...actual combat"

I don't have military training or anything, but I do have public school education up through college (undergrad) and private grad school education. Rest assured, you can tell your buddy he doesn't need to put the word "public" in that statement.

[gumby]

I was in the airfarce,(yes, I spelled that correctly) '74-'78 and was in operation frequent wind and project new arrival. What training? I did marry and am still married to one of the former refugees though.

[Desert_Rat]

I did attend a couple of "training" classes when I got back into shooting. I was grateful for the information, but was a little shocked at how 'mall ninja-ish" the instructors seemed. I don't think any of them had military training, and if they did, it wasn't from my Marine Corps. They portrayed themselves as some high-speed, low-drag types, but were not believable to me. My BS detector was going off, but I can't really put my finger on why.

OMG!!! This sums it up 100% I know I could add more useful training than the guy I went to.He had a female(large frame type) new shot gun shooter and gun shy to boot,fire left handed(she was right handed) had her go lefty because she is left eye dominant.UNSAFE,she was.

I'm cross dominant and shoot rifle with right eye very vell and I shoot pistol with left eye.

I was in a "Victor" unit but still in a "POG MOS" Motor-T.But I was very fortunate to have a hard charging OIC who wished he was a grunt,He and I had Very similar ideas on training,as POGS we were at combat town on Camp Pendleton all of the time.and as Motor-T Marines we had guys who had friends at some More-than-us-high-speed-units.So They would get some of their NCO's to come over and "share the knowledge" We were always training in the craft of the Grunt. Shooting,MOUT,rappelling,SPIE rigging,Snooping and Pooping,CQB,swim Qual.to WSQ. and the like, Now We/I were no SOC MEU all by ourselves in our little POG platoon,but we were most definantly having a good time learning some high speed stuff.And in the meantime we still had to maintain our vehicles and equipment required for our mission by MOS.

So I'd rate my Military training as a whole an A+.From MOS school to the Fleet training and what X-training we could get in.

But there is no way to tell how I would put it all together in combat,as I made it through w/o going into combat.(Clinton Era Politics)

[kermit315]

well, most lessons are taught at a very basic level, unfortunate to say, but thats the fact. They give you the bare amount of information you need to do the job, and thats about it. You might feel something is relevant, however, whomever approved the course of instruction didnt, so it doesnt get taught.

for what its worth, i dont agree with that, or the red tape involved in getting stuff fixed, but it is one of the little secrets I have "officially" learned in the last week at instructor school.

BTW: as far as my avionics training, I have no complaints, but it goes back to they teach you exactly what you need to know to do your job. If you pay attention, you can pick up the rest of the information on your own, but most new enlistees dont care that much about their job, they want to do what they have to do, and not much more. YMMV.

[Table Rock Arms]

I have not been in the military but I will say this. If you do not have what it takes to perform in an intense situation, all the training in the world will help you very little. On the other hand if you have what it takes to perform, a little training goes a long way. Some things you either have or you don't.

[M47_Dragon]

Just all around...tactics, shooting, and the like mainly.

I got really good at humping. For miles. And miles. AND MILES.

About the only other thing my training made me good at - I can spot tactical/military screw-ups in TV shows and movies. It makes me annoying to watch movies with, I'm sure.

"Hey Dumb@$$, just pull the blasting cap out of the C4!"