The commanders changes every now and then what, so the standard
of the company should also change what
There you go, you've got the hang of it. Most of these feedback
is topical, provided by tipsters who'd recently gone through
it.
I think that, on the whole, such myth-building is due to the
frantic churning of NSF instuctors, leaving a lack of leadership
continuity at the junior level. Regulars tended to end up with
larger-than-life personalities too, much cuz their postings lasted
longer. Those old birds "left behind" can spin their own lore
which, over time, then ran on its own legs.
Can think of some personal examples. My brother happened to be
posted later to the same Delta platoon as mine during the '80s,
with one of my section leaders (the newest incoming NCO) becoming
platoon SGT by my bro's time. So the internal promotion took place
after only a year or so, or about 4 BMT intakes. But he no longer
remembered me!
I remember also my platoon excavating the open ground outside our
bunk overnight, ostensibly as "punishment" for trench-digging &
later (as we are told) to house an exercise park for future
recruits. My bro told me it became a garden but no one knew its
history. The episode sorta personalified NS for me: nothing's to
really linger from a previous batch's time except what's in myth,
no matter how memorable that experience was, be it in BMT,
coursetime or unit life.
Remember the Charlie Company ghost story? The death supposedly
occurred with the March 1983 batch; I'd enlisted 6 intakes later
& the bunk in question was one building away from mine in
Delta. Honestly, none of my kakis heard about a haunting then -- I
even darted past it during my secret treks to the canteen for
supper -- although my memory can vaguely recall a deep apprehension
over rumors about military fatalities. With such impressionable
mindsets, I realized my DI or OC can pretty much claim anything
& who amongst us would question otherwise?
