First Sergeant
Killin' and Drillin' YUT!
John Crouch
First Sergeant, USMC retired
423 - 620 - 5399 Cell
Call 0800 - 2300 EST
aocs.stories@gmail.com
SKYPE - fsgtcrouch
Below is what I have been sending to other AOCS, AVROC, NAVCAD and MARCAD graduates for triggers of story recollection and explanation of what I am doing.
·I am writing a book on AOCS/NAVCAD/AVROC covering the years 1947 – 1994 from the Pensacola location.
· Please indicate your class number and Drill Instructor name and rank for all content you submit for inclusion in this book I am writing.
Please share with any other NAVCAD’s, MARCAD’s and AOCS grads that you know of.
·NAVCAD, MARCAD, AVROC and AOCS graduates. Here is an example of the layout for the book on AOCS that I am writing. I don’t expect you to read what I sent but I wanted you to see the format I was going with. Please take some time in the next couple months to write me your memories of your time under the tutelage of a Marine DI at Pensacola. I will also be writing a very comprehensive chapter on the course of training, requirements, nuances and changes throughout the decades.
·I will not however have anything in the book about me other than a short paragraph in the inside back cover. My story will be told in two following books on Navy OCS and my own personal memories of being a Drill Instructor for three tours. Again, my example is just that; an example of what the book will look like. Some stories may be in a chapter all by themselves such as RLP’s and INDOC.
·I am arranging the book front to rear by the decades in order of date of service regarding assignment to AOCS as a Drill Instructor. I will of course have a very lengthy chapter at the beginning covering the reason why Marine DI’s were assigned in 1947 and continued to be assigned throughout the decades as well as the changes that occurred in the training program.
·I will be glad to assist you in any capacity necessary to get those stories of trials and tribulations of life under the Marine Drill Instructor’s hammer as he shaped you into an officer.
Thanks so much for the stories some of you have sent and the forthcoming stories.
I am soliciting stories, short and long, paragraphs to multiple pages and unique photographs you might want to have included in the book. Here is a list of possible triggers to spark those long suppressed memories of AOCS. I would love very much for you to send me an E-mail with your stories attached. It will not be any one single story that makes the book a hit, it will be the collaborative efforts of all you Aviation Warriors and the Drill Instructors who trained you that will define the legacy of the book I will publish on your behalf. Drill Instructors, your stories are just as valuable so please share them Marine. I know that not everyone has time to type so I will gladly arrange a phone call with anyone to get the story and write it down myself and send to you a copy for final editing if you like. Please send E-mails to aocs.stories@gmail.com and feel free to call me at the above number at listed times.
Here is a link to who I am. These videos were shot in 1997 at Pensacola. http://www.youtube.com/user/crouchje Class 19-97 Introduction also shows the chow hall procedure for that first meal.
http://shock.military.com/Shock/videos.do?displayContent=196017
1990 Remake of Pressure Point – DI is SSGT S.C. Holt
1994 remake of Pressure Point. Renamed “OCS – A Commitment to Excellence” DI is SSGT David Erwin & Class CPO is CPO Morales
Part II
First Sergeant, USMC retired
423 - 620 - 5399 Cell
Call 0800 - 2300 EST
aocs.stories@gmail.com
SKYPE - fsgtcrouch
Below is what I have been sending to other AOCS, AVROC, NAVCAD and MARCAD graduates for triggers of story recollection and explanation of what I am doing.
·I am writing a book on AOCS/NAVCAD/AVROC covering the years 1947 – 1994 from the Pensacola location.
· Please indicate your class number and Drill Instructor name and rank for all content you submit for inclusion in this book I am writing.
Please share with any other NAVCAD’s, MARCAD’s and AOCS grads that you know of.
·NAVCAD, MARCAD, AVROC and AOCS graduates. Here is an example of the layout for the book on AOCS that I am writing. I don’t expect you to read what I sent but I wanted you to see the format I was going with. Please take some time in the next couple months to write me your memories of your time under the tutelage of a Marine DI at Pensacola. I will also be writing a very comprehensive chapter on the course of training, requirements, nuances and changes throughout the decades.
·I will not however have anything in the book about me other than a short paragraph in the inside back cover. My story will be told in two following books on Navy OCS and my own personal memories of being a Drill Instructor for three tours. Again, my example is just that; an example of what the book will look like. Some stories may be in a chapter all by themselves such as RLP’s and INDOC.
·I am arranging the book front to rear by the decades in order of date of service regarding assignment to AOCS as a Drill Instructor. I will of course have a very lengthy chapter at the beginning covering the reason why Marine DI’s were assigned in 1947 and continued to be assigned throughout the decades as well as the changes that occurred in the training program.
·I will be glad to assist you in any capacity necessary to get those stories of trials and tribulations of life under the Marine Drill Instructor’s hammer as he shaped you into an officer.
Thanks so much for the stories some of you have sent and the forthcoming stories.
NAVY AOCS & NAVCAD
THE PRESSURE COOKER
1947– 1994
A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES
FROM THE MARINE CORPS DRILL INSTRUCTORS
&
THE AVIATION OFFICER CANDIDATES THEY TRAINED
I am soliciting stories, short and long, paragraphs to multiple pages and unique photographs you might want to have included in the book. Here is a list of possible triggers to spark those long suppressed memories of AOCS. I would love very much for you to send me an E-mail with your stories attached. It will not be any one single story that makes the book a hit, it will be the collaborative efforts of all you Aviation Warriors and the Drill Instructors who trained you that will define the legacy of the book I will publish on your behalf. Drill Instructors, your stories are just as valuable so please share them Marine. I know that not everyone has time to type so I will gladly arrange a phone call with anyone to get the story and write it down myself and send to you a copy for final editing if you like. Please send E-mails to aocs.stories@gmail.com and feel free to call me at the above number at listed times.
Here is a link to who I am. These videos were shot in 1997 at Pensacola. http://www.youtube.com/user/crouchje Class 19-97 Introduction also shows the chow hall procedure for that first meal.
- The first time I met my DI
- What was INDOC like
- Revile and the terror / chaos that often ensued
- Taps
- Hygiene inspection
- Mail Call
- The glory of having an M1-Garand rifle and learning the hard way how damn heavy it could be
- Close order drill and the idiots who could not march
- Close order drill and the sound of my drill instructors voice that I can still hear to this day
- Welcome aboard by upper classmen
- Chow hall procedures and the ensuing screw-ups we all experienced
- Chow hall is not very relaxing time with Drill Instructors present
- Getting your ass wore out in the rose garden, the black hole or the pit
- Chrome Dome helmets and sweaty green uniforms
- The consequences of failing to lock your wall locker or rifle up
- What a RLP (Room Locker Personnel) inspection was like. Later years it changed names to MTT (Military Training Test).
- My drill Instructor had a sense of humor, some examples are….
- My drill instructor went the extra mile to ensure our success such as the time he….
- About those other DI’s who would torture us for no other reason than the desire to perform a random act of violence
- Teamwork between the classes was key in getting through the AOCS experience
- Boxing matches (AKA Smokers) where the beer was everywhere, the flight students returned to watch and the ladies were looking for a few good men
- Surviving Poopie Week AKA the first week of training for those unfamiliar with the term Poopie
- Roommates, some good / some bad
- Discovering your room has been trashed
- The creative ways the DI’s would trip you up
- The funny side of the DI’s
- Unique techniques my drill instructor used to teach a lesson
- The DOR (Drop on Request) process and funny stories leading up to them
- The silver dollar salute with the DI
- When candidates tried to outsmart the drill instructors
- Liberty as a candidate
- Running into a DI when on liberty
- The obstacle course
- The Dilbert Dunker
- Formation runs
- Morning PT
- Mess night or Dining In as a candidate
- Skits that were acted out about AOCS life
- Just how successful were those arranged dates for the big Dining Inn with the young ladies of Pensacola who picked you from the list?
- Standing watch as a officer candidate
- What it was like at the end when promoted to Candidate Officer and treated like a human for the first time
- What lessons stayed with you all these years when you reflect on the whole experience of going through AOCS
- I am sure there are other things that could be said to spark a memory of a story that needs to be told, but I need your stories to save for the preservation of the AOCS legacy.
http://shock.military.com/Shock/videos.do?displayContent=196017
1990 Remake of Pressure Point – DI is SSGT S.C. Holt
1994 remake of Pressure Point. Renamed “OCS – A Commitment to Excellence” DI is SSGT David Erwin & Class CPO is CPO Morales
Part II