wooden barracks left. We billeted in the newer brick barracks, but we called the old ones "Splinter Village."

My induction class was sent to Ft Knox for "Basic Combat Training", but they couldn't find a class opening for us. They flew us to El Paso to our BCT class at Ft Bliss. Big improvement: Ft Bliss had cinder-block barracks with cement floors (no wax), not like Ft Knox's WW2 tinder boxes coated in tons of buffered floor wax as an accellerant. Other improvements: Our area of Ft Bliss was flat, no freaking hills to run up and down. And, of course, it was a DRY heat!

Basic was only 8 weeks, then on to IAT (Individual Advanced Training?) to learn an MOS. I went to Ft Polk (big suck) for 11B, where the Army made me into a clerk, go figure. Ft Polk had the WW2 tinder-box barracks, and it was NOT a dry heat.

Ft Bliss was so nice, I almost thought I got drafted into the Air Force.

Army ROTC Advanced Camp was at Joint Base Lewis McChord. All the cadets were housed in the "splinter barracks". Only in the last couple of years they torn down.

I went through my ROTC training living in splinter barracks in 1971 at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in PA. Not fun especially on the 2nd floor.

Showed up at San Diego navy boot camp at midnight, got off the bus, taken to the head to take a piss test, sent to my rack and back up at 0430 or 5 to start training. No food no anything but screaming, Nov 1980.

Had a great 23 year career.
edit

So they don’t need second class troops. Like the ones that were at Harmony Church.
(Just kidding)

They should made it longer. When I went through, they had 11 Mike’s who graduated with us. Then went through more training.

Shining boots together also provided bonding time.

We got several people who went through since 9/11.