> I've seen a show on the BBC following a group of
>new recruits in the British Army. There is
>little, if any, building up. Basic training is
>about beasting the newbies so much they break
>down, begin bonding with each other, and become
>one. The corporals and sergeants in charge of
>training said exactly that, almost word for word,
>directly to the camera. There is no building up
>involved. The men and women get built up again
>after they leave basic for their specialised
>training. A follow-up show had a captain saying
>something like "Basic training has broken them
>down. Now we need to re-assemble them into the
>sort of person we can use".
>
> Dunno if that's what it's like in the US army,
>but I'm willing to bet there's at least some
>similarity. Break them down in basic and get them
>bonding, re-assemble them in specialised.

You're probably right. But I don't think most people come directly out of basic and right into BUD/s. I'm not even sure they allow it, I somehow have the idea in my head that you have to have been an active member of the Navy for some amount of time after basic training in order to even apply for BUD/s.

But either way, I don't see how any of it pertains to Gortman's point (if indeed he has one other than "GO JOIN THE ARMY")

-- Dave