Mike Malloy - Chris Kyle Was No Hero, But A Goddamn Mass Murderer

[Jack Rabbit]

18. The closest thing I had to what you are describing was Field Training Exercises (FTX)

at Ft Devens, Massachusetts.

FTX was a week of fun and games in the woods. Not only was it New England, but it was February in the winter of 76/77, which was particularly snowy New England winter, and I had a case of walking pneumonia that week.

However, I was a "captured" GI and spent a few minutes blindfolded in a tiger cage. However, if they had plans for me beyond that, they didn't materialize. Instead, I was returned to headquarters, let out by some of the Ft Devens permanent staff who played the part of the enemy and told the Sergeant running the show in a horrible Russian accent that they were returning a sick prisoner. "See, we are humane! We are humane!" and then they drove off.

The next morning, at the insistence of the cadre, another troop with a bad cough and I went on sick call. We both had walking pneumonia, were both given antibiotics and returned to FTX.

To be honest, I was only vaguely aware of something called SERE training, and I think they called it that then. Maybe the problem is that they called it something else. It was nearly forty years ago and my only goal in the Army was to ETS before that half-witted war monger Reagan became president. Things like SERE training were associated with troops on career status and encountered when one might go to NCO school or try to get into special forces or some such thing. I had no intention of re-enlisting, so I missed all of that fun.