10 horrors being unleashed upon ancient towns as the Assyrian war machine rolled in—nearly three millennia ago a little‑known empire thundered across the Middle East, razing cities, tormenting survivors, and spreading dread like wildfire. This was Assyria, the first state to build its entire identity around military might and to wield terror as a strategic weapon.

10 An Enemy That Lived At War

Every free‑born Assyrian, from pauper to aristocrat, was conscripted into the army. In effect, Assyria invented the modern draft, obliging every male citizen to pick up a spear, regardless of wealth or status.

The service ran on a three‑year rotation. Year one was spent constructing roads, bridges, and monumental projects that bolstered the empire’s infrastructure. Year two thrust the soldiers into the battlefield, brandishing weapons across hostile lands. Year three granted a brief respite to reunite with families before the cycle began anew.

The result? A relentless, battle‑hardened legion that could flood any gate with sheer numbers and ferocity. When the Assyrian host appeared on your horizon, the men at the walls were not just soldiers—they were seasoned warriors, countless in number, and utterly terrifying.

10 Horrors Being: The Relentless War Machine

9 Psychological Terror

The Assyrians were masters of psychological warfare, carving brutal scenes onto clay tablets that traveled ahead of their armies. These vivid depictions showed victims being skinned alive, blinded, or impaled on sharp stakes, serving as grim advertisements of the fate awaiting any resistant city.

One particularly vicious king, Ashurnasirpal II, boasted on his tablets: “I flayed many right through my land and draped their skins over the walls. I burned their adolescent boys and girls… A pillar of heads I erected in front of the city.” Such chilling proclamations were deliberately spread to sow panic before the first footstep of an Assyrian chariot crossed the horizon.

By the time the army reached the city walls, these terrifying stories had already seeped into the populace’s collective imagination. Every onlooker knew that, compared with the gruesome fate the Assyrians promised, a swift death might actually seem merciful.

8 A Chance To Surrender

Before the clash began, the Assyrians often offered a grimly worded chance to surrender. An envoy would ride up to the city’s ramparts, his voice echoing over the terrified crowd, promising life and liberty if the inhabitants bowed and paid tribute.

“Make peace with me and come out to me!” the envoy shouted. “Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern.” He warned, however, that refusal meant “you will have to eat your own excrement and drink your own urine.”

Many city‑states chose the safer route, handing over tribute to avoid annihilation. Others, like the king of Urartu, preferred suicide over subjugation, stabbing himself in the chest as the Assyrian host approached. Some even pre‑emptively sent gifts, surrendering before any envoy could appear, simply to keep the dreaded army at bay.

7 Advanced Siege Weapons

Siegecraft in the ancient world was primitive at best—most armies relied on ramming a massive log against a gate while archers peppered the attackers from above. The Assyrians, however, revolutionized siege warfare with the invention of the battering ram, a massive engine on wheels that could crush stone walls with terrifying efficiency.

The device featured an iron‑capped ram swinging from sturdy chains, delivering bone‑shattering blows to fortifications. Inside the engine, operators were shielded by wooden plates draped in damp animal skins, a clever defense against the flaming arrows hurled from the battlements above. This combination of brute force and protective engineering made Assyrian sieges virtually unstoppable for their era.

6 The Complete Obliteration Of Cities

Sometimes the Assyrian onslaught didn’t stop at slaughter; it culminated in total erasure. When King Sennacherib turned his gaze toward Babylon, he vowed to obliterate it entirely, leaving behind a chilling proclamation of total destruction.

“The city and its houses, from its foundations to its top, I destroyed, I devastated, I burned with fire,” he declared. “Through the midst of that city I dug canals, I flooded its site with water, and the very foundations thereof I destroyed. I made its destruction more complete than that by a flood… In days to come the site of that city, and its temples and gods, might not be remembered; I completely blotted it out with floods of water and made it like a meadow.”

5 The Torture Of The Survivors

One Assyrian monarch recorded sparing certain captives—but only after they grovelingly begged for mercy. “The nobles and elders of the city came out to me to save their lives,” he wrote. “They seized my feet and said, ‘If it pleases you, kill! If it pleases you, spare! If it pleases you, do what you will!’”

More often, surviving men faced the very horrors the Assyrians had displayed on their tablets: skins ripped from bodies, noses and ears sliced off, and countless other gruesome torments. The cruelty was not merely physical; it was designed to break spirits as well as bodies.

Some kings even turned the macabre into a twisted spectacle. Esarhaddon ordered noblemen to wear necklaces fashioned from the severed heads of their own kings, proclaiming, “I hung the heads of the kings upon the shoulders of their nobles, and with singing and music I paraded.” The spectacle served as a terrifying reminder of the price of defiance.

4 Lives Of Slavery

Assyrian reliefs depict a grim procession of enslaved peoples, chained to massive stones they were forced to drag like beasts of burden. These stones were destined for the construction of palaces and monumental wonders, and the laborers received no respite; overseers stood ready to lash any who lagged.

Women suffered even harsher fates. After wars, they and their children were stripped of dignity, often forced to march naked, humiliated before being sold into servitude. In one recorded atrocity, a king ordered women to lift their skirts over their heads and wander blindly, a grotesque display meant to crush any remaining sense of self‑respect.

3 The Resettlement Policy

Assyria’s power rested in part on a ruthless resettlement strategy that uprooted entire families and scattered them across the empire. Captured experts and artisans were shipped to the heart of Assyria, where they were compelled to build palaces, temples, and other marvels—sometimes alongside their own kin, sometimes far from home.

Even the fiercest opponents occasionally received a sliver of mercy. Some defeated commanders were sent to a ruined outpost on the empire’s edge, tasked with rebuilding it as a form of redemption.

The remainder of the conquered populace was dispersed throughout the kingdom, living among strangers to prevent any unified rebellion. This deliberate mixing of peoples ensured that no single ethnic group could easily rally against Assyrian rule.

2 A Brutal Code Of Law

Assyrian law was a ledger of terror, prescribing dismemberment or death for a litany of offenses. A man who dared kiss another’s wife faced a swift axe to his lower lip. Homosexual acts were met with the decree, “they shall turn him into a eunuch.” Adultery earned a death sentence without exception.

Some crimes invited particularly savage retribution. Men were granted the right to murder adulterous wives, while murderers themselves were handed over to the victim’s family, who could exact any vengeance they desired.

Even though the populace might have recoiled at the brutality, the statutes left no room for hesitation: “In the case of very crime for which there is penalty of the cutting‑off of ear or nose, as it is written it shall be carried out.” The law’s cold precision reinforced the empire’s iron grip.

1 Post‑Traumatic Stress

The shadow of Assyrian terror loomed over both the conquered and the conquerors. Soldiers of the empire reported haunting symptoms that modern psychologists identify as post‑traumatic stress: vivid hallucinations of ghosts—spirits of those they had slain—whispering and wailing in the night.

Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes notes, “They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people they’d killed in battle. That’s exactly the experience of modern‑day soldiers who’ve been involved in close hand‑to‑hand combat.” The psychological toll was as severe as the physical carnage.

Assyrian campaigns left the warriors riddled with guilt and dread. After the mandated year of warfare ended and they returned home, many lived haunted by the specters of the countless victims they had inflicted terror upon, a lingering nightmare that never fully faded.

Among roughly 150,000 men of Jewish descent who fought in Hitler’s army, the stories of 10 Jews who served on the front lines reveal a paradox: while their families were being forced into ghettos and sent to death camps, these soldiers were stationed in Poland, France, or Russia, helping spread the very system that was slaughtering their own people across Europe.

Why 10 Jews Who Joined the Nazi Ranks?

10 Werner Goldberg

A familiar poster plastered throughout Nazi Germany showed a soldier with a swastika emblazoned on his chest, hailed as “The Ideal German Soldier.” Ironically, the model soldier was not a pure‑blood Aryan at all – he was half‑Jewish.

Werner Goldberg grew up unaware of his Jewish roots; his father never mentioned it. The truth hit him at fourteen when his school principal announced a “Jew‑free” policy and singled Werner out as the problem, publicly exposing his heritage.

Shunned overnight, Werner became desperate to belong again. He enlisted at the earliest opportunity, managing to join before the invasion of Poland, hoping military service would restore his place in society.

Back home, his father endured the horrors of the Holocaust. Werner leveraged his position to intervene repeatedly, even breaking into the prison holding his father when he learned of an imminent transfer to Auschwitz, rescuing him from certain death.

In the war’s aftermath, the Goldberg family suffered devastating losses—only his father survived. The reunion between Werner and his rescued father stands as a stark reminder of the personal stakes hidden behind the propaganda.

9 Nachemia Wurman

Debates have long swirled about how much ordinary Nazi soldiers knew about the atrocities in the camps. In the 72nd Infantry, one man certainly had a front‑row seat: Nachemia Wurman.

A Polish Jew, Wurman survived a 1944 labor camp where he witnessed his father’s execution and was forced to bathe in soap crafted from the bodies of fellow inmates.

After escaping and heading west in hopes of meeting Soviet troops, he instead ran straight into a German battalion. Knowing he couldn’t slip past them unnoticed, he boldly approached, shook hands, and introduced himself as “Marion Schmidt,” a German‑born chef.

He was promptly accepted into the unit, spending the remainder of the war with a swastika on his arm, cooking for the soldiers while keeping his true identity a secret. “The best hiding place was in the mouth of the wolf,” he later reflected.

8 Arno Spitz

Arno Spitz earned three Iron Crosses, the highest German decoration for bravery, making him one of the most decorated men in the Wehrmacht.

His father, a Jew, fled to the United States as persecution intensified. Arno, however, stayed in Germany and proved so valuable that when Himmler ordered half‑Jewish soldiers expelled in 1940, he was allowed to remain.

Spitz later insisted that fighting for Germany was not the same as supporting Hitler, telling Dateline NBC in 2002, “There is a difference.” His daughter later accused him of betraying his own people, but he refused to apologize, saying, “I didn’t do anything that is a crime.”

7 Hans‑Geert Falkenberg

“I did not want to join the army,” Hans‑Geert Falkenberg recalled. “I had to join the army.” He enlisted as soon as war was declared, hoping to prove his worth to a society that was already targeting Jews.

His teachers had been preaching Jewish inferiority, and he spent his teenage years excelling at everything the Nazis prized, seeing military service as the next logical step.

While fighting in France, he received letters from his grandmother describing the unfolding Holocaust. When the letters ceased, he learned she had been sent to a concentration camp, a blow that shocked him and his acquaintances alike.

His family had already fled to England, but trapped in occupied Europe, Falkenberg concluded that staying in the army was the safest way to survive, stating, “No question.”

6 Helmut Kopp

Helmut Kopp, the son of a German father and a Jewish mother, felt most alienated by his maternal side. His grandfather openly dismissed him, referring to him as a “goy” rather than a grandson.

When war erupted, Kopp filled out his enlistment papers as “full Aryan” and served in an artillery unit. He claimed to have been aware of the camps but chose to focus solely on his own survival, saying, “You didn’t think about the Fuhrer or the nation; I thought only about myself.”

5 Friedemann Lichtwitz

“In the German army, I was in a pretty good situation,” Friedemann Lichtwitz recalled. He felt accepted among his comrades, unaware of the growing persecution of Jews at home.

When the 1940 purge expelled half‑Jewish soldiers, he was sent to a forced‑labor camp and later, after a failed escape, to Dachau. Asked by an NBC reporter how it felt to transition from soldier to prisoner, he could only reply, “I can’t say; I don’t know how to answer that.”

4 Major Leo Skurnik

Major Leo Skurnik served as a doctor with Finland’s 53rd Infantry. Though Jewish by birth, his Finnish nationality placed him alongside German SS troops against the Soviet Union.

He tended to every wounded combatant, regardless of uniform, and even helped clear paths for German assaults. When a German soldier needed aid, Skurnik braved no‑man’s land to rescue him.

He organized the evacuation of a field hospital under Russian bombardment, carrying over 600 wounded—including SS men—across 8.9 km of bogland. Though offered an Iron Cross, he famously rejected it, telling his commander, “Tell your German colleagues that I wipe my arse with it!”

3 Harry Matso

Harry Matso, a Finnish Jew, fought for Finland’s army, an ally of Nazi Germany. He asserted, “We’ve been called ‘fascist,’ which is a lie,” emphasizing his opposition to Nazi ideology.

He explained that Finnish Jews fought for their nation’s independence, not for Germany’s war aims. Conscription forced him into service, even as rumors of the Holocaust filtered through.

Fearing Soviet domination as much as Nazi oppression, Matso chose to defend his homeland, refusing to salute German soldiers whenever he encountered them.

2 Emil Maurice

Emil Maurice, listed as SS Member #2—second only to Adolf Hitler—was, by Himmler’s own standards, a Jew.

He joined the National Socialist Party in 1919, rose to lead the Sturmabteilung, participated in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, and even helped Hitler draft Mein Kampf while imprisoned.

Despite his Jewish ancestry being exposed, Hitler declared Maurice an “honorary Aryan,” shielding him from expulsion after Himmler demanded his removal.

1 Erhard Milch

Erhard Milch rose to the upper echelons of the Nazi war machine, serving on the German War Cabinet and as chief of staff of the Luftwaffe, despite the public knowledge that his father was Jewish.

His friendship with Hermann Göring secured his “full Aryan” status after Göring arranged for Milch’s mother to sign a statement denying his Jewish lineage.

During the Nuremberg trials, Milch faced accusations of conducting lethal experiments on Jewish prisoners in Dachau, including high‑altitude and hypothermia tests. He never expressed remorse, defending Göring and refusing to apologize for his role.

The American Civil War, raging from 1861 to 1865, was the United States’ first truly modern conflict and remains the deadliest war in the nation’s history. More than a century and a half later, the legacy of that brutal struggle still echoes across the Southern landscape, especially in the names of ten active Army installations. In this top 10 army roundup we’ll tour each of these forts, uncovering the stories of the Confederate generals they commemorate and the contemporary missions they support.

Top 10 Army Bases and Their Confederate Namesakes

10 Ambrose Powell Hill Jr.

Established in 1941 just outside Bowling Green, Virginia, Fort A.P. Hill began as a sprawling training ground for the United States Army. Over the decades it has evolved into a premier weapons‑training hub, welcoming not only soldiers from every branch but also law‑enforcement agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as state and local police forces seeking advanced firearms instruction.

The installation bears the name of Ambrose Powell Hill, a Virginian who first fought for the United States in the Mexican‑American and Seminole wars before throwing in his lot with the Confederacy when the Civil War erupted. Hill quickly rose through the Confederate ranks, becoming commander of the famed “Light Division” and one of Stonewall Jackson’s most trusted sub‑ordinates.

After Jackson’s death at Chancellorsville, Hill was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of General Lee’s Third Corps, steering it through the Gettysburg Campaign. He met his end during the Union’s assault on the Third Battle of Petersburg in 1865, just weeks before the war’s conclusion.

9 Henry Benning

Fort Benning, located in the heart of Georgia, serves as the home of the U.S. Army Infantry School, the Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the Armor School, among other elite training institutions. Supporting more than 120,000 active‑duty personnel, family members, veterans, and civilian staff, the post is a cornerstone of the Army’s combat‑training enterprise. Its origins trace back to 1918 when it was founded to provide basic training for new recruits.

The fort honors Henry L. Benning, a staunch secessionist who led “Benning’s Brigade” during the Civil War. A vocal opponent of abolition, Benning entered politics as a Democratic congressman before abandoning any chance at a Confederate cabinet post to join the Confederate Army as colonel of the 17th Georgia Infantry in 1861.

Rising to the rank of brigadier general, Benning led his troops against Ulysses S. Grant during the Overland Campaign. He remained in the field until the Confederacy’s collapse, personally overseeing the surrender of his men in April 1865, a poignant end to a fiercely fought career.

8 Braxton Bragg

Fort Bragg, situated just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, holds the distinction of being the world’s most populous military installation, regularly supporting around 50,000 active‑duty service members. The base hosts the XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Special Operations Command, and a host of other high‑profile units.

Founded in 1918 as an artillery‑training center, the post was christened for Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native who served in the U.S. Army during the Second Seminole and Mexican‑American wars before joining the Confederacy. Though originally opposed to secession, Bragg accepted a commission as a Confederate brigadier general in 1861 and commanded forces in Pensacola, Florida.

Throughout the war he led troops in pivotal battles such as Chattanooga and Chickamauga, later becoming a trusted advisor to President Jefferson Davis. Bragg is credited with helping Davis recognize the inevitable defeat of the Confederacy, a realization that paved the way for the final surrender.

7 John Brown Gordon

Originally opened as Camp Gordon in 1917 to train the 82nd Division, the installation was upgraded to Fort status in 1941 and today houses the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Cyber Corps, and a suite of other high‑tech units.

The fort bears the name of John B. Gordon, a Georgian who entered the Confederate service without prior military experience. After a rapid rise through the ranks—captain of the 6th Alabama Infantry, colonel at Seven Pines, and a hard‑earned brigadier general following multiple wounds at Antietam—Gordon earned General Robert E. Lee’s admiration for his tenacity.

Gordon continued to lead his men until the war’s end, surrendering at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865. Post‑war, he entered politics, fiercely opposing Reconstruction, later serving as a U.S. senator and the 53rd governor of Georgia.

6 John Bell Hood

Commissioned in January 1942, Fort Hood was sited on the wide‑open Texas plains to test tank destroyers during World War II. Today it stands as the world’s most populous military base, sprawling over 214,000 acres and serving as headquarters for III Corps, the 1st Cavalry Division, and numerous other cavalry and infantry formations.

The installation is named for John Bell Hood, a West Point‑trained officer who briefly served in the U.S. Army before resigning his commission after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. A native Kentuckian, Hood aligned himself with Texas when his home state remained neutral, receiving a colonel’s commission in September 1860 to lead the 4th Texas Infantry.

Hood fought in many of the war’s most famous engagements—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga—earning a temporary promotion to major general in July 1864 before returning to his lieutenant‑general rank. His aggressive tactics made him both feared and respected on the battlefield.

5 George Pickett

Fort Pickett, positioned near Blackstone, Virginia, operates as a Virginia Army National Guard post and houses the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center. Established in 1941, the base was designed to simultaneously train multiple infantry divisions.

The fort commemorates George Pickett, a career U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War before resigning his commission after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Within a month he had become a colonel in the Confederate Army and was promoted to brigadier general by 1862.

Pickett is most famously remembered for leading the ill‑fated “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg, a desperate advance that ended in a catastrophic loss for the Confederacy. Despite the disaster, he remained active throughout the war and stood alongside General Lee during the surrender at Appomattox Court House.

4 Edmund Winchester Rucker

Opened during World War II, Fort Rucker in Alabama was originally a flight‑training center and today serves as the home of Army Aviation and the Warrant Officer Candidate School, where future Army aviators earn their wings.

The base honors Edmund Winchester Rucker, a Confederate officer who enlisted as a private in 1861. He first served with Pickett’s Tennessee Company of Sappers and Miners, rising to lieutenant by 1862, and later commanding the 1st East Tennessee Legion—known as Rucker’s Legion—as a colonel in 1863.

Although he never received formal confirmation from the Confederate Congress, Rucker attained the rank of brigadier general, suffered multiple wounds, and even lost an arm after being captured. He was eventually released in a prisoner exchange orchestrated by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

3 Leonidas Polk

Founded in 1941 as a training camp for the Louisiana Maneuvers, Fort Polk now hosts the Joint Readiness Training Center and a variety of combat units, including the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.

The installation was named for Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana who set aside his clerical duties to become a major general in the Confederate Army. A West Point classmate of Jefferson Davis, Polk offered his services early in the war and was assigned command of forces in Kentucky, a move that inadvertently forced the Union to intervene and effectively ceded the state to the North.

Polk led troops in the Army of Mississippi and Tennessee, commanding roughly 20,000 men in Georgia as the Confederacy’s second‑in‑command. He met his end in June 1864 near Marietta, Georgia, when Union artillery spotted him and delivered a fatal third shot.

2 Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard

Established in 1918 as a training site for the 17th Division before the United States entered World War I, Camp Beauregard now serves the Louisiana Army National Guard as a primary training area.

The camp is named after Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard, a West Point graduate who fought in the Mexican‑American War and became the Confederacy’s first brigadier general. Within five months of joining the Southern cause, Beauregard rose to the rank of full general, making him the fifth‑highest‑ranking officer in the Confederate Army.

He famously ordered the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, earning him the nickname “The Hero of Fort Sumter.” After the war, Beauregard entered politics, surprisingly supporting black civil‑rights initiatives as a Republican, while also working as a railroad executive and promoting the Louisiana Lottery, the nation’s only legal lottery at the time.

1 Robert Edward Lee

Fort Lee began its life as a Civil War‑era training camp west of Richmond, originally known as Camp Lee. It grew into a full‑scale fort during World War I and today hosts the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command, the Quartermaster, Ordnance, and Transportation schools.

The post honors Robert E. Lee, a distinguished U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War and later served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Though initially reluctant to join the secessionist cause, Lee ultimately resigned his commission and became one of the Confederacy’s most celebrated generals.

Lee was swiftly promoted to full general and commanded the Confederate forces in western Virginia. He led the infamous Maryland Campaign that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point that resulted in a decisive Union victory. Lee continued to command the Army of Northern Virginia until its surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865, after which the Confederacy collapsed.

Choosing to enlist is a massive life decision, and the journey begins with a series of eye‑opening experiences that make up the top 10 fascinating rundown of Army basic training. Once you sign that enlistment contract, you officially become property of the U.S. government, and the adventure that follows is anything but ordinary.

Top 10 Fascinating Highlights

10 Processing

First things first: you won’t be strolling into basic with your favorite skate shoes or a Gameboy. Recruiters insist you travel light, and any non‑regulation items are temporarily seized—think of it like a brief stint in a holding cell. No heirloom revolvers, no unauthorized books, and even your personal stationery is swapped for army‑issued letterhead. In practice, you’re reduced to underwear, socks, running shoes, and the clothes on your back.

The army processes hundreds of new soldiers each day at a single installation, and the whole ordeal can stretch a week. You’ll bounce between temporary lodgings, survive cheese‑sandwich lunches and carton milk, and sign endless paperwork that feels like you’re surrendering your very identity. After the bureaucratic marathon, they shave your head, clothe you in camouflage (or the Advanced Combat Uniform), lace you up in boots, and then administer a barrage of needles—practically every vaccine known to man. Processing is the most sleep‑deprived, monotonous, and, in my opinion, the worst part of basic. By day two you’ll be begging for a company, drill sergeant, and platoon assignment. It’s a limbo where you’re man‑handled into looking like a soldier, but you’re not one—yet.

9 Welcome to Basic

Once you’re finally assigned to a platoon, the drill sergeants lay it all out for you: push‑ups, endless laps, and a relentless pace that never quits. After the endless shuffle of temporary beds during processing, finally having a dedicated bed to call your own feels bittersweet. You’ll scrub the barracks clean, and most recruits stumble during the first weeks trying to polish the floors with an old‑fashioned buffer from the Korean War era. Early on, every minor infraction earns you a “smoke”—the drill sergeant’s term for punishment—as they teach you to think, speak, and act like a private. You’ll also tackle obstacle courses, constantly review ranks, and study weapon stats from the Basic Training Soldier’s Handbook while the sergeants keep a close eye on who’s competent and who’s a comic relief.

8 Squad‑Leaders, Weaklings, and Recyclables

Although drill sergeants already know who’s strong and who’s weak, the real hierarchy emerges within the squad—a sub‑unit of a platoon made up of about a dozen soldiers. Squad‑leaders act as the bridge between the sergeants and the rest of the squad; they have no direct authority but are essential for communication. Every cycle inevitably includes a “Gomer Pyle” type—someone who just can’t keep up. Additionally, many platoons inherit “recycles,” soldiers who failed a previous cycle and must repeat the entire basic training curriculum. Yes, if you flunk, you start over from scratch.

7 Gun Day

Surprisingly, you receive your rifle almost immediately, but you won’t fire it for weeks. Think of it like house‑training a puppy—you must learn to keep the weapon in sight at all times. Drill sergeants systematically break down the rifle, teaching you to disassemble, reassemble, and understand every component. Eventually you’ll hit the range almost daily. To graduate, you need at least 23 hits out of 40 shots for a Marksman rating, 30–35 for Sharpshooter, and a perfect 36‑40 earns you Expert Marksman.

6 The Grub

Honestly, the food isn’t terrible. The government wants you well‑fed and healthy, because a wounded soldier is considered destroyed government property. Breakfast is a big deal on every base, and you’ll usually get two styles: the “Yankee” spread—eggs, bacon, English muffins, and even an omelet station—and the “Southern” spread—biscuits, gravy, and grits. The country is huge, so breakfast varies by region.

Lunch typically happens in the field during training exercises. You might find a tent serving chicken‑fried steak or spaghetti with greasy ground beef, or you’ll be handed M.R.E. (Meals Ready to Eat) packs. When you’re exhausted, even the blandest M.R.E. tastes like a Michelin‑starred dish, and the random flavors become a trading commodity among recruits.

Dinner is consistently solid—think pot roast, pasta, or steak. Vegetarians and vegans are rare in the ranks. The catch? You only have about two minutes to scarf down your meal before drill sergeants clear the tables for the next round of privates. Miss that window and you’ll go hungry.

10 Alleged Secret Weapons Of The US Military

5 Barrack Life

Most recruits are teenagers who have never lived away from home. For many, being thrust into a bustling, diverse community is a culture shock. Some newcomers refuse to use the communal showers—imagine a high‑school football team that thinks they deserve a private spa. After a few days of relentless exercise, these “stink‑heads” quickly learn the hard way, often being forced by fellow soldiers to scrub themselves clean. I recall a guy who went two weeks without showering until a sergeant covered him in Pine‑Sol; after that, he never missed a shower again.

Other recruits may come from homeschooled or insulated backgrounds, making the first social experience a whirlwind. The environment can be mentally taxing; some break down, while the confident discover they’re not as cool as they thought, and the tough realize they’re not invincible. Basic training tests both mind and soul, revealing humanity’s chaotic nature, but also forging a powerful bond—”we’re all in this hell together.”

4 Running

Running is the backbone of every military activity. In basic, you’re up at 0435 hours and on the road by 0500. Recruits are divided into three groups: Group A (the all‑stars who can run two miles in under fifteen minutes), Group B (average runners who need improvement), and Group C (those who probably should have exercised before signing up). Your group assignment happens right away.

A memorable anecdote: while at Fort Leonard Wood—affectionately dubbed “Lost in the Woods”—my drill sergeant, aware I was in Group A, would hand me a slice of key‑lime pie as a reward, but only if I ate it in front of the Group C runners. Hilarious, a little malicious, and forever etched in my memory.

3 Wall Lockers And Contraband

Everything you own in basic is stored in a “wall locker.” These lockers undergo constant inspections, and like your uniform, they must stay pristine. A common punishment for an entire platoon is to thrash the lockers, forcing the soldiers to clean them back to code. This makes hiding contraband nearly impossible. Yet, contraband does exist: my mother once slipped candy bars into fresh socks and underwear packages. A Snickers could fetch up to $20—a luxury in hell. Some desperate recruits even tried drinking Listerine or hand‑sanitizer for a buzz, highlighting how far people will go when cut off from the outside world.

2 The Outside World

From the moment processing starts, all civilian IDs are confiscated, leaving you with a military‑issued ID and a debit card for the post exchange (for soap, stationery, etc.). Even if you tried to sneak out, you’d have no valid ID and would be hunted down in a fortified, first‑world compound. You quickly learn you’re not a secret agent.

Communication devices are stripped away—no cell phones, tablets, or email. You’re allowed only handwritten letters on army‑approved stationery and three phone calls during the entire training: the first to let loved ones know you’re okay, the second as a mid‑cycle morale boost, and the final one to announce your pending graduation.

Each base circulates a heavily censored weekly paper, which recruits scramble for just to read the comics. The world outside is deliberately cut off because it’s deemed a distraction; the sole focus must be on training.

1 Graduation

You did it! Graduating basic training feels like giving birth to a child or landing your dream job. You’re no longer a civilian; after weeks of rigorous training you’ve become a functioning human and soldier. No longer a clueless rookie leaving mess everywhere, you can now care for yourself, keep your space tidy, and—most importantly—defend yourself.

Graduation also cements the bond forged with your fellow recruits, whom soldiers call “Battles.” I still keep in touch with my Battles, and every now and then a message pops up saying, “What’s good, Battle?” It’s a reminder that we shared something most people never will, and I wear that pride daily.

If you’re considering a career in the U.S. Army, check out Go Army for more information.