Thumping

After reading the stories about thumping in boot camp I had to tell of my experience with this, I was in plt 3047, 1979 San Diego, and we had a DI who when it was his night to have the duty he would punch each recruit in the chest after he was done inspecting him durring hygiene inspection to knock him back onto his foot locker, we all expected it and no one ever said anything about it, that is until he ruptured one recruit's intestines, it happened because this recruit refused to fall back onto his foot locker, we called him our little wobble, he would wobble but would not fall down. Well one night when the DI punched him in the chest he went back but as usual he started to pop pack up and when he was on his way back to the position of attention the DI under cut him in the guts, later that night he was taken to sick bay and a couple hours later the DI was taken by the MP's, we were told that we were not to talk about it outside our platoon, then we all were interviewed and the recruits that had seen it happen were held on legal hold after we graduated. I want to thank my DI's SSgt Snow, Sgt Thames, Sgt King, I will not mention the name of the DI whom was relieved of duty, for helping to shape my life. What we thought of as sadistic back then, we laugh at now.

GySgt A.D. French 0811