Encampment stories

Beats the time I got the fire department out to our building at work because I burned a bagel.

Entire dorms have been evacuated for burnt popcorn before .

My year at COS, I set my microwave a-smokin with popcorm or something like that and set the alarm off in my room...really interesting for me to get that conveyed to the people coming to check it out. I was on the 3rd or 4th floor so I had opened my window to clear out the smoke and the people down on the ground were yelling at me.

I cant forget the terrible storm and all of us including staff having to sleep in the mess hall

I cant forget the terrible storm and all of us including staff having to sleep in the mess hall

That's nothing; at my encampment we had a terrible storm and they thought the barracks might fall over. So they evacuated into a nearby theater which has a stage in it. Then to make us forget about the storm the staff got up on the stage and started doing a bunch of skits. It was "hilarious"!!!!

I cant forget the terrible storm and all of us including staff having to sleep in the mess hall

Well staff were in tents usually, but I remember I guess it was an hour after lights out? Anyway my buddy wakes me up and this one kid cadet is sitting in his cot, eyes wide open like a deer in headlights and people had to run back into the bungalow to get him. And 3 hours later after we were all sleeping my battle buddy woke me up TWICE to use the restrooms

I cant forget the terrible storm and all of us including staff having to sleep in the mess hall

That's nothing; at my encampment we had a terrible storm and they thought the barracks might fall over. So they evacuated into a nearby theater which has a stage in it. Then to make us forget about the storm the staff got up on the stage and started doing a bunch of skits. It was "hilarious"!!!!

Was your encampment at Fort Pickett...I have stayed many a nights at Fort Pickett and thought the same thing about the barracks falling over...lol.

At my first and second encampments at Fort Benning, if you sneezed wrong, the barracks would shudder. One cadet got it in his head that swinging from the rafters was a good idea and stopped only when it gave under his hand. The time-honored way of melting shoe polish into a boot with a lighter was forbidden because it was felt that even a small spark would send the barracks up in flames in about 20 seconds.

That's funny...hope there wasn't a safety report...lol.  My last encampment was like that...except I was a flight commander trying to keep the basic cadets from doing that...lol.

I was on staff, and got bored so I started a staff MRE/ candy black market. Surpisingly ( or probably not so much ), candy was in high demand with the staff towards the middle of the week. They were willing to pay a ton for like five skittles lol. I didnt do too bad as far as profit goes. I walked out of encampment with more money than i had when i went in.

Yeah...I think I did too...

At my first and second encampments at Fort Benning, if you sneezed wrong, the barracks would shudder. One cadet got it in his head that swinging from the rafters was a good idea and stopped only when it gave under his hand. The time-honored way of melting shoe polish into a boot with a lighter was forbidden because it was felt that even a small spark would send the barracks up in flames in about 20 seconds.

Sounds like Harmony Church.

At my first and second encampments at Fort Benning, if you sneezed wrong, the barracks would shudder. One cadet got it in his head that swinging from the rafters was a good idea and stopped only when it gave under his hand. The time-honored way of melting shoe polish into a boot with a lighter was forbidden because it was felt that even a small spark would send the barracks up in flames in about 20 seconds.

Sounds like Harmony Church.

I think that's what it was called. The barracks had a nice view of the airfield.

My first encampment was at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. I was in Delta flight and we were probably made up of the scraps of the worst cadets in CAP. The worst part of it was out Flight seargent was a short fat ginger who was really hard to take seriously.

Well by the end of encampment my flight's staff was completely different. Our flight commander changed the second weekend because the original was late and was taken off of command. The last day of encampment our flight seargent (The one who EVERYONE hated, even the other flights) left before our graduation so we got a new flight seargent.

My first encampment was at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. I was in Delta flight and we were probably made up of the scraps of the worst cadets in CAP. The worst part of it was out Flight seargent was a short fat ginger who was really hard to take seriously.

Well by the end of encampment my flight's staff was completely different. Our flight commander changed the second weekend because the original was late and was taken off of command. The last day of encampment our flight seargent (The one who EVERYONE hated, even the other flights) left before our graduation so we got a new flight seargent.

So...they aren't using Volk Field anymore?

My encampment when I was a cadet was at Phelps Collins ANGB (now Alpena CRTC).  A cadet officer from my unit was on staff and made a few mistakes while there.  He fell asleep during a class and we all saw him.  We reported it and he got stuck with the rock people that who screwed up had to carry for a day.

Another cadet officer was walking backwards and ran into a telephone pole.  Although this would have been funny in and of itself, but he had to take it one step further.  He instantly turned around and saluted the telephone pole thinking it was an officer.  It got a good laugh out of a lot of people.

The best "accident" I saw was not at an encampment it was when I was a medic at OCS for the army national guard.  The junior class was practicing for retreat and the candidate who was to pull the tail on the cannon did so while practicing setting it off.  Because there was not enough time to reload it, they had him yell "BOOM" at retreat.  The entire place lost it.  The Deputy Commander for the facility kept yelling for us to stop laughing and we did about 5 minutes later.  That candidate was not on that detail again.

Cadets, don't worry, even the professionals make mistakes.

My first encampment was at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. I was in Delta flight and we were probably made up of the scraps of the worst cadets in CAP. The worst part of it was out Flight seargent was a short fat ginger who was really hard to take seriously.

Well by the end of encampment my flight's staff was completely different. Our flight commander changed the second weekend because the original was late and was taken off of command. The last day of encampment our flight seargent (The one who EVERYONE hated, even the other flights) left before our graduation so we got a new flight seargent.

So...they aren't using Volk Field anymore?

This was the Illinois Wing Spring Encampment he went to.

This was the Illinois Wing Spring Encampment he went to.

Slightly curious as to when this was, since this does not sync with my recollection.

My first encampment was at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. I was in Delta flight and we were probably made up of the scraps of the worst cadets in CAP. The worst part of it was out Flight seargent was a short fat ginger who was really hard to take seriously.

Well by the end of encampment my flight's staff was completely different. Our flight commander changed the second weekend because the original was late and was taken off of command. The last day of encampment our flight seargent (The one who EVERYONE hated, even the other flights) left before our graduation so we got a new flight seargent.

So...they aren't using Volk Field anymore?

Spring was never at Volk. Summer has not been at Volk since 2004 I believe. Let me think...'05, '06, and '07 were at Marseilles Training Center and '08-'12 have been at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, IL.

This was the Illinois Wing Spring Encampment he went to.

Slightly curious as to when this was, since this does not sync with my recollection.

I've heard of a similar event, but not quite how it is presented here...

My first encampment was at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. I was in Delta flight and we were probably made up of the scraps of the worst cadets in CAP. The worst part of it was out Flight seargent was a short fat ginger who was really hard to take seriously.

Well by the end of encampment my flight's staff was completely different. Our flight commander changed the second weekend because the original was late and was taken off of command. The last day of encampment our flight seargent (The one who EVERYONE hated, even the other flights) left before our graduation so we got a new flight seargent.

So...they aren't using Volk Field anymore?

Spring was never at Volk. Summer has not been at Volk since 2004 I believe. Let me think...'05, '06, and '07 were at Marseilles Training Center and '08-'12 have been at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, IL.

They didn't have those things when I was in WIWG, hence my confusion. The last time I went to Volk for summer encampment was in 94 I think.

Confused here. "Things"? Do you mean summer encampments?