#2 I remember back then, the Army Times was loaded with obits. It was mostly of combination of two things: tougher PT standards that had 35-45 year old, smoking and drinking guys dropping like flies of heart attacks during runs; and the jeep, which could tip over in a tight, 15 mph turn. Trying to drive a jeep like a car was asking for it.
I about got killed twice in a jeep, by two different drivers, on the same day. I decided after that, that the only jeep I wanted to ride in was driven by somebody over 30 who had a happy family life and wanted to waste time to get out of onerous duty.
The third big category was DWI fatalities. One First Sergeant I knew was in the habit, at the final formation before a weekend or holiday, of ordering his company not to "ride in any vehicle (pron. vee-hickle) or aircraft that is going to crash."
As far as PT goes, there was an unwritten rule that if you had any physical event with more than 500 people (battalion) involved, you had better have an ambulance and stretcher team handy and expect to use it. |
