Transfer of Training Exercise

Training for the Vietnam War

US Army training for men (women went into the Women's Army Corps, which was
disbanded in 1975) during the Vietnam War consisted of approximately eight weeks of
basic training (boot camp) in which the soldier was taught "basic training": How to shine
his boots, fix his bed, perform proper hygiene, shoot and maintain his M-14 rifle (after
1970, it was the M-16 rifle), throw hand grenades, utilize his C-Rations, perform first aid,
operate a map and compass (Land Navigation), how to salute, the rules of war (Uniform
Code of Military Justice), how to stand at attention, how to march, in ranks inspection,
and marching in a parade.

Then, soldiers went on to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) usually another 8 weeks
for infantry. Each MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) was a different length of time.
Medic school at Fort Sam Houston might be a 6 month AIT course.

After his AIT was completed, then two weeks of RVN (Republic of Vietnam) training
took place. Skills trained include: shooting his (live rounds) rifle from the hip WITHOUT
bringing it to the shoulder and aiming, running and jumping into and out of the back of an
army truck (2 1/2 ton) and firing blanks from his rifle.

After arrival "in country" (South Vietnam) soldiers took another two weeks of RVN
orientation, largely consisting of the same type of training taken above.

Training at Fort Polk

The training at Fort Polk was rough, as many former trainees and drill sergeants will
admit, but it was also very important. "The biggest thing our trainees got drilled into them
was that the possibility of going to Vietnam was very likely," said Master Sgt. Leslie
Morkert who was a basic training drill sergeant at Polk from 1970 through 1972. "We
tried to get them to realize that sooner or later they would probably end up in Vietnam,
and there they would have to use what we were teaching them here," he added. "It gave
them better motivation to learn."
"The training we had here was more intense because we were training for Vietnam in
basic training," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Christopher Archane, who came
through basic in 1970. "We had night patrols with booby traps and aggressors. Plus, the
drill sergeants would teach us how to detect booby traps at night, and the corrective
action to take if we hit one, and the same for daytime. All of our instructors were senior
NCOs, all Vietnam veterans, and they instilled in us that the war over there was very real.
They had seen too many of their friends die because of a lack of training, and they made
sure that this would not happen to us."
Master Sgt. Dave Thomas recalled advanced training "was demanding, oriented toward
being physically fit and being alert at all times. The training was also pretty much up to
date with what was actually taking place over there, because any time they found out any
new tactic that was being used, it was sent back to the states as soon as possible so the

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trainees could be trained to handle it. It’s pretty much like Vietnam in the summer
months, it’s hot and humid and it rains a lot, and there are a lot of swamps and stuff – it’s
pretty much the same as it was over there, just not as long."

Training at Peason Ridge

"Peason Ridge was a super training facility," said Master Sgt. Barry O’Toole, who was a
basic training drill sergeant from 1967 until 1969 and a drill sergeant in basic training,
AIT and One Station Unit Training (OSUT) from 1970 through 1976. "We had a Viet
Cong village set up there, and the trainees had to search for booby traps and mines,"
O’Toole continued. "In the hooches we had tunnels made out of corrugated pipe, and the
trainees had to crawl through the tunnel complex. It was very realistic, we even had
aggressors dressed up like VC." On Peason an attack might go from point A to point B
and that might cover 15 miles," he added. "You’d give private squad leader a map and
say here you are and your objective is there. They’d just look at the map and go. When
the soldiers got to Vietnam and saw some of the very same things that they were taught
here, it gave them confidence in their ability to retain what they had learned, and in the
ability of the people here to teach it," he added. "I think we saved a whole hell of a lot of
possible causalities with that training.

Questions:

1. What specific practices used at Fort Polk and Peason Ridge enhanced transfer of
learning?
2. What other practices might you have added to enhance transfer of learning?