Quote:
Originally Posted by Tobra
The instructors in basic showed us how to stay afloat with a pair of pants, or the uniform hat, bucket, a few tricks. Glad I never had to test that stuff out in the middle of the deep blue sea
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by masraum
Yep, it the boy scouts we learned to make a flotation device out of a pair of blue jeans. I'd have to be pretty desperate to do it, but it worked.
|
I was stationed on Oahu in 2010. Technically all new arrivals had to go to the pool and take some course but the higher in rank the easier it was to get out of that requirement.
Edit: the class consisted of jumping off the 10 meter platform and treading water for some period of time.
We had a couple of people drown together in my second year. I remember the more senior people (CG and CSM and others) saying, "well didn't they go to the class?". Answer was yes but they were non swimmers to begin with and there was no follow on course.
Then came the inevitable questions about the floatation with uniform pants made into a PFD. Honestly, for a minute I thought the CG was going to make an order that any time you went to the beach you had to take and swim with your pants.