Shark Attack

I heard from another veteran from my group in class and he brought up the function that Army Shark Attacks play in memory development, and he was irritated by the fact that Shark Attacks would not be a part of the Basic Training experience for new recruits since they are looking for a "kinder and gentler" Army. 

I remember the “shark attack” too when I first got to Basic Training and I remember even more clearly the stress and fear that my team leaders inspired constantly when I was a private in my unit. Being a team member under Sergeant Taylor meant that every day was a shark attack. 

One interesting aspect of this is that our unit went out of it’s way to include MORE not fewer shark attack style stress events and use them in our training. We would have “stress fire” ranges where we had to complete obstacle courses in full gear, run to the range, be forced to workout with E-5s screaming in our ears, then be asked to shoot. What was remarkable was that over time we became more and more deliberative over time and were able to excise the stressors and outside influences to focus on our shooting and moving. In fact it was this “return to basics” mentality in the midst of the stress fire that allowed us to move forward. Those who had difficulty were either re-trained (meaning more stress fires) or packed up for other units. 

Shark attacks and stress fires actually made our unit cohesion, our capabilities as soldiers, and our abilities as shooters more effective and encouraged us to return to basics and remember training. I was sorry to see that the military had gotten rid of that unique aspect of Basic Training. I’m glad Karl brought Shark Attacks up and made me think of those distinct memories.