What Army Tankers Go Through In Boot Camp | Boot Camp

I am 89 years old and still proud to have been an Armor School instructor at Fort Knox in the mid-1950s.

There's gonna be people questioning that young tankers "dont feel safe" comment. That is a smart Tanker. A tank will kill or maim you, doesn't matter who's side you're on. I've seen crushed fingers, broken jaws and teeth, crushing deaths, drownings, broken limbs, blown out knees and backs. All because complacency, or someone was tired, wasn't paying attention or was goofing off. I hope she keeps a little bit of that fear and it keeps her and her crew safe thru her enlistment.

The “didn’t feel safe “ female soldier was smart and took a moment to calculate her response , factoring in her DI’s and superiors might see this video later and she didn’t want any “corrective training “ later

I was watching this as a tanker that finished my training last May or so. Surprised to see how much they've already changed small things. My company was the first to visit the armor museum. And it was at the end of our training, which was 27 weeks not 22.

The military is very good at training and building a soldier. Good video. Hats off to our troops and training commands.

SSG Portillo, the instructor, was one of my section sergeants at Fort Hood. One of the best tankers I’ve ever met

Wow so much has changed. During my era The Armor School was at Fort Knox, KY. Basic Training was Six Weeks with Advanced Training was Seven Weeks. The Training lasted Thirteen Weeks. I Trained on the old M551A1 Sheridan which was pased out. I later trained for Thirty Days on the old M60A1 Rise Passive Sights Tank which was phased out.

I was a USMC M1A1 tank mechanic in the 90's. Still miss those days. It's really sad they disbanded the tank battalions.

This isn't Basic Training, which covers the common tasks and knowledge which all soldiers must know. This is AIT (Advanced Individual Training), where soldiers learn their additional skills and knowledge needed for their primary military occupational specialty.

"Tanks are designed for killing people and breaking things. They aren't too particular about how."

I enjoyed this video… I was an 11E40 (Armor Commander) 50 years ago. I saw service in Operation Giant Slingshot as a forward observer for a howitzer battery. I directed fire from Vietnam into Cambodia. I was able to do my job and return safely. It’s interesting to see today people say “thanks for your service “ . That’s NOT what they said 50 years ago. Better late than never…

My late uncle fought world war two in a tank. At the end of the war, he came home and became a driving examiner at a licensing department. Makes perfect sense. 😄

I love these series. Can you profile the Jungle and Arctic schools in Hawaii and Alaska?

"do you feel safe when youre inside that tank?"

Great video, I was in The Australian reserves as a scout in a armoured reconnaissance unit so while not having any experience with tanks, the philosophy of working together with armoured vehicles as a scout is the same. I think this video is just a simple and honest account of the very basics of working with armour. I'm pretty sure all soldiers in armoured units will just nod in agreement as they watch this. Great to see women involved as well, in my time women couldn't work in armoured combat roles, but could be in support.

Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Graduated Tanker OSUT 11 Dec 2000. 11th Cavalry til 2006. I hope this new class of soldier does America proud. No matter the politics, no matter the drama, you are the line that keeps our country free and your armor is honor. God bless our military men and women.

Being a tanker in basic training is way different than active duty, especially forward. It is a lot of work. I love tanks. M60's and M1's were my dates. But lots of maintenance. Lots to watch out for. Basic/AIT is just for orientation and some basic skills. You really learn to be a tanker once you get to your line unit.

The competitive banter between scouts and tankers creates a motivated and coordinated team; lethal to the enemy.

I was a Cav Scout and we were called glorified Infantry and a wannabe tanker.

I remember clearly when, in the late 1970s, Chrysler Corp won the competition to produce the new MBT. Turbine powered. Quiet and fast. Amazing Huntsville Electronics. 45 years later, with upgrades, it is still up there with the best. M1 Abrams, MoPar or no tank!