1) I remember being in Camp McCoy Wisconsin for basic training and we were practicing throwing live grenades from a pit (for obvious reasons) . I did ok with mine - heaved it over the edge of the pit and it exploded in the place it was supposed to. However, a younger guy who was in line behind me came up, got into the pit with the training sergant, took his grenade, pulled the pin - and froze. He was too scared to throw.
The sergant very slowly and carefully pried the grenade from the kid's fist and heaved it over the edge of the pit - where it exploded. The cussing out the kid got was enough to curl your ears.
2) LETS GO NOW TO SHIPBOARD - Our troop ship left Boston and was headed to England - the trip took about 14 days. The North Atlantic is a rough body of water at any time of the year, but in late fall it is really rough. Afew days after we left Boston most of the troops were very seasick - and staying in their hammocks. We were on a ship that was designed to transport tanks and we were riding high in the water - making us pitch and roll abnormally. The hammocks were on steel frames and rigged about 6 high- I had to climb up to mine which was about 4 high. We were told to sleep head to foot. The guy above me was fat - his hammock sagged down just over my face - and this joker would lay there and pass gas. I thought I would suffocate. Will never forget that. Now, because I don't get seasick I was put in charge of the trash and garbage detail - after dark we would dump our trash overboard. We would be long gone from there by daylight and the German subs could'nt track us. I remember only once when I almost lost my cookies - I was in doing my business in a trough urinal when a guy came in, threw up just along side me, and I almost lost it.