National Guard at Fort Lewis

My wife made this video. She is a NG soldier. She made it for grins and giggles but it is sad the barracks that active duty Army decided to house the NG in. Oh well, the NG soldiers are used to being the bastard children of the Active Duty Army. No biggie!

[ronmitchell]

I had basic and infantry AIT in those old wooden barracks in 1971. Like David Oakley said below, they were nice to go into when it meant getting out of the cold rain (so no complaints). We didn't think in terms of them being good or bad - only in terms of them being our home for a while. We didn't consider ourselves either treated or abused by those facilities - just experiencing what was. I hope they always keep at least some of them around so I can go back to visit and remember a most dynamic part of my life.

[CurtTrammel]

I did my basic training here in 1970. I was in A-5-1. Sgt Hightower and Sonne were my drill Sgt's. Pictures of the old barracks sure do bring back memories. Thank you for sharing this video.

[davidoakley]

Was my home in 1971, just be glad the same DI's weren't there, the barracks looked like Heaven when out in the rain, slush, sleet in the winter and the 0400 to 2300 training unless you got KP then it was  0200 to 2350.

[mikeharrison]

Lived there from 1973 until 1976...regular army grunt (11B)...

[HagsRideOrDie]

Those barracks were old as fuck when I lived in them in the 80's. I can't believe any of them were still standing in 2011!

[sab]

I took basic training at Fort Lewis. We had the same barracks but no steps from the second floor to go outside the building. They told us the barracks were built during WW ll. I was there starting October 29th, 1971. I saw the sun roughly 10 times while there. They said Seattle was the suicide capital of the USA.

[sandeewood]

Looks like my barracks from June 1968… was in unit..B/4/3 doing advanced infantry training graduation day was the first week of August 1968..before being shipped over to Vietnam…my dad was stationed at fort Lewis in World War Two..can’t believe those barracks are still there…I guess I was lucky to be at fort Lewis when I first got there they said they were full and didn’t have room for us wanted to ship us to fort Polk…the next day they found some barracks for us….

[patriciaphillips]

I lived in the newer barracks and the WWII ones too while stationed there in 92. Good times!

[rangerup]

This was so funny to watch. I was stationed at Camp Roberts in California mid 90's thru 2004 and we had these same type of barracks. We didn't even have walls between the toilets so when you were doing your business you could talk to your buddy next to you. Heater? What heater? Cold as hell in the winter and if you were lucky the hot water heater may or may not be working so showering was always a crap shoot. We had second hand weapons to use and train on. We heard about the M240 but never saw one until some Seals traded trigger time with our 50's for trigger time on their 240's. We were still issued the M60 back then.

Aww the Army life.

[stan]

I did my basic training at north Fort Lewis from Oct-Dec 1969. B-3-2. The barracks were spotless inside then because all the drill sergeants made sure we kept them that way. I still remember the GI parties we had in the barracks every Sunday cleaning, paste waxing the floors, and buffing them so everything was perfect for Monday morning inspection. If everything wasn't perfect, you had hell to pay when the training started Monday morning. Seems to me like the army has really gone to hell nowadays full of a bunch of cry babies! I also did my AIT across the parade field from Jan-Mar 1970. Infantry AIT. A-2-3. The whole experience wasn't any fun, but I made it through.

[jeffgaj]

Some things never change.  Did my basic and AIT way back when Lewis was still a basic training base (spring/summer of 1970).  These old barracks are obviously on the North Fort and they were old and shitty when I came through 44-yrs ago.  We had separate chow lines back then, one for Guard and Reserve, one for regular Army enlistees and one for the lucky guys that were drafted.  As a guardsman, I got my share of good-natured teasing and harassment from the regulars, but nothing that I would call discrimination.  But that was then and this is now I guess.

[eddieaubreysr]

Did basic there 1989. We left them clean for you lol

[walterquick]

Pitch a TenT and DONT complain like reg ARMY

[Patrick]

National guard should not have to put up with this. I was a fort Lewis from 74 through 77 and had better barracks than this.

[lostchord]

i was station there may 68- the barracks were always clean. Open shower and shitter... the stand alone urninal. it was always hot (furnace) in left there for vietnam...came back there from vietnam.

[amandajohnson]

It can’t be any worse than the tin huts at Ripley. I had no issue being in those barracks while there. When we did our training in MN at Camp Ripley we were out in the old cattle barn barracks too.

[rickstrid]

Did my Basic Training at North Fort Lewis, in those barracks, October 1971…C-3/2…..so did my father in 1945!

[neverthesame]

I was active duty and stayed in the north fort Lewis. So I feel your pain. Sorry you are going through this.

[RicOshayed]

Did BT there in Spring of '71. As bad as those rundown quarters are now, they were OK back in the day. They should not be housing ANY troops in their currently neglected condition tho. Sad to see....

[darrylscott]

I also had the luxury LOL of living in that place. 3/11 FA was there on North Fort. We were Active Duty . so dont feel like you were discriminated against. From 1993 til 1994 we were there under 210 FA Brigade. my 2/9Infantry friends lived on Main Post. We had to tough it there as well. IT MAKES YOU