Army drops bayonets, busts abs in training revamp

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) - The Army is revamping basic training for the first time in three decades in response to feedback from veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By: Susanne F. Schafer Associated Press Writer | WNCT
Published: March 16, 2010

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FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) - The Army is revamping basic training for the first time in three decades in response to feedback from veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gone are the five-mile runs and bayonet drills. In their place are the kinds of stretches, body twists and bent-leg raises that you might see at a gut-busting class at a suburban gym.
Trainers hope the switch will better prepare soldiers for the pace of modern combat. Today's soldiers often now need sudden bursts of speed more than all-day endurance.
Drill sergeants say they also need to toughen up recruits who are more used to Facebook than fistfights.
The new training regimen that has been developed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina is being rolled out this month at the Army's other basic training installations.