The parade face plant
Yeah, we’ve all watched the weakest link hit the ground during parade activities, but how would you like it splashed across the international press – with that expression. This poor Spanish soldier went down yesterday while waiting for Prince Charles. That’s Spanish Princess Letizia in the foreground.
Looks like his mate isn’t buying his act.
Category: Military issues
Saw this in boot more than once, guys locking their knees. One guy broke his nose and chipped a tooth when he face planted on the grinder.
Those Spanish will do anything to get a hot chick.
I KNOW YOU DID NOT JUST MOVE IN FORMATION!!!! IF HE’S GOING TO BE STUPID ENOUGH TO LOCK HIS DAGGON KNEES LET HIM FALL ON HIS FACE!!! Oh, memories of Boot Camp.
I did this once at the Citadel. Hangover combined with wool uniforms in hot weather = faceplant.
We used to have a friggen parade at the drop of a hat on Ft. Hood. Standing there for 1 or 2 hours in 100+ degree heat…the medics used to be at the back of the formation so they could go get people when they went out…I bet we would loose 4 or 5 people every damn parade….
Yep, I’ve seen this lots of times to. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer crew in this case………
I despise the Spanish Army, they were the biggest bunch of jerks we worked with in Iraq.
Old Tanker: Yeah you know it! Division Parades were the worst. By the time the clown said “Pass In Review!” we would always be down a few.
Dios mio!
Some NCO needs to put his foot in the asses of those who are looking down, breaking ranks, etc.
That’s why you keep medics behind the formation with stretchers, to deal with this.
Ft. Campbell Week of the Beak, division parade with a steady stream of stretchers from the back of the formation; M-16s with bayonets attached, in June. Ahh, the good old days.
I was going to gripe about all the women swooning out of formation to pick his dumb ass up but that seems to have been covered nicely.
Am I supposed to feel guilty for laughing at his face?
jerry 920
Couldn’t wait for the Cavalry charge, then we knew it was over!!!
No, because he’s in the Spanish Army…that’s how they roll. +1 Old Tanker! FT Hood for Wes Clark’s change of command. Drew weapons at 0500 for a 1000 ceremony. Stood in that brutal heat for 3+ hours listening to him run his pie hole. Soldiers were dropping like they’d been gunned down by a gatling gun. Guy falls out, guy behind him covers down…how Napoleonic. And those implosions always go better with an unsheathed bayonet. I’ve heard urban myths about guys getting sliced but have never seen it go down like that.
@LTC Tim – I was in that fun little exercise. The word I heard was that three guys got bayonetted that day from face planters. As for Wes Clark his “No priorities for this division as everything is a priority.” statement set the tone for his command.
Bordering on a thread highjack, but Clark is the sorriest piece of shit to impersonate a General Officer in recent times.
Although there are a few who came and come close, he wins the prize.
But he was consistent…I once had the pleasure of meeting and working on a project with two of his classmates…it was “…all about Wessie-Poo…” back at Hudson High, and remained that way during his military and post military careers.
We had some fallouts in TOG, but surprisingly enough relatively few compared to what others here are saying. I never broke composure so I only witnessed a couple that were in my peripheral vision. Dress blues in 100+ degree heat on Summerall field was a bear, and time takes its toll. I joke about getting a “no formation” profile but honestly find it hard to stay upright during even short change-of-command ceremonies nowadays. Maybe some people can take it, but four years of (on average) once or twice-a-week rehearsals and 2-4 ceremonies a month (not counting Twilight Tattoo and other special events), broke me down. Regardless, being known as a fallout was unacceptable, and the recertification process too much of a pain, so I soldiered on until PCS. IIRC they tried making a dropped weapon or busted C-belt the same as a fallout while I was there, so there became more than one way to “fall out”. Often, even with extenuating circumstances, TOG Soldiers just hang in there. One Sergeant marched an Old Post Chapel to Section 66 escort mission after being stabbed in the back of the head by the guy behind him. My casket teams always completed the mission, regardless of how hot, cold, wet, etc it was or how heavy the casket was (though I did have to give them a hand a couple of times) or shaky the mockup. A fallout during a DA, GO, or Arrival is bad; in ANC it is unacceptable, and I never saw one there. Last, one guy whom I never personally met but instantly disliked is a certain former Chief of Engineers. During his retirement ceremony he let his big head get in the way of staying a “silent professional”. During his farewell, he described himself when telling the CoS his idea of an ideal replacement. A background in SF, certain degrees and positions, etc, etc. When a young Soldier in another company fell out thirty minutes into the remarks he called him out specifically, “that young man in the second element, first rank” and so on. When I retire,… Read more »
#16 Spigot,
Are you sure GEN Clark and LTG Strock aren’t related?
Maybe that is too much, LTG Strock might be an outstanding man but that brief reitrement ceremony just soured me on him.
OT: Wes Clark was after my time at Hood and he was in 1st Cav in any case. I was there from 83-88 in 2 AD.
LTC Tim and Quentin
Was was after my time but I swear we had a parade for the retirement of an E-5!!
jerry920, I got there about when you left….88-91 I hated when the CO wanted to go for a run around that damn 2AD water tower…..meant a 5 miler for us!
Old Tanker…you must have been in 1st Brigade. Long run to the water tower. And I still remember Wes calling an OPD for all division officers and proceeded to lecture lieutenants on platoon level tactics.
The rumor was that he had ordered anyone who fell out be examined for being hung over. Can’t verify but would not be surprised. We were some marching muldoons.
Dude should be put in for an Oscar. Winner in the “Best Male Impersonation of a Pu–y” category.
Throughout cadetship, the 101st, 1AD, and Fort Sill, never fell out and regularly mocked those that did.
From the dude’s uniform, he a parade deck soldier. Standing formation in any weather shouldn’t be a big deal.
I didn’t have GEN Clark – I had Mad Jack Keane, and his OPD to the company-grades was, during a hellacious March ice-storm at Chaffee, ‘next SOB calls for a tent and a stove I’ll relieve on the spot.’ Good times, good times.
LTC Tim 2005 Hawaii 25th ID(L) change of command. LBV Weapons with Beret and bayonet (don’t ask me) MG Eric T Olsen to MG Mixon. MG Olsen went on and on and on. . . in the hedge behind the formation was an FLA and medics from every brigade. I swear they were pulling fallouts from start to finish and the Generals would not stop TALKING. it took nearly 2 1/2 hours just to get to the pass and review. Then they had to talk MORE.
But I think my all time favorite was the combat patch ceremony. representatives from our brigade. On asphalt. in the sun. in full battle rattle. IN IRAQ. It was like the charge of the Irish brigade. We had to listen to why 25th had such a proud history, only to have to do the same thing a few days later to hear why the Big Red One had such a proud history. after a while people stopped keeping track of the fall outs.
LTC Tim
You got it! Cco 1-8Cav MUSTANGS SIR!!! I can still hear Col. Scott playing “Eye of the Tiger” before Brigade formations….God I hate that song…..
Haha! Old memories from 2-8 CAV…COL Grasso and COL Inge. A great Brigade but my love doesn’t extend to the Division. And Doc, I’ve lived that Tropic Lightning legend both in 1-25 at Lewis and 2-25 at Schofield. Good times were had by all. I’m just happy we we detached from 1st Brigade for almost our whole Iraq adventure and did not have to join in any reindeer games at the HQ in Mosul.
Next stop on the tour is the upcoming 3rd ID CofCmd this summer here at Stewart. Trying to figure out how to synch my battalion’s block leave to be absent for the change of command. I’ll bet Stewart will give Hood and Schofield a run for their money.
I remember one change of command at Carson when a soldier in the front rank bit the dust. The medics pulled him to the side an took off his boots for some reason and the kid had white socks on! Bad day for the poor trooper!
I don’t remember anyone that fell out that during Wes Clarks’ CoC being investigated for being hung over and I know we had at least two fall outs in our company. One guy just fell asleep out of pure boredom and the other was a heat casualty.
My final year in I was the sergeant in charge of the color guard for 3rd Bde, 1CD. We had a damn parade every three weeks the entire year. If it wasn’t a change of command or a retirement it was a “Welcome to Cav” parade on a Friday. They were a pain in the ass but they were at least short. They lasted about 45 minutes and thankfully for most everyone it was only the color guards from each battalion and brigade but for those of us in the color guards, it sucked.
Q,
It was no doubt the summer of parades.