The strict discipline could also be a horror in a way. You are constantly being yelled at for the smallest mistakes. For example, if your bunk wasn't made perfectly, you could be punished by doing extra push - ups or having to run laps. And there's this overwhelming feeling of always being watched and not being able to relax even for a second. It creates a lot of stress and anxiety for the recruits.
One horror story is the extreme sleep deprivation. In boot camp, you might be woken up at all hours for drills or inspections. You could be running on just a couple of hours of sleep for days on end, and it really messes with your mind and body.
The drill instructors can be quite tough. There are stories of them making recruits do really difficult tasks over and over until they get it right. For instance, some recruits had to keep climbing a rope until their hands were bleeding just because they couldn't do it fast enough the first few times.
One horror story is the extreme lack of sleep. Recruits are often woken up at all hours for drills and tasks. They might get only a few hours of sleep a night, which makes it really tough to function. It's like being in a constant state of exhaustion, and any small mistake due to tiredness can lead to severe punishment like extra push - ups or being yelled at.
One horror story is the extreme physical exhaustion. Recruits are pushed to their limits with long marches, intense PT (physical training) sessions that seem never - ending. Some recruits have passed out from the heat and overexertion during summer training. Another aspect can be the mental stress. Drill instructors yelling constantly, and the pressure to perform every task perfectly. One recruit I knew was so stressed about making a mistake during a drill that he couldn't sleep for days.
Well, one story is about a recruit who accidentally saluted a seagull thinking it was an officer. He was so embarrassed when everyone burst out laughing.
Sure. One horror story could be about the extremely long and exhausting hours. Trainees were made to wake up at 4 am and train until midnight with hardly any breaks. It was physically and mentally draining.
A group of recruits were practicing marching in formation. One recruit got his left and right mixed up and ended up bumping into the person next to him repeatedly. It looked like a comedy show.
Well, in Reflections Boot Camp, there was this horror story. One night, a camper woke up to find his shoes moving on their own. He was terrified until he realized that a small animal had crawled into one of the shoes. As for humor, there was a cooking session where a camper tried to make pancakes but accidentally used salt instead of sugar. The look on everyone's face when they took a bite was priceless. Also, there was a horror - ish situation when a camper thought they saw a ghost in the old abandoned cabin at the camp. But it was just an old sheet hanging in the wind that looked spooky from a distance.
Well, there are stories about the drill instructors' yelling. Some recruits just can't handle it psychologically. For example, there was a story of a recruit who was constantly yelled at for not making his bed perfectly. He started to doubt himself a lot. Also, the food can be a horror in a way. It's not always great, and some recruits have had to eat things they really didn't like just to get enough energy for the next training session.
Well, there are quite a few. For example, I've heard of coding boot camps where the facilities were just terrible. Old computers that constantly crashed, making it impossible to code properly. And then there were those that overcharged students. They promised a great experience but it was just a money - grabbing scheme. Also, some boot camps had a really high dropout rate because the pace was set too fast for most students to keep up with, leaving them feeling frustrated and cheated.
One horror story is about over - physical punishment. In some boot camps, juveniles were made to do extremely strenuous exercises as a form of discipline. For example, being forced to run for hours without breaks in harsh weather conditions. This not only caused physical harm but also mental distress.