Dear Stephen
You obviously weren't there were you?
These guys were called "90 day wonders" by us poor sods in the ranks.
Scheyville was a kind of filter system. It went like this...

After about 4 weeks at basic training everybody with Matric. (Victorian Year 12) was called out, lined up in ranks at night and marched off to one of the class rooms. A form was thrust under your nose and you were ordered to sign it.

This was the first part of the filter. You had to have some kind of a decent education, back in those days having Matric was really something. You also had to have the highest rating on the military version of an IQ assesment(whatever that meant).

If anyone asked what was going on we were reluctantly informed that this form was an application for entry to officer training. It was made plain to us that anyone who signed would have to be in favour of the "Vietnam war" and of serving there. This was the second part of the filter. If you had any left leaning at all you were rejected. If you had any political, religious, moral or ethical doubt you were out. This was as far as I got. I refused to sign.

The third part of the filter was conducted at Scheyville. Anybody who showed they had the slightest inclination to individual thought was turfed out.

Hence your list of establishment graduates of the place. Politicians, Academics, Military men etc.
How mant ex-Scheyville lads became musicians, poets, artists, dancers, actors or any profession required creative sensitivity?
Every Scheyville "90 day wonder" I met was a dull, conservative insensitive dork with with only the slightest grasp on the issues surrounding our involvement in the American war on Vietnam. The same, I fear, is true today.

Thank you Priscillian - I really needed the input of your post.

Barton's article reads like a horror story - who wants men like this in power? No empathy, compassion here - just killing machines.

"Scheyville was designed to break the officer cadets and then remould them. It placed the cadets under horrendous time constraints and they were harassed - and bastardised - by both other cadets and staff. Extra duty parades, the standard punishment, were handed out for the most minor infractions. Cadets that failed to reach the required standard were ruthlessly removed from the course, sometimes sinisterly via helicopter mid-exercise."

This paragraph in particular fills me with dismay. No wonder the world is still at war. There are, no doubt, 'scheyvilles' throughout the world.

The truly appalling thing is Barton believes that men like this are a desirable achievement.

I wish I believed in god, because 'god help us all'.

Stephen has gone a little quiet.

Maybe he doesn't read posts on this site.

I am deafened by the silence in general. I thought the 'gung-ho' types would lerve to pontificate upon the captains of industry from the Scheyville mould.

V/strange

I'm not surprised really, Stephen looks like he might be a rugby player.
The whole thing about the American war on Vietnam is very difficult for those who were involved in some way. In fact when I am asked if I went to Vietnam I usually refuse to answer. Whichever answer you give seems to alienate somebody, especially those who don't know what they are talking about.......like Stephen.

Stick to WWI Stephen, there is no-one left to argue with you.

Priscillian have you thought about writing about your experiences? A follow up article to Stephen's would be interesting. I would really like to understand more. I had an uncle who went to Vietnam and became a mercenary - he also used to 'love' wrestling with my brothers - v/scary.

Cheers