Letter from a Cannon-Cocker

Attention:

This letter and others like it were found in a 13B10 classroom by a janitor. Please look through it to see if you can help to get it returned to the owner.

Thank you

24 Aug 96
13 Bravo 10 Course
Wisconsin Military Academy
Fort McCoy, WI

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

I am having fun here at the Army in my 13 Bravo 10 school. All of the people in my class are just like me. Everyone in our class has a low GT score, do you remember when the nice recruiter told me my ASVAB score was so low that I could be a "cannon crewmember"? My roomate must be really smart, his GT score was 73; I bet he didn't even need three waivers to get into the Army. He told me he's never been in prison and said he finished his GED. I bet he'll be a section chief!

My roomate and I spend a lot of time together. One of our instructors even likes to come down from the third floor and visit us. My roommate is a lot older than me. He buys me beer and we sit in our rooms and fool around almost every night. My roommate has taught me a lot of neat games and other stuff.

When we get drunk we play this one game that I'm not supposed to tell anyone about. The only ones who know about it are me, my new pal (roommate), and the nice man who comes down from the 3rd floor.

The game we play when I get drunk I call Mr. Snakey. My roommate is always very nice to me, but sometimes Mr. Snakey in his pants gets very naughty and mad. Mr. Snakey will rear up and point his mean little one-eyed purple head right at me. My roommate then tells me we will have to spank Mr. Snakey so he will not be not be naughty. I beat him and spank him and sometimes my roommate says we will have to punish Mr. Snakey and put him in and out of the dark little cave.

My roommate says Mr. Snakey doesn't like the cave and that's why he has to scare Mr. Snakey moving him in and out. I believe Mr. Snakey doesn't like it cause he most always gets sick after he visits the cave. Two nights ago Mr. Snakey got sick on my back.

Last night my roommate said to make sure that didn't happen again he had me bite Mr. Snakey's mean little head to teach him a lesson. You will never guess what Mr. Snakey did. Mr. Snakey got mad and spit right in my face!

My roommate and I also play other games here at 13 Bravo 10 school. We even played Mr. Snakey out at the FTX way out in the woods. The nice man from the 3rd floor even helped m punish Mr. Snakey. That man told me not to tell anyone cause he said when he plays Mr. Snakey with a student it is called frightenization and that he could get in trouble. My roommate says I shouldn't tell anyone cause then he will stop buying me beer and those pills, and everyone else will want to play. Having fun at 13 Bravo 10 school.

Your Son

PS We have 13 Bravo BNCOC and ANCOC sergeants who also have mean little Mr. Snakeys.


Glossary

13 Bravo 10
Artillery is divided into a variety of jobs (Military Occupational Specialities, [MOS]) in the 13 series. 13B, Bravo being the phonetic letter B, being the MOS for cannon crewmen. Furthermore each MOS is divided into 4 skill levels which correspond to the rank held. 10 level is that for privates and specialists. Courses that teach 10 level skills are often referred to as MOS Q or qualification courses since completion entitles the student to that MOS.
ANCOC
Advanced NCO Course. Leadership school for skill level 4 or Sergeant First Class (E-7)
ASVAB
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test. A test that that supposedly measures aptitudes in various fields so that people can be placed where they can be most productive. Certain MOSs require a minimum score. For example officers must have a GT score of 110 and forward observers (13F) need a FA (Field Artillery) score of 100. I don't believe that there is a minimum score for 13B.
Cannon-cocker
Nickname for the artillerymen who man the guns. Another is gun-bunny. See 13 Bravo.
BNCOC
Basic NCO Course. Leadership school for skill level 3 or Staff Sergeant (E-6)
FTX
Field Training Exercise.
GT
A section of the ASVAB test that seems to test intelligence. Roughly equivalent to an IQ score though the low end isn't anywhere near as bad as an IQ test. Maximum score is 155.

Afterword

This was actually written by one of my 13F10 student who's former MOS was indeed 13B. I can only presume that he knew of what he was writing about.

If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a joke! And not meant to be taken seriously, though I can't vouch for the after-hours recreational activites of 13Bs.

SSG Jason Long