Fight the Power

I'm the most non confrontational person in the world. I will do anything, go out of my way, to avoid any type of confrontation. However, there have been a few times in my life when the injustice of something overwhelmed me to the point where I took action against it. I recently read an article online about several Air Force MTI's who have been in trouble due to being too aggressive and abusive with trainees. I have my own experience, though admittedly a minor one, with this when I went through basic training. My own MTI was harsh but fair, only harsh enough to push us to our limits and make us stronger without crossing the line into abuse. However, as an older flight, one week, several of us volunteered to go and help out a brand new baby flight of trainees. It was these girls' first week at training, and almost our last before becoming airmen. While helping the girls and giving them some advice on things we'd learned for surviving basic we discovered pee in the bathroom sinks and wet urinated in clothing. Thoroughly disgusted by these finds we confronted the girls. Their MTI was absent at this time. Now, let it be known, peeing was a very annoying issue at basic training. We were made to drink large amounts of water and couldn't just go the bathroom at any given moment. We were given breaks to do so and if it was a major major emergency were allowed, with some making fun of in front of the flight, to go use the toilet. However, it turned out, the MTI for this baby flight had made the girls stand at attention until they had all peed themselves in front of her. Then she had yelled at them all and told them to use the bathroom. At other points the girls were forced to hold it so long when they were finally given a break they used the sinks because there weren't enough toilets and they couldn't hold it any longer. Being the oldest in my flight, most of the trainees were 18. I was 27. I was horrified at this story. I was also terrified to go to the higher ups with this information. I just wanted to be invisible and make it through, not take any kind of stand or stand out in any way so as to make myself a target. However, I knew this wasn't right. I talked to the girls in my flight and we decided, as a group, to take it to the chaplain that Sunday at church service. We did so and found out the following week that MTI was taken out and the baby flight was given a new trainer. The chaplain also talked to everyone at church and said to make sure to report any abuse happening to the higher ups. I was glad taking a stand and doing something actually resulted in something good happening for once.