Army infantry training unit reverses ‘bay tossing’ ban

It may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes you have to make a mess to teach Army trainees how to keep things clean.

The practice is known as “bay tossing,” in which drill sergeants can overturn trainees’ mattresses or bunks, empty the contents of their wall lockers on the floor, knock over garbage cans, or take some other actions to force trainees to clean up.

But one Army training unit at Fort Benning, Georgia, briefly prevented drill sergeants from tossing bays after things got out of hand and wall lockers were turned over and a desk was broken, a source with knowledge of the matter told Task & Purpose.

Two memos recently shared on social media indicate what happened. A July 31 memo from Col. Christopher J.C. Hallows, commander of the 197th Infantry Brigade, announced that bay tossi