Boot Camp 😳

As I write this today, January 21, 2022 it is 50 years to the day that I was released from the Navy a lousy 15 days before the actual end of my four year enlistment Sine we reported to Boot Camp on February 6, 1968 my actual release date would have been February 5, 1972. I'll be writing more about that "early release" in a later post.

Boot Camp was a trip! We had to show up in Los Angeles to catch a bus to the Recruit Training Command at the U.S. Naval Training Center in San Diego. The second the bus stopped the screaming and yelling started and it went on for the most part until we left April 5th after graduation. It actually made it easier to take being there with four friends but man it sucked.

We immediately got off the bus while be screamed at at every point, We had to line up with our feet in the footprints painted on the pavement and had to stand at attention while we were basically told how worthless we were and how miserable we were going to  find boot camp if we even thought about stepping out of line. I honestly don't remember details until 4:30 the next morning when we were awakened in the temporary barracks we had slept in by a trash can being thrown down the floor in the middle of the room, Talk about a rude awakening! 

The first days were a blur as were many if not most during training, we were in what was called the Receiving and Outfitting Unit or R and O. We had our first haircuts by an assembly line barber; got marched through a warehouse style building where we got measured for our uniforms and checked everything out. Next was medical where we got chest x-rays, superficial physicals, our first shots and dental checks. All of these things continued to be in assembly line fashion. After we got our uniforms we had to box up our civilian clothes and mail them home on the spot. One of the final things we did was take the General Classification Test to determine what we were qualified for as far as our job in the navy. 

Based on my test results I was pulled aside and offered nuclear training school if I would agree to extend my enlistment by two years. My answer, "Thanks but no thanks". I wound up showing an aptitude that would eventually lead me to a rating in aviation electronics but much more about that later. 

The number one thing we did in boot camp was march. We would march to class, march to meals, march to whatever training we were doing that day and march simply to practice marching. We went to the firing range, the pool for swim and rescue training, the obstacle course, the training ship for seamanship, military training doing close arms drill, the gas chamber, physical training, and ship's work training including kitchen duty. Somehow I was chosen as a flag bearer for marching purposes like graduation. Because of that I was somehow fortunate enough to never get assigned to kitchen duty or the gas chamber.

The one thing that I didn't get out of doing was actually the most difficult experience I had while at boot camp and that was damage control training which required us to fight fires. The open pit fire was bad enough but the compartment fire where we actually had to enter a concrete structure that had a large oil fire in the center and was full of smoke was pretty traumatizing. It  brought back memories of the night my house burned when I was ten years old. (Fire actually became a recurring theme during my entire enlistment).

I'm going to quote the description of Barracks Life right from the yearbook we received after boot camp because it's pretty accurate.

    "At the Training Center his barracks is the recruit's 'home'. It is in the barracks that he spends an appreciable portion of his time in training. Here he establishes himself--in a sense, drops his anchor--for the nine weeks in which he will be experiencing the transition from civilian to military life.

    The barracks is not only a place for the recruit to sleep; it is his most important classroom. Here he "learns by doing". He learns to live with others and to take care of himself and his belongings. The scrubbing of his clothing, the cleaning of his barracks, and the constant inspections all serve but one purpose; to prepare him for a successful life during the remainder of his tour in the Navy.

    And it is not all work, for the recruit must also learn the need of a Navy man for companionship of his fellows, for mail from home, and for amusement and relaxation. He should also develop the habits of writing letters and budgeting his spare time. These things he learns in his barracks life at the Training Center."

One of the funniest things I remember about the barracks is when other guys started noticing that we all had devil tattoos, it was hilarious, Some one finally said, "Damn how many of you are there?" The dumb part is that some of the guys really resented how close we were as friends but I just attributed it to jealousy. The five of us going through it together really helped.

This first Bach of pictures are just stock pictures from our yearbook but I think they do a good job of showing some of what we went through. 

The next pictures are actually from us at boot camp that appeared in the book. They were crazy times. They are me in the barber’s chair, Fred and Ted after the gas chamber, Clarence getting shots with me behind him in line and Fred getting his shots, Clarence at inspection and all of us on the last day with Pete in the bottom corner. The last picture in this group is me carrying the flag while marching for graduation. 

Writing this post brought back a funny memory from boot camp. I would often find myself watching seagulls with envy while standing in formation. I used to think “Man I wish I was a seagull, I could just fly over that fence and get away anytime I want. But first I’d fly back in here, buzz our formation and shit all over our Company Commander, Radarman First Class Tilberg, he was such an asshole”. Never happened but it was fun to think about. 

After boot camp we got to take leave before going to our next duty station. I don’t have a lot of memories of that leave but I do know that two days after getting home a whole bunch of us went to Disneyland because we had military discounts. We had some of the guys from our boot camp company as well as friends from home including some who were home on leave from other branches of the military. 

One fun memory I did find a picture of was Ted, the shyest guy in the whole group, was convinced to go up on stage at the Tahitian Terrace to dance. It was fun being home and doing things with friends again before leaving for our next assignment. 

Boot Camp would be the last time the five of us served together. So much for the Buddy System!