# Boot Camp memories.



## fuzzybuddy (Apr 11, 2020)

It was 1968, and I was in the US Navy boot camp. Ahh, yes- boot camp. That's when the Navy took disgusting, (oh, God) _civilian_s, and molding them into SAILORS. At least that was the Navy's version. I remember the charming way us recruits were encouraged to line up closer, they shouted, "Nuts to butts". Yup, the Navy had a way about it. What are the "cherished memories" of your boot camp experience?

As for me. I remember being in Great Lakes in the summer. If the temperature got above 90, we couldn't  practice marching on the 'grinder". That didn't stop our Chief from marching us. He got us up at a cool 3 AM to go marching. And there was "watch" -guard duty. They were building a new auditorium, and there was a 35 ton, 80 foot by 6 foot high steel beam that I had to guard, in case someone slipped it into their hip pocket, and snuck off with it. Washing your clothes in a sink was so much fun.


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## squatting dog (Apr 11, 2020)

Not a whole lot of fond memories there. We drilled and drilled so we would be prepared to kill. Taking a life is a serious deal and I don't wish it on others.


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## oldman (Apr 11, 2020)

Third week of being at Lejeune, we are doing extended Recon and weapons training. There was a kid from Georgia, Billy something. I forget his last name. We had been doing some heavy workouts and obstacle course. Part of the course was being fired at using live ammo. This was in August and it was really hot in North Carolina. All day long, we worked out at being conditioned. Billy kept telling us that he wanted to “get over there” and get in the action. The very next day, he falls off of the up and over bar and broke his wrist. They took him to the hospital and that’s the last we saw of him.


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## Keesha (Apr 11, 2020)

While I never went to boot camp my husband did. He was 17. 

One of the training tests was to jump off a 10 foot diving board with full combat uniform and he didn’t know how to swim. Someone threw in a life ring that landed about 25 feet away. When they realized he was literally drowning they jumped in and saved him. The moment he got out he had to do 50 push-ups. 

At his graduation his platoon gave him a present which he had to open up in front of everyone. 

It was a set water wings .


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## jujube (Apr 11, 2020)

My last name (married name) isn't pronounced as it looks.  My late husband's oldest brother was in the Marines for six years.  His branch of the family has always pronounced the name as it is spelled.  The reason:  he ended up going through Marine basic twice (I don't know why, but I'm sure it's a good story...…) and after two rounds of correcting the Drill Instructors ("Sir, no, sir, that's pronounced ________________" and being told "IF I SAY YOUR NAME IS _________________, MAGGOT, YOUR NAME IS _______________!  DROP AND GIVE ME 20!), he just decided it was easier to change the pronunciation of his name than to change the entire Marine Corps.


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## Pecos (Apr 11, 2020)

Navy boot camp San Diego July 1960. 
I marched in the middle of the company, slept in the middle of the barracks and never drew any attention to myself. 

One day somewhere in the 7th week, as I was exiting the barracks, I ran into the Chief Machinist Mate who was our CC. He asked me if I was a member of his company. At that point I knew that I had been very successful in avoiding a lot of crap.

Boot camp was not difficult for me and there were instances where it was entertaining.

My PITA step father had spent some of his time as a LT in a Navy Boot camp during WWII.
I had already been exposed to all that harassment and knew how to keep it out of my head.


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## Pappy (Apr 12, 2020)

September, 1956, Fort Dix. NJ. Bivouac for a week in the woods playing war. God, it was cold that week. Worst part was the gas chamber.


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## old medic (Apr 12, 2020)

Aug 6th 1981, walked into the old WWII barracks on Tank Hill at Ft Jackson.... 
Drilled and ran in triple digit heat/humidity.... 
NBC training about killed me


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## Grampa Don (Apr 12, 2020)

I never got to experience a real boot camp.  I joined a submarine reserve unit right out of college.  I spent two weeks at Hunter's Point in San Francisco in a combination boot camp/sub school/screening session.  It was mostly class work in basic naval knowledge and submarine construction.  There was a final exam that you had to pass if you wanted sub duty.  They put us in a decompression chamber to make sure our ears could handle it and that we didn't have claustrophobia, and took us to Treasure Island to make sure we knew how to swim.

I served 3 years in the reserves before doing active duty, and by then I was an ETR3.

Don


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 12, 2020)

My daughter (in Army) had to go through the gas chamber on crutches - the earlier basic training gave her crippling shin splints... This was like a 'final exam' so I was there ... wonder where the video went?  Very hard for a mom to watch the hobbling and tearing and coughing, but she toughed it out.


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## fmdog44 (Apr 12, 2020)

I visited a WWII German submarine in I think it was the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago as a child and even then my claustrophobia kicked in. I'll never figure how anyone served in one of the dirty, tiny smelly subs.


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 12, 2020)

Empty said:


> My daughter (in Army) had to go through the gas chamber on crutches - the earlier basic training gave her crippling shin splints... This was like a 'final exam' so I was there ... wonder where the video went?  Very hard for a mom to watch the hobbling and tearing and coughing, but she toughed it out.


She served over 6 years - they could damage her, but not break her!  (And, it actually did her a lot of good in many ways)


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## oldman (Apr 12, 2020)

Pappy said:


> September, 1956, Fort Dix. NJ. Bivouac for a week in the woods playing war. God, it was cold that week. Worst part was the gas chamber.


I heard about guys being in the gas chamber from my dad and my uncle. My dad was career Army and my uncle was just an enlisted man. My dad never said much about it, but my uncle said he was scared to death. I think he spent time in Korea after the war.


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## oldman (Apr 12, 2020)

I did 12 weeks on the Island. I was certain that our Sergeant was trying to kill us.


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## Aneeda72 (Apr 14, 2020)

Working in the edible garbage room was the worst, ugh the smell was enough to kill you.  Boot camp for WAC was in AL.  They kept the garbage and sold it to the pig farmers.  AL. had rats the size of small dogs.

Got in trouble once, got to clean the latrine with a toothbrush.  Yup, my toothbrush.  Never smart mouthed the sgt again .


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## Ken N Tx (Apr 14, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Got in trouble once, got to clean the latrine with a toothbrush. Yup, my toothbrush. Never smart mouthed the sgt again


That would make a believer out of me!!!


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## Don M. (Apr 14, 2020)

Boot camp, for me, was almost a cake walk.  I had to go to Lackland AFB, for what was supposed to be 7 weeks, but about 4 weeks in, the DI told me to pack my stuff, as I was leaving the next day.  I thought I was being kicked out, until he finally told me that my school was starting in a couple of days, so my basic training was over.  I learned to march, and salute...but that's about all the military BS I was exposed to.  The USAF placed more value on skilled technology than on traditional military baloney....set me up for a nice civilian career.


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## fuzzybuddy (Apr 14, 2020)

I joined the US Navy after the Tet Offensives.  They wanted warm bodies in Vietnam. I'm not sure if boot camp was 12 weeks, and they shortened to 9, or it was 9, shortened to 7.  Anyway the company size was 80 guys. To get more through, they increased the company size to 83. . For some strange reason, I was always at the end of the company when we marched. We marched to the gas house, where they had 80 gas masks. So 3 guys didn't get to wear gas masks in the gas house. Yup, that was me. There was 80 seats in a classroom. Wherever we went, the Navy provided 80 of them-which I never got.


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## oldman (Apr 14, 2020)

I totally enjoyed my time in the Corps and sometimes I wished that I would have made a career out of it. But, I wouldn't wish doing Marine Boot on anyone. Well, there is this one guy.......


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## Knight (Apr 15, 2020)

1959 winter at the old side Great Lakes camp.

Marching in unison. One farm recruit marched like he was stepping over plow furroughs. Him bobbing up & down was hilarious.

Navy has a way of pointing out what isn't appreciated.

Learning how to cut a glass coke bottle in half to use as an ash tray while laying on your bunk.

Taking salt from the galley to use as sidewalk cleaner when it snowed. Our company slept while others were awake shoveling snow off their walks. 

Extending liberty to 4 a/m by using paper cut out in circles to be able to blend in with the trainees going from the new side to the old for galley duty. 

Sleeping in class due to the above. 

Losing the company flag & substituting a bra that one recruit brought back from liberty. 

Following the CC's marching directions when we knew better. After passing in review we did the column left, column left again, the last column the chief called column right so while it was hard to do we did manage to get about 4 rows up into the bleacher seats.


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## tbeltrans (Apr 15, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> Not a whole lot of fond memories there. We drilled and drilled so we would be prepared to kill. Taking a life is a serious deal and I don't wish it on others.



This is weapon, this is my gun...this is for killing, this is for fun.  What's it for?  To kill, to kill without mercy drill Sargent!

That is my memory of Army boot camp 1970.

Tony


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## johndoe (Apr 15, 2020)

Arrived at Lackland in the middle of the night. TI took us to our barracks and told us to grab a bunk. Got no sleep. Afterwards it was get issued our uniforms, drill, attend classes etc. When we got a physical, a roomful of guys were told to strip naked. Pew! Clothes hide a lot including B.O. I failed rope climbing because my right wrist had been broken and in a cast a few weeks before. I didn't do well at the rifle range but passed. Learned how to field strip a cigarette. One guy decided he didn't like it so he faked being gay or so he said. Another decided to melt his shoe polish by setting it on fire but risked setting our tinder dry WW2 barracks up in flames. Next day he was gone. Most memorable was being assigned to retreat if I remember the term correctly. The barracks was told to put on dress blues and march to base ops for the lowering of the flag at dusk. If I was ever overcome by patriotism that was it. We marched back on a warm night as the sun set with only the sound of heels hitting the pavement. I swear I got somewhat tearful.


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## BbqNut (Apr 16, 2020)

old medic said:


> Aug 6th 1981, walked into the old WWII barracks on Tank Hill at Ft Jackson....
> Drilled and ran in triple digit heat/humidity....
> NBC training about killed me


Same place a year later! Wouldn't recommend it July/Aug when I was there either!


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## old medic (Apr 16, 2020)

BbqNut said:


> Wouldn't recommend it July/Aug when I was there either!


You've heard the song " Devil went down to Georgia"

Because Low country of SC too damn hot !


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## oldman (Apr 16, 2020)

Something that I often wondered about, did everyone in the Navy end up on a boat, ship, Sub or any type of vehicle on the water? My nephew retired from the Navy as an LCAC Commander. After being home a few months, he became bored, so he got a job with USF. (University of Southern Florida) His job is to pilot a boat out into the Gulf with USF students onboard that are studying to become a Marine Biologist. Pretty cool, I thought.


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## Knight (Apr 16, 2020)

Tour in Argentia,  Newfoundland. Several schools for jet engine mechanics, Tour in Newfoundland considered sea duty. Lucked out from jet school got sea duty Puerto Rico.  Land was Lakehurst Navel air station N.J.  Lucked out again with sea duty orders to  the Philippines.  I qualified for wife and child to accompany me to base housing in the Philippines . The Philippines orders were  changed some female personnel officer from the Philippines to a fighter squadron based in Miramar Ca.  

 That change of orders to the fighter squadron meant 9 months deployed at sea on the Kitty Hawk,  2 months continued training at white sands New Mexico & with luck 30 days leave to be with my wife & child.

The  personnel  officer thought I was going to re enlist but 90 days in 3 years or more away from my wife & child & the opportunity to get out was a no brainer.  Best decision we ever made.


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## oldman (Apr 16, 2020)

Back then the Kitty Hawk was considered a super carrier and the carrier was considered state of art. The Enterprise was probably the top carrier back then. I saw it and that's about it. I would have liked to have toured the Enterprise.


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## drifter (Apr 16, 2020)

My training was uneventful. Went through basic training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with 11th Airborne Division, ran everywhere. Trained with the
27th Airborne Engineers, then sent to Korea as a grunt in a rifle company.


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## Damaged Goods (Apr 17, 2020)

What was I thinking?  In the two years prior to basic, I overindulged big time, stopped sports activities, and continued a cigarette habit that began at age 14.  Unsure of the reasons for this behavior but I developed the cardio status of an old man.  Fortunately, the part-time job in a meat dept. of a retail grocery helped maintain upper body physical strength.  Big, strong, out-of-shape guy.

Tank Hill, Ft. Jackson SC, Sept. '66.  Body weight 260# which was 50# above ideal wgt.  I fell out of the morning runs, scored near the bottom on PT tests, and the DIs were on me like white on rice.  They called me "hog."  On the bright side, I put out 100% effort, aced all written exams, shot expert with the M-14, and capably performed any duty that involved primarily physical strength.  Fighting with pugil sticks, I would damn near knock off the opponents' heads, but after 30 seconds the shortness of breath would kick in and get beaten down, a couple times to the point of concussion.

On the final PT test, I ranked somewhere in the middle of the pack.  Not great but not poor either.  DIs said with another 8 weeks, they could make me "strack" which was a complimentary term for a troop who has it all together.  But it was time to move on: AIT at Ft. Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Div.


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## DGM (Apr 20, 2020)

I was 24 years old when I went to basic.  On my FIRST payday something was messed up and they couldn't pay me.  I asked to use to use the commander's office to make an AUTOVON call with a few minutes of privacy.  Half hour later the exec drives me over to finance and they pay me.  Exec ask "do you ah suppose you could tell me how you did that" and I of course responded with "I could tell you Sir but then I'd have to kill you.  That and a few other tidbits lead them to believe I was a spook.  When I went back to Knox as an MP I "raided" a card game when they were in the field.  We all became friends and they had to know how I got paid. They REMEMBERED.  My girl friend was the secretary to the commander of the Army Finance School at Fort Ben Harrison.  I had called her.  Her boss called Fort Knox and told them to pay me. We all enjoyed a laugh about it.  They joked that they did NOT know what to make of things when I had been in basic with them months earlier.


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## fuzzybuddy (Apr 20, 2020)

I spent 4 years in the US Navy, and never stepped foot on a ship. I was a Corpsman (Medic). I was stationed in Great Lakes IL, NYC, D.C. & GTMO, Cuba. I saw some ships, but never got one one. I guess it's like Air Force guys, who never flew.


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## oldman (Apr 20, 2020)

My B-I-L was a Marine stationed in Gitmo. His job was to arm everything from a hand grenade to a missile with a detonator and vice versa. Then, he spent two tours in Vietnam. After he came home, it took him almost three years to stop shaking. Even so, up and until his death just a few years ago, he was still fighting the war in his sleep. His wife divorced him after only five years of marriage because he kept punching her while she slept at night. He was a really great guy. Do anything for anybody, but he turned into a whack-o.

Normally, I wouldn't do this and I know this post is off topic, but this man was a hero . On his second tour in Vietnam, he saved his Patrol by crawling 75 yards on his belly and threw two plastic explosives into the middle of Charlie's camp one night, which allowed his guys to escape to the other side and return to their base camp.


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## squatting dog (Apr 20, 2020)

Total respect for your B-I-L


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## Pinky (Apr 20, 2020)

My younger brother's friend's older brother .. whom I dated briefly, went to Vietnam and came back completely broken. He shot himself in the mouth. Couldn't have been more than 20/21 yrs. old. He got hooked on drugs that didn't exorcise his demons. He was a beautiful golden boy, and a beautiful soul. I think of him whenever I see these threads about war.


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## Pinky (Apr 20, 2020)

@oldman
Thanks for sharing the photo .. your wife is lovely!


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## oldman (Apr 20, 2020)

Pinky said:


> My younger brother's friend's older brother .. whom I dated briefly, went to Vietnam and came back completely broken. He shot himself in the mouth. Couldn't have been more than 20/21 yrs. old. He got hooked on drugs that didn't exorcise his demons. He was a beautiful golden boy, and a beautiful soul. I think of him whenever I see these threads about war.


I have heard several stories similar to this. War can be and is hell.


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## oldman (Apr 20, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> Total respect for your B-I-L
> 
> View attachment 100304


I appreciate this.


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## oldman (Apr 20, 2020)

My B-I-L has both legs missing. He was so messed up from the war that he took up drinking. He came down with Diabetes and at first lost one leg and then the other. He either had 5 or 6 strokes and then death.

I don’t say this about too many men, but he was quite a man.


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## old medic (Apr 21, 2020)

squatting dog said:


> Total respect for your B-I-L
> 
> View attachment 100304


*X2.... Thank You Sir*


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## 911 (Apr 21, 2020)

Boot Camp memories? Uh, let’s see. No, I was pretty much able to forget all that crap and really don’t want to recall any of it.


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## DGM (Apr 23, 2020)

On the day in basic training that my company went to the gas chamber I was on KP.  Shortly after returning to Knox I caught the Mess Sergeant with whom I had spent that day speeding.  I recognized him and asked if he was still at C-16-4.  "I spent a day with you a few months ago.  You didn't jerk me around or give me any "trainee" crap.  It's paid off as I'm giving you a verbal warning:  Slow your ass down".  
A short time later I had a phone call at the MP Station (very unusual).  It was him asking me if I could eat with them tonight. They had steak and baked potatoes.  Very good steak and one of THE best baked potatoes I've ever had.  Plus, had a lot of laughs with my former Drill Sergeants.


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## DannyDoughboy (Apr 23, 2020)

DGM said:


> On the day in basic training that my company went to the gas chamber I was on KP.  Shortly after returning to Knox I caught the Mess Sergeant with whom I had spent that day speeding.  I recognized him and asked if he was still at C-16-4.  "I spent a day with you a few months ago.  You didn't jerk me around or give me any "trainee" crap.  It's paid off as I'm giving you a verbal warning:  Slow your ass down".
> A short time later I had a phone call at the MP Station (very unusual).  It was him asking me if I could eat with them tonight. They had steak and baked potatoes.  Very good steak and one of THE best baked potatoes I've ever had.  Plus, had a lot of laughs with my former Drill Sergeants.




You were in C-16-4?  I was in E-16-4 at Ft. Knox 1964!  small world ...What were your years?


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## DGM (Apr 24, 2020)

Late 72.  Were you in the new concrete buildings?  I was grateful not to be in the old WWII structures.


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## DannyDoughboy (Apr 24, 2020)

DGM said:


> Late 72.  Were you in the new concrete buildings?  I was grateful not to be in the old WWII structures.


Actually both!  Started out in the old barracks, and was changed to the brick ones a few weeks later!  That was where I was when they were filming for the movie "Goldfinger"!   Did you see my post about that?


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## fuzzybuddy (Jun 16, 2020)

One of my memories of boot camp was that we were holed up in the barracks for weeks. I believe we only got leave for a few hours only after a straight two months of being isolated. Being all males, there wasn't a female in site. UNTIL, someone noticed a secretary leaving an office at 5 PM. So she was close to retiring age And we could barely see her. She was so far away.. It didn't stop everybody waiting for 5 PM to watch her. The whole company lined up at the window. She never knew how much she filled mens' souls.


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## Manatee (Jun 18, 2020)

oldman said:


> Something that I often wondered about, did everyone in the Navy end up on a boat, ship, Sub or any type of vehicle on the water? My nephew retired from the Navy as an LCAC Commander. After being home a few months, he became bored, so he got a job with USF. (University of Southern Florida) His job is to pilot a boat out into the Gulf with USF students onboard that are studying to become a Marine Biologist. Pretty cool, I thought.


We had a corpsman on my ship that had 15 years in and that was the first ship he was assigned to.  Before that he was assigned to the marines.


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## fuzzybuddy (Jun 22, 2020)

I believe the Navy has a policy of 2years on land, and two years at sea. But not everybody can fit on a ship. So, it's sometimes 2 years in the US, and two years at a non US base. I was in the  US Navy and never set foot on a ship, but I was stationed in Cuba for about 1+ years
I felt bad for the guys , who had families. That being away for that long, even with leaves, really kills marriages.  The wives, and husbands of servicemen, also are in the Navy by way of marriage. their lives are governed by the service, too.
BTW, I won't lie to you. After the Tet Offenses, my draft board wanted me. I figured a nice thick battleship, 50 miles off shore was a good place to be. So I joined the US Navy as a Corpsman, that's when I found out the Marines  don't have a medical section, they use Navy Corpsman. There were 80 guys in my Corps school company. 77 went to FMS-Fleet Marine School ( battle field medicine), so in 60 days you were in a rice paddy. At that time, almost every corpsman was going to FMS.


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## fuzzybuddy (Sep 2, 2020)

oldman said:


> Something that I often wondered about, did everyone in the Navy end up on a boat, ship, Sub or any type of vehicle on the water?



Nope. Never set foot on a ship. I was a  Corpsman,  for 4 years, always assigned to  land hospitals.


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## Lewkat (Sep 3, 2020)

Since I was granted a direct commission we did not go through basic training in the Air Force.  However, all new medical officers did have to do 6 weeks of what was called Officer's Indoctrination.  That consisted of lectures on how to become ladies and gentlemen of the Officer ranks.   This all took place in Montgomery, AL and since it was Sept., it was extremely hot and humid.   But, we had to learn to march since we did honor returning heroes from the Korean War.  I already knew how to do all this since I was in the high school band and our band master had been in charge of his army unit's band.  Thus, we were drilled like new recruits.  We also had lectures and saw documentaries on what was not acceptable behavior during war time, according to the Geneva Convention.  We had a great time though as across the city was another AFB and the pilots would come over from there and take us out and party with us.  Actually, the Air Force is considered the ladies' and gentleman's service and is considered one big country club.  It is in reality a very serious and vital part of our military.


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## KimIn Wis (Sep 4, 2020)

Keesha said:


> While I never went to boot camp my husband did. He was 17.
> 
> One of the training tests was to jump off a 10 foot diving board with full combat uniform and he didn’t know how to swim. Someone threw in a life ring that landed about 25 feet away. When they realized he was literally drowning they jumped in and saved him. The moment he got out he had to do 50 push-ups.
> 
> ...


hahahaaaaaa!!!! When I was in boot camp, one of the last things we had to do was something called "slide for life". Basically what we call Zip Lining today. I'm deathly afraid of heights and refused to do it. They threatened to kick me out (was less than a week from graduation), and I said Do it!  They didn't, and neither did they kick out the other 10 men and women who refused to do it either. This was back in 1981 and our female platoon was the last to do bootcamp WITH the guys, as in side by side. Sure they could kick our butt in the strength field, but we kicked theirs in stamina forced marches and drill and ceremony, and many times in marksmanship!  So it all worked out!


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## Sassycakes (Sep 5, 2020)

My husband got drafted a few months before we got married. It was during the Viet Nam war. He went into the Navy instead of the Army. He did his basic training about an hour and a half away from where we lived at the time. He never wanted me to go to the base and the few times I did I thought it was nice. I have more memories of the base my older brother was at during the Korean war.I was only 4yrs old at the time and my sister was 6yrs old. He got drafted right after he got marrried.He as stationed in Maryland and we would go visit him every weekend and take his wife to see him. After a few months the base turned the Horse stables into small apartments and my brother got one so his wife could live on the base too. I remember sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor and my parents sleeping on cots. There was only one bedroom and my brother and his wife slept in the bedroom.Thinking about it now that was a long long time ago.


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## DGM (Sep 6, 2020)

DannyDoughboy said:


> You were in C-16-4?  I was in E-16-4 at Ft. Knox 1964!  small world ...What were your years?


Late 72-early 73.  There as an MP from mid 73-74


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## Jamesed (Sep 16, 2020)

Ha yes Basic Training.  Only two things I remember. Our training NCO was a SFC from the Philippines. He couldn't pronounce the word BOOTS.  I remember him to this day "YOU GOT TO SHINE YOUR BUTTS EVERY DAY"  Of course we knew he meant boots, but being the army it could just as well have been you ass end. The other memory was of a kid named Korvorkian (Armenian I think)  One day were were doing a field problem and some how he got shot in the leg by the wad of a blank.  He started swearing but no body could understand a word he said. It was funny as hell.


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## fuzzybuddy (Oct 7, 2020)

This is kind of a strange thing. I joined the US Navy, but as a Corpsman. I was in the Hospital Corps, it's much the same as the Marine Corps- it is separate division of the Navy. But we have our basic training with the Navy at Great Lakes. The problem for me was that I was a "HN"- Hospitalman. All the other guys were "SR"- Seaman Recruit. When we lined up to do our paper work or most anything, we had to give our name, and RANK. So I was "Fuzzybuddy, HN". Invariably, the guy at the desk would start yelling that I was a "SR", and didn't I know that, etc,. etc. So, I go in the next line and, yup, I'd say "Fuzzybuddy, SR". The guy would start to yell at me that I was an "HN". I can remember being at the end of a line in front of a desk, and trying to figure out if the guy was a "SR" guy, or a "HN" guy. This dogged on me all through boot camp, because I had the caduses (the snake T medical sign) sewn on my left arm patch.


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