Boot Camp Memories #1

 Boot Camp Memories (The Beginning)

I joined the Navy in 1959 along with two friends. It had been a boring summer and we were sitting on Dan’s front porch, just talking to pass the time. One of us (which one?) said that we should join the Air Force. That didn’t seem to spark any excitement. The Army was discussed and rejected as a possible first career. Then we came to the Marines and that didn’t make it to a ‘discussion’. That left the Navy for us to consider. And consider it we did. We drove over to the Navy recruiting office in Hawthorne and walked in. We were immediately noticed and a recruiting officer invited us into his office. Within an hour we had been given a basic test for intelligence and filled out dozens of pieces of paper. We had chosen to join the Reserves and would serve two years of Active duty and then four years  of Reserve, where we would have to go to monthly meetings. We could start with ‘boot camp’ and active duty or do reserve duty first. We chose boot camp to begin with, and active duty immediately after. In no time at all he had typed up our first orders; report to US Naval Training Center, San Diego on October something, something 1959. He gave us plane tickets as well!

At the time, air travel was not ordinary or boring, so we were happy to get on the big PSA Turboprop for the 30 minute flight to San Diego and our destiny. A Navy gray bus picked us up and off we went to Point Loma and the training center. It didn’t take long for all the smiles to disappear as those in charge began yelling at us. That was soon our norm; everyone wanted to yell at us! 

The first day seemed to take forever. Finally in the late afternoon a large group of us, maybe 50, were put together as Company 514 and we were introduced to our Company Commander and Recruit Commander. We had gone to lunch in the ‘Chow Hall’, our old clothes had been bagged and we had been issued our first ‘Seabag’ of Navy uniforms. We were all a little sore after the numerous injections we had been given but we were able to form a semi straight line when we were told to ‘Fall in’. Then we were marched down the road and across the bridge to Camp Nimitz, our home for the first 3 weeks as we were segregated from the older recruits to avoid the spread of some diseases.

Our Barracks, which were actually new, were made of concrete. Walls, (bulkheads) ceiling (overhead) and floor (deck). Not exactly warming but there were beds  (racks) and blankets. Before we were allowed to use them, a duty roster was created and some of us were going to spend two hours of the night on guard duty. What? What were we guarding against? It was best not to ask questions and so four of the recruits would be losing some sleep. As it turned out, we all had a chance to lose those two hours of sleep plus more during our twelve weeks in Boot Camp. 

More later…