Marine Corps Recruit Depot
The longest short period of my life.7 total reviews
Comment from Tom Horonzy
Was your experience at LeJeune or San Diego, which was adjacent to the NTC. Amazingly, we got to watch some riff-raff carry, a teaspoon at a time, five foot hill of sand from one pile to another site yards away, one day, returning it to the original spot the next. I think they were going AWOL and were caught.
reply by the author on 11-Nov-2022
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Was your experience at LeJeune or San Diego, which was adjacent to the NTC. Amazingly, we got to watch some riff-raff carry, a teaspoon at a time, five foot hill of sand from one pile to another site yards away, one day, returning it to the original spot the next. I think they were going AWOL and were caught.
Comment Written 11-Nov-2022
reply by the author on 11-Nov-2022
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I did Boot Camp in San Diego and was stationed with 6th and 8th Marines in Camp LeJeune. I also did Security Forces in Charleston and did details to Panama, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Nevada. Good times! Thanks for your review!
Comment from Allezw2
Sounds familiar! God, I hated the Marine Gates at the 34th Street Landing, The DESBASE, the NTCs, Alameda, and Treasure Island, too! Those on Midway took the cake. Over a thousand miles away in any direction and there was a brig chaser with a shotgun guarding a prisoner cleaning weeds away from a roadway at the airport. These unmentionable creatures with too much authority and too little common sense made us certain they were in charge, regardless of rate. All this was instilled in the jarhead consciousness in boot camp. All this attitude came after the USMC reassembled the callow recruit originally bedazzled by the colorful uniform. Too bad there is no re-entry to civilian life camp after their tour is done. The good thing is the USMC is our Marines. They are tough, so the occasional contingent we transported had troop quarters in the roughest riding compartment on our ship, forward and port side immediately behind the peak tank and chain locker. A cold seawater shower with the incredibly nasty saltwater soap was the routine. Afterward, we had to clean the space with fire hoses from all the puke the eight-high bunked Marines heaved out onto the deck. The stench passed up from the second deck to the 01 where the crew quarters and galley were. I'll say this, though. When liberty came, they were almost always right in line at the quarterdeck with perfectly pressed uniforms. The brown baggers had a difficult time getting ahead of them. At least, though our boot camp was rigorous for the PT and endless marching between classes and snarky instructors, we never had them screaming at us. We were essentially technicians. Not warfighters. So you sanitized the drill for public consumption, at least you survived. How about the people around you?
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2022
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Sounds familiar! God, I hated the Marine Gates at the 34th Street Landing, The DESBASE, the NTCs, Alameda, and Treasure Island, too! Those on Midway took the cake. Over a thousand miles away in any direction and there was a brig chaser with a shotgun guarding a prisoner cleaning weeds away from a roadway at the airport. These unmentionable creatures with too much authority and too little common sense made us certain they were in charge, regardless of rate. All this was instilled in the jarhead consciousness in boot camp. All this attitude came after the USMC reassembled the callow recruit originally bedazzled by the colorful uniform. Too bad there is no re-entry to civilian life camp after their tour is done. The good thing is the USMC is our Marines. They are tough, so the occasional contingent we transported had troop quarters in the roughest riding compartment on our ship, forward and port side immediately behind the peak tank and chain locker. A cold seawater shower with the incredibly nasty saltwater soap was the routine. Afterward, we had to clean the space with fire hoses from all the puke the eight-high bunked Marines heaved out onto the deck. The stench passed up from the second deck to the 01 where the crew quarters and galley were. I'll say this, though. When liberty came, they were almost always right in line at the quarterdeck with perfectly pressed uniforms. The brown baggers had a difficult time getting ahead of them. At least, though our boot camp was rigorous for the PT and endless marching between classes and snarky instructors, we never had them screaming at us. We were essentially technicians. Not warfighters. So you sanitized the drill for public consumption, at least you survived. How about the people around you?
Comment Written 01-Nov-2022
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2022
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One drank Drano and died in a puddle of his own spit, blood, and vomit. Another climbed into the wheel well of a jet liner and froze to death at high altitude. The rest of us made it... more or less. Nothing traumatized me more than crossing the equator with the Squids. I still wake up screaming at night from dreams of sucking cherries from the fat chief's bellybutton. We all have our burdens to bear.....
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I was a Cold War vet 07/54 to 10/54, a 39-month kiddie cruiser, E1 to E6 promoting in an open rate. I have a sly dig you would understand. Having to qualify with the M1 after arriving on Midway, I offered to help the Marines by cleaning the one I used after the target shooting exercise. "Like it'd take too long for you to do it you even knew how," they said. I said I knew how to field strip and reassemble an M1 blindfolded. They challenged and were really annoyed when I beat their hot shot on their mess table at the brig. He wanted a rematch. This time I couldn't find the follower retainer pin. It was not where I put it. So I put everything down, took off the blindfold and waited while the other guy finished. One of the observers had to have picked it up as I was disassembling the rifle. That was the end of the contest since no one could find the pin to put the piece back together. They did not know that I was the Jr ROTC champ in the Los Angeles district for the two years I was in high school. I was time to take down the piece in seven seconds. It took me about ten to put it back together. Shortly after high school, a Marine friend of my Uncle's tried to recruit me for the Corps. I was stuck on the Navy for the ships and all of the machinery there. He said Okay and shaved my head to prepare me for boot camp. He also gave me a handbag with a pair of shower shoes, two towels, two wash cloths, two bars of hand soap in containers, with two pairs of shoe trees for my low cuts. "You'll need those for inspections." He also gave me an electric razor for my peach fuzz. (I never really shaved until in my late twenties). It was well advised, from delays after screwing up our blood samples and having to go through redraws and testing, we finally reached the RTC San Diego, it was nearly midnight. I know the USMC prides itself on the disorientation of midnight arrivals, however, that was not intended to be the USN way. No time for dinner all day so we had a horse cock sandwich, a cup of milk or coffee, and an orange. We were assigned bunks and immediately sent into the showers. I was the only one prepared. The other guys borrowed my soap and had to dry themselves using their civilian clothes as towels. The MA asked me if I was a Navy Brat. Definitely not. M/S Joyner and I communicated until he retired a year after I enlisted. Widowed, He lived with his mother until she died, then he apparently walked into the forest and disappeared. When I knew him, he was still waking up screaming, fighting Japs in the jungle, remembering Guadalcanal, Palau and Okinawa. He was never injured in combat, though traumatized for the rest of his life from his experiences. It was scary being around him one night when he went off.
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The aftercare for war vets is appalling, even to this day. Its a national shame.
I was in a Riverine Assault Craft Unit when I was in and worked and trained with the Navy SBU units and inserted SEALS at various times, so we got along well with our Navy companions.
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Agreed. Remember the MOH veteran, homeless, that died of exposure across the street from the Reagan White House? I live near the Sepulveda Veterans Hospital and was a volunteer there during the Vietnam conflict. I remember one kid that lost a leg. For a couple of months before he was sent to be fitted with a prosthesis, he liked to sit on the patio in the warm sun and nap. We'd wheel him out when he asked. Hardly ever talked. Then, the hospital was a neuropsychiatric center before Reagan closed it. Now it is outpatient and counseling only. You might check out Yardier for some of his posts on Vietnam SBUs. There were a few here that claimed to be vets and posted all kinds of appalling nonsense. They couldn't stand the heat and most finally withdrew.
Comment from Mary Vigasin
I found this to be a clever approach to tell your story of boot camp in rhyme. You certainly have my vote for your imagination and well written and interesting story.
Best wishes
Mary
reply by the author on 01-Nov-2022
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I found this to be a clever approach to tell your story of boot camp in rhyme. You certainly have my vote for your imagination and well written and interesting story.
Best wishes
Mary
Comment Written 01-Nov-2022
reply by the author on 01-Nov-2022
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Thank you! Brought back many memories!
Comment from Regina Elliott
Unfortunately I ran out of
6 stars yesterday, Douglas.
This is truly a 6 star poem.
Flows so melodiously and
is a superb boot camp poem.
My very best wishes for the
contest. All the best ~
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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Unfortunately I ran out of
6 stars yesterday, Douglas.
This is truly a 6 star poem.
Flows so melodiously and
is a superb boot camp poem.
My very best wishes for the
contest. All the best ~
Comment Written 26-Oct-2022
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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No worries Regina. Your kind words are better than and 6 star rating! Thank you. I appreciate your review!
Comment from Susan Newell
Mystery writer,
This is just plain beautiful. I loved the repetition of the marching drill. It seems that you covered basic training pretty well. At least I think you did, based only on reports from others. Good luck in the contest!
Sue
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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Mystery writer,
This is just plain beautiful. I loved the repetition of the marching drill. It seems that you covered basic training pretty well. At least I think you did, based only on reports from others. Good luck in the contest!
Sue
Comment Written 26-Oct-2022
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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Thank you so very much! A lot of boot camp was marching, marching, marching everywhere.
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Imagine if it was, "Right! Right!" repeated. Now that would be an interesting sight!
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Ha!
Comment from Wendy G
I like the repetition as it seems to epitomise the structure and repetition of boot camp drills. A ver effective piece of writing. Well done. Best wishes for your entry.
Wendy
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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I like the repetition as it seems to epitomise the structure and repetition of boot camp drills. A ver effective piece of writing. Well done. Best wishes for your entry.
Wendy
Comment Written 26-Oct-2022
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2022
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Thank you Wendy. Marching was such a huge part of boot camp. Everywhere we went we marched. I appreciate the review!
Comment from Bill Schott
Ooh Rah, Devil Dog. We had a saying when we used to carry haversacks (before ALICE), which were small, but held all our gear: It's not how big it is; it's how you pack it. The size of a Marine only counts in his/her fighting heart.
reply by the author on 25-Oct-2022
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Ooh Rah, Devil Dog. We had a saying when we used to carry haversacks (before ALICE), which were small, but held all our gear: It's not how big it is; it's how you pack it. The size of a Marine only counts in his/her fighting heart.
Comment Written 25-Oct-2022
reply by the author on 25-Oct-2022
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Hi Bill. I didn't know you were on Team Jarhead! Thanks for the review. Semper Fi!
