The first three days during my time of boot camp seemed hard but then everyone I’d be continuing this journey with came to the realization that was a lie. The honeymoon phase was now over and every day we felt like we were inside a pinball machine that spanned the universe. In those first days we were given books and various tasking to learn and the RDCs were fairly laxed about it all. Some of the things we were supposed to learn in that period are listed below:
Phonetic alphabet
General orders of the sentry
The Navy song (Anchors Aweigh)
Sailor’s Creed
Chain of command from the RDCs to President
How to properly fold clothes to save space
How to make an exceptionally neat bed (tight hospital corners)
Marching (DNC: drills and ceremonies)
The above items as well as tons of other things were in what’s known as the naval bible “The Bluejacket’s Manual”.
And most importantly no one gives a damn about your race, age or who you were before entering those gates
One of the RDCs had a talk with us early on and said he knew there were different gang members in our division, different nationalities, different religions, and different overall beliefs. He then proceeded to say none of those things matter because there is but one goal in mind and if you’re so distracted about that then you should leave. From this day forward if you fall down and cut yourself you bleed blue as in the color of the United States Navy. A bomb went off outside of those gates and everyone you’d ever known has died as a result. You no longer have time to detract from your focus because you’re too busy thinking about who your girlfriend is now spreading her legs for as Jody’s probably taking your girl out on a date right now. Don’t be the guy sending money home to a girl and its really going to the bank of Jody.
If you’re wondering who Jody is there are two guys that people get to know while in bootcamp. One is named Jody and the other is Ricky. Ricky is a much more complex fellow but every guy had to just deal with it given the circumstances. Ricky is discrete in his actions and no one ever cares to talk about him. He can never be found by outside parties but he accompanies guys who find themselves homesick missing their gal. This led to the term known as Ricky boxing. Jody is the name for the other guy as given the temptation of a girlfriend now in a long distance relationship there is usually another guy.
The shortest and most optimal length of time for being in bootcamp at the time was eight weeks. Any longer than that meant you were a problem or just couldn’t finish things on schedule. Everyone was given a total of three tries and then they were washed out if they took too long because someone else could easily take that position.
Early on I came to realize by some magical twisted fate the majority of the people in my bootcamp division had little to no regard for being given orders and it would hurt us all time and time again. For the most part no one was comfortable with anyone. I’d say if someone wanted to take on trust falls at this time they should have been prepared to let their head hit the ground.
From this day forth everything we did or said was under a microscope from the eyes in the immediate vicinity and all others that we’d encounter while marching, in a classroom, eating breakfast it no longer mattered.
Some people have little to no rhythm and this can make for a difficult time when having to march in sync. In the morning we’d run in shorts, a shirt and long tube socks otherwise known as out PT uniform (physical training). The shorts, and shirts were reflective because in some areas it would be incredibly dark there until the sunrise. Otherwise we’d wear the utility uniform to and fro and throughout the day. At night we’d sleep in one of our PT uniforms.
I had a top bunk and early on realized I wasn’t accustomed to being awakened as it had come to be. One day I decided to oversleep and the guy on the bunk below me Allen was a goody goody and was practically crying to me saying I needed to get up. I told him to leave me alone and I went back to sleep. Shortly after I could the phrase “Attention on Deck” yelled and I slept right through it. Then I could hear a voice I’d never heard before saying who the hell is that in that bunk. So I jumped from the bunk and got to where I was supposed to be. Imagine the childhood favorite game of red light green light whereas people are allowed to move when the phrase green light is used and have to stop in their tracks at red light. Attention on deck is similar to that except when its heard people need to stop what they’re doing and be standing without movement to acknowledge the entrance of a higher ranking member now in the room.
The wake up call or alarm system and what happened after were things I wasn't accustomed to. You weren't supposed to be in your bunk all day after the lights came on. There was no alarm or anything else as you had to train your body to wake up after the lights were turned on. The lights were incredibly bright so they would definitely prevent you from sleeping if the covers weren't over your head.
I’m going to try something different from here on out and incorporate a different word as I had to learn during that period.
The word of the day is skylark. When I first heard it I could only think of crappy Buick automobiles. However, the term means to look around instead of having “military bearing. For example, eyes are always supposed to be on the prize so you’re taught to look straight ahead at all times. In the case that someone is in front of you and you want to look left or right it won’t make for a good situation. Instead, you’re taught to look through their soul as though they are not there and remain focused on the end game and nothing else.
This concludes day four in the first week of my navy bootcamp experience, as there is more to come.