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Old 07-31-2008, 01:01 PM
 
Location: Maryland
1,667 posts, read 9,355,701 times
Reputation: 1653

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My CC (Company Commander) said I was an agitator, "...and what does an agitator do? It agitates". He took me to the main office building entrance, made me stand in my seabag, stuffed my clothes in it, filled it with soap and water, and I had to jump up and down, spin around, while repeating "I am an agitator, I am an agitator..." (USCG 1976-1996)
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Old 07-31-2008, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Des Moines, IA
1,744 posts, read 7,238,814 times
Reputation: 1239
The drill instructors would make us clean the deck with towels dipped in a solution of water and Bulldog brand cologne (any Jarheads remember this stuff?). We would have to push these towels around on our hands and feet, kind of like doing a "mountain climber" exercise.

Our racks were set up so that there was a space big enough to walk behind that went around the entire squad bay. One day a drill instructor decided he was going to play "race cars" with some problem recruits. He made them go around this "track" with the deck towels and every time they passed another recruit they were supposed to make honking noises. He also told them that he wanted to hear them making race car noises as they went.

It may not sound like much, but pushing a wet towel around like that for speed is very exhausting. These guys were close to passing out and yelling "VRRRROOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!" and "BEEP BEEP!!!!!!!" at the top of their lungs. The drill instructor told us that if we laughed we would be out there too. He sent a few recruits out there. I almost fainted from trying to hold in the laughter.


I also liked the time when they would make you get a square of toilet paper, extend your arms and hold it between your thumb and index finger. A square of toilet paper weighs less than an ounce, but after a couple minutes of this it becomes very hard to keep your arms up. Try it with a sheet of paper or something. After 10 minutes or so the recruit visably struggles and is in agony holding the toilet paper. Then the drill instructors come around and start yelling about how weak you are because a little square of toilet paper is making you sweat. Good times.
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Old 07-31-2008, 05:12 PM
 
Location: El Paso, TX
5,080 posts, read 9,887,788 times
Reputation: 1105
The long bus ride into Fort DIX late at night.. I was thinking oh crap what did I get myself into. then the death march from reception to our barracks... come to find out after graduation the reception and our walk was just a couple blocks, they marched us the long way. The Day we stood out front after the march, and then the flood of drills bouncing their brown rounds off our foreheads, pulling chest hair that stuck out and screaming. I can still tell you what the brick color and texture was on the building I locked onto. But that is just the tip of what I remember about basic training.. we had an all female unit across from us, and the show at night and the flashing morris code was fun. We had a guy get poison ivy on his privates from sneaking off with a girl in that unit.. they were easy to figure out. I was on hold over status as was one of the females in that unit, we got liberty and hooked up in town. After basic training your so ready for action that it was memorable for both of us I think.

Oh do any of you remember sweat boxing? When it would be snowing so hard outside that they would clear the bottom rooms and have PT in there?

Basic Training was the best of times.. back then I would not of believed that... but now I miss it.

Here is yet another basic training story.. its 3am, and a drill taps me on my shoulder and tells me to go wait outside ( FIRE-DUTY ).. he grabs the trash can and takes a small silver tube out of his pocket and drops it in the trash can and sets it down walking slowly away.. BOOOM! alarms are sounding, they are screaming, GET OUT GET OUT! I was one of 3 people fully dressed.. while 4 drills harassed us outside the rest were doing an inspection... There we were doing PT at 3am, in our underwear, for the girls enjoyment. Ahh good times.

I find myself hanging out on Fort Bliss early in the morning listening to cadence. I wish I was able to still sing along with them and have that same bonding I had back in the day.
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Old 07-31-2008, 07:51 PM
 
Location: West Texas
958 posts, read 2,125,877 times
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"Fond memories of boot camp" at the time I would have though aint no stinkin way!!!

But now almost thirty years removed from it they weren't that bad.
RTC San Diego the women were across the country in Florida.LOL

At the half way point we received our second issue of uniforms. These our dress uniforms we saw a woman then. She measured our inseam for our dress trousers. Yea we were all excited that day.

I was one of the guys that got lied to by my recruiter. He told me that it was the rainy season in San Diego when I left. April through July. It rained the day I arrived and the day I left everything else he told me was the truth.
That base is closed now, the Navy has just one RTC and it's in Great lakes Illinois.
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Old 07-31-2008, 11:29 PM
 
Location: Clarksville, TN
713 posts, read 2,709,273 times
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Passing by a couple of guys, one in the dying cockroach position, the other kneeling and repeating over and over, "Please little cockroach, please don't die."
-Ft. Jackson, SC. Summer of '82
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Old 08-01-2008, 02:04 AM
 
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
303 posts, read 976,677 times
Reputation: 211
Default Water

EVERY time I see a water drinking fountain I MUST stop and get a drink from it thirsty or not!

When I was in basic, the first day off the "cattle cars" the drill sergeants made us all get on our hands and knees in the blistering hot sun in Fort Polk Louisiana and pick up trash and cigarette butts that I now swear had to have been planted there. We had our duffel bags strapped to our backs while we performed this detail.

The drill Sergeant then filed us all inside the barracks to give us a speech in front of a Halsey~Taylor drinking fountain.

"Are you ladies hot!?"

"YES DRILL SERGEANT!"

"Would you dirt balls like a drink from my beautiful water fountain!?"

YES DRILL SERGEANT!",we would all yell in unison.

He then said, "Yeah, I bet you would!". Then he leaned down and took a long refreshing drink from the fountain as we looked with lust with parched lips. He turned around to look at us, while water ran down his chin and took another long drink.

He finally allowed us to take drinks one at a time while another DI would pull us away from the fountain.

I tell my wife and family that I am psychologically impacted from my basic traing experience.

I now rarely allow myself to pass up a drinking fountain...as a matter of fact, I am getting thirsty now thinking about it. Excuse me, while I go get a drink of refreshing cool water.
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Old 08-01-2008, 06:32 AM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,544,333 times
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I learned that a Navy uniform was not sufficient for December at Great Lakes Training Center north of Chicago. I also learned to say “YES, SIR!” I do not do that anymore. Ever! I learned lots of things in the navy including do not go onto deep water in an old decrepit DE. Do not take a Liberty ship across the Pacific Ocean unless you really like boredom. Do not go on riverboats when the natives are pissed off that you are trying to steal their country. Mostly, I learned that the military was a support system for the alcoholic and insane.

This is NOT a good morning.
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Old 08-01-2008, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Des Moines, IA
1,744 posts, read 7,238,814 times
Reputation: 1239
We had a kid from Kansas in my boot camp platoon. He did something or other to get on the DI's attention, they told him he wasn't worthy to be here so they made him go to the quarter deck, click his heels three times and say "There's no place like home" over and over again for about an hour.
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Old 08-01-2008, 01:39 PM
 
Location: The Frenchie Farm, Where We Grow 'em Big!
2,080 posts, read 6,899,284 times
Reputation: 1084
Default The Joker

I was known for being the "Joker". Great "Mistakes" in the winter of '89 and one week into boot camp, we were in front of our racks at parade rest for locker inspection. The C.C. walked by me while inspecting the two "bugs" across from my rack and looked down at my foot position of my parade rest.

"CUCAMONGA!!!" the C.C. yells (he could never say my last name, to difficult, and so he improvised). "Your feet are not at the right distance for parade rest! It needs to be shoulder length or 12 inches!"

Then he proceeds to tap my boondockers with his shoe to seperate my feet further.

He continues, "Do I need to whip out my D@#K and place it on the ground so you would know what your feet would look like 12 inches apart!?!?"

I respond quickly and loudly, "Sir, if you did that, I would be back at attention,SIR!"

For 5-7 seconds, all you heard was loud snickering and clearing of throats in the barracks. The first class P.O. turned red and his head looked like it was gone to explode b/c it was shaking so hard. I could see the other C.C. from the corner of my view turn around and began to shake from laughter.

He yells,"JUST DROP!". So I begin the push up position! "And keep going until I come back!"

Both walk out of the squad bay. They return after 5 mins and call for me.

My punishment: Singing the chorus from The Joker from the Steve Miller Band while doing jumping jacks and push-ups in the court yard. Singing, "I'm the Joker, I'm the Joker, I'm a midnight Joker. I'm a bug that's on the run"

Everytime I hear that song, I develope a big GRIN.
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Old 08-01-2008, 05:25 PM
 
2,638 posts, read 5,998,489 times
Reputation: 2378
And people actually enjoyed such abuse. Incredible.
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