44 years ago today I joined the Navy. Yes, the United States Navy. I left Louisville Standiford Field with 4 or 5 other boys from Kentucky and we landed at O'Hara Airport in Chicago with heavy snow already on the ground and 19 below zero temperature. I was 18 years old and had never been away from home other than several overnight BoyScout trips.
That night I slept in a huge drill hall with several hundred other young men who had arrived to start their training. I laid there in my bunk wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. Over the next several months they trained us to be sailors. We learned how to tie knots, abandon a sinking ship, recognize the ranks of officers in all branches of service, march, shoot, use all types communication devices, keep ourselves and our belongings clean. But most of all, we learned to wait. Wait in line for chow, shots, clothes,tear gas chamber initiation, classrooms,inspections and everything else we did. And we waited, usually, outside in below zero temperatures. We washed our clothes every night using a bucket, brush, and bar of soap. It was a three step process. Hang your clothes up outside that you just washed. Bring the clothes that were hanging outside (they were frozen and stiff as a board) inside to the drying room. Take the clothes out of the drying room to your locker and fold them and put them away.
We had an inspection every morning. The would inspect our barracks; bunks, lockers, floors, etc. They not only had to be clean, but in perfect order. All bunks, made up and lined up in order. Then we had personnel inspection. You had to stand with your white hat turned inside-out on top your rifle barrel, as you stood at attention, holding your rifle with one hand, and the other had up with your thumb holding out the top of your tee-shirt so they could see that it was clean. Inspection was held first thing in the morning in the drill hall. After inspection, we would drill (practice marching) for about an hour, then we would have classes the rest of the day.
I could keep writing about all the other things we did, but I guess this is enough. They did accomplish making Sailors out of most of us. Well, anyway, every January 26th I think about what I was doing in 1965!
2 comments:
I remember falling in love with this cute sailor boy in the United States Navy.
I loved a sailor once, when I was 8 years old. My Uncle George was in Rio de Janerio and he would send the most beautiful pictures home. Thanks for your service in the Navy.
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