Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 5

The Light at The End of The Tunnel

Boot Camp is a long, hard 10 weeks.  You look forward to getting out and being part of the 'real' Navy.  While in Boot Camp there is the constant threat of being set back in your training. Meaning, having to go through the same things again. You can be set back individually, or the whole Company can be set back. This constant threat kept you working hard to move forward.
Service Week:  Week five in our traning  was known as 'Service Week'. We stopped  our classroom training for this week to be of service to the base.  During this week we were known as 'Service Week'. As in "Service Week, get your Ass over here!" You were given a job for the week. Over half of the Company was sent to the Chow Hall to work there for the week. Others were assigned various jobs. During the Summer many would have been used to beautify the grounds.  Grasscutting, bush trimming, that type of stuff. In the Winter, other jobs were found. I was assigned to the Duty Office in our area of the Camp.  Basically I was an errand boy.  I spent 12 hours there during the day.  I would arrive at 6:00 am, put on the coffee, then wake the Duty Officer.
This was a different person each day. When you wake a sailor who's been in the Navy for 20 years they never say 'Thanks'. I learned to knock on the door, open it, tell him what time it was, close the door and hope I heard him stirring around so I wouldn't have to wake him again.  The rest of the day I spent running errands, filing papers, cleaning the office, etc.
One person from each Company was always assigned the job of helping a new company through their indoctrination week.  I remember our Service Week was a pretty good one.  He helped us a lot.  We thought he must be a real Navy Veteran. I googled 'Service Week' prior to this Chapter and found out that they did away with Service Week in October of 2003. Civilian Contractors now do the work.

I was finishing this chapter when one thing occured to me. I hadn't mentioned getting shots.  We received a lot of shots in the past 10 weeks. Most all given by pneumatic, or, Air guns. I don't know if they still give shots that way or not.  But at the time, we often received two shots at a time, one in each arm. OUCH!

After Service Week we worked towards Graduation. Everyone worked to get their swimming tests passed, demerits worked off, and getting better at learning to march and actually being able to do everything the 'Navy Way'. I believe it was week 7 and 9 we got to go off base on a Sunday. The first week I went in to Chicago. The next Sunday off I went in to Milwaukee.  Both times I went by train.  There's really not much to do in a downtown on Sunday Afternoons.  I went with other guys in the company and we managed to find a restaurant open, had some 'Civilian Food', and went to a movie.  Our first taste of freedom off the base as a Sailor. It wasn't too exciting, but it was nice to be among the civilian population, and the first time I'd ridden a train since I went on a Kindergarten field trip to Lebanon Junction.
Then, Graduation Day!

 We had worked hard, under a lot of pressure, for 10 weeks. I can't remember, but I'd say 5-10 Companies graduated on the same day.  We marched in review in our Dress Blue Uniforms, with one of the Sousa marches playing loud....what a great feeling to be a Sailor in the U. S. Navy!
That day we received our orders for our first tour of duty.  When you receive orders to be assigned somewhere it's usually a 2 year assignment.  Then orders will come for you to be assigned somewhere else.     My orders were for 5 months of school at NATTC, Memphis, Tenn.  I didn't know they had a Navy Base in Memphis, Tenn.  Well, they do.  And a very large one at that.  The NATTC stands for Naval Air Technical Training Center.  I was going to Aviation Electronics School.  It seems all the aptitude tests I'd taken told them that was what I was best suited for.  Electronics? Crap.  Didn't sound like much fun to me.  Oh well, could be something useful in Civilian Life.

So, after gathering all our records, (You take them with you from base to base as you are transferred), personnel and medical, getting a few final shots, we waited for the train to take us home for two weeks Leave (Furlough) before reporting to our next Duty Station.

The next chapter, Bob goes to School.

To be continued........