Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 3

THE DAILY GRIND

It will be hard to describe a 'typical' day in Boot Camp. I'll go through a normal routine, but have to go back and go into a more detailed explanation of exactly how some of these routines were performed.
At right in the first picture we're drilling with our rifles and exercising. Next on right is haircut picture. That's me the arrow is pointing to. No. We didn't have any camera's. These pictures are taken from the 'Keel'. The yearbook from boot camp.
Our day started at 5:00 am.  We were awakened, many times by a coke bottle being ran around the inside of a large metal garbage can while the Company Commander was yelling "Anyone who's feet ain't on the floor in 10 seconds will earn a demerit".  That's kinda paraphrased. We had 15 minutes to S, S, and S and be standing at attention on the parade ground in formation. After assembling, we marched about a half mile to the chow hall for breakfast. Now remember, the temperature was usually below zero. At the chow hall, our 'runner' had to go report us in while we waited our turn standing out in the cold. Sometimes, well, many times, our runner would screw up when reporting in and have to go back to the end of the line, behind all the other company chow runners reporting their company in. I'll have to insert at this point that we were Company 35. The first company formed in boot camp for the year would be #1 and sequenced from there.  So reporting at Boot Camp on January 26, there were already 34 other companies started that year.  So, with basic training taking 10 weeks, you can see how many companies were reporting for breakfast at the same time.When reporting in, our runner had to recite a certain phrase the correct way then answer any questions he may be asked correctly, and with proper phrasing. They often asked questions concerning things you should know from you training. Sometimes, just to mess with you they'd ask you what your Company Commander's date of birth was, or something like that. Needles to say, many times we stood outside in the cold for 30-40 minutes before our runner got us in.  Any runner who screwed up a couple of times was replaced the next meal by somebody else, until he screwed up, and then we replaced him with another person,who would.....well, you know how that went.  We went through a lot of chow runners.  As a 'Squad Leader', I never had a turn as 'Chow Runner', thank goodness.
After breakfast, we had a small group head back to the barracks to do final preps for our daily barracks inspection and the rest of us headed to the drill haul for morning *personal inspection.  After that, off to classes.

  Classes on what sailors need to know. We had classes on things such as knot tying, using portable pumps, generators, fire fighting, radio operation, aircraft/ship identification, recognizing all military insignias and ranks, using safety equipment, morse code, swimming, firearms, Navy terminology, *proper wearing of gas masks, first aid, and many other things such as these that you would need to know on a ship.
We would go to lunch the same way as breakfast, then more classes in the afternoon.  During the hours we didn't have a class we were in the drill haul marching and learning the 16 count manual of arms.
After dinner, to the *drill hall.  All our marching type training was done indoors at this time of year. In good weather it was done outside on large paved areas.  These areas were called 'Grinders', for good reason.

After drilling for an hour or two, back to the barracks.  Unless you had demerits to work off or failed swimming lessons to make up.

Back in the barracks, it was *wash the clothes you wore that day, *clean barracks, fold and stow  clothes dried from the previous night's washing, spit shine shoes, lights out for bed at 9:30 pm.  Of approximately 80 people in our company, 4 people were on duty as sentries all night, changing at 4 hour intervals. So a turn of *sentry duty came around fairly often.

*these items will need further explanation. It really wasn't done as simply as you might think.

to be continued................

Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 2

BOOT CAMP -SETTLING IN

That morning we were awakened, rather rudely, by somebody yelling that we had 10 minutes to Shit, Shower, and Shave and be standing at the foot of our bunks.  S, S and S was a standard Navy saying, as was having 10 minutes to do it. I'll insert at this point, so there will be no need to put it into everything that happens later, that everything we did we were yelled at, criticized, cussed at, and made to feel  less than human in everything we did. I never heard a kind word for those 10 weeks. As they put it, they weren't our mothers.  They felt the need to break you down, so they can build you back up to their specifications.
The first thing we did was to march  to another hall.  In there, on the floor, were taped off squares, about 3' across, and we each occupied a square.  They gave each of us a box and a roll of tape.  Directions:  "Strip completely naked, put everything you brought with you, including all your clothes, into that box, tape it up, address it to your parents.  That's the last you'll see of that civilian crap!"  And it was.

Then, line up again.  First stop in the line, a person measured you for clothing.  Waist, chest, head, inseam, arm length, any other thing that they needed to know the size of.  Then, still standing there naked as the day we were born, we were handed our seabag. Which, for you landlubbers, is the same as an Army Duffle Bag.
Now, we inserted our arms into the bag to hold it open in front of us with our hands and elbows, a paper hanging from our mouth with all the measurements written on it, we walked, stopping at each open window for someone to read the paper hanging from our mouths, throw the right size clothes in our bag until all our clothing needs were issued to us. Hats, socks, underwear, dungarees, white uniforms, blue uniforms, Navy Pea coat, Toboggan (called a Watch Cap), handkerchiefs, neckerchiefs, toiletries, bar soap, bucket, brush. Namely, everything we needed, not just for the next 10 weeks, but for our next 4 years in the Navy.  We'll get to the bucket and brush later.
After getting dressed in a new uniform, we marched to our new home. Our barracks.  We were each assigned a bunk. This company consisted of 85 people, who would spend the next 10 weeks living together and learning how to be a sailor.
The first few days, besides getting all our gear issued, was spent getting other things done.  The 'military haircut', shots, learning how to fold all those new clothes and store them in your locker, how to make up your bunk, etc.  They were very particular. 85 recruits in one large room. Each row of beds to be perfectly aligned, each bag of dirty clothes tied up exactly the same way in perfect alignment. Every locker looking exactly the same.  Now, these weren't lockable lockers. They were open, so all clothes were folded and put in the right place, exactly like the one next door.  One of the things done was to stencil your name on everything you owned, as this would be the only way to tell them apart.  This pretty much occupied the time the first couple of days, then we started on our actual training.  It will be hard to describe a typical day, because most days weren't very typical, but I'll try.

to be continued........

Golf round 71 for the year

We played Iroquois GC today, taking advantage of the best day we've had in several weeks and likely the best day for several weeks to come.  It got up to around 50 degrees today, so it wasn't real cold out there.  However, the ground was still frozen and there was still snow in the shaded areas.  I didn't play that bad today, but I double bogied the last two holes.  We played the back nine first and I shot a 40 - 44 = 84, 4 shots better than last week.  If I could have limped in just bogeying the last two holes it would be an 82, which I would have been very satisfied with.  I do really think that I got tired there at the end and that could have contributed to my poor finish.  I think I need to go for a walk at least every other day to stay in walking shape to play golf.  I did birdie two holes today, holes 2 and 18, although playing the back nine first it was holes 9 and 11.  I'm glad I can get out and play any time in December, January, and February. Any time you can play in those 3 months it's a bonus!

Bob - The Navy Years, Chapter 1

I JOIN THE U. S. NAVY

In my Senior year of High School, several friends and I decided to join the Navy after graduation.  Now, back in those days,  if you weren't in college, you either joined a service, or our government decided for you to join the Army,  through the Draft. After graduation, having planned to join the Navy for many months, the time came.  Well, all my friends backed out, Billy Doyle, Jacques Sabrie, Charlie Pate.  But I went ahead and joined up anyway. I joined the Navy on January 26, 1965, 8 months after graduating from High School.  I was 18 years old and had never been away from home more than one night running.  The night of January 25th was the last night in my life I lived in a house with my parents.
My Dad drove me down to the recruiting office and dropped me off.  I'd joined several weeks prior to this day, but this was my actual sign up and departure day.  With about 10 other guys, all from around Kentucky, we spent several hours signing papers and waiting around.  The first of many times in the Military that I had to stand around and wait.  The old military saying 'hurry up and wait' is so true.  After we were all signed up, papers in order, we were bused to Standiford Field, now Louisville International Airport. There, we waited around for our plane to Chicago, and the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.  We arrived at O'Hara Airport in Chicago late afternoon and, you guessed it, waited around several hours for a Navy bus to take us to Boot Camp.  I left Louisville with a gym bag with toothbrush and shaving gear, wearing my High School Letter Jacket.  Louisville temperature cold, but nothing extreme.  When we landed in Chicago it was 19 degrees below zero and the ground covered with snow. Little did I know that I wouln't see the ground 'snow free' until the first of April!
The bus finally arrived and we piled on.  We pulled onto the Navy base late at night, I'm thinking around midnight.  The bus pulled up in front of a large 'Drill Hall'. This is a large empty hall about the size of the armory downtown, or about the size of 8 high school gyms. We went inside, of couse a Navy drill instructor starting yelling at us as soon as the bus door opened. They called us a lot of things, and none of them were endearing.  We were each assigned our bunk for the night out of about 200 in the hall.
 We were given 10 minutes to wash up, brush teeth, go to the 'bathroom' ('Head' in the Navy), and get to bed.
So, here I was, my first night in the Navy, in a large drill hall with a couple of hundred other guys, lying in a bunk bed, looking up into a dark empty space wondering what in the world I'd gotten myself into.

to be continued......

The last of the 'Big Tree' comes down at last

 They took down the last of the big tree today.  It was fun watching them, but in order to get a good view I had to go outside in the cold.  I should have asked them to come back in better weather.
I was surprised the cut the whole trunk down at once.  I thought it would come down in pieces.
The cut the big trunk in half when it was down and hauled it away with half on the trailer and the other half on the big crane truck.

Here he was notching the bottom for it to fall towards the house.

They slowly lowered it down into the yard.

Then loaded half on the trailer and the other half onto the crane truck.  When they loaded this piece on the trailer, it was a little to long, so they cut off the end of it and the piece fell on the driveway and put a hole there.  I guess they'll fix it.  It's not in the part I park on, but I'm not sure it's not on my property.  I'll check later.

The girls get to see the 'Real' Santa

 Mary Lynn and I went to Westport Village SC and met Mark, Kim, and the girls there.  The shopping center had a Christmas Festival with all the shops handing out coupons, chance tickets, discounts, etc.  They also had a group singing Christmas Carols and the lighting of the Christmas Tree in the Center of the Village.  Also, Santa made an appearance.  Erin and Jill waited in line for about 45 minutes to get to see him.  They couldn't think of anything to tell him that they wanted for Christmas, but Santa said it was OK, a lot of boys and girls can't think of anything.  I must say, ol' Santa looked pretty good.

Golfing in the Snow Flurries at Iroquois GC

I played for the first time in 2 weeks today.  It was cold and flurried all day, the high was supposed to be 38 degrees, and I think that was about right.  I shot a 44 - 42 = 86.  Not very good, but I never play well in inclement weather.  We lost team score by one stroke. With me being the highest score in our 3-some, I'd say it was my fault.  I left a lot of putts just short of the hole, dead in the middle.  The ball stopping 1-2 inches from the lip.  I walked 18, so at least I got some good exercise and that 86 will raise my handicap up to where it should be in the winter time.  This was round 70 for the year.