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The Big Picture, Book 1 The Sum of Man Chapter 4 - Stereotypes and Epiphanies A very Special Thanks to the late Ed Wooten for editing this Chapter. And to William F. Laegler for Content Editing. **************** Saturday, January 14, 1978:
Temperature – Low 13°F, -10°C High 21°F, -7°C – Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Bill's second day in boot camp started off about the same as the day before - way too early for Bill's liking. Standing out on the grinder that morning Bill didn't know it was 13°F with a 20 miles an hour wind. He had no idea what the wind chill factor was but he knew he was cold. Another three inches of snow had fallen during the night. Typically weekends in Navy boot camp were less hectic than weekdays but the new recruits had plenty to do. The morning was spent stenciling clothes. Every item the recruits had received the day before needed to be stenciled. That way recruits’ clothes could be washed without getting lost. Each recruit had his own plastic stencil with his last name, first initial, and second initial. Also included was the Social Security number. Bill went from being Bill to Porter W. E. From that point forward all recruits in company 013 would be known by their last names. Each recruit had a permanent marker for stenciling his name and Social Security number on his clothing. Even though specific instructions were given as to how to properly stencil the clothing, mistakes were still made. This gave the company commanders plenty to be upset about - not that they needed any help!
Bill had plenty of time to think while stenciling. He had noticed over the course of the last six months that the way he perceived reality around him had changed. Bill didn't know whether it was the result of his mind maturing or the abuse of mind-altering drugs he was doing at the time. His perception of reality had definitely changed. Four months earlier while Bill was still in high school he had enrolled in American government. Teacher Rex O'Dell had surprised him. Instead of having the class memorize how many representatives were in Congress, he had the students read different philosophies from the past. They studied Plato and Socrates, John Locke, and many other philosophers. One morning getting ready for class Bill had an epiphany. For the first time he realized what his teacher was trying to teach him. 'There are two different philosophies of governing people.' Bill reasoned. 'One philosophy is that people are basically bad and need to be controlled. Another philosophy is people are basically good and can be held responsible for their actions.' Bill could visualize in his head the way the two philosophies came together. Even though the philosophies were opposites of each other and contradictory, Bill could see that they were both true.
Now Bill was seeing in real-life what the philosophers had talked about hundreds, even thousands of years before. Some of the recruits needed constant attention. Others were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Bill knew from his job as a cook that if you showed him how to do something once he knew how to do it forever. Some of the recruits had to be shown several times how to use the stencil to mark their clothes and they still couldn't get it right. Some didn't seem to care whether they got it right or not.
The afternoon was spent learning how to fold all the newly stenciled clothes. Then the recruits were shown how to store the clothes in their locker. Racks were made, stripped, and made again. The recruits then practiced military commands. It took a half an hour just to learn how to do a proper salute. Then there was standing at attention and at ease. While all this was going on Bill was carefully analyzing everyone around him. It was the first time he'd been able to observe the entire company trying to follow a range of different orders inside the barracks. Some recruits were good at following orders, and some weren't.
"I WANT ANY OF YOU WITH PRIOR MILITARY EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE, OR MARCHING AND BAND EXPERIENCE TO REPORT TO MY OFFICE," instructed Chief Petty Officer Mason. Even though Bill had leadership, marching, and band experience he didn't go see Petty Officer Mason. He understood that Navy boot camp had special companies that did precision marching and he didn't want anything to do with that. He also didn't want any extra responsibilities - and instead went to the smoking room with most of the other smokers.
"Don't you think it’s weird that we should become company 013 on Friday the 13th?" said Recruit Lee.
"What is even weirder is that I'm in rack number 1313 and I was born on Friday the 13th, and now I'm in Company 013 formed on Friday the 13th,” replied Recruit Harris.
"You think that's weird? My dad and sister were both born on Friday the 13th and I'm in rack 1316, but I was born on Friday the 16th. And now I'm in company 013 formed on Friday the 13th." Bill replied. Bill hadn't yet figured out what all the coincidences with the number 13 meant but it was just one of the things on his mind. Bill was busy trying to figure out all the new people surrounding him. Most of the recruits were from New England and the Midwest. At the time the Navy had RTC in Florida, California, and Great Lakes, Illinois.
Bill had already decided that he didn't like anyone from New York City because they all acted like they were looking for a fight all the time. Mike had taught Bill how to categorize people by behavior. Bill found everyone around him could be categorized. There were jerks, airheads, sponges, smart asses, dumb asses, brownnosers, troublemakers, and followers. While marching to dinner he noticed that all the black men marched a certain way. They walked with a kind of swagger. They’d swing their hips more than everyone else and their right arm was swung around behind their back as they marched. The only ones that marched that way were the black men. Bill found that a bit peculiar. Even though it had warmed up to 20°F by dinnertime it still felt very cold.
On the way to the chow hall Chief Petty Officer Mason led the recruits in a cadence. "Hey, hey, jumping jacks," "hey, hey, jumping jacks," "we ain’t never coming back," "we ain't never coming back," "to this place of misery," "to this place of misery," "that they call RTC," "that they call RTC," "am I right or wrong?" "You’re right." "Are we weak or strong?" "We're strong." "Sound off," "sound off," "sound it off," "sound off," "bring it on home now." "One two three four one, two, three, four." Bill reasoned, 'this is just another way to brainwash us. By having us march together, eat together, shower together, sleep together, sing together, and everything else together the company commander was trying to get the recruits to get us to see ourselves as a team instead of a bunch of individuals. The CPOs have been doing this since we walked in the door. I wonder how many other recruits understand the mind games they are playing on us?'
After getting back to the barracks and more military instruction the recruits were allowed their second cigarette break of the day. "I think I’m going to quit smoking, only smoking two cigarettes today is just enough to frustrate me!" commented Recruit Martin.
"I think I will too,” replied Bill. "I know they are playing mind games on us but it’s working. I’ve only been smoking for a year and it won’t be hard to quit. I figured out the difference between tired and sore. After everything we did yesterday my feet really hurt when I stand on them. I guess that's tired. Now after today my feet hurt even when I'm not standing on them. I guess that’s sore. I wish I had something to make me feel numb. Or at least a joint to smoke - that would be much better than this nasty cigarette!"
"I was talking with some recruits from another company at the chow hall that said there are drugs around!" replied Martin. They also said there is a beer vending machine in the company commanders’ barracks!"
"How did those recruits find out about that?" questioned Smith.
"They had to clean the company commanders’ barracks for ‘service week’!"
“What is ‘service week?” Bill asked with a look of dread and fear.
“Didn’t your recruiter tell you anything about boot camp?”
‘What a know it all,’ Bill considered. “He didn’t say anything about something called ‘service week’. What is it?”
“Our 5th week is spent working at a regular job to support the camp. I’ve been told it could be easy or hard depending on what you have to do.”
Bill now had a feeling of foreboding, which didn’t last long, as it was time to clean up the barracks. Almost instinctively Bill grabbed a broom and started sweeping and then mopping. As a bus boy at Howard Johnson’s he had to clean up just about every mess imaginable. To him, cleaning his barracks was like cleaning something already clean. The recruits were told that there were to be two types of duties - details, and watches. This was a clean up detail. Shoveling snow was called a ‘snow watch.’ After the cleaning was done it was time to get to bed. Lights out was at 10:00 and the lights went promptly back on at 4:00 am. Oops, I forgot 22:00 was lights out and 04:00 was lights on!
Bill laid in his rack and considered, ‘besides my feet being sore it’s really not that bad. I’m not drinking or doing drugs. I haven’t been asked to do anything yet I couldn’t do. Perhaps boot camp will be easier than I thought it would be!’ In no time at all he fell asleep.
Sunday, January 15, 1978:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 16°F, -10°C – Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Bill woke up and looked around, ‘where am I?’ he wondered. ‘That’s right – I’m in boot camp. But what am I doing awake? It’s still lights out. I should be trying to get more sleep.’ With that the lights went on and Chief Petty Officer Mason was yelling and screaming at everyone to get up. When Bill realized that he’d awakened 2 minutes before the lights went on he was surprised. In his entire life he’d never awaken just before his alarm clock went off. This was about to become the norm for him.
After showering, shaving, (even though Bill didn’t need to shave) and generally getting ready for the day, the recruits mustered on the grinder for the march to the chow hall. The temperature was 5°F with a 20-mile-an-hour wind. Despite the wool p-coats and hats the recruits were freezing. “TODAY WE WILL BE APPOINTING RECRUIT LEADERS,” yelled Chief Petty Officer Mason. “MY FIRST APPOINTMENT IS JONES FOR RECRUIT CHIEF PETTY OFFICER OR RCPO. JONES IS GOING TO BE DIRECTING YOU TO THE CHOW HALL THIS MORNING BUT FIRST WE NEED SOME PRACTICE. HE’S GOING TO COMMAND YOU AROUND THE GRINDER UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT. IT’S COLD OUT HERE SO I SUGGEST THAT YOU LEARN QUICKLY. IF BOTH PETTY OFFICER QUALLS AND I ARE GONE JONES IS IN CHARGE. IF HE TELLS YOU TO JUMP YOU WILL ASK HOW HIGH!”
Recruit Jones stepped out of the ranks and stood up near CPO Mason. “COMPANY, FORWARD – MARCH. COMPANY, COLUMN RIGHT – MARCH. COMPANY, COLUMN LEFT – MARCH. COMPANY, HALT.” RCPO commanded. After about an hour of being marched around the grinder in subzero wind-chill the company was finally marched to the chow hall. During breakfast Bill sat with some recruits that were in their 7th week. “What’s ‘service week’ like?” Bill inquired.
“It’s not really that bad,” answered one of the recruits. “It’s just long hours. Every day for 7 days we got up at 02:30 and we were on duty until 21:30. I had it pretty easy. I was on fence sentry patrol so I could smoke all I wanted. It was two weeks ago and it was cold but not as cold as now. Most jobs are in the galley. The worst is deep sink. That is where recruits are put who get in trouble at the jobs they were originally assigned to do. At that job you scrub dirty pots and pans for 17 hours a day.”
Even though Bill had washed many pots and pans as a dishwasher he couldn’t imagine washing dirty pots and pans for 17 hours. Even though it didn’t make any sense he felt that that was the job he was going to end up doing.
After breakfast the new RCPO marched the company back to the barracks. Once there CPO Mason announced the rest of the recruit leadership. Out of the eight appointed six were black. ‘Only 15% of the company is black and yet 75% of the leadership is black.’ Bill was raised to trust people and respect all races. However, this was his first exposure to the real world and not the ideal world he had previously believed in. He couldn’t believe that CPO Mason would mostly pick blacks to leadership positions. To him this was as wrong as southern whites telling blacks where to eat and sit – it’s reverse discrimination. Bill has much to learn.
“LISTEN UP EVERYONE,” CPO Mason shouted. “TOMORROW YOU’LL BE STARTING YOUR 1 – 1 DAY. THAT MEANS YOUR WEEK 1 - DAY 1 OF TRAINING. EACH TRAINING WEEK CONSISTS OF FIVE TRAINING DAYS. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF EIGHT WEEKS. THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU PASS ALL YOUR TESTS AND DON’T GET HELD BACK, SEVEN WEEKS FROM FRIDAY YOU’LL BE GRADUATING. A WEEK FROM WEDNESDAY IS YOUR 2 – 3 DAY. YOU’LL GET USED TO IT.
“I TALKED ABOUT TESTS. IF YOU SCORE LESS THAN 80% ON ANY WRITTEN TEST YOU’LL HAVE TO REPEAT THE PREVIOUS TRAINING WEEK. SO YOU’LL BE ‘ASMOED’ (held back) AND SENT TO ANOTHER COMPANY. YOU’LL HAVE THREE PT TESTS. IF YOU FAIL MORE THAN ONE OF THOSE YOU WILL BE GOING TO A COMPANY CALLED ‘FAT BOYS CLUB’ WHERE YOU’LL BE IN PHYSICAL TRAINING UNTIL YOU PASS THE PT TESTS. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT CAN’T FOLLOW RULES WE HAVE WAYS OF CONVINCING YOU TO TRY HARDER. YOU WILL ALSO HAVE SWIMMING TESTS THAT MUST BE PASSED OR ELSE YOU WILL BE TAUGHT TO SWIM. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT CAN’T FOLLOW DIRECTIONS THERE IS EMT (extra military training) WHERE YOU’LL SPEND SEVERAL HOURS EXERCISING WITH AN M-1 RIFLE.
“MOST OF THE TIME IF ONE OF YOU VIOLATES THE RULES EVERYONE WILL SUFFER. IF WE HAVE A LOCKER INSPECTION AND YOUR LOCKER IS DIRTY EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY WILL BE DOING PUSH-UPS AND RUNNING IN PLACE AS A RESULT OF YOUR DIRTY LOCKER. THIS SHOULD MAKE YOU REAL POPULAR WITH YOUR FELLOW RECRUITS.
“STARTING TOMORROW ALL OF YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO STAND WATCHES. WATCHES LAST FOUR HOURS EXCEPT THE MID WATCH - THAT IS ONLY TWO HOURS. WHILE ON WATCH YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK. YOU MUST BE IN PROPER UNIFORM INCLUDING SHINED SHOES, WATCH CAP, AND ARMBAND. YOU’LL BE REQUIRED TO FILL OUT A LOGBOOK. WATCHES WILL ONLY BE STOOD WHEN THE COMPANY IS IN THE BARRACKS. YOU’LL NEED TO LEARN THE GENERAL ORDERS OF A SENTRY AND YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND. THE OOD (OFFICER OF THE DECK) WILL COME BY WHILE YOU ARE ON DUTY TO INSPECT YOU. YOU BETTER BE IN UNIFORM, LOG BOOK FILLED OUT CORRECTLY, KNOW YOUR GENERAL ORDERS AND CHAIN OF COMMAND AS HE WILL ASK YOU QUESTIONS. THE ROSTER FOR WATCHES WILL BE MADE UP BY THE COMPANY CLERK. (One of the two white recruits in a leadership position.)
“WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO GET COMPLETE PHYSICALS BEFORE STARTING YOUR PHYSICAL TRAINING AND MASHING YOU. YOU’LL GET MASHED WHEN YOUR FELLOW RECRUITS DON’T FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. BECAUSE IT’S WINTER MOST OF YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES WILL HAPPEN HERE IN THE BARRACKS OR AT A DRILL HALL. I DON’T THINK A LITTLE PHYSICAL TRAINING WILL DO ANY HARM. AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE I WANT ALL OF YOU TO CHANGE INTO SHORTS, T-SHIRT, AND ATHLETIC SHOES. IS EVERYTHING I JUST SAID UNDERSTOOD?”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
As Bill changed clothes he considered everything he was just told. ‘I know I can pass the written tests – I’ve always been good at those. Standing watches and memorizing is not a problem. I’m going to fail any PT test I take. It looks like I’m going to be in boot camp for a long, long time.’ The recruits did push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, and then jogged around the large barracks. ‘This just isn’t fair; I have to take two steps for every one these tall guys take. I sure hope the PT tests don’t involve running.’
The recruits actually got some free time in the afternoon. Bill spent his time getting to know some of the other recruits better. Phil Collier hung out with him most of the time and they found that they had much in common. Perhaps they would become buddies. Bill decided to quit smoking so he no longer followed the others into the smoking room. By dinnertime it had warmed up to 16°F with a very strong wind coming off Lake Michigan. Overall, Sunday wasn’t a bad day for Bill. He had no problem falling asleep.
Monday January 16, 1978 1 – 1 Day:
Temperature – Low 4°F, -16°C High 14°F, -10°C - Cloudy - Always windy.
Bill once again woke up a few minutes before the lights went on. It was announced that the uniform of the day would include utility jackets and p-coats. “It must be really cold out there if they want us to have both a jacket and a coat on!” one of the recruits commented. Coming from Michigan Bill understood that it’s not always the cold that can make you sick, but rather having your body exposed to ever changing environments. That runs down your resistance, and gives infectious diseases a better chance at infecting you. With several thousand recruits in the camp exposure wasn’t an issue.
Once outside everyone understood why extra clothing was added to the uniform of the day. The temperature was 4°F with a 25-mile-an-hour wind. Within a minute Bill’s hands and feet were numb. As it hadn’t snowed in two days marching was easier but the wind had blown the six inches of fallen snow around and Bill along with others in the company fell several times on the way to breakfast. While waiting outside to get in the mess hall, none of the recruits needed to be told to tighten up the lines as they were already pressed closely together in order to get warm.
After breakfast the recruits were marched into a building and given cards to fill out. “Last name first, first initial, middle initial, Social Security number,” said the petty officer. In the four days since arriving at the AFEES center Bill had memorized his SSN. He was also starting to pick up on some of the more obvious abbreviations and achronisms. After the cards were filled out the recruits had their pictures taken. Then each recruit was handed an ID card. It was funny because all the pictures seemed to look alike. They were also issued dog tags.
The next stop was a classroom and the recruits’ first orientation. “My name is Chief Petty Officer Cork and welcome to Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club. My job is to tell you the truth. Fact number one; your recruiters all lied to you. Forget everything your recruiter might have told you because it’s all bull (*#$. This is your 1 – 1 day of training -- week 1 - day 1. You have a long way to go, at least six months for reservists and three years for all active duty sailors. Only one out of two of you will receive an honorable discharge. The ones that receive an honorable discharge are the ones that don’t get caught. Your conduct is governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). It was established to have an objective means to govern all military forces. For minor offenses you could have to do push-ups. For major offenses you could be sent to military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
“If you get a sunburn you have violated the UCMJ. You have destroyed military property. By joining the Navy you have given up most of your civilian rights. Now the UCMJ governs your rights. Over the next few weeks you’ll be learning more about the UCMJ.
“As part of your uniform of the day you have a blue notebook. I want all of you to take out your notebooks. On the first page you will copy what is on the board to my left. This is your chain of command. Over the next few weeks you’ll be learning more about your chain of command. You need to memorize this list. On the next page I want you to copy the general orders of a sentry. You’ll have a very hard time at boot camp if you don’t master memorizing both of these. One more thing you must realize, there are three ways to do things, the right way – the wrong way – and the Navy way!”
For the next hour CPO Cork informed, entertained, and made the recruits feel comfortable. It was a nice change from all the yelling and screaming of the last few days. After lunch the recruits were given complete physicals. Well, somewhat complete. It was better than the physicals at the induction center. After the physicals, CPO Mason didn’t waste any time teaching the recruits the meaning of being mashed. A recruit’s rack wasn’t made just right and the next hour was spent doing exercises until all recruits could do no more. For Bill, this meant getting yelled at numerous times for quitting long before the others, even though he was doing his best.
That night the recruits stood their first duty watches. The company had at least three recruits on duty at any one time. There were also division watches to be stood. Everyone had a chance to see the logbook and how to fill it out. All writing in the book was in caps and on the wall above it were some examples of a properly filled out logbook. Bill found it interesting that the recruits who signed the sample logbooks were Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix. It’s a case of the Navy trying to be cool or the sailors that made out the logbooks getting one over on the officers.
That night Bill realized that he was past the point of no return. What he didn’t realize was that he’d been beyond the point of no return his entire life.
As you can see I remember quite a bit of detail from 25 years ago. Some of it I looked up in the library or on line - like the weather information. I don’t like wasting my time, my editor’s time, and the readers’ time by putting in lots of useless information just to give the reader more vivid details. I can, however, give you links to RTC Great Lakes and you can LOOK at all the things I’m talking about or you can even find training schedules there.
https://www.ntcgl.navy.mil/rtc.htm
I’m going to focus in on the way the training changed – or perhaps didn’t change - me. The defining moment that changed my life forever is still almost nine months away and that is what this story is really about. If I spend too much time describing every little detail we’ll never get there! I can always come back later and add more details.
Tuesday January 17, 1978 1 –2 Day:
Temperature – Low 12°F, -11°C High 24°F, -4°C - Cloudy - Always windy. Military training!
Wednesday January 18, 1978 1- 3 Day:
Temperature – Low 18°F, -7°C High 27°F, -3°C - three inches of snow - Always windy. Dentist was seen. More military training!
Thursday January 19, 1978 1-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 19°F, -7°C High 26°F, -3°C - two inches of snow - Always windy.
First PT test! This I have to tell you about!
The recruits walked into the Drill Hall, a building large enough to enclose a quarter mile track, with their exercise clothes under their uniform of the day. This moment has had Bill anxious all week. With the PT the recruits have been having every day it’s greatly improved Bill’s chances of passing but he’s still worried about the running. Everyone, including Bill, is showing signs of weight loss as everyone’s cheekbones are visible. Bill is still more than 20 pounds overweight.
He did a good job keeping up with the exercises and then the company began to run. Bill told his buddy Phil and another friend that he didn’t think he could make the mile and a half that they were required to run. Bill’s buddies didn’t let him down. When he started having problems keeping up each friend grabbed one of his arms and lifted him up while running, not allowing him to stop with his feet barely touching the ground, carrying him the last half a lap. That and the understanding of the CPO were the only things that kept Bill from failing his first PT. The CPO looked the other way because of the teamwork he’d seen.
Bill was told that he’d better get better as his next PT test would be two and a half miles.
Friday January 20, 1978 1 – 5 Day:
Temperature – Low 22°F, -6°C High 27°F, -3°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Everyone with wisdom teeth had them pulled - just another way for the Navy to let you know you are their property. Bill didn’t get his pulled because they weren’t in yet - just another sign of his immaturity.
Saturday January 21, 1978:
Temperature – Low 8°F, -13°C High 22°F, -6°C - Sunny - Always windy. Military Training!
Sunday January 22, 1978:
Temperature – Low -3°F, -19°C High 19°F, -7°C - Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
Sunday mornings at RTC were more relaxed. Bill woke up five minutes before the lights were to go on but they didn’t go on. The recruits were allowed an extra hour’s sleep. During the morning the recruits were allowed some free time to go to church or whatever. Bill elected to write some letters. He wrote his parents and his friend Mike.
Mike and Bill have a very strong relationship. If you want to know Mike’s personality, watch the movie Michael with John Travolta.
Monday January 23, 1978 2-1 Day:
Temperature – Low 11°F, -12°C High 31°F, -5°C - light snow - Always windy. Military Training!
Tuesday January 24, 1978 2-2 Day:
Temperature – Low 21°F, -6°C High 29°F, -2°C - Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
Wednesday January 25, 1978 2-3 Day:
Temperature – Low 15°F, -10°C High 30°F, -1°C - 10 inches of Snow – Blizzard. Military Training!
For Chicago this was a major snowstorm. With several thousand recruits it was no big deal. No training was cancelled.
Thursday January 26, 1978 2-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 11°F, -12°C High 24°F, -4°C - 4 inches of Snow, storm total 14 inches - Always windy. Military Training!
Shots!
Friday January 27, 1978 2-5 Day:
Temperature – Low 4°F, -15°C High 8°F, -13°C - partly Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
The uniform of the day included towels over the faces of the recruits marching outside. The wind blew all the snow around and for the third day in a row marching was almost impossible. This didn’t stop the recruits from drilling in a drill hall.
CPO Mason had torn down Bill for two weeks, but then something good happened. The CPO told him that he was just the kind of recruit the Navy was looking for and he said it in front of the whole company!
Saturday January 28, 1978:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 14°F, -°C10 - Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
Bill received a letter from his friend Mike. Included were some rolling papers and enough marijuana for one joint. Bill went into the bathroom and carefully rolled the joint and then he went and found Martin, as he knew he’d be willing to partake. “Martin, we need to see the company clerk and get a pass to go to the infirmary.”
“I’ll be happy to go with you, Porter; what’s up? You sick?”
“Let’s just say I have no intention of ever making it to the infirmary.” Bill opened up his hand and showed Martin the joint he had concealed. Martin and Bill got the pass and walked closely together, smoking the joint until it was gone. As it was after dark and very cold no one else was around and they didn’t even come close to getting caught. The closest they came to getting caught was when they returned to the barracks and both recruits were stoned. The marijuana that Mike had sent Bill in the mail was very strong.
Sunday January 29, 1978:
Temperature – Low 0°F, -18°C High 15°F, -10°C - Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
Monday January 30, 1978 3-1 Day:
Temperature – Low -6°F, -21°C High 14°F, -10°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy. Military Training!
Bill was standing in line outside the chow hall. He felt very light- headed and thought perhaps he was running a fever. Some black spots appeared in his vision and soon the spots got bigger until they started to connect together. Bill didn’t hit the ground real hard but he did hit it. He never lost consciousness. He was able to stand again and was sent to the infirmary with another recruit. This time the two made it to the infirmary.
Bill hadn’t had much experience with Navy doctors. He wasn’t impressed with what he had seen. After waiting for over an hour he was finally examined. “Son, you have a fever of 103 and I think you have the flu. I can give you a rack pass and let you try to sleep it off or I can send you to the hospital.”
“If you THINK I have the flu, and you don’t KNOW I have the flu I think I’d be better off going to the hospital.”
Bill ended up at the on-base hospital and was allowed to sleep. The advantage of the hospital over a rack pass was that they could monitor his condition, administer medicines, and supply him with plenty of liquids. But mostly he slept.
Tuesday January 31, 1978 3-2 Day:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 15°F, -10°C - One inch of snow - Always windy.
The doctors finally decided that Bill had the Russian flu and was released back to his company in the afternoon. The most surprising thing about the hospital was the way that they treated him like a regular human being instead of a recruit. It was refreshing.
Bill approached the company commander’s office with trepidation. He knew that after missing two days of training he could be ASMOED (send to another company and held back a week) or he could be allowed to stay. It was up to the company commander. Bill saw 2nd Class Petty Officer Qualls at the desk and he felt better than if CPO Mason was going to be the one for him to face. Bill followed the protocol and knocked on the doorframe three times as loudly as he could.
“Enter,” responded PO Qualls.
Bill marched into the office and stood at attention in front of the company commander’s desk. “Porter, W. E. reporting, sir.”
“You know I could send you back to another company, Porter.”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
“It seems that one of the recruits in my company has a rack and locker that need to be squared away.” It hit Bill that he wasn’t going to get sent back and that he was being told to get his area cleaned up and a smile came across his face. He knew he wasn’t going to get held back. “By the way, the reason your rack and locker is such a mess is because last night drug dogs were brought through the barracks. The dogs seemed to like your raincoat. After searching it and finding nothing the rest of your locker was searched. They found nothing, which seemed to surprise the dog handlers. They said that the dogs aren’t wrong very often!”
Bill went back to his locker and looked and all his clothes were unfolded. He saw that his Blue Jacket Manual (a book that tells you everything you need to know about being a sailor) was right next to his raincoat. He remembered putting the letter he’d received from Mike – the one who sent him the marijuana - in that book. He picked up the book and saw the letter was still there. He smelled it and even he could smell the fragrance of marijuana. Bill frowned and went to the bathroom to flush Mike’s letter down the toilet. ‘That was a close one!’
Wednesday February 1, 1978 3-3 Day:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 14°F, -10°C - One inch of snow - Always windy.
First Payday!
Thursday February 2, 1978 3-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 6°F, -14°C High 12°F, -11°C - Half an inch of snow - Always windy.
Bill started feeling sick again. He had a slight fever, with a bad cough, and chest congestion.
Friday February 3, 1978 3-5 Day:
Temperature – Low 0°F, -18°C High 19°F, -7°C - Less then an inch of snow - Always windy.
Bill, not feeling any better, went back to the infirmary to see the doctor again. After a chest x-ray the doctor told him he had bronchitis. The doctor gave him a shot and told him it would clear up in a week or two.
Saturday February 4, 1978:
Temperature – Low 4°F, -15°C High 20°F, -7°C - One inch of snow - Always windy.
Sunday February 5, 1978:
Temperature – Low 11°F, -12°C High 14°F, -10°C - Three inches of snow - Always windy.
Monday February 6, 1978 4-1 Day:
Temperature – Low 2°F, -16°C High 16°F, -9°C - Two inches of snow - Always windy.
The second PT test was much harder than the first one. Instead of running a mile and a half the recruits ran two and a half miles. At least some recruits did. Bill along with his friend Phil (who had helped carry Bill across the last PT test) and 10 other recruits didn’t finish the running and ended up dropping out. They were told that if they failed the final PT test they would be on their way to ‘fat boys club’ and possibly stay in boot camp for their entire Navy enlistment. Bill didn’t think it was fair to make him try to pass a PT test two days after being told he had bronchitis but there wasn’t much he could have done about it. Even if he had been in perfect health he probably wouldn’t have passed the PT test.
Tuesday February 7, 1978 4-2 Day:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 20°F, -7°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Wednesday February 8, 1978 4-3 Day:
Temperature – Low 10°F, -12°C High 22°F, -6°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Thursday February 9, 1978 4-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 24°F, -4°C High 29°F, -2°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Friday February 10, 1978 4-5 Day:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 25°F, -4°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Saturday February 11, 1978:
Temperature – Low 2°F, -17°C High 29°F, -2°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Sunday February 12, 1978:
Temperature – Low 16°F, -9°C High 30°F, -1°C - Cloudy - Always windy.
“TOMORROW MORNING AT 04:00 YOU’LL BE STARTING SERVICE WEEK,” CPO Mason announced. “EVERY COMPANY STARTS SERVICE WEEK A DIFFERENT DAY SO THAT THEY DON’T HAVE TO RETRAIN EVERYONE AT ONCE. MOST OF YOU WILL BE WORKING IN THE GALLEY. WE WILL BE GETTING YOU UP AT 02:30 SO YOU’LL HAVE TIME TO GET TO YOUR ASSIGNED DUTY. NOW PO QUALLS WILL READ OFF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS.”
Bill was still suffering from the bronchitis. He’d been coughing all week and his lungs were still congested. As the list of assignments was read alphabetically the more anxious Bill became. ‘I don’t know how I know but I’m sure I’ll be assigned to washing pots and pans for the next week.’ Even though it was unreasonable to assume out of the hundreds of possible job assignments during service week that Bill would be assigned the worst possible one he still reasoned that that was what was going to happen.
“MARTIN, J.C. GALLEY SERVER – PORTER, W.E. DEEP SINK.”
Bill was ready for it. He’d been assigned the worst job in service week!
Monday February 13, 1978 5-1 Day:
Temperature – Low 16°F, -9°C High 29°F, -2°C - Cloudy trace of snow - Always windy.
It seemed to Bill that he no more than closed his eyes and the lights in the barracks went on. After five weeks in boot camp it was no longer necessary for the company commanders to yell and scream to get the recruits out of bed. Bill looked at the clock and saw it was 02:30. After showering and dressing, the recruits working at the galley were allowed to walk to the chow hall without marching. Once arriving at the galley it didn’t take the mess hall master at arms long to issue Bill a plastic apron and a paper hat. He found the deep sink area to be fairly modern and well designed. There were two sinks 3’ x 3’ x 3’ with steam pipes in the bottom on either side of the room. To the left of the sinks were a garbage disposal and a hand sprayer. On the other side of the sinks was a box dishwashing machine used to sanitize the pots and pans after they’d been scrubbed.
Bill wasted no time parking himself in front of one of the sinks. He filled it with hot water and soap, and turned on the steam to get the water hotter. Bill noticed some of the guys had yellow dishwashing gloves on but he couldn’t be bothered. The only breaks he got all day were three 15-minute breaks to eat and a couple rest room breaks. Even though the deep sink had two supervisors, a ‘Deep Sink Captain’ and an ‘Asst. Captain’ to supervise him, Bill was at home washing dishes. When asked where he learned to wash pots and pans he explained that he’d been a cook and a dishwasher for the last two and a half years and that he was going to be a cook after he finished boot camp.
One thing about hard work is that it can really make the time fly - even 17 hours. Bill rinsed the pots before trying to wash them, then changed the water before it got too dirty. The area had to be inspected before anyone could leave and finally after a few adjustments the crew was released to get back to the barracks and bed. The cliché ‘I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow’ really did apply that night.
Tuesday February 14, 1978 5-2 Day:
Temperature – Low 15°F, -9°C High 29°F, -2°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
To Bill, it seemed that he no more than closed his eyes and the lights were back on. After following the same routine as the day before, he arrived at the galley. The deep sink captain was no longer there and now yesterday’s asst. captain was the boss. He came up to Bill. “The Captain is finished with service week and now I’m captain. I watched you all day yesterday and I want you to be my asst. captain. In three days I’ll be finished and then you’ll be captain if you want. Lots of guys that do this job go to medical after a day or two and get different jobs because their hands get all cut up doin’ this job. Others get sent here for messing up on their other jobs. Very few stay here the whole seven days.”
“I’m not the type of person that walks away from a challenge. If it’s my fate to have the worst job in boot camp then why not be the man in charge of those doing the worst job in boot camp. After all I do know a thing or two about washing pots and pans. I do have cuts on my hands from yesterday but it’s no big deal. Thanks for choosing me. I won’t let you down.”
“There are some things you need to know. If the galley master at arms or cooks find too many dirty pots and pans they can make us wash every pot and pan in the place. That might take all night. So you have to watch what the others do to make sure that everything is clean. I noticed yesterday that you kept your water clean and changed it when it’s needed. As captain you need to make sure that everyone else does that too.”
“As a cook I’ve supervised dishwashers. I might not be a big intimidating guy but I can handle this bunch.”
“Good to hear that because I can use your help. Let’s go to the galley master at arms office and let them know you’ll be my asst. captain.
Wednesday February 15, 1978 5-3 Day:
Temperature – Low 14°F, -10°C High 20°F, -7°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
When you are working 17 hours a day doing hard manual labor a routine can be very important. Breakfast and dinner pots and pans were the worst. Breakfast pans were greasy and dinner pans often had crusty baked-on food along with being greasy. Just for breakfast everyday the deep sink crew would get four stacks of sheet pans from the floor to about six feet high. One good thing about being in the deep sink was that there was lots of steam and Bill’s congested lungs finally cleared up. Several times while waiting for a sink to fill with water or drain he actually fell asleep standing up for a few seconds.
For dinner that night the galley prepared baked chicken. The deep sink received three stacks of sheet pans seven feet tall with baked on greasy chicken. “You see, Bill, when those cooks give us pans like this we need to be careful. If we don’t get ‘em clean we might be here all night,” the captain explained.
“Is there anything around here that we can soak them in before we try to wash them?”
“I’ve seen some large stainless steel tubs that are on wheels and have a drain in the bottom that might be big enough to hold ‘em.”
“Sounds like a plan, its only 16:30 so we have plenty of time to let them soak. I’ll start getting the guys to scrape and rinse them off while you’re getting those tubs.”
That’s the way Bill and his captain worked together. This was the first time Bill had worked directly together with a black man and they seemed to work well together. The scraping, spraying, and soaking paid off and they were able to get finished by 21:30.
Thursday February 16, 1978 5-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 1°F, -17°C High 18°F, -8°C - Sunny - Always windy.
Bill’s final day as Asst. Captain was uneventful. The hardest part was getting up in the morning on four hours sleep. Bill noticed that every day members of the deep sink crew had managed to go on to other duties. Personally, he enjoyed the hard work.
Friday February 17, 1978 5-5 Day:
Temperature – Low -1°F, -18°C High 19°F, -7°C - Sunny - Always windy.
When Bill arrived at the galley at 04:00 he went directly to the galley master at arms office to pick up his deep sink captain’s hat. He’d earned it and was looking forward to managing the crew. He still had the worst job in boot camp but now he was also in charge of the others doing the worst job. To Bill’s credit he worked just as hard as he did the first day. He appointed another hard worker as his asst. captain and they worked together to manage the mountain of pots and pans.
Saturday February 18, 1978:
Temperature – Low -2°F, -19°C High 23°F, -5°C - Sunny - Always windy.
Saturday was just like every other day until about 16:00. A cook came by to tell Bill to report to the galley master at arms office. The galley masters at arms were in charge of discipline in the galley. They were old, overweight, and very good at yelling! ‘What have I done?’ Bill considered. ‘I can’t think of anything. Perhaps they found some dirty pans and I’ll have to wash every pot and pan in the kitchen.’ But then Bill calmed down some as he considered, ‘what’s the worst they can do to me? Send me to the deep sink?’ After reaching the master at arms office Bill knocked on the doorframe loudly three times.
“Enter,” came the reply from in the small office.
“Porter, W. E. reporting as ordered!”
“Porter, do you recognize that recruit standing over here?”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
“He was working on your deep sink crew a few days ago. Then he went whining and crying to the doctor that his hands hurt and they felt sorry for him and assigned him another job. But you know what? He got in trouble not doing his job and they sent him back to us. Do you have lots of greasy, dirty pans that need washing, Porter?”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
“Because I want him to wash only the most dirty, greasy, baked-on pans you have. DO YOU HEAR ME, PORTER?”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
“Good, because if you don’t bust his balls I’ll bust your. Is that understood?”
“SIR, YES SIR.”
Bill was greatly relieved when he left the master at arms office. He thought he was in trouble and was glad it was someone else. Bill felt it was unfair that others were allowed to leave the deep sink and he had to stay. He assigned the whiner, crier to a sink. Bill handed him the dirtiest pans he could find as fast as he could. Bill had his asst. captain inspect everything the whiner washed and if one spot was missed he handed the pan back to Bill who handed it back to the whiner.
Sunday February 19, 1978:
Temperature – Low 4°F, -16°C High 21°F, -6°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Bill’s last day in service week started off with an ‘atta boy’ from the master at arms. Apparently the whiner was back in medical complaining that Bill had worked him too hard. That day went on mostly as the other days had. About 20:00 one of the cooks took Bill into where the clean pots and pans were stored. He found a few dirty ones and had Bill and his crew rewash two stacks of sheet pans. This was no effort at all as they were already clean. Bill’s 120 hours in one week washing pots and pans finally came to a close.
Monday February 20, 1978 6-1 Day:
Temperature – Low 8°F, -13°C High 25°F, -4°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
“It’s good to see you are all back in one piece after service week,” said PO Qualls. “It looks like we need to send Porter back to deep sink for another week. It looks like he lost about 10 pounds.” That was the first time Bill noticed that he had indeed lost some weight. And for the first time in three weeks he didn’t feel sick. His lungs were now fully recovered with no more coughing and congestion.
The only thing up to this point that was harder than service week was trying to stay awake in class that day. Firefighting training was very important and Bill knew he’d have to pass a test on all the information being covered. He did his best to stay awake but he nodded off at least a dozen times.
Tuesday February 21, 1978 6-2 Day:
Temperature – Low 14°F, -10°C High 23°F, -5°C - Sunny - Always windy.
Wednesday February 22, 1978 6-3 Day:
Temperature – Low 5°F, -15°C High 23°F, -5°C - Sunny - Always windy.
Bill stood the 20:00 to 22:00 watch on the back door. There was no one around and it gave him time to think. Mostly when Bill was on watch he’d fantasize. He still hadn’t given up on his ‘I’m going to live my life over again’ fantasy. He imagined himself as coming back to Navy boot camp but the second time around he’d have to be some kind of undercover general or something.
Bill also thought about the tough time he’d been going through in boot camp and justified his struggles being harder because he was better able to handle it. After all he’s ‘The Dream Weaver’.
Thursday February 23, 1978 6-4 Day:
Temperature – Low 18°F, -8°C High 28°F, -2°C - Partly Cloudy - Always windy.
Friday February 24, 1978 6-5 Day:
Temperature – Low 23°F, -5°C High 32°F, 0°C - Cloudy - Always windy.
In everyone’s life some rain must fall. Bill failed his final PT test and is ASMOED (sent to a holding company) just two weeks before graduation. Now he’s in boot camp indefinitely. |