Best day in boot camp

[cokebottle10]

After reading all the wonderful responses from the post “Veterans Discounts” I started to think about my time in the Army. I wanted to share my best day in boot camp.

This was the day we started to train for grenades. You learn quickly to not be first or last in boot camp. This is why I was surprised when one other guy and I were pulled out of line. All I could think of is what in the heck do we do? We were told to stay put when all the rest went ahead. The drill sergeant that was not part of our group told us he wanted us to catch the grenades! WWHHAAATTT????

The grenades had the steel housing with a hole in the bottom and the primer but none of the charge. When you pulled the pin and through the grenades they would have a short delay and go off with a loud BANG.

Part of the training was to have the guys run up to a wooden log and throw these grenades then duck down behind the log until they heard the bang. After that they could move on to the next station. My job would be to run out and retrieve the grenades and put them in a box.
All these grenades had two safeties. One was a clip that held the handle and the other one was the pin/ring. Both of these had to be removed for it to go off. The sergeant told us if one or both of the safeties were still in place we were to remove it and throw it back. To add to this was the fact it had rained the day before. With hundreds of guys running that same course it was very muddy behind the log. I got good at timing the delay so the grenade would go off right when it hit the mud. Not only was the guy that forgot to remove the safeties scared to death and covered with mud from the grenade, he also had the Drill Sargent yelling at him “YOU’RE DEAD-YOU’RE DEAD-GET OFF MY COURSE!!

That was a fun day. I'm sure you guys have some fun days to share.

Thanks,
David in Fletcher NC

[Willow]

My best day was definitely graduation.   

[old2soon]

Fire school while in basic at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center-in Feb. I also enjoyed the swimming test during basic. Got to help some of the others that had NO clue on How to swim. Least favorite day? Tear gas day.  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess Tolbirt]

worst was like OTS, reciting our 10 general orders while inside the tear gas chamber..then sing the National Anthem..

our best day was the free trip day but i forget what we called it,,about 1/2 way through boot we got to leave the base and have a free day..

[CajunRider]

My best day was definitely graduation.   

OK... now I gotta clean the coffee off my keyboard.   

[solo1]

My best day was being assigned to the camp commander's home as a guard with LIVE 30-06 ammo in my Garand.,as a raw basic trainee. Scared the hell out of a second louie when changing of the guard.

"It's me private, it's me!" 

[threevalks]

I second Willow.

[Willow]

...
our best day was the free trip day but i forget what we called it,,about 1/2 way through boot we got to leave the base and have a free day..

What!??  You left base during boot camp?  Must've been Army.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

...
our best day was the free trip day but i forget what we called it,,about 1/2 way through boot we got to leave the base and have a free day..

What!??  You left base during boot camp?  Must've been Army.   

Navy. I wasn't going to mention it. But since you brought it up. My Boot Camp was totally uneventful. It didn't take a Rocket Scientist to figure out pretty quick to be quiet and do what they told you to do. I have nothing that sticks out in my memory except for the Free Day. I think we coined the term back in the day "Party like a Rock Star". Only the strong survive. I did feel sympathy for my distant cousins down the hill from us in San Diego. But I got over it pretty quick, after all it was a volunteer Armed Forces by that time. The Navy in its wisdom could see the benefit of having men who could think on their feet vs. "Stepford Wives" 

[Jess from VA]

My best day was being assigned to the camp commander's home as a guard with LIVE 30-06 ammo in my Garand.,as a raw basic trainee. Scared the hell out of a second louie when changing of the guard.

"It's me private, it's me!"  

That's funny Wayne.  

Halt, who goes there?  Advance and be recognized!         (I don't think so)

[samoanrich]

Yep, graduation day

[Jess Tolbirt]

...
our best day was the free trip day but i forget what we called it,,about 1/2 way through boot we got to leave the base and have a free day..

What!??  You left base during boot camp?  Must've been Army.   

yep what meathead said,, navy all the way!! airdale HC-4

[Jess from VA]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riYfFQMPIP0

[Reb]

About the 4th or 5th day of Navy basic training at Great Lakes. The RDC's come into the barracks at 5:00am with the loud speakers. Everyone Up! Get your asses up!

Everyone stands at attention by there bunks as the RDC's selects to intimidate a few individuals.

They walk up to about 4 or 5 folks and start asking them what there general orders are.

RDC says, "What's your 3rd general order recruit"

Recruit says, "Uhhhhhh I don't know Petty Officer"

"You don't know your general orders?" "Pack your crap and get the F*** out of my Navy.

They literally sent a handful of guys home that day for not knowing there general orders the 1st week of basic training?

Turns out the day before graduation, the RDC's decided to open up and tell us those individuals were the kids that failed there initial drug screen when they got to boot camp. They sure know how to light a fire under everyone's ass, I had my GO's down and memorized the following day.

[Ramie]

The best day I remember was I was assigned to be a road guard and as we marched around the base at intersections I had to step forward hold up my hand and blow a whistle.  One day I timed it perfectly and as the drill instructor was right next to me I blew the whistle as hard as I could and I saw him cringe.

[The emperor has no clothes]

About the 4th or 5th day of Navy basic training at Great Lakes. The RDC's come into the barracks at 5:00am with the loud speakers. Everyone Up! Get your asses up!

Everyone stands at attention by there bunks as the RDC's selects to intimidate a few individuals.

They walk up to about 4 or 5 folks and start asking them what there general orders are.

RDC says, "What's your 3rd general order recruit"

Recruit says, "Uhhhhhh I don't know Petty Officer"

"You don't know your general orders?" "Pack your crap and get the F*** out of my Navy.

They literally sent a handful of guys home that day for not knowing there general orders the 1st week of basic training?

Turns out the day before graduation, the RDC's decided to open up and tell us those individuals were the kids that failed there initial drug screen when they got to boot camp. They sure know how to light a fire under everyone's ass, I had my GO's down and memorized the following day.

Great story 

[Jess Tolbirt]

...
our best day was the free trip day but i forget what we called it,,about 1/2 way through boot we got to leave the base and have a free day..

What!??  You left base during boot camp?  Must've been Army.   

Navy. I wasn't going to mention it. But since you brought it up. My Boot Camp was totally uneventful. It didn't take a Rocket Scientist to figure out pretty quick to be quiet and do what they told you to do. I have nothing that sticks out in my memory except for the Free Day. I think we coined the term back in the day "Party like a Rock Star". Only the strong survive. I did feel sympathy for my distant cousins down the hill from us in San Diego. But I got over it pretty quick, after all it was a volunteer Armed Forces by that time. The Navy in its wisdom could see the benefit of having men who could think on their feet vs. "Stepford Wives" 

All I'm gonna say is, if they gave trainees a free day, the training was less than "stimulating".

I, was always "stimulated"!    Whether I wanted to be or not.   

our boot camp was 3 months long, how long was yours?

[Willow]

All I'm gonna say is, if they gave trainees a free day, the training was less than "stimulating".

I, was always "stimulated"!    Whether I wanted to be or not.   

our boot camp was 3 months long, how long was yours?

That's a fair note.  By the time I went through boot camp the Marine Corps had reduced boot camp from 12 weeks to eight weeks.  We did additional basic training at ITR (Infantry Training Regiment) for a month.  During ITR they did allow us liberty on some weekends.

I was at ITR across Christmas.  They wanted to give us Christmas off from training, a nice idea since it would be the last Christmas for a number of the Marines.  They doubled up our training the last day before the holiday.  Unfortunately someone had failed to schedule the correct number of open cattle cars to transport two companies to and from the range to which we went.  After my company had returned to the quonset huts they doubled up the loads of the trailers.  As they were cruising along the mountain roads the side rail gave way on one of the vehicles spilling a large number of its occupants onto the road and down the mountainside.  I can remember lying in the rack that night listening to the sounds.  The ambulances' sirens apparently irritated the coyotes and we could hear a mix all night of the sirens' wail and the screaming of the coyotes.  The coyotes were running wild through the streets of San Onefre.  It was a somber night.

It was not my favorite day in basic training.           

[LandElephant]

Ron it is 13 weeks.  One week for in processing and twelve weeks of Boot Camp.  Now all Marines go to combat school after boot camp.  If they are Infantry they go to ITS (Infantry Training School).  If they are non infantry they go to MCTS (Marine Combat Training School).

The Marines have fully embraced the rifleman first concept.

My worst day in Boot Camp was when the DI found out I stuttered.  The best day was when I graduated.  Met one of my drill instructors ten years later on a bus at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.  Thanked him for being hard on me.  I survived Vietnam.

Charlie Morse
Msgt USMC Retired

[czuch]

Graduation day. 1976, November. I locked my knees and went over in about 15 minutes.
Laying on the grinder in San Diego, when I got back up, I heard my dad laughing.
He was in his Lt. Colonel Uniform and was with one of his friends, a Navy Captain.
I could have died.
After that, the only easy day was the day before. Then it was 4 weeks in Balboa.

[solo1]

Infantry basic was 8 weeks at Camp Pickett, Va. We only had one Garand for three trainees. Qualification for rifle was too short and FUBAR. The second 8 weeks was combat medic.  We all received new M!'s on the start of the first day of medic training. The M1's were new, cosmoline and all. The rifles passed inspection, the latrines did not.  Cosmoline everywhere.

I reported to Camp Lawton in Seattle on Dcember 19th, 1952.  The civilian processors were on Christmas leave, so there was no processing.  The camp was a prisoner of war camp in WWII. Filthy shacks.  No one was in charge.  As a result, the camp was a pig sty except for the mess hall.  The place was so dirty that we all caught a bus into Seattle so that we could take a crap at one of the hotels.  The hotels served liquor so all was not lost.

I walked up the gang plank on 4 Jan, on the troop ship. Glad to see cleanliness and discipline again.

I could never understand why I had to report on 19th December.

[Jess from VA]

Serving in USAF at March AFB CA, I attended two graduation ceremonies at SDRD (San Diego), for sons of folks I worked with at HQ 15 AF at March (very impressive).  I was surprised to see multiple ambulances lined up in back of the troops.  Both times, it was hot, and both times a few guys keeled over.  Was told that the recruits were instructed to offer no assistance to the guy next to them, and let the guys go down.  Paramedics would rush out and carry the poor guys off, and everything continued in an orderly military manner.  Locking the knees out (at attention) was mentioned as the principle cause of loss of consciousness, and the preparations made it seem this was a normal and anticipated occurrence.

Was also informed that Marine graduation ceremonies are the only formal military pass-in-reviews that are run and officiated/commanded by NCOs participating in the event.  There is some officer in the stands, but he does not command the reiview.

Within weeks of my separation from USAF, I was tapped to participate in a formal pass-in-review retirement ceremony for our 3-star 15 AF Commander.  The bozos did not have the parade ground mowed, and the 6-7 inch grass did nothing to help the usual mediocre USAF marching.  We had a KC-10 (DC-10) tanker flyover so low it had to gain altitude to clear the airstrip control tower.  Everyone looked up at the giant aircraft (just) overhead, and that didn't help the marching either.  The altitude was far lower than required minimums and the powers that be went right after the pilots, but this had been anticipated; both Lt. Col pilots already had papers in for their own retirements (like in 24-48 hours), but it still caused a shitstorm.  Of course all us lowly participants thought it was awesome.  

[Skinhead]

Best day(s) - Graduation, Tear gas training (taught me it won't kill you, keep your head down), any and all range training.

Best duty was K9 school at Lackland AFB.  Those zoomies know how to live.