Blog 30 Boot Camp Finale and Hospital Corpsman School

(Take the boy….Give me the man!)

(What a change)

After I had my talk with my bunk mate about the changes we were going to make, it was like I suddenly grew up. I realized that we were being groomed to understand working with other, utilizing a chain of command, knowing what was expected of us, and as Religious Petty Officer, give friendship and encouragement to those in need, and to pass all the physical and mental tests that got harder every week. I was meant to support those that were having problems and in doing so I learned how to care about people in general and in personal life. Once again, I felt God using me for others and for personal growth. I was meant to be there.

We competed against three brother companies each week and by the end of training, the company platoon that had the best scores in all the tests would get an extra free day off base in our final weekend. We also were given a free day to do as we wished off base, but had to be back that night. I asked the chief if it really was a free day, my choice was to stay in the barracks to do anything I wanted to…and just be by myself all day. (After eight weeks of having to shower, sleep, and be around 39 other guys and get permission to do anything, that being alone was peaceful and enlightened than to go to Disney World or out drinking with the others.) It shocked the chief, but I was given permission to do it.

Our company won the weekend extension, also, and incredibly, my parents came and we went to the beaches, I ate a steak dinner, took a long hot bath by myself! When Monday came and we returned, my parents went back home and I got my assignment for Corpsman School up in Great Lakes, Illinois. We had a drawing on the last day for the radio-cassette player that we used when we marched, and ironically, I won! We all left to the airport and I had many guys offer me a drink for helping them make it through boot camp. I accepted a couple, to show them that I was not a freak, but I was still on a high without anything to drink.

(Arrival at Corpsman School)

Getting to be normal again, yet, still be cautious of our new responsibilities, was liberating! It was like I was going to a private college and we went to class for eight hours every day during the week, then had the weekends off. Once a week, we were assigned a four hour extra detail. Best of all, the class was co-ed and I had a dorm room with just one other sailor. I thought I was in heaven. After school, we were allowed to wear civilian clothes and be ourselves until the next day.

Corpsman School was suppose to be twelve weeks long, but as every military school, they did not start classes until you have a certain number of attendees or more. My class was waiting for some students who were on a ship that had not docked yet. So the rest of us were placed on special duty until they arrived. Mine was an office job at the school. It was a fairly posh job, compared to cleaning detail at the school or the dorms, or working in the chow hall. No matter where you were in the Navy, extra detail was a requirement. Mine was still at the office at the school, but for four hour details in the evening and throughout the night. We would assure that the school was secured, or paperwork ready for the next day. (This included making copies of the TESTS that were going to be used the next day!) Did I make extra copies? You bet I did! Sometimes it was for one of my own classes that day! We still studied, but we knew what we DEFINITELY needed to know!

The age for alcohol consumption rose from eighteen to nineteen and then to twenty-one years of age, pretty close to my birthday every leap. The one exception was Illinois. However, anyone eighteen or older, were allowed to drink 3.2% beer, as long as we stayed on base. They had their own clubs and the school had a bowling alley. You could still get a buzz, you just had to drink twice as much beer. If you wanted to party, just outside the school gate, station wagon taxis would be available to take up to ten people just 15 miles north across the border to Wisconsin, to a place called the “Bullpen”. The age limit was nineteen at that time, not twenty-one. We visited that club many times.

I dated a girl in my class for the entire twelve weeks. We knew it was just a limited time period, but it kept us occupied and we studied together, as well. I remember many things about corps school and growing up. One was a night that eight of us, four guys and four girls, went bowling and drinking. We got two lanes and it was the guys against the girls. We had two rules, if either team had someone bowl three strikes in a roll, they got to kiss everyone on the other team! The team that won each game point wise, the other team had to drink a mug of beers, as well as kiss the entire team. The drunker we got the more interesting it got!!!

There was, also, a train that would take military to Chicago and back to base for free. We could stay at a YMCA at night if we chose to stay the night. We also got discount prices at the big hotels along the river. We would usually go in sets of four, and get rooms, then later that evening, we would meet others and they would sleep (and Party) in the room. One night, the group got too big and noisy. There was a door that connected to the next adjoining room and someone had broke into it. The party spilled over to that room, too. We had ordered pizza that literally took all night to get. Sara and I decided to go outside and wait for the pizza when they finally said they were on their way. It was about two in the morning and most people had crashed or left by then. When we saw the guy coming with about ten pizzas, we decided not to go back up or we might end up with the tab. So, we got on the train and headed back to the base.

(Chicago played Chicago)

One weekend, Chicago held a Foods Of Chicago party that a few of us attended. We heard loud music that sounded familiar, so we followed it. We were able to weasel up directly to the stage and was dumbfounded to realize it was the group “Chicago” and we were right there in front! It was a very hot day, so I bought a Chicago t-shirt and put it on after removing the shirt that I did have on. I still sweated and the shirt started feeling “sticky”. When we got to base, I wanted to wash the shirt in cold water to preserve the picture of them on it. When I took the shirt off, I had a complete picture of Chicago on my chest that took forever to remove! I had someone take a picture of it, but, I have no proof of it as I never saw the picture again.

(My only time in life that I got into reading books)

With all the schooling, partying, extra details, and more that I had , I was still bored sometimes, so I met another classmate that had many books she would read in between classes. I asked her could I read some and she let me. I read “Carrie”, “Fire-starter”, and the set, “Flowers in the Attic’, “Petals in the Wind”, “If There be Thorns’, and “Seeds of Yesterday”. I, also, re-read the book, “Lord of the Flies”.

(Graduation)

My mom and my brother, Darrell, came up for my graduation and to take me home for two weeks. I was being promoted to Petty Officer Third Class as well. I graduated in the top five percent of my class. It was an important weekend. I was being stationed to San Diego, California and due there in two weeks. I stayed with my family at the hotel and realizing that we would be inspected the next morning, decided to cut my own hair. What a mistake. I could not see the back and, apparently, neither could my mom. I was told during inspection that my hair looked like S– t. Sara fixed it before the graduation and I was officially a Petty Officer in the Navy that day. We took three days to go home so that we could do some sights on the way home.

(Blog 31 sends me to San Diego for my first real assignment)