A most disappointing day or "My" Boot Camp Graduation and musings (written 2 December 1999, updated slightly 12 April 2017)

I went to Navy Boot Camp in Orlando Florida from September 1970 to a week before Christmas 1970. They decided that I could not march worth a damn. Instead of trying to teach me, I was assigned to the "Master At Arms" squad. This meant I did a lot of sweeping, swabbing, wax stripping, layhing of wasx on decks and buffing. It was a bit more of a pain in the ass then my classmaes understood.



By being sent to the "janitor squad" (i.e. Master At Arms), I was spared having to drill and most of the attendant bullshit. However, it effectively made me separate from my company and made me feel like an outcast. One can only wonder how much was said about us "lucky ones" who didn't have to drill; especially on days when it was hot out.



 I waited for the graduation to complete, walking around the empty barracks in my Dress Blues, worried that "something" might happen. Yet, I had walked around this same barracks many times before and nothing had happened. I remember feeling left out and wishing that I could have at least attended and watched from the sidelines. Instead, I was guarding a barracks full of neatly packed seabags. The irony of this was that I had "guarded" other company spaces for graduating companies senior to ours. In those cases, the "Yeomen" or "MAA" had been allowed to view the graduation from the sidelines. (Was I too obnoxious or not pushy enough? Was this "privledge" of being a janitor so horrible and so much of a step above the work of my company mates that I deserved to be punished?)



 I had attended every inspection both personnel and barracks. I had been present for every punishment detail "awarded" the Company. I had done my share of company area field day every night.



So, I spent the time waiting for the other boys in "my" company to return and felt left out and kept trying to find some meaning in this event.



The boys in Company 170-70 finally returned and talked exicitedly about the graduation. They talked about the march there, the march past the reviewing stand and who had screwed up and who thought he'd (personally) screwed up. They talked about "what a great moment it was" and how it had been a great completion (a capping, if you will) to everything they had gone thru in boot camp.



I tried to get with the program, display excitement and otherwise act like I thought it was wonderful too.



 This was a lie.



 To me, graduation simply meant being handed my final paperwork including orders and plane tickets. I put on my pea coat (Orlando in late December can be chilly), put my sea bag over my shoulder and strolled out of the barracks with my papers in one hand. I don't recall if the company CPO wished my luck. He probably did...



 Graduation was meaningless to me.



 Boot camp did not end but rather, faded out. I arrived in a government car driven by a tactiturn PO1 and left in a Navy bus driven by someone. (Civilian or very junior enlisted, who cares.) Boot camp departure was simply leaving one place to go to another.



There was no feeling of completion. Boot camp simply stopped one day and I left. What a complete let down...



In terms of anti-climax, it was not much worst than my high school graduation...



Actually, the wonderful thing about High School Graduation was the knowledge I would never have to go back to Biloix Senion High School agaim! There were so many people I would never have to be around again!



My 50th "reunion" is in late June 2019 (or 2 years 2 months roughly) from now. I cannot see going back but I just might. I have no expectation of being recognized and the very few people I might be interested in seeing probably will not come...

A most disappointing day or "My" Boot Camp Graduation and musings   (written 2 December 1999, updated slightly 12 April 2017)
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