Boot Camp What I Can Remember

Boot Camp; How could anybody forget it.  I Graduated High School(Braintree High, Braintree Massachusetts) and two weeks later I was on my way to Great Lakes for BOOT.  My first night(or should I say early morning) was something I will take to my grave.  About 3am I was awoken by this God Awful noise and somebody yelling "Reveille Reveille" hit the deck.  It took me a minute to figure out where I was and what that noise was.  It was the DI ratteling a coke bottle around inside of a trash can.  Boot Camp had begun.  This was the first time I learnd about the military term "Hurry up and wait".  We were in line for chow at about 330am and didn't get into the chow hall until probably around 5am. 
I think it was a couple of days later and I was a member of Company 247 with BM1 Palmer as our DU.  Now this was a hard dude and right off the bat he says to us that he has never had a Hall of Fame company and so he was going to push us to the limite because he wanted Hall of Fame DI on his resume. 
The first 4 weeks we were in Camp Moffett.  For you newer swabby's it was the old side of the training command.  The barracks were all old wooden barrecks and this is where we learned the basics of boot camp.  We had our first inspections here (bright and early in the morning) and the first's of a lot of things that this old memory just doesn't remember.  
The fifth week was called Service Week and we were transferred across the street to Mainside and to brand spanking new barracks.  Everybody was assigned to a job to do for the next week.  No training just work.  I guess I lucked out and didn't have to go to the Galley I ended up working in the Drill hall for a week and it was there that I "Volunteered" for the Precision Drill Team.  So when we went back to schooling after Service Week ,after breakfest instead of going to the "Grinder" for dril instruction with the Company I would go to the Drill Hall for drill instruction with the Drill Team.  Didn't think I would ever get it right but after another three weeks of training I did end up marching with the Drill Team at my graduation from boot.  My only regret is I didn't get to Pass in Review with my Company.  Now about being aHall of Fame Company  You would "win" flags for being the best in different fields of compation during each week. Athletics, classroom, marching, inspections(both barracks and personnel).  To be a Hall of Fame Company you have to win every flag at least once and some of them you have to win twice.  The last week of Boot Camp we won the last flag we needed and made"Chief" Palmer very happy.  He made Chief in about our 5th week of Camp. There wern't many Hall of Fame Company's in any given year and we had become one.  Boot Camp was Hard, A pain in the Butt, nerve wracking, tiresome, lonely and rewarding all at the same time.  Looking back on it I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  I didn't make the Navy a career but I did put 9 years in and when I got out in 1971 I was a CTR1 and if I had stayed in I would have been able to take the Chief's exam in another year.  My duty stations were Corry Field , Pensacola Florida for A and C schools, Naval Communication Station Washington D.C. at Cheltenham, Maryland, the USNS Pvt Jose F Valdez TAG169(of which I have a web site also), NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany, NSGA Winter Harbor Maine, and a TAD tour aboard the USS Halfbeak SS 352.  
After I got out of the Navy I was a Firefighter for the next 23 years before retireing in 1993 after three back operations.  Hope you all enjoy this web site and visit my other site as well.

Carlton "Carl" Cox   oldsailor@usa.com