Howard, a bunch of us believe the TDE-1 should be returned to the bow! It is more historical accurate than to leave it completely in the FFG configuration. From a few discussions with the creator of the San Diego Naval Historical Assoc., there is very little desire amongst those that are trying to take possession of her to make any restoration changes. The port holes will not be replaced and the items that were removed from the deck like the depth charge roll offs will not return! The SDNHA is the group we are trying to get back "in the groove"! They have done a lot of work and prep over the years.  Here's the link to their vision of the Recruit.

http://www.quarterdeck.org/About/our_vision.htm

-- Edited by SlaterDoc on Thursday 24th of November 2011 07:08:27 PM

I don't remember when we started going to classes, but the first days were entirely spent learning marching and drills, my heels still hurt from getting stepped on and those damn pieces, in the beginning when the command was right shoulder arms you had to watch out for the guy in front of you, if he through his up too far and flat you could get hit in the face with the end of the barrel, we carried them everywhere with the exception of chow maybe. We called them pieces because there was a wood plug in the barrel.

As I recall when we transferred over to main camp we never wore our dungarees again.

That's about the way I remember it too, I think about 0500 was it, we went to chow, marched back to the barracks for maybe 15-20 min., marched out to the grinder, personal inspection, the those dreaded squat leg stretches (ick) drills, more marching, that was on Nimitz Isle, on the west side I'm a little fuzzy on that. On Nimitz we were in the barracks on the extream n/e corner, our front door was facing the Marine base and the airport, I remember looking out there after dark at the lights and planes taking off and being homesick and also getting into town and eating something tasty instead of what we had in the galley.

No sir, I believe we went to chow first ... and the time could have been as late as 0500 by the time we started taking the exams ... all I remember is it was awfully darned early to be taking tests that would follow you the rest of your career.

Well, I can tell you we took our exams at 0400 in the morning, Feb 1962!

 

http://oldbluejacket.com/inthenavynow.htm   NTC SD link sorry

The 100 th ann. of Great Lakes NTC is taking place soon. July 1

To honor this Ann. the USCS is offering a commemorative postal cover. Send a self addressed stamped envelope  & $2 per cover to USCS Rich Hoffner 415 Moyer Rd Souderton, Pa 18964-2319

 

FYI 

 

GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS Boot camp 1980

I'm in the black and white pictures ..... Group shot second from the left and center as the asst. laundery PO.







-- Edited by MidwayCBI on Tuesday 31st of August 2010 05:39:41 AM

Gary,
Your company mirrored mine as we only had 2 diamonds on our company flag too. I don't recall what that meant now. My company 183 May 1968. We had only black & white group photo's then. Found lots of boot camp postcards in my Mom's stuff in April.

Howard 

 This is a reply to an "old post"

I would come to believe you are dreaming about NTC in Alameda. I was stationed at the NAS there but  never her this story before. My father is a WWII navy veet and he went to boot camp in Farragut Idaho. When I was 11 we took a trip through the Rockies and we went out of our way to see his old training center. I don't remember what exactly was left but he still talks about it at age 84. His long term memory is good but short term is not so good!


-- Edited by Mort on Monday 1st of February 2010 08:57:34 PM

Perry,
It was April of 73 when I was driven over to the Fargo AFEES office to be sworn in. My recruiter, in Bemidji where I was going to college at the time, drove me and 3 others over to Fargo. I was on the delayed entry program, and shipped out 6 months later in Minneapolis. I went to San Diego and waited a week for my company to form. Everyone was coming and going from R&O but I never was assigned a company. I finally found out I was going into Special Company 947, which made up the "drum and bugle team, choir and the flag team". I got into trouble one day coming back in the rain from Noon chow, and the Duty Officer  told me and my friend to "give me your company number in jumping jacks". He never asked our company number, but when we got to 200 and were still going, he asked. He was surprised when we said "Sir 947, Sir". He did not back down though and we did all 947 jumping jacks.

Gary Scott is right. it was hot at San Diego in the day and cold at night. I was also one of the "Sea Bees" that worked for him on Midway.

gedstrom wrote:

---

It was in bootcamp that I learned the meaning of 'Hurry up and wait!'.

I also learned 'Never Volunteer' for anything!  

GaryE

---

Got that right!!!!

 

After taking the battery of tests in boot camp, I choose from the list of rates available to me such as Sonarman, Radarman, Electronicis Tech, and Radioman. My LAST choice was as a Construction Electrician, and I was asked to initial a spot near the bottom of the form titled "I do hereby volunteer for construction battalion duty". Guess which one I got? I was the only Seabee in my company (but what pretty blue stripes I got to wear though). Was sent to "A" school in Port Hueneme, and then to my first tour at Midway as a duty electrician at the main power plant where I worked my first 6 months as an engine watch, then my last 6 months as a board watch. Learned a lot though, and LOVED Midway enough to request it as my "Re-enlistment Duty Incentive" when I re-upped several years later....

  It will be 48 years ago April 3rd that I had my physical in an old abandoned school house in Fargo ND and that night after we left the old school burned to the ground, my dad sent me a picture and clipping to boot camp from a paper about it, I think When they said "bend over and spread your cheeks" I probably thought I can put my fingers in my mouth and spread my cheeks but why do I have to bend over for that. I don't remember anything about the year 1961, such as number one song or movie but that was the prettiest year Cadillac and Chevrolet ever had I thought and I still think so.

Reading backwards a bit...............We got Midway because Paul was on the USS YORKTOWN CVS 10 and the Navy was moving it from Long Beach to Norfolk.  Not wanting to move all of the personnel 3,000 miles with all their worldly goods on the Flight Decks, they move 3 (count them, three!) "families" to other duty stations.  We got Midway, 3,000 miles away and one of the other families got Rhode Island (3,000 miles away.)  Don't remember what happened to the other family.  The rest went 'round the Horn.  Go figure!    I'm still thankful that we were "un"lucky enuff to have gotten Midway.