Boot Camp- Processing Days

Probably the worst part of boot camp, but they still cant make you do anything! P-days are only suppose to last for a week, but mine was elongated because of Christmas, and new years. So we just sat around and did nothing for so long. We got dental and medical check ups, also some shots. Dental- they were all mean, except for the chick that i got :) she was really happy with my teeth so she was nice to me, and i was in and out. But still so many people are just mean to you everywhere you go. Even civilians working there were really mean to us. Oh well. When we went to medical for like the 5th time we had to get a set of shots, 4 of which were just given to us in mass production like cattle. YOU ARE NOT CATTLE. but the fifth shot was called the peanut butter shot, in your left ass cheek. Felt like peanut butter was dripping into your ass cheek. Just dont flinch and flex like every guy that i was there with did, and youll be fine. Never seen so many guys whine like little girls before. new navy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHFi8ncWIzc
^^ inspirational speech
Anyways, P-days was more or less annoying. We had to stencil our names onto all of our clothing, then that had to get inspected to see if we did it right, every single time. everything was becoming repetitive, and we couldnt even do pushups by ourselves or anything.
The food was simply amazing, it was actually really really good. a lot to choose from, and a great variety everyday. people were gaining weight because of this food. ranged from meatloaf to spicy chicken sandwich to pulled pork. and there were even lunch ladies that came around and passed out brownies and cookies to us. it was rediculous.
We also had to study our tails off for our first test during these days. we had a book, and a bunch of highlighting we had to do. Had to polish our boots a lot too.
We showered once a day, usually in packs of 20, in and out of the shower in a matter of like 7 minutes. I usually dont shower very long so it didnt matter to me really.
As the end of p-days approached, we were all very excited to start working out, and actually moving forward in our training. Everyday we were practicing our marching, which was horrible, and still is horrible to this day. People cannot walk in step together, its rediculous, but eventually you learn that your division will never be able to march in step.

^^^ we dont have these uniforms yet by the way. We are marching around in our smurfs (sweatsuits).

Boot Camp - First 24 hours

Step off the plane in chicago, scared, dont know anything about anything anymore. We head our way to the USO, which is where they told us to go, but on the way there, we saw a bunch of kids in a circle with manilla folders, (dead give away). There was a guy in the middle telling them different instructions, empty your pockets of knives, cigarettes, etc. So we got in line behind a bunch of kids who were already in line. It was all quiet. Soon it was my turn to step up in this circle of like 50 kids. Only thing i remember is that one girl ran to the trash can puking, didnt make it in time, and another girl flat out passed out. hahah guess im happy that wasnt me, but it was stressful. Next part of the trip was lining up to get on the bus to go to recruit training command aka 8 weeks of hell. We stepped onto the bus, watched a movie on what to expect, and sent out our last desperate text messages to loved ones. 45 minutes late we arrived through the gates (10pm), and stepped off the bus.

This is the dredded moment when the yelling begins, and never stops. Asked to get in 2 lines empty our pockets and shut up. We had 2 minutes to call our families and tell them 1. made it safe 2. a box will be sent home with our stuff 3. we will call you in 4-5 weeks, and then hang up. My dad said it was like talking to an automated voice robot, cuz i couldnt say anything else.
After this, the real fun begin, we got fitted for running shoes, stood in lines for hours on end, got yelled at for falling asleep, took a urinalysis with like 100 other guys, etc. When we stood in line we had to stand "heal to toe" which was the most uncomfortable thing in the world. Everyone smelt so bad, and it was getting rough. You would stare at the clock wondering what time they would release you for bed, but they never do. Come to find out its just to get everyone on the same sleeping schedule, ughhh.
So next was getting our sea bag, we went through some more lines getting panties, socks, sweats, all the basics- hygiene materials. At this point we had a box in front of us in which all our civilian attire was to be shipped home in. we all stripped ass naked, put skivvies and sweats on, and packed our box home.

Once our sea bag was packed, and we waited around for enough time, it was about 6am at this point. We went to one last final room with a bunch of desks. We waited there for like an hour and were split into 2 groups of about 90 a piece. Little did we know these would be our "divisions" or people we would spend the next couple weeks with. I was division 099, and was happy to be in that division. After that, we went to our compartment- which was 50 racks in one big room, and got a bunk mate, and hung our stuff up. Finally time for some food, breakfast (chow). We all ate a crap ton of food, in the 12 minutes we had to eat, and people were still falling asleep left and right. They couldnt make us do pushups or anything yet cuz we were not "fit for full duty" yet, which was nice. The day went by slow, but you look forward to lunch and dinner. Once 2000(8pm) hit, it was lights out. Probably the best sleep everyone got in their life. So much snoring.

From the top

Funny thing about me being in the navy, is that i never had any intention of joining my whole life. I went to san diego like 2 years ago to visit my brother whose wife is a navy officer, and we went on base and hung out on the beach. It planted a seed in my head of what navy life was like- a lot easier than i had suspected. For the thought of bootcamp was my biggest fear, pushups, situps, and waking up early, never getting any sleep, and just hating life for many weeks.

But going on base changed that for me, so i started researching. I youtube'd videos on peoples experiences at bootcamp, and found out that ordinary people were graduating from it everyday, and making it through. How hard could it be? I drove to my recruiter station in manchester, and signed my death sentence. Paperwork was a hassle, but i checked out perfectly fine, just had to get a physical, and i was off to great lakes, illinois. Physical was done, and i had my ship off date scheduled for May 19th, 2013. WOW, tomorrow. I thought about it more, and i couldnt stand my night shift job any longer, and my life may have been heading down the wrong path, so i asked my recruiter if there was anything they could do. Pshhh little did i know there is always something they can do. I get a call 2 weeks later for a Machinist Mate (AD- a new job rating), and i immediatly say yes. They tell me i have a week and a half until i get shipped from portland maine to chicago for bootcamp. December 13, 2012 was my bootcamp date. I signed the dotted line, and had mother and father meet me up at the processing station to send me off. I get my medical files, and im on to the airport with 3 other guys.