I went to US Navy Boot Camp on this day, June 18, 1972, 47 years ago.
I enlisted on the buddy plan with two of my friends. The first friend got rejected for a Federal offense (he had blown up some mailboxes with M-80's) and then the day the other friend and I went to Detroit to be sworn in, they found he had an ulcer so he got rejected too!
So there went young Dread on a bus to Great Lakes Naval boot camp alone! 17 years old and one week out of high school. I definitely got to see the world aboard the USS Ranger - Indian Ocean, South China Sea, The Philippines, Yankee Station off the coast of Viet Nam, Gulf of Tonkin. I was an Aviation Electronics Technician on Grumman A-6, EA-6B, and E-2A (carrier-based "Flying Frisbie.") aircraft.
It seems to me I have more memories of those 4 years than the next 40 years. I still keep in contact with most of my Navy buddies.
Haha, here's the first thing we heard when we arrived at Great Lakes and got off the bus: "You guys are in a world of $hit!" That wasn't the last time I'd hear that phrase, LOL.
I enlisted on the buddy plan with two of my friends. The first friend got rejected for a Federal offense (he had blown up some mailboxes with M-80's) and then the day the other friend and I went to Detroit to be sworn in, they found he had an ulcer so he got rejected too!
So there went young Dread on a bus to Great Lakes Naval boot camp alone! 17 years old and one week out of high school. I definitely got to see the world aboard the USS Ranger - Indian Ocean, South China Sea, The Philippines, Yankee Station off the coast of Viet Nam, Gulf of Tonkin. I was an Aviation Electronics Technician on Grumman A-6, EA-6B, and E-2A (carrier-based "Flying Frisbie.") aircraft.
It seems to me I have more memories of those 4 years than the next 40 years. I still keep in contact with most of my Navy buddies.
Haha, here's the first thing we heard when we arrived at Great Lakes and got off the bus: "You guys are in a world of $hit!" That wasn't the last time I'd hear that phrase, LOL.