mike, one day. were ya on the island at all. i was a civilian weapons repairman at ramo, loved it. i also worked at saco-lowell-maremont. i shattered my back in 73 so no branch wanted me. i was a 240lb pa state champ heavyweight lifter and when i went for my physical they put me in the 4f room. wow, was that weird.
Okay Kevin of Oz. You asked for it:
It was a hot June day at The US Navy Recruit Training Center in San Diego, Ca. I had been volunteered to run across base and do something or other for my Company Commander. I was double-timing my butt back to the company.
At this point I should say that in boot camp, all recruits are told to salute all Drill Instructors. In the Navy, DI's wear a blue braided rope around their shoulders. So, we were told to salute everyone wearing a rope.
Back to the story. As I am double-timing it across the huge grinder, I see that I am running straight towards a Marine Drill Instructor (Navy RTC is attached to MCRD Marine Corps Recruit Depot). I said "Good Morning, Sir." He smiled and replied "Good morning". I noticed he had stopped walking and was looking at me. Let me describe this Marine Drill Instructor. About my height (6'4"), maybe 220 or 240. With his "Smokey Bear Hat" pushed up high on his head, he looked about 6'7". Perfectly starched and pressed BDUs, and the man was darker than a shadow at midnight. I kept running. I looked back again, and saw the pose: spit polished boots about shoulder width, hands balled into fists on his hips........still looking at me. Now I'm sweating. No idea what I did wrong. I kept running. As I got to the edge of the grinder I heard "RECRUIT! GET BACK HERE!" I think I peed a little. I ran balls out back to him and locked up at attention.
He asked how I was taught to address a Drill Instructor. I said we used the term SIR. He said that when addressing a Marine DI, a recruit should begin and end every statement with SIR. "Sir, yes sir!" He said he'd let me go on that one since swabbies werent taught proper manners any way. Then he asked me why I felt the need to disrespect him so badly? I had no clue but......."Sir I apologize, but I dont understand how I disrespected you!" Are you in Boot Camp? Sir, yes sir. Weren't you taught to salute Drill Instructors? I explained about my "ropes" instruction. He said....."So, you are telling me that your Platoon Petty Officer was remiss in his training?" My Platoon Petty Officer (BM1 Brown) was also an instructor in BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolitions School=SEALS). He had thighs like Walter Peyton and could outrun or outswim anybody I have ever met. I next heard "Take me to your company." I peed a little more. When we got there, he addressed BM1 Brown and the Company Commander. He said that he thought it would do me a lot of good to get to work for a while with my Marine Corps Brothers. Could he borrow me for the day? Sure, why not! I peed some more.
Basically, I spent the rest of the day doing eight count body builders, good morning darlings, and holding buckets of wet sand at arms length and shoulder height, in front of a bunch of guys from his platoon. He berated both myself and the US Navy. When one of his guys snickered a little, he ran up to the kid and bit his nose so hard, he had blood running off his chin and down the front of his tshirt. I peed a bit more and made sure the buckets were straight. He left for a while, and when he got back, he dismissed his guys and gave me McDonalds. While we were running back to my company, he told me he just wanted to use me as an example for his run fallouts. "If a squid can keep up with the crap he gave me........how can YOU AS MARINES do any less? HAHAHAHAHA He turned out to be really cool.
That was my day as a Marine! Do you know what a leatherneck is? A gasket for a jarhead!
Mike
