13DEC09

When the planes landed, recruits everywhere scrambled off and scoured the airport for the USO.  The people of the Philadelphia USO were very hospitable; we were fed all of the greatest chow, and informed of the “adventure” we were about to embark upon.  The bus ride to Cape May wrought with tension.  Some recruits talked nervously about boot camp, some boasted about how easy it would be, and many stared listlessly out the window.  None of us had any idea what we were in for. 

After many hours of screaming, “Aye Ayes,” “Sirs,” and general stumbling around, all of us were shaking in our racks wondering why, oh why did I ever want to do this?

None of us were aware of how difficult it would be to sit in a chair, but when you’re at the position of attention for many hours, your back is breaking.

As we were introduced to our Company Commanders, the Commanding Officer of the base, Captain Thomas, made an influential speech.  By this point, we had a very low morale and had little hope. She said, “Close your eyes.  Picture the person that will be so proud of you when you’re done.  Let that image get your through every moment.”

We certainly did need that.  Our Company Commanders, MK2 Vanover, our lead Company Commander, YN1 Giaccone, and FS1 Garza immediately tested our physical and mental strength.  But unlike any of us had imagined, they did not yell at us for insane reasons.  They only punished us for things we messed up.

Already this weekend they have taught/scared us into thinking before we speak or act. Therefore, many of us are quickly learning basic military obsessive compulsive disorders, with regards to detail.

As we learn very basic close order drill, we have slowly but surely gone from looking like a ball of human bodies, to somewhat straight lines that can almost turn at the same time.  From our perspective we look kind of good.  Probably not true, but certainly it’s good to gain some confidence in our abilities. The same goes for everything else; the more we learn and get right, the less our Company Commanders scream at us, and the more we tend to get right.  It is a snowball effect that brings solace to the minds of recruits who have come so far, and yet still have so far to go. 

15DEC09

This week has started with a schism in Tango-182.  After much wailing and grinding of teeth in the squad bays, chow hall, and in drill, it has become apparent that the divisive factor is age.  The giggling, giddy 19-20yr olds come tete a tete with a surly bunch of twenty- somethings, who just want to get through the day.

Every time a member or members of the Company are caught goofing off, incentive training ensue.  For everyone.  One sail, all sail.  One fail, all fail.

Many of the older recruits already understand this motto, and are happy to work together and remain unpunished.  Our Company Commanders, in particular MK2 Vanover, have made it very clear that they will  punish us as needed.  And we need it.  For now. 

The difference in mentalities between our Lead Company Commander and our Company Commanders can be likened to sports coaches.  On the one hand, you have a coach that screams, and runs crazy at his team in order to get them to win.  On the other hand, you have a coach that walks out of the locker room silently after you win the World Series.  You kind of want some “good jobs,” or “well dones,” but not screaming is, in this case, the single most positive thing you need.  It is slowly motivating our Company to want to work hard and succeed so that MK2 Vanover will be proud to be our Company Commander.

So far, the most difficult part of training for everyone has been the heads.  That’s showers and bathrooms for all of you lay people.  Not only do we have to keep them clean (imagine keeping a shower clean after 40 people use it), but you have about 30 seconds to take one.  The best you can do is wash the essentials.  What that means we’ll leave to you. 

Other than that, the only things going on are close order drill, classes on everything from stress management to ranks and rates, more close order drill, swim test, and then, for a change, more drill.  We can almost do an oblique.  Maybe tomorrow.  We have a run at 0545…

18DEC09

This week, every waking moment has been spent fearing what new and exciting tasks our Company Commanders can create for us to do during incentive training.  The idea of incentive training is physical tasks to get recruits to remember various things (for example: sounding off, using proper terms, and lack of general talking and screwing around).  This might just be the fault of one individual, but the whole Company suffers at the failings of one.  Honestly, it makes perfect sense; if people are rational and dislike causing harm to their fellow shipmates, they will usually try to get squared away.

But this quality is lacking in a number of our shipmates.  Twice already this week we have been made to read over and over a passage about discipline.  “Discipline, like moral responsibility, is another word with two meanings.”  One being people with “right attitude,” and another being “punishment.”  Basically, we all need to gain self-discipline.  Those who do not have it are infecting the entire Company like a virus.  It is only a handful of people; everyone knows who they are.  As many times as we can tell them to shut up, help clean, or get it together, they simply do not take it seriously.  We have paid for these individuals insolence already, and fear we will pay again.  Who knows what can be done about it.

However, there are bright spots in incentive training, too.  When you have to watch a shipmate push the deck alone for ten minutes, and you worry for them, something is going right.  You are learning, painful as it may be, to want to do anything for your shipmates, including help them out so it never happens again. 

But the brightest point in incentive training came today on our worst day yet.  We had all thought we were doing okay, and then today we ended a full day carrying each piece of our sea bag topside, back to our racks.  Only one piece per trip.  Out of sight from our Company Commanders, one recruit grabbed a shirt and a pair of underwear for one trip, but just before he took off, a fellow shipmate grabbed him, “No dude, integrity.”  Exasperated, but knowing he was right, the recruit made two trips.

Maybe if we could all take a note from this recruit’s book, Tango Company would have a little hope of not waking up to “FIRE, FIRE, FIRE” every morning.  We’ll see how long that takes.

20DEC09

Literally, since yesterday afternoon, our Company has, from out of nowhere, come together.  It never seemed like it would be possible to do, but we are rapidly proving that there is a reason we are all here in Cape May.

Once our Company Commanders began to quiz us regularly and randomly on our required knowledge, there was a reason for all of us to help each other out.  Every moment we are not under fire, every head and water break, and every free second we might have, recruits quiz each other on the facts we are meant to know.

“Who’s the Training Duty Officer?”

“ What’s the 7^th General Order?”

“No, man, he’s a chief, that’s an Echo-7!”

It never goes above a murmur.  We have all learned a little self-control on the volume knob.

When one recruit is called upon, be it at the chow hall, in the Main Muster Squad Bay, or in formation, the entire Company holds a collective breath until that recruit not only answers correctly, but in the proper fashion.  You hear little groans of disappointment when someone gets it wrong because almost the whole Company is up on what they need to know.  But they always seem to pick the one guy who’s bound to get it wrong.

Even if most of us know the answer, there is no guarantee that we will be able to get it out.  There is no way to describe the paralyzing fear that strikes you the moment a Company Commander walks in the room, looking right at you.  Many recruits know what they need to say, but forget it the moment they are called upon, or cannot phrase the answer in the exact right way.  This may lead to a 20 minute chew out session, one-on-one with your whole Company watching helplessly.

Our next evolution within the Company must be more self-confidence and self-assurance, even in the face of adversity.  This will help us succeed not only at boot camp, but also in the fleet.

“The “Me” attitudes must be erased and replaced with unselfishness and team work”

“Through discipline and motivation is born a team spirit”