Thanks for the input.
I was in Orlando in 1984 for Nuke school. I’m sure it was very different from when you were there. I know that even then, the boot camp was VERY different from what I experienced in Great Lakes. One of my class mates was sent over to RTC while my Nuke class was classing up and he was assigned to help the MAA in the Chow hall. Well, he starts telling these boots (remember half of these boots are women) “nut to butt” and he gets pulled to the side and told you can’t do that here.
Where in Great Lakes, we had what was called “pass in review” (meals that lasted only until the last person in the company sat down), in Orlando, they were guarenteed 15 minutes for all meals. They also got a break half way through to go to Disney World. They also had a little sandy rec center where I saw recruits playing volleyball and chilling out. Very different from my Boot experience in Great Lakes in 1983!
Orlando RTC ‘86—no Disneyworld, no sandy volleyball. I DID get to be the Division Yeoman during Hell Week, so I missed out on KP duty...but got sicker than a dog from the yellow fever shots. Stayed at NPS Orlando..now all of it is gone.
When I was there it was “ass hole to belly button, make the man in front of you smile”. As I remember you kept your mouth shut except to shovel food in then you left. After service week you could go outside after you finished eating and stand around in formation “at ease” and shoot the bull until everyone showed up. Then it was off to class where it was all I could do to stay awake.
We had a trip to St. Augustine around the 7th week or so. Boot was 13 weeks back then. I pretty well had it made because I could sing so I got in the choir and we were pretty well taken care of. hee hee