In the summer of ‘65 I began my only summer camp experience at Parris Island, South Carolina – Boot Camp. The following is my recollection of just another day.
In the run-up to Series (company) drill competition, for the first time we were permitted to blouse our trousers for a practice session of “troop ‘n stomp”.
The morning of that session more than a customary number of recruits were up for a pre-reveille head call. Then a line formed. Something definitely was going on when guys started messing themselves. Initially suspicious of the goings on, our Drill Instructors soon figured out we had a Platoon sized case of diarrhea. I don’t recall it extending to the other three platoons in the Series.
Some of us were marched off to Sick Bay for a dose of kaopectate and a precautionary exam. The lesser afflicted went to chow then policed up the squad bay and collected dirty utilities and skivvies. Finally all hands were formed up and off we went to practice close order drill.
And it was a big deal for us as we were strut’n for the first time on Parris Island’s Main Parade Deck with bloused trousers!
But the earlier situation still had a few casualties to humble!
As we marched along, perhaps half-a-dozen guys fell out one at a time and ran to our Drill Instructor. “Emergency Head Call” request! Our Drill Instructor waved his arms about and off to our area ran a recruit. No way would an unaccompanied recruit venture into another Battalion area! After a short distance, they slowed to a walk as diarrhea won again. Head hanging down, it was more than a long walk home.
Back at the Barn, using broom handles to stir, we hand washed our soiled clothes in GI cans mixed with Wisk detergent and Lysol disinfectant. To this day, a whiff of Lysol reminds me of that episode.
That day or the next we learned that members of the mess duty platoon working the scullery hadn’t done a proper job cleaning a batch of mess trays and utensils.
Eww. That’s one sick story.
Betcha the scullery workers caught holy hell over that one.