July 27, 1966 (Originally posted in 2006)

[ErnBatavia]

Forty years ago today, Dad dropped me off at the Induction Center in downtown Los Angeles...the people there, for some reason, stopped being friendly and solicitous - and in a few hours I was on a Greyhound headed for MCRD San Diego.

I'm sure there are a few Marine Corps FReepers who'd like to share their recruit training experiences...I'll drop a few in here periodically.

[ErnBatavia]

Anniversary Pingie-Dingie!

[Howlin]

Military VANITY ping!

These always turn out to be the BEST threads on FR, IMO.

Happy anniversary and thank you for your service.

[MineralMan]

About the same time, in 1985, I rode a Greyhound bus to the same induction center. I spent the night in a cheap hotel in downtown L.A. and processed through the next morning.

That night, I got my first plane ride, in a 707, directly to Lackland AFB in San Antonio. We got off the plane to find a sergeant screaming at us. And so it began.

[MineralMan]

Shoot....I meant 1965, and mistyped. I'm 61 now.

[GreenAccord]

As a tweener (age-wise) who grew up between the confilcts, I just want to say thanks to both of you for your service. Thanks for defending the freedom I enjoy.

[firewalk]

Happy Anniversary (:

ah yes the footprints...
I laughed when my son showed me.
(only a little...quietly)

(thanks for the ping Howlin)

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Military VANITY ping!

Ain't NOTHIN' vain about honorable Military service! ;^)

ErnBatavia--THANK YOU for your service! Thank you, ALL honorable U.S. Vets!

I regret that Jack Murtha and John Kerry could not approve this message.

[Gay State Conservative]

Hey,I hope that other services can join in!

Ft Knox,October '69.Sgt Donald King...just back from RVN sporting a Combat Infantry Badge.Clearly didn't like recruits,particularly Yankee types (he being a Southern boy).

Northern KY southern IN having the coldest winter in 50 years.Damn! it was cold.

While in BCT,they invited me and a couple of others in my company to go to OCS.I declined,knowing that 2LT's had a life expectancy of about 20 minutes in SE Asia.

Otherwise,pretty run of the mill.Emerged from Ft Knox as a lean,mean killing machine...with an MOS of 71 Hotel (Personnel Specialist) ;-)

[DCPatriot]

Thanks Howlin.

[doug from upland]

Thanks for what you did, Ern.

[Howlin]

My apologies!

[Tennessee_Bob]

MCRD San Diego

Hollywood Marine!

Had to say that for my father's sake - he was a Parris Island Marine.

Semper Fi!

[NerdDad]

Happy Anniversary Marine.

I'm a few years behind you (1978) and USAF, but my own anniversary is coming up Aug 9. I did, however, immediately recognize those footprints.

Interesting choice of wording: "the people there, for some reason, stopped being friendly and solicitous". I recall the same loss of jovial decorum that was so welcoming in the recruiter's office.

My favorite recruit training experience actually occurred to another recruit in another flight. Probably why it has always been my favorite.

At the midway point of training for each flight, we picked up a "baby flight". New guys who we were supposed to help guide along the new narrow path. We are on the pad to welcome our baby flight and off the bus comes a recruit who NEVER had any other name but "Princess". This dufus hops down from the bus with a waist length pony-tail and wearing a tee-shirt that read "I'm only here for the beer." In retrospect, I have no doubt that this was probably revenge for the hail he put his father thru.

This poor schmuck had screaming T.I.s from every flight within earshot surrounding him as soon as his feet hit the pavement. It usually took about 48 hrs for the noobs to get processed thru the physical/haircut/uniform stuff. The screaming Sgts practically ran him to the barber shop right then.

I remember being the one selected to teach this group how to make their beds. I asked about who that guy was and everybody just laughed and said "Oh Princess!!," then called him over. I asked him what he was thinking and he just shook his head and walked away.

I'll come back later and tell you about having my first experience with PC while I was at Lackland. I might even get brave enough to tell about being a lefty trying to qualify with the M-16 and how I shut the firing line down.

[RebelBanker]

Thank you for your service, Ern!

I was an Army type; went to Basic at Ft. Knox, Kentucky (Delta Company, 13th Training Battalion, 4th Training Brigade) in 1983. The outdoor Basic Training scenes for the movie "Stripes" were filmed at Ft. Knox and my platoon's junior Drill Sergeant liked to amuse himself by pointing out as many of the locations as possible. Not sure exactly what he was implying ;-)

Seriously, both Drills were tough but very fair and taught us a much more than we realized at the time. Many years and many miles later, I wish I could thank then-SFC Johnny Anderson and then-SSG John Covert for all they did.

[sergeantdave]

About that time I was in ITR at Camp Pendleton, and I was no longer a maggot, scuzzy civilian.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

;^ )
Thanks for the ping!

[verity]

Are you sure it was only a mistype? lol

[Gay State Conservative]

I was an Army type; went to Basic at Ft. Knox, Kentucky (Delta Company, 13th Training Battalion, 4th Training Brigade) in 1983.

I was Echo/13/4..."Echo/13/4,we always come back for more,Echo,Echo,Echo galore!"

..and many miles later, I wish I could thank then-SFC Johnny Anderson and then-SSG John Covert for all they did.

And I wish I could thank SGT Donald King for having taken me behind the barracks for having been from Massachusetts! ;-)

[CougarGA7]

On August 15th 1988 I rode a bus to Oakland to go to the MEPS the next day. I was with 2 other recruits.

The United States Air Force had the foresight to put us 3 scrawny white kids on a Greyhound that dropped us off in downtown Oakland at 1 am.

Of course our ride didn't show up till 2:30.

The 3 of us huddled together absolutely convinced that we were going to die.

Then a woman approached us. She was heavy set and had a glass eye. She had on green stockings that were amazingly too big for her and reeked of alcohol. She looked at the guy next to me and said, "Do you want to have a good time before you go in?"

He looked at her with tears welling up in his eyes and said, "No."