Comments

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  Kenneth C. Shee June 22, 2013 at 8:49am

  You haven't had the real fun until you've taken down laundry at night in a sleet storm wearing only swim trunks.General Inspection next morning.
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  Bud Stilwell BT Snipe June 22, 2013 at 7:24am

  Things Changed when I went through in '87 with Co. 025.  Our Asst. CC was EM1 Alvin.  Nicknamed him "Bulldog" for the way he was build.  Didn't have the M-1 but we did have the 1903 9 LB. Springfield.  Went through in the winter so we didn't have the clothes lines and sea bag inspections were done with us standing at attention at the foot of our bunks.  Being RCPO for my Company I had to follow the CC's around with pad and pencil to record who failed the inspection.   By the 2nd week of Boot Camp we had no one fail an inspection.
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  James Franklin Benson June 22, 2013 at 6:35am

  everybody hated the dreaded sea bag inspections...after a hard day of marching,classes,&physical torture on the grinder,standing in formation in front of the barracks after knocking off for the day,while the old man is inside wreaking havoc with our lockers throwing out our clothes,stepping on them...and of course everything had to be washed overnight for the next little episode...boy,what fun!!

   
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  Mick Dousman June 21, 2013 at 4:56pm

  Yeah, they changed a lot of things over the years.  By '61 they must have run low on M-1s, we got rusty Springfields without the bolts to carry everywhere. 

  They did not seem to care about maintenance on those rifles.  Only time I remember handling an M-1 in boot camp was at the range.  Got to shoot 2 clips and then was hurried along.  Never got to check the targets. Don't remember Semaphore, I flunked the Radioman test and Sonar test, so they sent me to FT school after a few months in the fleet as grunt for the gunners mates.
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  James Franklin Benson June 21, 2013 at 2:19pm

  They had the KEEL in '56...don't know when they started it,but I still have mine.Also,I don't know when they started " pushing the piece ",but I sure "pushed" my  share of the nine pound M1 Garand...or was it ten pounds...I just know it got heavier as the day MERCILESSLY wore on!!...I got really good doing SEMAPHORE,which I never used after I got into the fleet.
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  Mick Dousman June 21, 2013 at 12:37pm

  I started in company 454 in Sept, 1961 but finished last two weeks in Dec. in another company after being the hospital. We were considered an experimental company, 7 weeks instead of 9 weeks.  We skipped Service week is all I remember.   I don't remember ever seeing a KEEL.  When did they start that tradition?   Haven't heard much talk about "pushing the piece", did quite a bit of that in the beginning.  I am sure they stopped that when political correctness took over.

   

   
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  James Franklin Benson June 21, 2013 at 10:52am

  There was Camp Porter,Camp Moffett,Camp Downes,Camp Dewey...Mine was Moffett...Remember being afraid to leave the barracks,being scared of getting BUSTED by ANYONE who outranked me.There were people EVERYWHERE looking for skinheads to BUST.!...WE were threatened with the SQUARE NEEDLE...Remember THAT one?
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  James Franklin Benson June 21, 2013 at 9:09am

  I was at camp moffett Nov.1956,company 640,barracks 1502,lower east....company commander was comissaryman chief Roach,who was a fair man,but not one to be crossed...Plenty of marching on the grinder in knee-deep snow,going to class inside a warm bldg.,falling asleep,holding our chair above our heads as punishment,washing our own clothes,hanging them up on the outside clothesline(if you could find the space) in extremely cold weather,and FINALLY GRADUATION!!

   
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  bruce wayne robertson June 20, 2013 at 8:23pm

  Great lakes boot camp 01/30/63 camp moffett "company51"older i get the better it was.
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  Rodger Joye June 20, 2013 at 7:42pm

  Boy you guys sure bring back the memories.  Went to GL 27 March '68, CO 176.  Remember doing a lot of things they don't do anymore like washing your clothes and hanging them outside with the "clothes stops" and ironing your clothes with your soap dish! Can't remember which was Camp Moffit and which was Porter.  Our barracks were in the new camp.  The only time we went to the old camp was to use the drill hall.  Still have my KEEL.  CC was EMC Portier. Spent my Service Week in the Telephone Center when we'd go to call home (Hah - bet they don't have that anymore!).  The only flag we won was an "I" flag but we ended up being the Color Company - I guess every other company was worse!!! After boot camp, went back to GL for BT "A" school.