My Happy, but Heavy, Heart

[Deleted member 2452]

i go to great lakes at least once a month!

i am vice president of the kids rotc parent associction.
i help with driving quite a bit, and we go to great lakes at least once a month. i will have to see if i can call on him, if you'd like rio?
i know you're crying rio, that's natural. we guys a bursting with pride on the outside, and crying on the inside when our kids go off to the military(so i have been told).
all this talk of experiences has me reveling in nostalgia. thanks for helping to bring back all the momories knox. i'd love to sit down with you over a few cases of beer, and swap stories. i used to constantly get in trouble for "sky larking". going through the small obstacle course before being allowed into the mess hall.
i'm cracking up remembering all the hell i went through at fort jackson!
be of good cheer rio, at least he didn't go into the marines, or airfarce! lol

steve

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Wow, Rio, you're so right! That just set off the memory banks: "Ricky the Raisin!" Yes, they used that word back then too...

 

[Knox The Hatter]

As you know, Steve, you can sit and talk about this stuff for HOURS! There's so much...

 

[giantfan121262]

I love this thread!!

I really do! It gives me an opportunity to share a time I consider the best of times and the worst of times. The worst of times was in the beginning of Boot Camp as you can imagine, but the best was from the 3rd week on to the end of the eight waak stint. So as you see, the good times (at least for me) far outweighed the bad times.

As far as the physical shape goes, I remember when I got down there you were prohibited from using the weights. I was (and still am) an avid weight lifter. When I graduated, I was in better cardiovascular condition and alot of the muscle mass diminished. I wish I took a before an after picture when I went down. It would have given me something to compare to.

I mentioned when I met my parents for liberty, they did not recognize me with the crew cut, well, my father jokingly said to me "Go back and get me my son". He was your typical Jewish mother who liked a little meat on your bones which I had none at the time.

 

[SimplyRio]

One more thing, Rio:
An Irish Pennant is literally a thread. A thread hanging off of your clothes. You're not supposed to have anything like that. Of course, Knox the Schmucko's got one right on top of his white hat in his formal Great Lakes pictures. If you wanna see it, PM me LOL 😀

Ohhhh, you've got me curious now LOL Check your PMs,please.

"Pass in Review"...oh, man, haven't heard that phraseology in a while.

He's been gone for only 4 LONG days, but I'm already literally counting the days until PIR. I know I'm going to be bursting with pride... hopefully I won't injure too many people as I barrel my way to him LOL Hopefully I won't embarrass him... my eyes get welled up just hearing the first couple measures of the Star Spangled Banner. Oh well, he'll just have to live with that! 😀

 

[SimplyRio]

Re: i go to great lakes at least once a month!

Originally posted by areenactorI will have to see if I can call on him, if you'd like rio?

Steve, really? You can do that?? I know that we've been told that their time is strictly regimented at Boot Camp, but if you seriously think that's something you could do (with no negative repurcussions on him), then YES, I'd be forever grateful! Please PM me and let me know how we might work this out.

Originally posted by areenactor
I know you're crying rio, that's natural... be of good cheer rio, at least he didn't go into the marines, or airfarce! lol

Thank you so much for understanding. I was fully prepared, yet somehow... I wasn't ready. The abruptness of his absence in my life fills my heart with anguish. This is countered only by the knowledge that not only is he pursuing a lifelong dream, but he has so much to offer the military... some people are just destined to serve their country, and he is definetly one of them. And thank you, too, for making me smile -- I love the good-spirited competition the great debate over which branch of the military is "best" LOL.

 

[SimplyRio]

Re: I love this thread!!

I really do! It gives me an opportunity to share a time I consider the best of times and the worst of times.

I hope you continue sharing. This thread has been great for me, too! Fun for you guys and therapeutic for me! LOL

I wish I took a before an after picture when I went down. It would have given me something to compare to.

We actually DID take a Before shot, without his shirt, just prior to his departure. I imagine I'll be seeing quite a different young man upon his completion of Boot Camp!

 

[Dragon321]

and he will go to fight for a beautiful dream
and perhaps see foreign lands with strange faces
and hopefully
when service is done and duty performed
he will return to his homeland
patriotic fervor in breast
and with any luck find freedom not compromised
by bereaucrats in presedential halls
and capitalist ravages.
the eagle watches over all.

from me to you.

 

[giantfan121262]

Re: Re: i go to great lakes at least once a month!

Thank you so much for understanding. I was fully prepared, yet somehow... I wasn't ready. The abruptness of his absence in my life fills my heart with anguish. This is countered only by the knowledge that not only is he pursuing a lifelong dream, but he has so much to offer the military... some people are just destined to serve their country, and he is definetly one of them. And thank you, too, for making me smile -- I love the good-spirited competition the great debate over which branch of the military is "best" LOL. [/B]

When you told me that your son had 3 years of ROTC training in HS that only reinforced my belief that he will be fine. He had a good idea of what to expect from the officers as far as discretion goes. alot of people have no clue of what to expect and they go crazy down there and even a few DOR ed (Discharged on request). I definitely don't think your son falls into that category.

You really have alot to be proud of. He sounds like a solid young man.

 

[SimplyRio]

and he will go to fight for a beautiful dream...

That was beautiful, AussieMonkey... thank you so much!

 

[giantfan121262]

As you know, Steve, you can sit and talk about this stuff for HOURS! There's so much...

oh! oh! can i join you?

 

[SimplyRio]

Re: Re: Re: i go to great lakes at least once a month!

When you told me that your son had 3 years of ROTC training in HS that only reinforced my belief that he will be fine . . . You really have alot to be proud of. He sounds like a solid young man.

<sniff> Thank you so much giantfan... it means a lot to me to hear that from somebody who's been there.

May I elaborate? I shared this with Steve already, but please indulge me 😀 In addition to ROTC, where he served as an officer and lettered on 3 of their teams (orienteering, color guard, armed drill), he also has 4 years of Japanese language and 2 years of CAD experience uner his belt. In his senior year he was awarded a commendation from the Naval Reserve Association and chosen by the faculty to receive the Principal's Award for Leadership & Service.

I'm so proud that I could just about bust! Thank you for allowing me brag <blush> I know he has a lot to offer, I just hope he survives boot camp LOL Reading the experiences you guys are sharing makes it that much easier for me for me to cope... Thank you for that, too!

 

[giantfan121262]

You are most welcome. It was truly a pleasure to relive a time in my life which I really enjoyed. Mind you, I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did, which makes it all that much better.

Pluease!!! It's you right to brag. You SHOULD be proud. It sounds like the Navy is getting a really good man. With all the accomplishments you *ahem* bragged about, it sounds like he is doing something he really wants to do and I think he will excel. He really can be an asset to his other shipmates that don't have nearly the background he brings to the table.

When I joined the Coast Guard after HS, I can tell you that I didn't have nearly the credentials he did and I made it no problem. Once I got used to the dynamics and screaming, it became reality as I knew it at the time. I went the reserves route b/c I went to college for accounting (I am in finance now) but the program I joined offered a nice tuition assistance program which enabled me to fund most of my education.

I may be digressing but boot camp is boot camp and I was training with future lifers who made the Coast Guard their career choice.

I will remember you in about 12 years when my son goes off to the Army LOL. I will probably start a thread just like this. I know it may seem premature, but the way he is going right now, I see him in the Army. My sister works as a contractor at Picanny, in NJ, and he is just facinated with the tanks, helicopters etc... that we make a point to go every Armed Forces Day to check it out.

Uh Oh! I hope I don't start a war on the best branch of the military LOL!!

 

[giantfan121262]

I thought of another thing that sticks in my mind as a memory of my boot camp days (not so great at the time I was experiencing it). This was the very first day we were there and we reported for orientation. We all came off the bus and we were sent topside to this room to be indocrunated. When we first got there we were told we had an amnesty period. That is we were to put all our conraband on the table and it would be confiscated with no questions asked. I had some pot, cigarettes, and a throwing star. Others put all kinds of other drugs, knives, and martial arts weapons. One guy put a pair of nunchakus on the table. After one guy addressed us, this black guy walks in. Picture Louis Gosset Jr in "an officer and a gentleman" about 10 years younger and there was no f*****g way me or anybody else wanted to meet this guy "in private". He introduced himself and told us he was the CC for the honor guard company and was sent to recruit, no draft some "raisens" to join his group. For the ones who wern't "picked" he basically told us we looked like a bunch of pussies and would be surprised if 10% of us make it he also said to stay clear of him if "we knew what was good for us". He grabbed the nunchakus, started flipping them for like 10 minutes, going through all these Katas like it was second nature. After he left the room, we all looked at each other, whitefaced, with the biggest "Oh shit, what did we get ourselves into" expressions on our faces. All we wanted to do was crawl under the table till the PIR. We were told by other recriuts that were further along in their training that he had a history of messing with recruits, and he was a third degree black belt. The first month we were there we were petrified of him. If we saw that he was the OOD, we kept our noses clean for fear that we would get intensive training with him leading the way. NOOOOOO THANKS!!!! Turns out he was the coolest guy there was. He would actually hang out with us when we would stop for smoke breaks on the way back from chow. This started happening in about our sixth week when we were treated more like human beings.

What an introduction though on your first day when everyone was shitting in their pants as it was and had no idea of the "game" that goes on.

 

[Deleted member 2452]

hey guys...

did you guys get the speil about how to poperly commit suicide?
my platoon was told a recruite had botched an attempt, and the drill sgt.s wanted us to do it correctly, and save them, and the tax payers time, and money! they then rolled up their sleeves, and demonstrated how with a beyonette, lol! you should have seen some of the kids, bug eyed, slack jawed, i think one was about to pass out, when one sgt. started yelling, lol.

it just got more fun from there, hehehe...

steve

 

[ticklebutton]

...he is one of the nicest people I've ever known...

Rio, how cool that you & he are good friends as well as loving family! I'll bet he shares your sense of humor, too. *smile*

He's growing and learning - and oh my goodness, so are you. Best wishes!

Button

 

[Flatfoot]

Wow...

Today's military is very different. When I went through boot camp, we weren't allowed to smoke or dip, and I don't know when we would have ever had time to do it if we WERE allowed! I barely had any time to write letters home without waiting until after Taps to do it.

Also, that little "suicide presentation" would fly about as well as a fart in church, nowadays. That'd be a quick way for a drill instructor to lose his job if someone did attempt and word got out about what happened. In my old platoon, one of the recruits tried to kill himself by ODing on pills after Lights-out, but fortunately he was caught by firewatch, who notified the drill instructors. The next day, the Senior Drill Instructor had to sit everyone down and give us all a period of instruction on suicide prevention.

 

[Knox The Hatter]

No suicide attempts in my company. We had guys go UA (Unauthorized Absence, the Navy's version of AWOL), we had sleepwalkers, compulsive masturbators, class clowns, guys who were incapable of completing a sentence that didn't have the 'F' word in it, morons who couldn't spell their own names correctly on their notebooks. No suicide attempts, though.

 

[giantfan121262]

Nothing even remotely to suicide prevention. No classes on it and, as rough as it was, I don't think anybody even fathomed the idea.

 

[SimplyRio]

Thank you, button, what a thing to say 🙂


I sure HOPE there are no suicide attempts... Now I'm REALLY depressed! Oh well, only 7 more weeks to go.

 

[CurtWild]

after reading though this....

it looks like you`ve raised a fine young man.i wish him nothing but the best!!

 

[SimplyRio]

Thank you drunkenmstr, I very much appreciate your good wishes 🙂

 

[TummyDragon]

Thanks...

..for all the kind words and sharing of your memories.

Here's one for you, do you guys remember the BOX you sent home with all your stuff?

Well, when we got his box, we just couldn't resist... We didn't want him to feel left out of family stuff, so, we simply rebuilt him.

Now we can take him to the mall, to the waterfront, he can sit with us at dinner, etc. though much quieter and cheaper to feed than the original - not much of a conversationalist though.

 

[sole seeker]

I too am a graduate of Uncle Sam's Canoe Club Great Lakes Training Center in the dead of winter. My experience with the navy is much like Knox's, except that it was ten years earlier than his, during Viet Nam.


Your son will get a lot out of this.

He'll learn independence.

He'll learn responsibility. (Absolutely necessary for happiness in life.)

He will learn the value and the necessity of courage.

Your son will have earned the gratitude of his fellow countrymen who enjoy personal freedom but did not serve in the military to earn it.

Congratulations Rio, Dragon. You guys have every right to be proud. Thank you for raising your son to be the man he's become.

 

[SimplyRio]

Thank you, SoleSeeker, for your kind words. Truer words were never spoken/written, though, and they carry an even more importance because you are a veteran... and from Great Lakes, too! and... in the dead of winter... <<shiver>>

Not even two of the nine weeks have passed and I'm already chomping at the bit for his Pass In Review! Patience has never been one of my stronger virtues. Hopefully the Navy will teach him what I couldn't LOL