A Veteran's Journey

Q – In the movie, The Poseidon Adventure, what was the 1973 hit song by Maureen McGovern?
Q – In what 1973 movie did we hear the famous line, “The Power of Christ compels you”?

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“Hurry Up and Wait”

That’s a phrase we often hear. For many of us veterans, it became a daily mantra.

“Press hard, the third copy’s yours”

I was 18 years old when I joined the Navy. I wrote about the “why” in an earlier blog. I already had a year of college under my belt (FSU). Even though I flunked out (“dismissed for academic reasons”), I was eligible to join as an E-2–that was the second-level up in pay grade for an enlisted man.

The Navy recruiter told me to report to the Jacksonville, Florida Induction Center (now called the Military Entrance Processing Command) on Tuesday morning, July 10, 1973 at 7:00 a.m. “sharp.” To make sure we arrived on time, the Navy was kind enough to put us new recruits up in the Heart of Jacksonville Hotel the night before.

At five a.m. (aka, “0’dark hundred”), all potential recruits received a not-so-gentle wake-up call. We herded down to breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and ushered onto a bus that would take us to the Induction Center. For most of us, it would be our last ride as civilians.

I don’t remember all the wonderful things we did during the day, other than wait around (“Hurry up and wait”), talk with many different Navy personnel in their sparkling-white summer uniforms, and fill out endless reams of paperwork. This was the early 70s; there were no computers.

Has anyone ever told you to “Turn your head and cough”? Stay with me here.

You hear that phrase quite a bit in the Induction Center. During the physical exam, you stand in a line in your underwear along with a couple of dozen other recruit wannabes. The exam room is about the size of a quarter of a tennis court. Everyone faces forward, standing at near-perfect attention. I say “near-perfect” because we didn’t know what “stand at attention” meant at the time. We just mimicked what we remembered from the movies.

The doctor enters the room with a Navy hospital corpsman following close behind. The corpsman carries a box of latex gloves–this does not look good.

“You men on the right, turn your head to the right. You men on the left, turn your head to the left. Now drop your shorts. When I tell you to, turn your head and cough.”

I’ll spare you the details, but needless to say, it was a very personal lesson in humility. God only knows what he was looking for. I certainly wasn’t hiding anything. I thought to myself, “What does this guy do on vacation for fun?”

After losing all sense of privacy, those of us who passed the physical exams were sworn in. While it was a pronounced speech, I felt that I had taken a major step in my journey called life. I was now enlisted in the United States Navy.

Boot Camp – here we are

We left the Jacksonville Induction Center later that day on a Trailways bus heading south to Orlando, about a three-hour drive. Arriving at the Orlando Naval Recruit Training Center (RTC) around midnight, we were met by a big, burly guy dressed in Navy whites.

We were placed in a temporary holding company for a few days, waiting until we had enough recruits to build a company of eighty men. We were a mixture of all sorts: guys who had nowhere else to go, guys who had the choice between going to jail or joining Uncle Sam’s Sailing Club, and guys like me who wanted to become a man. In other words, most of us didn’t have a clue what we wanted to do with our lives.

Before I continue, let me pause here for a brief moment to relate something very personal to you.

A New Language – Navy lingo

I grew up in a fairly conservative home. My father was a WWII veteran, a lawyer, and a Methodist. My mother was one of four sisters and grew up in a Baptist household. Both my parents were born and raised in Florida. I grew up attending the First United Methodist Church. Other than a few choice swear words I learned in high school, we simply didn’t use curse words while I was growing up.

The first morning in our new recruit company (Orlando RTC Company #163) we woke to the sound of a fifty-gallon metal garbage can being kicked down the middle of the barracks and some big burly guy shouting, “Get the f*** up. Drop your c***s and grab your socks. You’ve got fifteen minutes to s***, shower, and shave.” Welcome to the United States Navy.

It’s 0400 (pronounced “O four hundred”). That’s four o’clock in the frigging morning. Before heading to the bathroom, we first had to stand (at attention) in front of our bunks to be counted to make sure no one had jumped the fence to go AWOL (Absent without Leave). Fortunately, no one fled that night.

Chow was served in the mess hall, about a quarter-mile march away from our barracks, starting at 0600 (6:00 a.m.). Chow lines were long, but they moved fast. Here, I was introduced to one of the most beloved meals in the Navy: S*** on a Shingle–chipped beef in white gravy on toast. It wasn’t half bad, especially if you added enough salt and pepper. But I was wondering, where were the bacon and eggs and pancakes my Navy recruiter promised? Where were the biscuits like my mom used to make? My God, how can anyone eat this slop?

The first couple of days we lined up for all sorts of fun activities, beginning with haircuts. By “lined up,” I mean we were nice and tight. Or, as you get more used to it, the Navy term is “Nut to Butt.”

For those of us who grew up in the seventies, long hair was “in” and, most new recruits had long hair. We stood (at attention) outside the barber shop waiting our turns. By this time, we knew what “stand at attention” meant. There were six barber chairs in the shop. There was also about a foot of hair on the floor, almost like walking through a field of wheat.

I hopped into the chair and while my hair was not that long, I asked the Navy barber to “take a little off the top.” Well, after thirty seconds (the barbers had a contest to see who could shave a new recruit’s hair off in the shortest amount of time; like shearing sheep), he was done with me and said, “How’s that smartass? Now, get the f*** out of my chair.” Welcome to the United States Navy.

Besides being woken up at 0400 with some lard ass kicking a garbage can down the middle of the barracks and screaming vulgar obscenities at the top of his lungs, we got into a somewhat regular routine those first few days: early morning calisthenics on the “Grinder,” three square meals a day, learning to march, and cleaning our barracks. I was even learning a new language–“Navy lingo.”

I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Until we meet again,
Andy

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE copy HERE.

Answers:

1973 was the year I joined the Navy. Hence, the Q&A for ’73.

1. The Morning After – during my short four years in the Navy, there were many times I asked myself if there would be “A Morning After.”
2. The Exorcist – I was in Guam when The Exorcist came out. Several of us went to see it. Several of us didn’t go to another movie like that for a while.