{"id":7233,"date":"2024-05-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7233"},"modified":"2024-05-14T16:22:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T20:22:15","slug":"167-the-navy-introduced-me-to-a-lot-of-firsts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/167-the-navy-introduced-me-to-a-lot-of-firsts\/","title":{"rendered":"#167\u2014The Navy Introduced Me to a Lot of \u201cFirsts\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Who said, \u201cBelieve you can and you\u2019re halfway there.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie (and who said it), did we hear, \u201cEvery man dies, but not every man really lives.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and what movie), did we hear the following?
    Near, far, wherever you are<\/em>
    I believe that the heart does go on<\/em>
    Once more, you open the door<\/em>
    And you’re here in my heart<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    <\/div>
    Blog #167 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    Published: <\/span>May 13, 2024<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>2<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
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    Boot Camp<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    What can I say that others haven\u2019t said about \u201cBoot Camp?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I joined the Navy at the tender young age of 18 and attended a \u201ctruncated\u201d 6-week boot camp at Orlando RTC<\/a><\/strong> (Recruit Training Center) in July 1973. Why only six weeks? I don\u2019t have a clue. Perhaps the Navy was trying to send as many sailors as possible out into the fleet, even though the Vietnam War was \u201cwinding down.\u201d Of course, back then, nobody knew how long the war would actually last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first week of boot camp was typically called \u201cHell Week.\u201d From what I eventually came to understand, the primary purpose of this first week was two-fold: one, to breakdown individuals (everyone had a personality and many <\/em>of us had an ego), then rebuild the entire company into a team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cause that’s how it is in the service: a group of individuals who don’t know each other, but must function as a team. <\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"Andy
    Seaman Recruit Andy Adkins, Orlando RTC (July 1973).
    We were SO young.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    The second reason was to weed out those who couldn\u2019t make it, either physically or mentally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If memory serves, we had one guy go \u201cover the fence,\u201d (i.e., AWOL) and two others who were \u201csent back\u201d to another company a week or two for disciplinary actions, thus extending their time in boot camp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our Company Commander caught one guy smoking a cigarette in the wrong place at the wrong time and sent him back a week. Geez. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After that first week, though, we buckled down and continued physical training as well as learning how to be a modern-day sailor. Then, it was onto \u201cA\u201d School. For me, that would be Aviation Boatswains Mate-Handler<\/strong> school<\/a> in Lakehurst, New Jersey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We were also introduced to a few “choice” Navy terms; some I\u2019d heard of\u2026 most I didn\u2019t. A few I won’t mention in this family friendly<\/em> post. This was more than the \u201csailors\u201d colorful language. In fact, as part of my Navy memoir, \u201cThree Years, Eleven Months, and 29 Days, But Who\u2019s Counting,\u201d<\/strong> I created a \u201cGlossary of Navy Terms<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d They\u2019re on my website, free to download.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dog Tags<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My dad had dog tags during WWII. They\u2019re still mounted in the Shadow Box my mom made for him. The two met after<\/em> he returned from the war\u2026 on a blind date. He was in law school, but that\u2019s another story. The dog tags issued to us in Boot Camp weren\u2019t that much different from his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n