The Start 

of My Navy

Adventure

On 31 August which is the anniversary of my adventure into our United States Navy I started the Journey.  I took the Oath of Enlistment in Des Moines, Iowa. A few years ago in the Fall of 2015 I composed my story - "Let the Adventure Begin!"

It was a challenging summer back in 1961. I had terminated my employment at Rolling Acres Dairy Farm near Elgin Illinois and returned to Clayton County Iowa; the county of my Birth. After several weeks of casual labor on the farms of various family members I ascertained that at the age of 21 and a half years I was very soon going to be drafted into the United States Army.

Having grown up in an era when there was no television, I really did not know much about any branch of the US Military. However, I did know, or at least thought that soldiers did a lot of marching on gravel roads. When I finally gathered the courage to go see a recruiter I was greeted by a Navy man at the Clayton County Courthouse.

First thing after the recruiter ascertained who I was, he administered a brief test. I do not recall any of the questions, but I suspect that it was some sort of screening test that military recruiters used to see if potential recruits had the ability or knowledge to be eligible for military service.

I was not informed of my score. However, the recruiter was very interested in me and told me that I could enlist very soon. I informed him that for the next few days I would be helping one of my uncles put up some hay and that he could visit me on such and such a farm on the road just south of Ceres, which is very near the farmstead where my parents lived. On the appointed day I was busy loading hay bales on the wagon behind the baler and this Navy car showed up in the field. After the recruiter ascertained if I was still interested in joining the Navy, he gave me a bus ticket to travel from Guttenberg which was very close by for a day trip to Des Moines, and check into the YMCA hotel. I would then board the bus following morning to travel to the military exam center. Over the course of that day we were given a mental test and told to strip naked and wrap a towel around our lower torso. Over the course of the next 6 hours we were examined from head to toe by various doctors, or as I learned later, various military medics. Up to that point in my life I had never received a physical of any type.

The most interesting aspect of the physical proceedings were when we were told to stand directly in front of a doctor and drop our respective towels so that the doctor could examine our testicles and penis. As he held each testicle we were instructed to turn our face away from the doctor and cough. As this procedure concluded we were informed that this was to learn if we had any hernias. I recall that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon when we all learned that we had passed the entrance physical. A group of 80 of us were ushered into a theater where we were sworn in to the United States Navy.

Then a sailor walked up on the stage and asked us how many people wanted to go to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. One new sailor volunteered. The rest of us broke out in laughter. Although we did not know where the other boot camp or boot camps may be located, we were joining the Navy to see the world. We were then told that we would be traveling to San Diego, California for our boot camp training.

We did not even know how long boot camp would be. We all gathered all our personal belongings, which consisted of a few cigarettes and our toothbrushes. We were then taken by bus to an airport near Des Moines and told we would be flying into Kansas City. I do not remember if it was Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas City, Kansas. What I do remember is that once we landed in Kansas City, the airplane operated by Alaska Airlines, which was chartered by the US Government developed a mechanical problem. After a few hours we were told that we would be transported to a hotel and later picked up once the airplane was fixed so we could travel on to boot camp in San Diego. Apparently the airplane had a major problem. We were checked into the hotel, assigned rooms and informed not to leave the immediate area. To make a long story short, I remember that we stayed at this hotel for at least 2 days before we were told that the airplane was ready and that we would be traveling to boot camp in San Diego. It was early evening when we boarded the plane and the takeoff was uneventful. If I remember correctly none of us had ever been on an airplane before. This was back in 1961 and many Iowa farm boys had ever done any traveling. It was not long before most of us experienced air sickness. The flight crew passed out barf bags and the majority of us quickly used them. After a long flight we arrived in San Diego at about 4 a.m. We were immediately put on a bus and taken to an all-night restaurant somewhere very close to boot camp because the Mess Hall was not yet open.

After a wonderful breakfast we were then transported to Boot Camp San Diego. Upon arrival we were greeted by a representative of Recruit Training Center San Diego. We received our brief, but shouted welcome message. We were essentially told that while we were in Boot Camp that the Navy would be our new Mom!

We arrived, if I remember right, on the Sunday immediately before Labor Day 1961. Of course Monday was a holiday so we were instructed to remain at the in processing compound and of course allowed to proceed to the chow hall for our meals. Just as we all survived in Kansas City, we were sharing our meager supply of cigarettes. Of course we had not been indoctrinated in the Navy concept that cleanliness is next to godliness, so we extinguished the butts on the ground. While the sailors on duty observed our careless cleanliness they must have been chuckling to themselves as to what our next assignment would be. I believe it was after we had smoked all the available cigarettes that we were instructed to go out and police the area and pick up all the butts. The very next day, which was a Tuesday, we were lined up and marched to the chow hall for breakfast. Immediately after that we began our in processing to become sailors.

I do not recall in what order, but I do remember that we went through clothing issue and the shot line. We now were ready to look like Sailors with our new dungarees and heavy duty black boots (boon dockers). After that we went to a long shed where we were each given a box with a government address label on it and told to take off all of our civilian clothes, including our underwear. We then put on our uniforms, including skivvies, which is the Navy term for underwear. We had no choice in this matter as we were issued boxers. We placed our civilian clothes in the box and wrote the mailing address of our parents on the address label. We were then marched off to chow for the evening meal. We traveled a few blocks as a new company of 79 Iowa sailors along with one young lad from Alaska. We were now an official Training Company of Boots – the term for new Sailors in boot camp. We were to be known as Company 421. We were assigned bunk beds and a locker in which to store our clothes that we were not wearing. Yes this was a very busy day. So we were really beginning to feel like we were part of an organization known as the Navy. The next morning we were also busy. After breakfast we proceeded to the barbershop.

There were about 10 barbers on duty and each barber was assigned seven or eight newly minted sailors. As we were each seated in the barber chair, the barber would ask us how we wanted our hair cut. Of course it really did not make much difference what we said. We all received the standard head shaved bald haircut. At that time there really wasn't much information shared with us. We simply did what we were told. The third day I think we all realized that our primary task was to do what we were told when we were told. Reflecting back to the day we were able to get our uniforms, I forgot to mention that we were educated on how to take an official Navy shower. Each boot camp company was assigned a barracks and each company had a specific shower room and lavatory area where we would perform our normal hygiene task. It was a real challenge to take a shower in a large room with about 80 young males. Of course we quickly learned to throw modesty aside and get with the program. Now a Navy shower is a quick wet down, turn the water off, use the soap to lather up, followed by a quick rinse and then stepping from the shower area to pick up our towel and dry off. None of us had ever worn shower shoes prior to arriving in boot camp. They were really flip flops but we quickly named them Jesus shoes simply because they reminded us of the pictures of the sandals that Jesus wore in our Sunday school literature. It was somewhere at this point what we learned that our boot camp would be at least 9 weeks. In addition to marching and physical fitness drills we also received a lot of instruction about our new job, being a sailor in the United States Navy. We were then reminded that if we should fail any mental test or not measure up in the physical fitness evaluation, we could be sent back for a week which would lead to us having to spend more time in boot camp. I believe that we all realized that we really did not want to endure more than 9 weeks. So if my memory serves me correctly all of us graduated on schedule. During my Navy entrance physical I learned that my official weight was 132 pounds. Had I been four pounds lighter I would not have qualified for a Navy enlistment. The routine of three meals a day and the physical fitness drills allowed me to depart boot camp weighing a fit 145 pounds.

Of course weekends in boot camp what quite well regimented, but we did have free time on Sunday afternoons. We were not allowed to receive any phone calls or make any phone calls, however we could write letters. We were not allowed to receive any gifts, such as candy, in the mail. However, one sailor was able to convince his family or his sweetheart to send him M & M candies. On one particular Sunday afternoon this fellow recruit was out in the barracks patio getting ready to consume his M & M candies. Unfortunately our boot company commander just happened to appear on the scene and was curious as to the origin of the candy. The company commander immediately emptied the bag of M & M’s and the recruit was instructed to do pushups and pick up one M & M with his tongue each time he got to the cement patio. Our company commander quickly informed us that as we already knew gifts were not appropriate. We were then allowed to observe our fellow recruit performing his consumption of the M & M candies. Each of us quickly learned a vital aspect of working together and performing as a team.

Each morning we were given a quiz on the classroom subjects that we had been given on the prior day. In order to improve our learning skills the young man from Alaska took copious notes during our classroom instruction times.

As we washed our clothes every evening, our Alaskan buddy would refresh us from his notes on what we should have learned during that day’s classroom instruction. Our company commander suggested that we take this opportunity to listen very well and to also wash our secondary instructor’s clothing.

As I reflect on the beginning of my adventure in the Navy of course I have fond memories of my basic training in boot camp which was the genesis of learning teamwork and cleanliness. We all learned that once we reported to our next duty station that Navy showers were mandatory. We had already practiced them during our boot camp. This is essential because every ship at sea has to produce their own water out of salt water. Additionally, teamwork is very essential once assigned to a ship because each division has a specific responsibility for their portion of the ship or their specialty. People who fire the guns had to work as a team just as the sailors who operated the equipment that allow the ship to steam through the waters.

As I reflect on my new adventure as a fresh young Iowa farm boy at the tender age of 21 and a half and what I learned during boot camp, I am very proud of what I accomplished in the 9 short weeks of boot training. This story may not be all that interesting unless of course you were not aware of what the Navy was all about when you join. In this day and age everyone who joins the military, be it the Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or Navy, has seen plenty of videos and film about the heroes who defend our country. Now, because of the time when I joined, there really was no widespread television in Northeast Iowa. I really had no idea what the Navy was all about. What I did know was that they did a lot of traveling to all the countries of the world. That sounded to be exactly what I wanted to do.

This is was my beginning of a big adventure into my 21 year career in the United States Navy. The adventure began in August 1961 when I was sworn into the US Navy after passing the medical test and having every part of my 132 pound body poked and prodded by the many medics and doctors who performed their task to ensure that the new recruits for the Navy and yes the other branches of service were fit for duty.