On the Toe Line

This is the first of a three part story of one Sailor's view of starting off in the Navy. Enjoy!

Boot Camp: Welcome to the Deep End
By
ETSA Slebodnik, D.V. USN

Congratulations Recruit, it seems like just a short time ago that you decided to join the United States Navy. You have been to MEPS and you have passed your physical, your ASVAB test, and you signed your contract, after doing your homework learning the rates of course. Now, your time in the Delayed Entry Program is finished, and you're ready to ship out to Great Lakes, IL to be the latest addition to Recruit Training Command, also known as Boot-Camp. My how time flies. You have completed your final ship-out processing at the MEPS, and now your on the bus to the airport. When you exit that bus, have your family meet you at the airport; trust me, it helps to kiss them goodbye before you set foot on that plane.

When you take off, the adrenaline running through you will be intense. You're taking the first steps toward a career and a cause bigger than yourself. You're going to be trained in technology that will defend your family and destroy the enemies of our United States. What you cannot do is let the excitement keep you awake, get as much sleep on that flight as possible because once you get on that bus to Great Lakes, you will find that time to sleep is a very precious. Next, upon landing you'll be following your "group leader", a.k.a. the guy holding all the paperwork, to check in with your RTC contact at the airport. I also highly recommend that you eat first. I wanted to be the good little Sailor wanting check in first before eating, but once we met him, we could not leave his sight as we sat on the floor in silence and starvation.

The first forty-eight hours after touchdown, the RTC staff can begin to separate the Sailors from the civilians. As you take that long ride on the bus, you will not be allowed to sleep if you do you will be screamed at loud enough to keep you awake until the end of the ride. Once you enter RTC, you'll have ten minutes to kiss your old life goodbye with your first phone call home, just to tell your family you got there safely, before being screamed at once again to move on to the next stage. After that you move on to your first issue of goods, beginning with an empty cardboard box where you follow a line of everything you need for the first few days from underwear to your first Navy sweat suit or "Smurfs" then told to strip down as naked as the day you were born and all of your things going in that small box to be sent home, after changing. Whatever does not fit inside goes in an outside dumpster (I suggest you pack light). All the while your every action seems to deserve one insult after another; some of you might think your back in high school.

As you move forward the treatment really turns sour as you meet your Recruit Division Commanders. Going into Boot Camp must not be taken lightly, you must become like water being able to absorb and pass what is thrown at you or you will wet yourself. When you reach the compartment of your barracks building or "ship", you will get your first meeting with your RDCs (you'll recognize them by the red ropes on their left shoulder). They walk in, making their presence known as your Chief gets inches from your face shouting you to do", whatever. The intimidation factor alone makes you fumble even the simplest of commands. Especially after medical clears you as "fit for full duty" and your RDCs are now allowed to enforce what's called Intense Training (also known as a beat down) where RDCs command you to perform gut wrenching exercises from jumping jacks to eight counts as punishments for failure to perform the simplest of tasks. Everything in Boot Camp is a challenge to be overcome, to rise or fall depends entirely on your honor, courage, and commitment.

The key to avoiding such harsh conditions is to not be a cowboy. Keep your head clear in making any decision, because not only will you get beat but your entire division will as well. I remember back at RTC when my division was on the toe line waiting for chow we have stood there just waiting. As the boredom set in, a few shipmates were getting chatty after being told to keep quiet and our petty officer had us all do pushups for fifteen minutes. There is no individual responsibility, there is no single person to blame; it is one crew and one punishment. Keep this in mind if you're a dirt bag that thinks he can do whatever he wants and take the punishment, because you will be responsible for much of the pain on your division. One thing that you have to know going into RTC is that it is all part of your training, your discipline. The RDCs want pass you on to the fleet knowing that you will relieve our brothers and sisters without fail. They want to know that if you approach a Captain wearing an eagle on his collar, you know to salute that Captain. Saluting that Captain shows your desire to be an aspect of the U.S. Navy by showing you have earned your spot and your uniform.

Going into Boot Camp, you must keep in mind your reason for joining, a goal, an ideal, anything that you may focus on to do your best in passing your trainers and tests. Hell...let your goal be rocking those dress blues for the girls after graduation because when push yourself and encourage your division to do so IT will be a thing of the past and your RDCs will lighten up. After one trainer, an RDC was answering questions for us and our Brother Div. One question was "Why are the RDCs so mean?" His answer was, "The RDCs get nicer when you get smarter."

This is all part of your basic training entering the United States Navy, the key is to break you down and build you back up. As you're broken down with your every failure you get built back up with your every success. As you are solely responsible for your own success, you are also an essential part of your part of the success of your division as you watch your back and each other's. Every drill you perfect, every question you answer correctly and every test you pass will get you through RTC much more smoothly all the way to graduation, maybe even a promotion. Once you graduate you get your orders and move on to your next command. By that time the Navy is a job, no more IT, no more harsh treatment that you don't deserve. You go to work on time with a clean shave and a clean uniform and you will have a long and exciting career in the U.S. Navy.

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If you are seeking information about joining the Navy, feel free to contact me.