THE NAVY RECRUIT

a naval training center is a big Navy town where green recruits are changed quickly into smart stepping companies of future shipmates where today the Navy is turning out the blue jackets will man its basis sail it ships fly in its planes tomorrow we were green all right just as green as recruits come from cities small towns farms all over the land a little bit uncertain too when we walk down that road that led into the future we told The Omen who we were and where we came from we were really in the Navy now but we felt along we quickly discovered the Navy's vigilance over a man's physical fitness the Navy settles for nothing less than top shape to get us there to keep us there when we received the makings of a sea bag we began to feel a little more Navy almost $200 worth of clothing free to us skivvies that's undershirts whites blues shoes from head to toe no doubt about it we joined the Navy this was it with our names on our uniforms and our pictures on our identification cards we belong we were a company now but a name only we were assigned a barracks our new home and we met our company commander chief Clinton who was going to make sailors out of us although he knew then better than we that it would take a lot of doing even in his first talk he said us to thinking about things that get you ahead in the Navy ambition self confidence self-respect he was on our side sort of leading the way for us helping us feel more at home he showed us the Navy way of doing things there were little tricks to everything we soon found out the chief was more than our leader he was a friend almost a father questions got straight answers with 16 years in the Navy he knew his way around Jimmy Lane was lucky that first day had a letter from his girl waiting for him and a picture to our company's first pinup those of us with no male yet took a wide-eyed look at our own training center news there was certainly a lot of interesting things going on after supper we follow the Chiefs advice about cleanliness we thought we were tired that night we didn't even know then what tired meant but we would have find out tomorrow Navy days begin bright and early by morning colors at 8 o'clock everyone had been up for two and a half busy hours the flag is a symbol of the country we serve gets treated with due ceremony in the Navy we watched a sight that fills every Navy man with pride a sensation we'd never quite known as yesterday's civilian the sort of inner satisfaction that comes to men who have chosen careers of serving their country that morning brought an introduction to the grinder that's what recruits call the drill field oh this wasn't our company yet these men knew what they were doing they had already learned the what's and why's of military drills how it trains men to respond quickly to orders and to coordinate themselves with their shipmates in short to move like a smooth-running machine we didn't look at all like a machine well we weren't we were just a bunch of landlubbers in uniform out for a little stroll couldn't even keep in step at first weren't used to being one coordinated part of 110 this was the grinder this was a grind hard tough training chief Clinton had more patience than we had teaching us to halt on the one two and two know left from right right face left face about-face well you'd get all mixed up feel a little foolish but it all had a purpose and it was a challenge to do it right we began slowly to improve to fall into the automatic rhythm of course every once in a while the chief spotted somebody out of step but that happened less and less often we began to admit it to ourselves we were getting good even the chief was becoming proud of us he said we had a good chance to win the regimental 'flag for the best drilling company and that meant extra Liberty and there was another good thing about Navy life it certainly gave you an appetite the cooks were experts at their art although we had some galley drill - good old potatoes Navy food may not be served fancy but it's how it tastes that counts and that steak was out of this world there was plenty of book-learning and the chief knew most of the books by heart do a lot of things that weren't in the books - this was a real education and we earn while we learn finding out about rates and pay grades and where we were going in this man's Navy the Navy sets its standards high that was fine with us but we were all thinking more and more about the bright prospects of a Navy career from the document we called brats and Shoals we learned our naval right and wrong developing a company spirit we were now shipmates learning together and we wanted to know all about ships which was a big order even for the chief who taught us our seamanship quite away from the sea this is the port anchor chain and shackle he said and this is the starboard and we repeated it to ourselves a new language this nautical lingo and we liked it this was practical basic real learn how to rig up a block and tackle and the pulleys give you what's called a mechanical advantage polite for taking the strain off your back sometimes the fellas imagination could carry him away until suddenly you remembered he was still in a classroom learning how things worked with a growing zest to get aboard a real seagoing ship on a day still months away this came first knowing the difference between the quarterdeck and the bridge cleats and bits lines and hazards decks and bulkheads hundreds of terms we like to pretend there was a ship actually responding to the dummy controls because some day there would be engines and rudders on the other end we learn more on the full-size model of the real thing we looked ahead to twenty or thirty years filled with ships from landing craft to battleships still four fellows who were landlubbers last month we were making progress a ropes not a rope it's a line and knots and hitches come in handy a good knot as a work of art a bowline for instance looper bring the free end up and through around back down and through and it's a loop that won't slip the application of this knowledge was just around the corner the next day when we took to the water our seamanship training was vital to us here this was not the ocean but it was water and that was a beginning some of us had never been in a boat but in our determination to learn we ignored our regards the Coxon gave us the stroke and soon we were making a move in perfect timing with his commands we were a team United in a common effort with complete confidence in our proficiency afloat we were getting confidence in the water too many of us couldn't even dog town but as in everything else the Navy knew how to teach us swimming in no time at all and soon we were at home in the water and happy to have mastered one more subject we learned a few things about marksmanship under the expert instruction of our friends the Marines hold your breath squeeze the trigger and well complete misses at first but here was the story of our training in a nutshell practice and perseverance led to bull's-eyes it was no lark but the Marines had patience and we had a will to learn to become proficient in everything a blue jacket must know training films were a pleasant way to soak up knowledge the motion pictures were especially designed for us it all tied in we would see a film on gunnery and picked right up for the picture left off with the real thing like this 40 millimeter AAA and again we were reminded that just about everything a man does with his shipmates calls for precision teamwork and coordination working or playing to the Navy our play was just as important as our work to relax us to get us and keep us in top shape and we always had our mascots mr. bones on hand for luck we don't can get in a good workout in the morning or sharpen up toughen ourselves for Saturday's game it was all a part of getting fit and keeping fit this was supposed to be working but you couldn't convince us knowing how to handle your fists doesn't hurt your self reliance one bit no black eyes today we were getting harder better able to take him doing everything together we even saved our earnings together and it was a good habit to form particularly when you'd found a purpose in your future our leftover pay sometimes ended up at the ship store where you could buy radios fountain pens caddy even a gold wristwatch for mom's birthday Friday night usually meant a dance which was held in the big reception building as usual admission was free next morning we were up before revelry swabbing down our barracks deck which we used to call a floor and making ready for the captain's inspection it was worth getting up early to get things shipshape we wanted to win the rooster flag that went to the top company and inspection we'd won at last Saturday and we were out to make it a permanent fixture that afternoon came the big football game of the season and we were all on hand one of our boys had made first team hat back from the opening play we stopped them in their tracks we did more than play as a team we lived as a team afterwards we headed for our favorite meeting place a recreation building we celebrated our victory and hashed over the afternoon's passes punts and prayers there was plenty to talk about our own man was the pride of our company for scoring the winning touchdown Sunday morning services were held for each denomination and recruits were encouraged to follow the religion of their own choice after services we'd often meet the chaplain who helped us with many personal problems a staunch friend on Sunday afternoon the visitors would come parents kid brothers and sisters and maybe your best girl we'd meet them all at the reception book it was like home to kiss mom hello again and introduce it to your shipmate she enjoyed knowing powerseller son was getting along it wasn't at all hard to swing back into the routine on Monday morning when the work was as exciting as firefighting drill we got the feel of it on the little blazes first armed with our protective clothing and high-pressure fog nozzles and when we'd learned the principles involved we graduated to bigger fires like this one in a replica of a ship's superstructure finally when we'd become expert firefighters we take on big stubborn blazes like this we were in there putting them out the hard way from the Lord's side sure our faces got dirty but we didn't mind at all this was the way to learn by doing and this was the way we learned what we were going to do in the Navy our aptitude test where we were asked about our hobbies our aims in life what sort of work appealed to us and it was all climaxed by quizzes that helped us locate our proper niche no square pegs in round holes here the Navy took every care to start us off right and among 80 skilled jobs and all found one we liked aviation machinists keep the Navy flying motor machinists keep the engines repaired ship fitters worked with giant hydraulic presses metalsmiths perform miracles with steel machinists operate lathes and machine tools electricians produced the Navy's power and electronics men worked on radio and radar since radio men keep the Navy in contact with itself radar men work at the forefront of science there are specialists in aerial photography motion pictures news photos of Navy events yeoman handle the Navy's paperwork hospital men care for the sick assist the doctors act his pharmacist signalmen handled short-range communication quartermasters assists in navigation and some men acquire special ratings and get extra pay almost any job you can name you'll find in the United States Navy this was more than just another Saturday Review it was graduation day we had learned the fundamentals of a great career and the simple truth that by working for his shipmates a man promotes his own good as we march past the reviewing stand we knew the Commodore would recognize us we were the company carrying the regimental flag last six weeks in a row no longer were we youths with few responsibilities but men with a purpose in life prepared to meet the future Tom Ross was going out to basic submarine school the future was no longer uncertain it was here scotty hail to aviation fundamentals school bill johnson tomorrow's electronics technician we were filled with assurance and confidence and a pride in ourselves in the Navy in the uniforms we wore our discipline our team works were part of us now thanks to cheap Clinton the proudest of us all after our recruit lead all our new lives would be awaiting us at our next stations schools ships yes this was the same gate we had entered three short months before but we were not the same men inside that gate we had found ourselves bound the future out there on every ocean of the earth the Navy was ready to take us aboard and now we were ready to go