I enlisted in the Navy in 1964 at the advice of my older brother who was in the final year of a four year tour in the Marine Corps. He assured me that recruit training for the Navy was much less strenuous than that of the Corps. For the most part this was true because after some PT and marching drill in the mornings most of the day was filled with classroom lessons of various Naval pursuits. When we were issued our seabag with dress and undress uniforms and under apparel we were informed by our Co. Commander, Drill Instructor that in the Navy new gear was considered dirty gear and that all clothing in the sea bag, with the exception of the Dress Uniform was to be washed. Well being a wise 17 year old from the big city I figured that I could get by with only washing half of my issue. Needless to say this was a mistake. A few days later while standing barracks watch I was confronted by our sister company Co. Commander, Drill Inspector, who came in to inspect the barracks, which was SOP at Great Lakes RTC. After the barracks passed inspection and since I was the sentry on guard duty, he decided to inspect my personal locker for neatness, which I gladly opened for him because everything was folded by the book, Blue Jackets Manual, as I stood there proud as a peacock, a dark look came upon his face. He pointed out that although everything was neatly folded by the book, half of the clothing had not been washed and therefore was dirty gear. As I protested, he showed me that the unwashed skivvies had a slightly different tint than that of those that had been washed and at that point awarded me with a demerit. At the end of the day my Co. Commander, a salty Machinist Mate from Macon, GA, by the name of George Miley, threw my entire seabag into the shower. I never had a problem following instructions from that moment on.

Joe Sweeney, Co.393, Great Lakes RTC, August 1964. Member Post 184 Wildwood New Jersey