My worst memory...
It was about the first or second day that we were "picked up" by our Drill Instructors and finally out of "receiving"! I believe it was in the afternoon, but time was a blur. We were in line, sitting on our footlockers trying to follow the instructions on spit shining our shoes. I was the fourth Marine from the front and on the port side, so I had a pretty clear view of the "quarter deck" area.

The Senior DI was front and center while the "Junior" DI's were making the rounds ensuring we were following the instructions properly (heh..heh).

A recruit came racing up to the Senior DI. "Sir, the Private requests permission to speak to the Senior Drill Instructor, Sir". The Senior screams something along the order of "WHAT THE F*** DO YOU WANT SCUMBAG?!!" The Private answers, "Sir, the Private requests permission to make an emergency head call, Sir". The Senior DI screams, "You gotta sh*t scumbag?" Of which the recruit answers, "Yes Sir!"

I'm spit shining "a mile a minute" acting like I don't see or hear anything because I don't want to get singled out for "eyeballing" or anything of the sort.

The Senior screams to get on the "quarter deck" and BEGIN!! The Recruit raced over and began "bends and thrusts" and after what seemed to be an eternity he is ordered on the pull-up bar. By now, the Juniors are getting involved and wore out on pull-ups, so it was back to bend and thrusts. Now the recruit is really wearing down, so then he starts "ON YOUR BACK..ON YOUR BELLY..ON YOUR BACK..ON YOUR BELLY." This Recruit is flip flopping as best he can.

The Senior now calls him to attention. This recruit is totally soaking wet and exhausted. The senior screams, "YOU STILL GOTTA SH*T SCUMBAG?" to which the recruit answers "SIR, NO, SIR." Then the Senior screams, "THEN GET THE F*** BACK ON LINE!!!" The Recruit vanishes back into the squad bay.

I'm sitting there thinking what did I get myself into and how do we take a dump here?????

Come to find out that function was to be done on our "one half hour of free time" before we hit the rack. They even had our bowels trained! We could also get up during the night, one at a time, which the "firewatches" were required to monitor. God help them if there was more than one Recruit out of the rack at a time.

I never would have guessed at that time that I was to go on and become the platoon "Honorman" and also to make the Marines a career.

I look back now at this and other memories and chuckle, but I sure wasn't chuckling then.