I was a registered nurse prior to joining the Navy Nurse Corps in June 1973. School was in Rhode Island. One of my worse experiences was the obstacle course. I am not good with heights. I froze at the top of the log climb, where I then had to grab the rope to come down. I was holding everyone behind me up to continue, and after a while I was told to climb back down. Determined not to quit, I grabbed it and then just slid down. The end result was rope burns on both hands. I had both hands wrapped for several days.
Thank goodness for my roommate, Kye, as she had to shine my shoes and dress. We were still in civvies, as our uniforms had not come in yet. It also kept me out of swimming for the final part of the swim class, which was jumping off the 40-foot tower. My classmates said I was lucky, but I didn't think so. After the bandages were off, I asked the instructor to let me. I did, and after the shock I was glad I did, so that was my best experience.
One other memory was the first time I wore my uniform and was out on the grounds by myself. At the school enlisted personnel were going through their schools and marching in formation. They saluted us first, and as it was the first time I was not in a group I was anxious and actually went behind a building!