The good, the bad and the ugly
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

The good, the bad and the ugly

In 1966 I graduated from high school in the small town of Walnut, California. My Uncle Dick gave me a..
3,129 views
A proud naval career
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A proud naval career

Aug. 18, 1959 – I shook hands with my Dad “The Duke,” my brother-in-law Chet, and kissed my mother, sister..
3,981 views
Parris Island memories
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Parris Island memories

Do you ever wonder why sailors and Marines call it “boot camp?” Some say the term originated when "old salts"..
3,222 views
Shots – ouch!
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Shots – ouch!

I graduated from high school in 1963. I started college, but my grade point average was lower than my blood..
4,272 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Put up your dukes!

It came as a surprise to all who knew me, especially my parents and long-time girlfriend, when I announced that..
2,435 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Not-so-fond memories

I arrived at Sampson Air Force Base in Geneva, New York, June 4, 1955, at 7 p.m. after riding the..
2,245 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Pugil stick training

October 1969, Fort Bragg, North Carolina – one of my fondest memories was in the pugil stick training pit. This..
2,360 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Latrines and leadership

Midnight, September 1957, Fort Dix, New Jersey – I am on my hands and knees with a toothbrush in an..
2,345 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Oh, fudge

I was born and raised in southwest Missouri and joined the Marines in December 1943 after graduating high school. Never..
2,101 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

‘Foxtrot’ platoon memories

I was recruited by a civilian co-worker who was serving in the Army Reserves. I enlisted Oct. 29, 1979 at..
3,430 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Bag ‘sorting’

On Jan. 29, 1955 I was inducted in the Army at Omaha, Nebraska along with a number of other young..
3,614 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Trophy winners

I was drafted July 6, 1966 into the Army. All my training was in Fort Polk, Louisiana, and I was..
2,186 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Swim, boy!

I was a naïve farm boy from Minnesota and enlisted in the Navy, winding up in San Diego for Boot..
2,144 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

'Rainbows' and 'Pings'

In March 1968 I felt I needed a break from classrooms and professors’ lectures of all sorts. A need for..
2,066 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Ill-fitting uniforms

As I look back to the time I went into Army Basic Training, a myriad of memories come flooding back,..
1,992 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

‘General parking’

As a new Navy nurse stationed at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, California from 1964-1967, I kept learning about..
3,290 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

‘Taps’

Bainbridge, Maryland, August 4, 1953 – As I lay in my bunk late evening of the second day and reviewed..
3,507 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Not too tired for a kiss

I didn’t enjoy Navy Boot Camp at Bainbridge, Maryland in the winter of 1956-57. The cold weather, lack of sleep..
1,939 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Who volunteers for latrine duty?!

After “falling out” and “falling in” and lining up rather awkwardly my first morning at old Camp Rucker in Alabama,..
2,073 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Best and worst memories

Fort Lewis, Washington, January 1968 -- Our lecturer, in a character-building session, attempted to instill to a roomful..
2,091 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

‘Duck’

My worst memory of boot camp was crawling under barbed wire at the same time 30 and 50-caliber machine guns..
3,441 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

No power – no problem!

I was drafted into the Army and had to report for duty in Detroit. From there I was sent to..
3,652 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A cruel memory

My worst experience in Basic Training happened in May 1951 while we were being trained to fire the grenade launcher..
2,211 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

‘Yes, SIR!’

I was in college in 1968 and grew weary of hearing I should resist the draft, so I joined the..
4,018 views
The Kick for Nick Foundation
WHY I LOVE MY POST

The Kick for Nick Foundation

Wilton, CT
On September 3, 2006, PFC Nick Madaras was killed by an IED in Baqubah, Iraq. Nick was an avid soccer..
3,304 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

A fateful day in November

I was in basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., in November 1963. We had been on firing range that day,..
2,337 views
Dept. of Texas 4th District Competition
ORATORICAL CONTEST

Dept. of Texas 4th District Competition

Wylie, TX
Wow! what an amazing day we had yesterday! The 4th District was represented well by the young men and women..
3,451 views
"We have a funeral"...
HONOR GUARD

"We have a funeral"...

Tell City, IN
“We have a funeral”… …and with those four words received by phone from the American Legion Military Honors Detail chaplain, a..
5,439 views
Girl Scout troop dedicates mural
HONORS & ACHIEVEMENTS

Girl Scout troop dedicates mural

Valparaiso, IN
On Nov. 11, 2015, Girl Scout Troop 163 from Valparaiso, Ind., unveiled a 12-foot-by 5-foot mural as a gift to..
3,118 views
MEMORIES OF BASIC TRAINING

Fort Benning, Ga. - How to get a one-day pass

I took my basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., Sand Hill barracks, in the spring of 1966. Our drill instructor offered..
3,043 views