Try to imagine this day in your mind. New Recruit Training Center, San Diego, California, 1965.

It came a day in Boot Camp that over 300 young men had to prove they could swim. We all marched over to the indoor pool. You remember the wool bathing trunks the Navy issued you? We didn't have them with us. They made us all get naked and scrub our nasty bottoms till they were spotless, and to validate that they stationed one of the pool Navy personnel to stand on the pool ladder and inspect every backside presented to him. How does one get that job? Must have been on someone's list. After that we all sat in the bleachers "Buck" naked.

Then they called row after row of young men to the pool, and the Petty Officer would ask can everyone swim? He ordered everyone in the pools deep end to swim a lap. Right away a couple started sputtering and trying to walk on the bottom.

When they came up for air the Petty Officer extended a cane pole to them for help. When they reached for it, he pulled it back and started flailing the recruit and admonishing him for not saying he couldn't swim. It kept it up for all 300+ men. Nobody wanted to admit they couldn't swim. I still think how messed up that was after all these years.

We also did neat things like washing our clothes with a bristle brush on a concrete table everyday. We used 'Clothes Stops' to hang our clothes up with the dungaree pants flies pointing toward our neighbor MCRD.

Marching to chow in the morning at 4 am. We marched past a garbage dumpster and a Mess Cook, who had a boot recruit working the Mess Hall, by the throat, choking the life out of him for sleeping in the dumpster.

Then we could talk about the misfits. They were designated 4013 Company. When they went to Chow, everyone covered his eyes until everyone was at the table, then they could eat.

The first one finished meant everyone was through. You stood up, covered your eyes then cleared the table and left.

Much, more.