Memories of Boot Camp at RTC Orlando

“It’s Not Just a Job. It’s an Adventure.”

I was 20 years old and dissatisfied, the oldest boy in a large Catholic family, working at a drug store while taking classes at the local college. I excelled at neither. The U.S. was in a military build-up and I was intrigued by the Navy advertisements promising technical training, the opportunity to travel the world, and, most compellingly, “adventure,”

I went to the downtown multi-service recruiting center and talked to a Navy recruiter. The words “four year enlistment” were off-putting. What if it was four years not of action and adventure but of regret and misery? I determined I’d seek fulfilling experiences elsewhere, thank you very much.

Seven Simple Words

My employer Paul Beringer, a generous and affable fellow Catholic who for many years had one or another Guevara sibling working for him, was aware that I was struggling to find purpose and meaning. When I mentioned my outing he engaged me on the subject. I remember telling him, “I don’t want to spend the next four years of my life being dragged around by a leash.” Paul pondered this for a few moments, then looked at me and gently said, “Maybe it would be good for you.” The memory of those simple words still echoes.

Despite my school struggles I scored well on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), and was offered a choice of available career paths. My selected rating of Aviation Electrician’s Mate, if successfully completed, entailed about a year of military and technical training before being sent to the fleet. The adventure was to begin with Navy Basic Training (“Boot Camp”) in Orlando, Florida.

First Flight

My father dropped me at the recruiting station at 5:00 AM, entreating “You’ll write, won’t you son?” A group of us young men were driven to the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) near the airport, where we underwent physical and psychological examinations before taking the oath of enlistment. I boarded my first-ever flight with two others that were going my way, gripping the armrests tightly most of the way to Charlotte NC, where USO personnel greeted us with soda and snacks. We boarded another flight for Orlando, where many more recruits gathered at the USO Center to await transportation. The USO volunteers were kind, welcoming, and maternal – a sharp contrast to what awaited.

A Warm Welcome to RTC Orlando

It is strange that the U.S. Navy had a major base in land-locked Orlando. The property was a World War II Army Air Base, after which its airfield was given back to the city (and is still in use as Orlando Executive Airport). The remainder of the property was utilized by the Air Force until 1968 when it was repurposed as Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando, with the Recruit Training Command (RTC) its primary tenant. Between 1968 and 1996 all female enlisted recruits went through Navy Basic Training in Orlando, while men were sent to either Orlando, San Diego CA, or Great Lakes IL.

Twelve to 15 young men and women climbed into a van outside the commercial airport at about 6:00 PM, and were greeted by the friendly driver. I marveled at the palm trees as we drove through town. We entered the base and disembarked at the Recruit In-processing Facility (RIF) where unexpectedly (at least for me), a handful of men immediately began verbally assailing us, taking great pains to point out our individual deficiencies. We were herded into some semblance of order and collectively harangued and lectured, then sent to undergo the check-in process. One stop was filling a urine bottle under supervision. The young man in uniform recognized my vexation. “I’m a recruit just like you,” he told me. “Don’t worry. This is how they greet everybody.” His kind smile was the belated warm welcome I had so naively expected, and it was gratefully received.

Navy World

RTC Orlando had acres of outdoor space for recreation and military drill, notably a large concrete pad affectionately called “The Grinder” and an equally large grass-covered parade ground. The USS Bluejacket, a scaled down wooden replica of a WWII Destroyer Escort utilized to teach recruits seamanship, sat land-locked at the northern edge of the parade ground and Grinder. A scattering of low-rise buildings included a series of three-story barracks, administrative and classroom structures, a medical and dental center, an armory and indoor gun range, a gymnasium with attached outdoor pool, a mess hall, and a retail area with a general store, uniform shop, bank, barber, portrait shop, and row of pay telephones. The tallest structure at RTC was a slender silver-colored water tower with “NAVY WORLD” painted in blue block letters around its spherical tank, a nod to other Orlando attractions. In the shadow of the water tower lay the Recruit Chapel, an attractive pyramidal-shaped building that was said to be the largest chapel in the Navy outside the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

24 Random Boot Camp Memories

Boot Camp remains a muddled and uncertain collection of events, blurred by a lack of sleep then and by the passage of time since. These particular memories endure:

1. TRASH CANS – Late on the night of arrival we were assigned spartan metal bunk beds. Early the next morning numerous men threw metal trash cans down the aisle and banged on their lids, while yelling and screaming for us to get up. More than one person fell off a top bunk in alarm and confusion.
2. A NEW FRIEND – I met a nice young man in my company while awaiting our first haircut, and gladly anticipated having a friend during our extended training.
3. HAIRCUTS – “The barbers won’t scalp you,” we were promised. “They’ll leave you something to comb.” Untrue. We were each shaved to our scalps, and I no longer recognized my new friend. Sigh.
4. SWEE’ PEA – The petty officer in charge of uniform distribution called us all “Swee’ Pea,” a not-so-veiled reference to the baby in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons.
5. OLD SPICE AND FOAMY – Were were each given a ditty bag containing a can of Gillette Foamy shaving cream and Old Spice deodorant. Those smells still bring me back to RTC, though I cannot recall the other hygienic items. The cheap rubber shower shoes are a distinct memory.
6. NEW TESTAMENT – The Gideons pocket New Testament I was gifted traveled around the world with me. My oldest son now keeps it by his bed.
7. CHAP STICK – My lips were severely chapped for much of the eight week program. I hadn’t the nerve to request lip balm.
8. DIPSTICK – Our Company Commander (CC) Petty Officer Dorsey Young was a stern man who often berated us but never used profanity, a restraint exceedingly rare among CC’s. “Dipstick” is his most memorable appellation.
9. “CATCH-EDGE” KING – Early in our training one young man in my company, a subsequent friend surnamed King, made his bed with the outer sheet seam facing the wrong way, its “catch-edge” exposed rather than hidden. He was known as “Catch-edge” King thereafter.
10. CYCLING – As punishment we were “cycled” individually and as a company, sometimes 20-30 minutes straight. Running in place, lifting wooden mock-ups of rifles above our heads, and (especially) push-ups were a part of it. We would often see and feel our condensed sweat drip off the ceiling during these disciplinary sessions.
11. THE GAS CHAMBER – We were instructed on the proper use of gas masks, locked for two or three minutes into a metal chamber filled with tear gas, told to remove our masks and make a 10-15 second recital, and released into the fresh air. I coughed and hacked for 5-10 minutes, my nose ran for an hour, and my eyes teared and stung for just as long. It was a miserable experience.
12. YOU SCUFF IT, YOU BUFF IT – The RTC Mess Hall was a three times a day respite, and a local radio station played over the speakers. I was a fan of Top-40 music and was distressed at missing out on two months of hits. I remember first hearing “Panama” by VanHalen and “Holiday” by Madonna in that chow hall. Upon entry we carefully stepped over the brass thresholds and avoided getting fingerprints on the glass doors and pull handles. “You scuff, you buff it. You smear and you WILL clear it,” was our unvarying welcome along with “You have 20 minutes to eat your fine Navy chow!” I have been a fast eater ever since.
13. COMPASSIONATE CC – My CC was tough but compassionate. I was summoned, and knocked incorrectly on his office door. He blandly ordered, “Give me 25” push-ups, a feat I was then incapable of. I counted out my progress, and he pretended to be immersed in paperwork as I fudged the final 10. I was dismissed after receiving my assignment.
14. DRILL AND CHOIR – I took part in the Recruit Choir, one of the (co-ed!) ceremonial teams that performed at graduations and occasionally off base. I freely interacted with the female recruits and ate a Burger King breakfast sandwich at an off-base outing.
15. DRILL AND CHOIR TIME BOMBS – After one rehearsal the sound of dog tags hitting the floor in our barracks stopped us cold. The company had failed a surprise inspection and was being cycled by numerous CC’s. We agreed we had to proceed, and all activity ceased when we entered. “There they are!” shouted our CC with contempt. “The drill and choir time bombs!” He ran up to us, avoiding personal items that had been strewn across the floor. Our inability to stow our gear correctly was apparently key to the failure. “Except for you,” he concluded, looking at me. I was instructed to join the company, now released from discipline and cleaning up the barracks. The rest of the Drill and Choir team were being cycled with a vengeance even as we marched off for our next assignment.
16. THE GAS CHAMBER REVISITED – Unfortunately for me, the gas chamber WAS the next assignment. I have no idea why I had already been through while the company had not. I found the courage to mention this, but to no avail. In my dread I paid closer attention during instruction, found my 2-3 minutes tolerable, and readily endured the 10-15 seconds removal of the mask with minimal tears and coughing. I had incorrectly sealed the mask during my first trip through!
17. RECRUIT CHAPEL – The chapel was a source of personal comfort and refuge, though I remember pressure being applied not to attend Sunday services (in retrospect this may have been part of the psychological training). I initially went to the lightly attended traditional Mass in a side chapel with less than a dozen others, and fell asleep both times. The priest was understanding. I decided to attend the “Contemporary” Catholic Liturgy in the main sanctuary, complete with loud music, call and response, cheering and clapping, and energetic homilies.
18. FENCE LINE TRACK – I have no memory of the obstacle course, but do remember its running track that ran along the RTC border fence. Freedom lay across the chain links and I felt its enticement. There must have been a few who could not resist over the years.
19. CLASS 4 SWIMMER – Our water training included using our dungarees as a flotation device, staying afloat unaided for 20 minutes, then swimming across the length of the pool. After my water evaluation I was awarded the rating of Class 4 Navy Swimmer, a fact I have boasted about many times since. (Class 1 is the very best, and there is no Class 5.)
20. PISTOL TRAINING – The instructor snorted with disdain at my discomfort with a pistol. I handled it clumsily, and was not given the opportunity to fire it.
21. MAIL CALL – The highlight of your day if you had letters. A sad disappointment when you didn’t. God bless my family for their faithful correspondence!
22. CIRCUS WORLD – Our company was rewarded with a trip to Circus World, a short-lived attraction that lay in west Orlando beyond Disney World. We take no responsibility that it closed for good within a year or so.
23. SPACE SHUTTLE – Late in our training we were doing our morning physical exercise on the Grinder when a huge white vapor trail appeared in the eastern sky topped by rockets belching fire. At least two chase planes followed, the NASA logo clear on their rear stabilizers. It was the Space Shuttle Discovery on its second mission, launched from the Kennedy Space Center some fifty miles away.
24. A GRADUATION SURPRISE – My father, who had worried I wouldn’t keep in touch, drove 15 hours with my mother to surprise me at graduation. They took me to the mall (Swatch watches were the rage), to dinner (I wanted a Big Mac, my father demurred, and we went to Red Lobster instead), and to Disney World (which proved quite a contrast to Navy World, and Circus World for that matter).

End of Tour

So ended my tour that began the adventure, which it truly turned out to be. I arrived in Orlando on September 12 and departed November 13, 1984. I have made a dozen trips to Florida since, in or near Orlando perhaps 3 or 4 times, but did not revisit RTC. Sadly, the base ended its tour in 1998, and the structures I knew are all gone now, having been redeveloped by the city of Orlando for residential, retail, school, and recreation purposes. The Grinder and adjacent parade ground are still open space, and have been rededicated as Blue Jacket Park, in honor and memory of the wooden ship and, more importantly, the men and women that trained there for 30 years.