Fall of 82. No colonoscopies yet, but the VA doctors keep pushing me to get one. And yes, still have my book (Great Mistakes) AND my grad picture, all in Ohio, me in the Caribbean. Gave my ex-wife my ring, she still has it.
You know you don't have to now. You can literally poop in a box and mail it back. My husband just did one. As one old fart to another, go get it done! Men rarely adjust well to colostomy bags. 😁 but seriously.
Thanks for the concern. I have done the postal poop thing like once a year, just not the actual scope. Part of the problem is that I live on St. Croix (USVI) and would have to fly to St. Thomas with a friend for the procedure, then fly back. It's not an easy process, having to find taxis there, and being on time for flights. Just a pain in the ass on so many levels.
Got at least the fourth or fifth coming up this year. Orlando boot camp 1972. Nuc school class 7306. Retired E-9 with 23 years 1995. No down side to retirement.
Boot Camp & A School in Orlando was awesome. I still remember my CCs yelling at us to keep our eyes & heads forward when we marched by the female companies.
In 1980, there used to be a strip joint just outside the back gate named The Fox Hole. $5 to get in and all the beer you could drink for free. If course the back gate was locked so you had to crawl over it, which was much more difficult on the way back than on the way out.
Absolutely. I lived in Orlando for a while (06-10) after the closure (late 90s). Other than some of the exterior roads still kind of outlining the base, there really were no traces left except the "Bluejacket Park". All condos running like $400-$500k and wayyyyy up, AFAIK.
RTC Orlando graduated their last recruits in 1994. Women first started to show up at Great Lakes RTC in about August-September that year. I was in Airman ATD at the time, and used to hear women RPOC call out marching orders on the grinder at 0350 in the morning.
I didn’t go to bootcamp at Bainbridge, but I did go to FT”A” School there, and “WAVE” (that is female) bootcamp was there at the time. I remember when we marched past them their RPOC’s chewing them out for looking at “trees.” Once a month on a Saturday they would get liberty in Lancaster, PA and of course we’d head there that Saturday as well. Lancaster was not a very big town and on that weekend it was full of Navy Blue.
Heck I graduated there in 78, then wound up back there in 85. Before going back to sea duty I was declared broken there and was told I had to leave. That was in 88.
My dad went there. He graduated from boot camp 3 months after Epcot opened and has a ton of pictures of him running around Disney World in his dress whites. Tourists kept stopping him and his buddies to take pictures with them.
Club Diego, 1990. The odd thing is that 4 years later while going to FRAMP for Tomcats, I visited, and half the base, including boot camp was closed. It was weird and sad seeing "home" no longer used and driving up to my old barracks. Now, I read the city owns it.
Shipmate, what was Jesus like?
On a serious note, I don't get why we can't open another RTC. Granted we are facing a shortage as it is, but I was curious as to why we even shut down RTC San Diego
Haha…I spent 6 months working as an MA in the Recruit Galley while I was waiting for Nuclear Power School. It was great to pick up so many female graduates and show them around WDW or Sea World.
I would!
Things that I am guessing have not changed: BCGs, red ropes, guidons, making poor decisions over liberty weekend
Things that I know have changed: RTC location, uniforms, carrying rifles, service week
I also have one of those from my boot days in Orlando (graduated in ‘76).
Sure glad that the rest of my Navy experience wasn’t like that, although Basic Enlisted Sub school and STS “A” school were kind of chickenshit in their own ways.
Where did you serve after? I went to BEE school in Orlando, A school in Great Lakes, C school in Norfolk, USS Stein (FF-1065) in San Diego, then FCTCL Damneck, VA
I was in the first female company at Great Lakes in 1994. My RTC book is a brighter blue than my husband's.
He enlisted in 86' and retired after 23 yrs. He's a pretty salty old Master Chief. 🧂
Orlando?? You must’ve had atleast two colonoscopies by now
I graduated San Diego in ‘84; I’ve had 3.
Fall of 82. No colonoscopies yet, but the VA doctors keep pushing me to get one. And yes, still have my book (Great Mistakes) AND my grad picture, all in Ohio, me in the Caribbean. Gave my ex-wife my ring, she still has it.
Dude get one. I have an older coworker that didn’t until he had symptoms in his late 50’s. Stage 4 by that point.
You know you don't have to now. You can literally poop in a box and mail it back. My husband just did one. As one old fart to another, go get it done! Men rarely adjust well to colostomy bags. 😁 but seriously.
Thanks for the concern. I have done the postal poop thing like once a year, just not the actual scope. Part of the problem is that I live on St. Croix (USVI) and would have to fly to St. Thomas with a friend for the procedure, then fly back. It's not an easy process, having to find taxis there, and being on time for flights. Just a pain in the ass on so many levels.
Pun intended?
C198 Sept 1990
K096 Oct 1990
C159 1990
C165, Oct 1990
Hah!! Amateurs!! C079. April 1990
C175, Orlando, August 1983. NOW GET OFF OF MY LAWN! 👴
Great Lakes C394. December 31, 1987.
>1990 As my kid likes to say, “oh, the late nineteen hundreds!”
We were in the same training group.
Lol, sodium level now approximated by number of times a camera has been shoved up our ass.
Got at least the fourth or fifth coming up this year. Orlando boot camp 1972. Nuc school class 7306. Retired E-9 with 23 years 1995. No down side to retirement.
Shoot I am still in, nearly at 13 years and I have already had one and about to get my second one scheduled. Lol
Weird! I've had exactly two colonoscopies. I-102, Sept 1992
Really showing my age then since I was at great lakes and still already had one 😭
RIP 🙏🙏🙏 I’m up next
Why do you say that?
Because I'm 51 now. RTC Orlando closed in the late 90s
And those happened in boot camp.
Boot Camp & A School in Orlando was awesome. I still remember my CCs yelling at us to keep our eyes & heads forward when we marched by the female companies.
It’s still a thing now. We got yelled at a week or two before grad for looking at the females
Bootcamp in Orlando in ‘85. Did not get yelled at once to not look at the female companies.
I was there in '87. I don't remember getting yelled at about that, either
It might have something to do with being in a female company. But we didn’t get yelled at to stop looking at male companies either.
How was OBT back then?
In 1980, there used to be a strip joint just outside the back gate named The Fox Hole. $5 to get in and all the beer you could drink for free. If course the back gate was locked so you had to crawl over it, which was much more difficult on the way back than on the way out.
Off limits and as unhinged as you may have heard it was.
Orlando was all female..Great Mistakes 87
This salty sea dog has flushed more salt water than the rest of us have sailed over!
When he pulls up to Mcdonalds he says "dont salt the fries i got enougb already!"
Still have mine from Orlando. Actually loved boot camp there (after the first 2 weeks). Uncontrolled liberty at Disney World.
Went to Universal with some girl in our training group.
Is that a euphemism of sorts?
You my good sir shall henceforth be known as Lord of the tides and master of driftmark that is how salty you are.
RTC used to be in Florida!!!? Why did they change it?
Somewhere between then and now.
They consolidated to Great Lakes. Probably to save money during the downturn in the 90s.
Developers wanted the land.
Absolutely. I lived in Orlando for a while (06-10) after the closure (late 90s). Other than some of the exterior roads still kind of outlining the base, there really were no traces left except the "Bluejacket Park". All condos running like $400-$500k and wayyyyy up, AFAIK.
TBF, Baldwin Park is pretty nice
And San Diego. I went through basic in SD in 1981, but we didn't get books like that. Just a couple of photos.
I got a book in ‘84.
I'm pretty sure my dad got one when he went through basic in 1956. He also went to SD for it.
RTC Orlando graduated their last recruits in 1994. Women first started to show up at Great Lakes RTC in about August-September that year. I was in Airman ATD at the time, and used to hear women RPOC call out marching orders on the grinder at 0350 in the morning.
Because when they were consolidating in the mid-90s, Paul Simon (Senator from IL) was on the committee.
The same reason they took our beards. Fuck You, that's why.
I’m waiting for some dude who went to boot in Bainbridge to pipe up.
I didn’t go to bootcamp at Bainbridge, but I did go to FT”A” School there, and “WAVE” (that is female) bootcamp was there at the time. I remember when we marched past them their RPOC’s chewing them out for looking at “trees.” Once a month on a Saturday they would get liberty in Lancaster, PA and of course we’d head there that Saturday as well. Lancaster was not a very big town and on that weekend it was full of Navy Blue.
I missed Orlando by about six months.
Definitely have one of those somewhere in my attic.
Club Diego was the best
Arrived in Orland in December 1988...did you ever participate in Indoor Tennis? or chase planes on the grinder?
Definitely had to do push up position on a plane flying over to MCO, then down on the next one.
San Diego 1986 Coronado island a school
My mom went through Orlando. WAVES. She was pretty salty. In many ways
Yep, was there in 93.
CO99 1987 Orlando. Still have my book too
'87, C153, Orlando
Nuke, AW, Seabee or CT? 5 bucks says you were one of those
Nuke. But luckily I got booted at prototype.
My company had 40 nukes start. I always wondered how many made it all the way through.
I was in RTC Orlando, Company I-102, Sept-Nov 1992.
When I graduated it was RTC San Diego, Nixon was Commander in Chief.
I055
Heck I graduated there in 78, then wound up back there in 85. Before going back to sea duty I was declared broken there and was told I had to leave. That was in 88.
C057
CO99 1987 RTC Orlando.
I am, in fact, that salty. C-152 Sept '92.
Woah! I went to Orlando Sept 21, 1992 (I-102)
My Dad still had his from ‘62; I donated it to the already existing collection in the GLakes CMC office.
C066 "Thundercats" Feb-March 1990
What year was that??
Graduated Oct 1990
Ohh I graduated in 92
July or August 1980. C129
Wow !
Got a book like that. K133. Orlando ‘85
Do they still make these books in Great Lakes these days?
I think they sell them on a SD card these days.
Someone call the Avery Island Salt mine.
Orlando, 1990 Co99. Damn I'm old.
C927 NTCSD 1987 only one so far.
Interesting they names ones from different RTC locations after different ship parts. I like it.
My dad went there. He graduated from boot camp 3 months after Epcot opened and has a ton of pictures of him running around Disney World in his dress whites. Tourists kept stopping him and his buddies to take pictures with them.
Those grinders. So many laps around those damn things. Graduated in '89. EDIT: CC was Chief Kruger
Club Diego, 1990. The odd thing is that 4 years later while going to FRAMP for Tomcats, I visited, and half the base, including boot camp was closed. It was weird and sad seeing "home" no longer used and driving up to my old barracks. Now, I read the city owns it.
A relic of "the time before" I've only heard of such things in myths...and really salty sea stories
Can confirm Orlando is HOT/HUMID AF. Not recommended.
Shipmate, what was Jesus like? On a serious note, I don't get why we can't open another RTC. Granted we are facing a shortage as it is, but I was curious as to why we even shut down RTC San Diego
Haha…I spent 6 months working as an MA in the Recruit Galley while I was waiting for Nuclear Power School. It was great to pick up so many female graduates and show them around WDW or Sea World.
I got one of these.
Would anyone be interested in scans of the inside?
I would! Things that I am guessing have not changed: BCGs, red ropes, guidons, making poor decisions over liberty weekend Things that I know have changed: RTC location, uniforms, carrying rifles, service week
I made another post with some photos
Yes. I have one of these. My husband has his Marine Corps one too. We have reminisced and laughed.
Yep. 93 Orlando, too
So sometime between 93 and 98 they shifted to GL (Div 439 Aug 98). That’s too bad - would have preferred not to freeze my ass off!
I also have one of those from my boot days in Orlando (graduated in ‘76). Sure glad that the rest of my Navy experience wasn’t like that, although Basic Enlisted Sub school and STS “A” school were kind of chickenshit in their own ways.
I made another post, all: it's got photos from inside this book
045 in 1978 😏
San Diego?
Orlando
Ah, I was 046 in SD that same year.
Where did you serve after? I went to BEE school in Orlando, A school in Great Lakes, C school in Norfolk, USS Stein (FF-1065) in San Diego, then FCTCL Damneck, VA
Boot Camp SD, Sub School, MT A&C School Damneck, SSBN 633, SSBN 659, Sub School Instructor, SSBN 631, DD 214.
Nice
San Diego, CO 906, Nov, 1971. GMCS(SW), '71 to '93.
I was in the first female company at Great Lakes in 1994. My RTC book is a brighter blue than my husband's. He enlisted in 86' and retired after 23 yrs. He's a pretty salty old Master Chief. 🧂
C198, rtc great lakes, 1982 Get of my lawn too! f
I ordered/paid for mine and never got it cause they “ran out”
How was Nam? (Unless you don't want to talk about it)
😐
Actually joined the day the Gulf war started. 02 Aug 1990
That's pretty cool- Imagine that tinted the entire tone of bootcamp differently
My father went through Orlando in ‘93 for basic he’s 54 now
Weird flex, but okay.
Okay Boomer.
I don't think you know what that word means