Winter at the Navy Recruit Training Camp in Great Lakes, Illinois - 1966

My departure to Great Lakes Recruit Training Camp from Buffalo on February 3^rd, 1966, marks the first, last, and only time that I volunteered for anything in the Navy. There were 30-40 of us at the induction center and, just as we were about to leave for the train station, they said that they had a handful of airplane tickets and would any of us like to fly. My hand was raised in a millisecond. Upon arrival at Chicago's O’Hare airport we learned that we would have to wait for transportation to Great Lakes. We were directed to an out of the way corner – on a lower level as I recall and told to sit on the floor while we waited. Many long hours later we were transferred. I think that we arrived at Great Lakes at about the same time as the guys who took the train.

On the day that I departed for Great Lakes, Illinois, there was 43 inches of snow on the ground in Buffalo from storms in the preceding days. At Watertown, N.Y. (on eastern end of Lake Ontario) there was over 100 inches of snow with food and water being brought in by National Guard helicopters. So, you might understand why I might have wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. It was not unusual for trains to be stranded or to be without heat, etcetera.

As I recall, the temperature in Buffalo that day was near zero while at Great Lakes it was 30 below.  My first “rude awakening” in the Navy came when they took away my extra heavy wool socks and substituted their ultra-thin nylon socks that neither wicked away moisture nor provided any insulation. Then they introduced us to the concept of standing “at ease” outside in ridiculously cold temperatures while waiting to get into the mess hall – waits that were commonly 40 to 50 minutes.

When, finally, we were able to eat, or fuel up – to consume the necessary calories to provide needed energy (body heat!) –  there was barely time to warm up before we had to rush off to the next scheduled torture. Immediately after lunch, we were always scheduled to be in an overheated classroom where the indoor heat was around 80 degrees. After freezing outdoors and then loaded with carbohydrates, a peaceful nap would have been the appropriate activity. Instead, we would find ourselves taking a test – the outcome of which might cause us to be “set back” for a couple more weeks of boot camp punishment.

They would project two questions at a time on a slide screen, with the slide projector 

allowing about 6 seconds to read the questions and fill in the multiple choice answer sheets. I can’t tell you how many times I would snap out of a doze to find myself 2-3 screens behind and needing to guess at a half dozen questions. This was really scary because I hated boot camp more than just about any experience that I had had in life – certainly to that point at least. I had no idea how I could possibly survive if I had to spend another minute at that place. Yet, it was impossible not to fall asleep during these important tests – and not just one time. You might think that the realization that one would have after snapping out of such a dozing experience would be enough to prevent it happening again. Well surprise, surprise! It might happen two or three times during a single exam. Had we been fighting a war in trenches dug in the floor of old, stuffy, overheated buildings in northern Illinois during the coldest of winters, there is nothing that would have prevented me from being killed many times over.

Vietnam era Navy boot camp was meant to be preparation for the challenges of the war in Vietnam and the Cold War. It had been modeled on World War II practices with very little understanding of the value these practices might have 20 years later. The idea was to break a recruit down, and then rebuild the "man" with strict military discipline and esprit de corps. 

Prior to increasing our military forces during this time, the Navy’s boot camp had taken 3 to 4 weeks less time. The program was stretched to greater length without any significant understanding of how that time might be filled. Another problem with this concept was that the implementation of the plan was left in the hands of small-minded, power hungry, people who had been extracted from tasks they were incompetent at and given another where they would further demonstrate their inadequacy. The discipline of psychologically breaking a person, and then reconstructing that person into a stronger individual with the capacity to perform with military precision is not a simple task to leave in the hands of idiots.

I came out of boot camp in far worse physical shape than I had entered. I had been an athlete and could do all the push-ups, sit-ups, etc. that were required. I was a good swimmer and athletic enough for whatever they threw at us. Well, not really – that silly goose-step marching that they wanted us to do in order to look a certain way was just not natural. After 11 ½ weeks, I had such horrible shin-splints that I could barely walk. I think that my legs hurt for nearly the whole time that I was job training in Pensacola. 

The summer in Pensacola seemed like R & R after winter in Great Lakes.

Memorial Day

It seems that every year I get all worked up about Memorial Day. The news media, as well

as online social media, always seem to be filled with confusion about what Memorial Day is all about. It is not just that there are so many veterans groups that are screaming for attention, but that there is a reason that we have two holidays – Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Memorial Day is a national holiday that began as a day of remembrance for soldiers killed from both sides in the American Civil War. It was originally called Decoration Day and folks went to cemeteries and placed flowers and small flags on the graves of family, friends, and community members that had been killed during wartime. Memorial Day is held on the last Monday in the month of May.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to commemorate the cessation of hostilities between the forces of the Allied nations against Germany during what was known as the Great War (later World War I). The fighting came to an end at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. A year later, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11, 1918 as Armistice Day. In 1938 it officially became a national holiday.

The initial intent of Armistice Day was to remember the devastation of war and the losses of life. It was meant to be a celebration of peace. In 1954, following the conflict in Korea, and after the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history during World War II, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day and it became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

It is understandable that some confusion might arise from the way that these holidays have had their names and definitions evolve. However, historically, each has a clear role in calling attention to specific themes. Memorial Day is meant to honor those who have fallen while in the service of our country. Veterans Day, although inclusive of the dead, is meant to honor those that serve, or have served, with the goal of world peace.

Memorial Day has always had special meaning for me because I am named for a family

member who was killed during World War II a year before my birth. Being named for an uncle that I would never meet or know, who died as a soldier. This has always been something that I have recognized as an honor of the highest order. Although buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Italy, a tombstone stands in the cemetery near the family home where I grew up. Throughout my youth, it was a solemn annual event to visit the grave of this man to place a pot of geraniums and a flag. A visit to the cemetery 40 miles south of Rome remains on my personal “bucket list”.

So, if you please, rather than boisterous raving for our service men and veterans on this Memorial Day, silently reflect on the sacrifices made by so many service men who did not survive, or returned only to suffer from wounds received fighting to restore peace in a world messed up by political failure, the abuse of power, and economic inequity. "Celebrating" this holiday is a misnomer that feeds the notion that we are doing something right, or righteous. Memorial Day is a day of mourning and reflects a sadness is an absolute necessity for us to find a better way to live together peacefully.



  

We are mostly not "heroes", but we are "veterans"!

Did you enjoy all the noise spewing out of our politicians during the past few months? The freedom to do that, get elected, and send our young into battle regardless of "why" lies on the backs of veterans who have survived the folly of power. Veterans did the dirty work, got killed or messed up mentally and physically because of "duty". While serving our country, we helped to fix the errors of our political leaders. We are mostly not "heroes", and certainly not "victims", but we are "veterans"! 

You don't need to buy our meals or ask us about the "heroism" of just doing our duty on Veterans Day. But, please acknowledge the fact that we served. We did not serve for the idiots in politics, but for everyone. We served for the interests of the poor, as well as the rich. We served for the Democrats, as well as the Republicans. We served for the underprivileged; we served for the immigrants; we served for workers; we served for the arts; we served for the poorly educated; we served for the handicapped; we served for the obese; we served for the drug addicted; we served for our public servants; we served for the dreamers; we served for the hungry; we served for the homeless; we served for you!

So, how can you thank us? There certainly are those who will appreciate your "thank you", the nice "gestures", the "pat on the back". We often laughed about the official letters of recognition that were placed in our personnel files while we served in the military. We laughed because these "attaboys" did not change anything. All the faults of the military, all the imperfection, the career idiots all the way up the chain of command to our political leaders did not change because of some note that was lost in our personnel records. For the moment, these things are nice, but do you think that those actions actually change anything? Do you truly believe these to be the appropriate "thank you" and let's move on? 

You can, and should, thank a veteran on Veterans Day as well as everyday. The best way to thank a veteran, however, is to be a part of the same world that they are. Make your contribution to society without complaining about the downside. Volunteer your skill and energy towards the betterment of the society that you are a part of. Do something positive that doesn't involve just enriching yourself and telling everyone else that they should thank you because of the "trickle down" of some pittance that overflowed from your success. Society is not improved because of what any of us do for ourselves, it is improved by what we do for others. In the military, the individual is sacrificed for the benefit of team force. The key to that force is the term, "team." Individuals might become heroes, but not before sacrificing their personal interests for the good of others. In order to thank us, you need to understand us. In order to understand us, you need to let go of yourself and you personal interests. In order to thank a veteran, you need to recognize their sacrifice by making one of your own. In order to thank a veteran, you need to be selfless in your appreciation for their participation in the society that you benefit from.