In The Navy (Boot Camp), Part 4.

Navy training included learning all of the signal flags that the Corpsmen used to send messages, like a Flagship, Admiral on board or Divers down. You had to do a lot of memorization and were tested. The same was true with Ranks/Insignia (not just Navy, but all US armed services). We learned how, who and when to salute. The Chief had us consider him an officer for practice only. We were taught when to have our hats (covers) on and off, how to tie the kerchief you wear with your dress uniform, Morse code, basic knots, ropes and pulley systems. Pretty much every basic thing you need to know on a US naval ship with sails. It’s tradition.

One of the nastiest parts of boot camp training was the teargas shack. Everyone dons a gas mask and in single file we march up a ramp into a fairly small room/shack. Some guy comes in and sets off a teargas grenade in the middle of the room and shouts at us to march around in a circle. No problem, the room gets foggy, but the gas masks are working great! Piece of cake.

Now the twist, and there was no warning. The guy orders everyone to take off their gas masks and keep marching (of course he doesn’t take his off). We all do, but take a deep breath first and try to hold it. Good luck, we are kept marching in circles in the small rectangular room and since you have to look up to see when to turn again, you have to open your eyes. The instant sting is incredible. You begin crying immediately and involuntarily. Shutting your eyes makes it worse, because the residue gets under the eyelids and hurts like hell. Now you are forced to inhale because of the agony, your lungs are immediately on fire. Wonderful time! Your lungs wretch and you cough more violently than any time in your life, unless you have had some really rank weed. You exhale and suck in more and it continues. Your chest muscles start to hurt from the involuntary contractions and coughing. That spreads to your stomach and back muscles too.

After what seems to be an eternity, but was probably only a minute after everyone has had a few lungs full, you are let out. Several people puked violently, we all had tears streaming down our faces and snot dripping from our noses. That was all freezing up. The Chief is there watching us writhe. It must be inevitable that one or two guys manage to get through with their eyes closed or for whatever reason weren’t effected. Those guys were sent back in for a few extra minutes and eventually came out like the rest did.

We all had to wash everything were wearing because the gas permeates anything it touches (you are in a closed room, there are no windows). The showers we took that night were the longest in our lives. No one slept well or ate much the next morning. It took a few days for the hint of the stuff to dissipate fully.

A few weeks into training and we were gathered around the Chief like kids in kindergarten would be around their teacher hearing a story being read. We were all sitting on the cold bare floor, when out of the blue we were asked if anyone wanted to volunteer for Submarine Service. My hand went up without thinking. Don’t ask me why, but it did.

I had no information that doing it would be better or worse. I think I was just trying to look good by volunteering for something. It was a hugely pivotal moment in my life and I didn’t even realize it. By raising my hand, I had veered completely off the course my life had been on moments before. I would go to a different place than most everyone else around me; do things differently than everyone else.

I think there was one other guy who did the same, but I didn’t really notice it. I figured it was a throwaway gesture, but found out later, that it most definitely was not. You volunteer for the Navy, and then you volunteer again for Subs. Subs are a %100 a “double volunteer” force when there is no draft in place.