BOOT CAMP. DO you have any funny or bizarre stories or memories from your Boot Camp experience?

Question

A question for the Enlisted crowd...

Think back to Boot Camp... Do you have any funny or bizarre stories or memories from your Boot Camp experience, no matter what branch?

You can give us the short version if you don't want to type a lot of lines...

I'm NAVY, so at Great Mistakes...

I saw a guy freak out and lock himself into an Ambulance when we were outside during a marching drill.

During intake, I saw another guy break out of the line and run out of the building into waist high snow drifts when they anounced they were going to do a Urinalysis. He was led back into the building in handcuffs a few minutes later by MP's

A guy tried to sneak cookies from the Galley past the CC and had to slowly eat the cookies in front of the whole division and then was dropped for hours, and one guy tried to hide his dirty underwear in his inspection stack and got dropped and humiliated for quite awhile!

How about you?

What is your strange and/or funny Boot Camp story?

Answer 1

Thanksgiving 1998 and I was in 3rd phase boot. The heavey was on deck that day and acting wayyyyy too nice, all the way to chow. We get to the chow hall and he tells all the "Diet recruits" to take off their tags so they can eat as much as they want. He even stood at the end of the line and sent people back to get more food if he didn't think they had enough.

We are all stuffed and I mean full as hell, we get back to the "house" and he brings out all the stuff all the familys had been sending, and it was a ton of cookies, pies, brownies, power bars, and kinds of junk. Then out of no were he flips the switch "Listen here you freakn, stinkn nasty things!" " You have exactly 2 min to eat all of this chow or ells!" He then slams the door on the duty hut and we all start eating as fast as we can. There was no way we could have finished all that chow and he new it. 2 min later he comes out calls us all to attention and starts force feeding or " Freak'n nasty, holes, with dog on steanken chow" We ate most of it before the puking started, then one recruted stated "This recruit needs water sir!"

From there it was over for all of us, "Get on line and drink you freakn stinkn winnny little bitches!" We all drank and puked our minds out while he laughed his *** off on the quarter deck at us. Every man, all 85 of us puked up so much stuff the middle of the squad bay was a ocean of vomit.

Thanksgiving has always been just a little different for me ever since.

Answer 2

This happened during the first week of my training in the Australian Army.

The platoon had just returned to the lines after a long, tedious drill lesson. The meanest Corporal stood next to the doorway and with a smirk on his face, informed us:
"It seems a pack of wild kangaroos have just gone rampaging through the lines. I hope nothing's missing from those unlocked lockers."
And sure enough, the locker I left unsecure in a mad rush to get out in time for the lesson was wide open, my underwear strewn across the room. The roos were evidently dilligent enough to upturn a roommate's poorly-made bed, too. Moments later, I was called into the foyer to be screamed at for the next half hour.

Answer 3

In 1960 I was in Navy boot camp in San Diego. In the 7th. week I had pulled guard duty along the fence between U.S.N.T.C. & U.S.M.C.R.D.. It never failed ,I would have a poor misguided "I dont want to be a marine any more" come over the fence, I would shout halt who goes there. stop or I'll shoot. Everone of them would be spread eagled on the ground. Then they would beg me not to shoot . You have to understand ,I was armed with an old 1903 springfield. The bolt was welded shut and the barrel was full of lead. I told them I would help them escape. Then I would point to a street light 300yds. away, tell them there was hole in the fence there. They could crawl through ,stand on PCH.#1 and get a ride quickly. And off they'd go I would call my co. , he would call the marines and in about 7 to ten min. a dodge 3/4 ton would pullup the MP's would get out Slap that fool around and take him to the brig. I often thought later .Should I have told them about the sign 50 yds' up the road that said DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS. Oh well it's to late now.

Answer 4

I will tell you about the most terrifying experience I had. About half of the drill in Navy boot camp is going through and practicing for the graduation ceremony. During the ceremony there is a change of position in the ranks. Less then a week before graduation we changed positions in the formation for my platoon. So during graduation I was thinking my old position and screwed up the change and was late making my move. I spent the rest of the day sweating bullets knowing I was going to get chewed out royally for my f**k up.
Well when we were back in the barracks afterward the company said to me "Little screw up out there". I was panicked. He said " Don't sweat it, you are not a recruit now".
To say the least we had a great CC.

Answer 5

We had a guy who had a HUGE string on a towel or shirt or something during inspection. The TI made him march around the bay pulling on the string and saying: "I am Teddy Ruxpin" over and over again. I was almost rolling on the ground laughing. The only thing that kept me from actually cracking up was knowing that I'd be doing something just as stupid if I did. That was Air Force basic training.

Answer 6

While my son was in USMC Boot camp, on the rifle range... his platoon was neck-and-neck with another platoon for the "honor platoon" ranking... so the DI's were having a little fun with one another... each day one of the DI's would use recruits to pull a practical joke on another DI... trying to get him to lose his bearing... The last day on the rifle range, the DI had a recruit run 1/4 mile or so to the other platoon's DI and say, "Would the Staff Sgt like a cup of tea??" The DI said.. "Uhhh... sure..." (no tea cup in sight.. no tea pot in sight... no harm in playing along, right?) The recruit then sang "I'm a little teapot, short and stout..." the whole song... with hand and body motions included... at the top of his lungs. The DI apparently cracked up... as did everybody in that platoon... Of course, my son's platoon was cheering up a storm...

Answer 7

Well, let's see. The 1st day, we were all marched to our new barracks, but of course before we could enter the building, we had to dump everything we owned onto the quad outside for a complete inventory. As we were going through our stuff, a drill sergeant approached me and noticed my name tag "Sterling". He asked me if I was related to Rod Serling, the host of the Twilight Zone. I said no, he then got a big smile on his face and asked if I knew the theme song to the show. I made the mistake of saying "yes". He immediately screamed at me "HUM IT!!!!" So, there I was in the middle of everyone humming the theme to the Twilight Zone, as he kept screaming, "LOUDER, LOUDER"! Not something I will likely forget!

Answer 8

I was on fireguard duty and saw a soldier sleepwalk from his bunk, go in the corner, and start urinating. Another time in the field, a soldier must have dug his position next to an ant hill. One of the ants went into his ear during the night, and he freaked out. HaHa.

Answer 9

When I was in Marine Corps boot camp I was a "squad leader." One day we were having a field day when I was ordered to the duty hut (we lived in Quonset huts at San Diego) by the sweet melodious voice of my DI. He asked me to take roll call of my squad. Went back and one was missing. The missing recruit was a small Hispanic that the DIs were always harassing. Returned to the duty hut, told the DI and he got really pissed. Went into a long diatribe about being responsible for my men and what kind of Marine I expected to be (you weren't really considered a real Marine until graduation day). When he was through he told me to get the cleaning materials out of the locker. I opened the locker and guess who was in it? I stood there for a moment and told the private to get his *** in gear and that he was stupid for trying to hide in the DI's hut. And off we went. The DI just stood there looking at us and then gave me a wink.

Answer 10

I've got 2.

While watching a demo of a phosphorous grenade it is a calm fog cast morning at Ft Ord. The grenade goes off and a cloud rise's to meet the fog. A seagull flies into the cloud never to be seen again.

While on bivouac we are put in the front leaning rest with all our gear on. M16's on top of our hand to keep them out of the dirt. There is yelling to my right and I see one DI running towards us with a garden rake. On each tine of the rake is a CS grenade. The 1st one he drops rolls right under my face and I get a lung full. I crawl forward trying to get my mask out and run into something. I grab at it and start pulling myself up.
It's my CO just looking down at me. It was than that I shared what was left of breakfast with his lower leg and spit shined jump boots.