Bluejackets

 Bluejackets

Melvin Marvin Thayer III

        The telephone rang at the Point Marina Inn in Richmond California. It was the 4 am wake-up call, and it shook me awake. Settling back into my warm cocoon, I mumbled half asleep to the desk clerk and hung up the phone. As I lay in bed, I asked myself what the hell am I doing here? Then I remembered, my departure into manhood: The United States Navy. Apprehensively I sat up and thought about what lay ahead. What lay ahead, was adventure and the unknown. The adventure was fine, but the unknown scared the hell out of me.

         My roommate, David Hill from Santa Cruz California, and I awoke. I stumbled into the shower first, as my bed was closest to the bathroom. As I let the water cascade down my tired body, the sleep slowly disappeared. After contemplating my day some more, I turned off the water and quickly dried.  The only clothes I had were from the day before. I was told not to bring anything but the clothes on my back. I slipped into them while David showered. As David dressed, I went outside on the balcony to enjoy the early morning air. On the balcony I came across another Navy recruit. I do not remember his name, only that his mother was a dealer at a casino in Reno Nevada, so that is what we called him. Reno.

 “How did you sleep last night,” I asked him.

 “Other than my roommate snoring and keeping me awake, fine,” he replied

 “My bed was too hard, and the only sleep I got was maybe the last two hours before the call,” I said,

 “That damn call scared the hell outta me,” he said

 “Yeah me too,” I replied. 

“I’ll see you at breakfast” I mumbled as I strode down the balcony in the direction of my room.

         Once there, David and I trekked silently downstairs to breakfast. I was immersed I my thoughts, and the walk to breakfast showed it. The Navy recruiter briefed me on what to expect during processing. Even with that, I was still a bit tense.

The server asked, “what would you like”,

 I finally spoke “ham, scrambled eggs, juice, and coffee please”. 

David had the same except for the coffee.

 As we sat down I asked, “For what branch did you enlist”.

 “The Navy” he replied

 “Oh what job are you going to do”, I asked with a smile.

 “Seabees” he replied with a cough,

 “What do they do?” I inquired.

 “Seabees build structures, runways, and do preventive maintenance on existing structures”. I said nothing more as I finished breakfast. I went outside to wait for the bus to take us to the MEPS (Military Enlistment Processing Station) in downtown Oakland California. 

         As I looked on what appeared to be the bad part of town, I felt bad about the people who had to live here. I had only seen urban decay and blight on television, and was ill prepared for what I saw. I knew what a ghetto was, but had never seen one up close before. I was glad to be in my position no matter how scary it was.

         Just then a yellow school bus specifically contracted for to take us to MEPS pulled up and stopped it was a little before 6:00 am. A seaman, whose name escapes me, was driving. The seaman stayed in his seat and ordered us on the bus. After we boarded the bus I took a window seat about half way back. The seaman went in to the hotel lobby and retrieved the rest of the passengers. There was 50 or so of us. I nodded of during the thirty- minute ride to the station. The next ting I remember was awakening and we were at our destination.

         

        Once we were at MEPS we proceeded upstairs. I remember looking at this huge white plaster building about six floors high. I thought to myself this place is huge. This is the largest building I have ever been to. The stairs up to the second floor were hardwood. The inside of the place looked like to be about thirty years old. At least the stairs did at this point. 

A different man in a sailor uniform barked more orders at us.

 “Stow your gear over there” as he pointed to a wall full of lockers.

         We stowed what little gear we had and began the time honored military ritual that would take us through our entire military career: Hurry up and wait. All of us sat down on some couches and did just that. After about an hour a man in an Army uniform walked up to us and motioned us to get up,

 “You, you, and you” pointing to us on the far right of the couch,

 “Go and see the Navy Classifier on the third floor and get your paperwork packet for the day” he said,

 “Go now” he growled,

 As we headed up the stairs, we heard him bellow,

 “The rest of you follow me”

         The classifier in charge sent us to the receiving desk for additional paperwork. The Navy Classifier is the individual who does the paperwork that assigns you a job within the framework of your ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) or entrance score and your particular interests based on the needs of the Navy. Today, the individual, a PN1 (Personnelman First Class) Soledad would be processing our packets. Later he would finalize our plans for departure to recruit training in San Diego California. Once on the third floor, the doctor came out and motioned toward some rather uncomfortable looking plastic chairs. 

“Sit there against the wall”, he directed,

 Once we were in the chairs, we were instructed to remove our shirts and wait. After about five minute the doctor called in the first recruit, I was called in about fifteen minutes after that. 

 Upon entering the room the doctor said,

 “Here put this on”, as he handed me a led apron,

 While doing as instructed, I asked half joking,

 “Does this keep me from glowing in the dark”,

 “This is completely safe” the doctor retorted,

 “Then why am I dressed like a nuclear wiener,” smiling as I smarted back,

 The doctor in a stern voice replied,

 “Any more lip from you and I will fail you right now”

 “Am I understood,” he ordered,

 “Yes sir no more lip,” I replied meekly.

 “Now stand in front of this machine, until I tell you otherwise” he asked politely,

         The cold machine made some funny noises. The doctor asked me to turn to the right, and I did, more funny noises. Next, he asked me to lay face down and I did that too, and another different funny noise. The doctor asked me remove the apron and I complied.

 The building was drafty, so I asked,

 “Can I put on my shirt”, I inquired,

 

“Yes he said”,

         The doctor wrote something on a pad, what he wrote, I do not know. After the X-Ray came the real fun the complete physical exam behind door number two. I went into the room and was met by a doctor who told me to strip off all my clothes. 

As I stood there buck naked the doctor said, “Sit on the exam table”         

        He then proceeded to check me for asthma, hernia, my eyes, nose throat, and neck. After he finished checking my reflexes, feet and back he told me to get dressed, as he handed me more paperwork he said, “go to the urinalysis station”,

Upon arriving at he urinalysis station we encountered a rather striking looking redhead young lady with long legs and the most beautiful green eyes I had seen in all of my nineteen years, wearing a nurses uniform. I gave her my paperwork and she handed me a plastic bottle as she motioned me in the direction of an orderly and said, “Go over there and do as he tells you”

 At the desk the orderly handed me a slip of paper and pointed to the restroom and said, “After filling up the bottle put the paper in it and return it to me." I asked why? The orderly explained it to me.

 “If the paper turns purple, then you are negative for illegal substances and you pass”,

 I sheepishly went to the restroom and returned with a whole bottle of specimen. I tested negative. The orderly then instructed me to put my shirt back on and go to the hearing station. On my way I stopped and got me a Dr. Pepper, all of this medical stuff was making me thirsty.

 The routine at the hearing station was a little different than the others. Another striking looking woman, took my paperwork as she motioned me in to a sound proof booth. ”listen carefully, gentleman”, she said,

 She did not know this bunch very well, referring to us as gentleman I thought to myself. She then began giving us specific instructions about the test. 

“when you hear the beep press the button corresponding to the ear in which you hear the beep. The beep was barely audible, but I managed to do ok enough to pass 

Next I went to the eye station. This is the station where I knew I would have my most difficulty. I already knew that my eyesight was really bad. The doctor gave me an eye test. He then handed me a booklet, with about six pages on it.

 “Tell me what you see” said the doctor, “I see, seventy-two, I replied.” 

“now,” he asked, “twenty-eight I said. “what about now recruit,” “eight” I remarked. The doctor wrote something on a paper and then, took the prescription from my glasses. Later on I would receive the military issue black frame BCG’s, birth control glasses as they were called. That because you were so ugly with them on that you could not get a girlfriend. This routine was not new; I had been doing this since I was six years old. I waited about five minutes and the doctor pointed to the blood test station. “here take this paperwork and report there.”  

 I went to the blood test station. There, another nurse, or Corpsman as they were to be called in the Navy, as I would soon learn, took several vials of blood from my left arm. The Corpsman motioned us to another station. Here we would be getting our shots.

We lined up in a single file line, and waited our turn. We stepped up to the Corpsman, and in the left arm we got a needle shot, and in the right arm we got a shot with a gun. This is where the day got amusing. Before, sitting in a group, these guys were bragging how tough they were, because they were joining the U.S. Marine Corps. That they were real men, joining a real service and how they were tough. Well they were tough right up until the shots, and they damn near fainted on cue. It was funny to see big bad Marines were afraid of the shots. After the floor show that was the shots,  it was lunch time.

 I filed down to the Cafeteria in the basement with my bunkmate Reno. 

“did you see that good looking nurse at the pee test station?” he said to me as we got in line.  “yes I did I did, legs up to the back of her neck.” I replied.” Did you see those green eyes” he remarked? “Yeah saw them too, most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. “as we found a seat and ate our lunch. 

The rest of the meal was rather uneventful. We were almost done with the processing for the day. Our next stop before the Classification officer was the psychological assessment.

 We went to the psyche floor, and waited. After about an hour, the doctor called me in and started to ask me some questions. 

How are you feeling?” he asked, I replied I was feeling fine. He asked, “was I anxious?” I said that “I was a little,” he asked why?” I replied, “it is the unknown.” “Was I sacred,” he asked. “no just a little apprehensive because of the unknown, but that I would be ok.” The entire conversation lasted fifteen minutes or so, and then he released me to the Classification Officer on the third floor.

 Once I hit the third floor, at about four pm in the afternoon, I reported to PN1 (Personnelman First Class) Soledad, who would finish processing our packets. Later he would finalize our plans for departure to recruit training in San Diego California. He went over the contract I had signed with the Navy.

 “Ok once recruit training completed you will report to Anti-Submarine Warfare “A” school in San Diego.”

Soledad smiled and said initial here, here, here, and sign here on this line.” He turned the page, and pointed to the line to the bottom, sign here, and your social security number here.” 

“now remember” he instructed, your social security number, will be how you are identified from now on in the Navy, so don’t forget it.”

 It was getting to be five o’clock in the afternoon.

“get your gear and form up in the main lobby.” Soledad intoned. 

“you are all going to San Francisco International Airport for your departure to San Diego, and will be getting some food at the airport, prior to departure.”

 He turned to me and shook my hand, “congratulations, and welcome to the U.S. Navy, recruit, good luck young man.”  He did the same for all of us, he turned and was gone.

 We loaded on to a Greyhound looking bus, for the ride from down town Oakland, to San Francisco International Airport. It was a 20 mile or so ride, over the Bay Bridge. Once at the airport we were directed into the Trans World Airline employee lounge, and fed. We were fed sandwiches, and Pepsi and Coke soft drinks. We ate, and watched the planes take off and land, for about ninety minutes. We then boarded a Pacific Southwest airlines flight to San Diego. Once we were seated in our seats, we were on our way to the next big adventure of our young lives. Navy boot camp.

 

                                                               The End