Bobbing for Apples (Pt One)

If you are just following my blog this week, I am doing a boot camp edition to celebrate 6 years since I went to the Marine Corps. Feel free to click the link at the top of my blog "My Marine Corps days" to catch up! :)

The first night...

So after we formed our very first formation, we filed it into the depot, and what happened that night is merely a blur. I remember sitting in these desks and were told to put our heads down until further instruction. By now, I was adapting to the booming voices, and my nerves weren't so shot. Next, all the recruits and I filed quickly into a huge classroom and had our "effects" searched through. Not really thinking - maybe nerves or sleep deprivation from being up since 3:30 the morning before- but, I managed to throw away my SSN card. Somehow I knew that this was foreshadowing that my brain relocated and stayed home for the next 13 weeks. I don't remember much with the classroom, except maybe being told to put our heads down a lot. Which was bad news because we were all exhausted and just wanted to snooze- which was lethal for us to do.

I believe at some point we were all told to file up to these rows of telephones and were demanded to call family. It definitely wasn't going to be a leisure call with drill instructors breathing over our shoulder and you had only seconds to speak rehearsed lines to them. I, unfortunately didn't get a hold of my family because my mother's phone didn't accept collect calls, and my dad's phone was a cell phone. The drill instructor told me to try again, and I did disappointingly. (Ironically, my mother was upset that I hadn't "called" her. I told her that she shouldn't had her phone block collect calls.)

Then, the male and female recruits were separated - the males had to get their heads shaved. When we saw them again, it was quite a change from the guys that were on the bus. We were then told to grab cammies, boots, and covers. We also had to be fitted for "tennirunners" (running shoes). It was a mad rush, and you hoped that the Marines were giving you the correct size. After this, we (females only) were escorted to a large squad bay. Males were taken to another one.. We were told to put on a set of cammies and have our new runners on. Our civilian attire was to be put into a brown bag and stored away until we graduated. 

Next came our no longer civilian hair. I had to grab my long, blonde lock and tie it back into a bun and slather gel and hairspray into it. I was soo terrible at it at first! Rolling up sleeves for the first time.. we all looked like a hot mess. There was a pure distinction that we looked like "lost childs"... because we were! We were brand new recruits, exhausted, and clueless.

(Part two will come later this afternoon- I have to get to class! :) Stay tuned!)

The Yellow Foot Prints

It has been exactly 6 years since I landed on Parris Island. I will never forget how rapidly things changed when I got my orders from MEPS, and how quickly I was escorted to the nearest taxi to the airport. I remember getting meal vouchers to use on the way, and to my dismay not being able to use them at all. I knew that my civilian days were about to be over. 

When I arrived at the Charleston airport with two other female recruits, we were rudely escorted to an open area waited to be seen by a short, stocky male drill instructor. My blood ran cold as the drill instructor barked out orders in front of random civilians, and I jumped mindlessly. I had a 20 oz bottle of Dasani water in my hand as we were being rushed down the "ladderwell" and was demanded to face the "bulkhead". What the heck was a "bulkhead"? I looked at the drill instructer confused, and he grabbed my bottle and chunked it at the nearest wall. Next thing I know, I pressed my nose against the wall, and thought, "What the heck am I doing here??"

Next, we were told to go into a room filled with long tables and were told to eat our "trash" and then put our "eyeballs" on the "knowledge" on the table. The "trash" wasn't literally trash, it was a sandwich and a bag of chips or fruit. I decided not to eat my food because my heart felt like it was about to pop out of my chest. We were the first three recruits to arrive, and it would be hours before all the recruits showed up, male and female alike. You could cut the tension in the room in half.. and of course the other Marines in the room poked fun at us. A lot of yelling, "Sound OFF!" More yelling, and a lot of acronoyms to be learned in a short amount of time.

When the remainder of the recruits were brought to the basement of doom, we finally were escorted to the buses that lead us to PI. It was dark about this time, and sat in my seat silently with unease as the remainder of the recruits exhanged stories and asked questions of the unknown. I had a bit of a cough, and I brought cough drops to soothe my throat. I remember thinking that I was going to be in trouble for having them on me. I just remained silent, listening, and thinking about what was about to happen next. I enjoyed the ride because it was moment of peace and not worrying about the D.I. that jumped us at the airport. The bus ride seem to last forever, and I manage to gaze at the front gate with Marines in delta's...and I knew this would be the point of no return until graduation day.

When we made it to the depot, another male drill instructer greeted us with his husky, bellowing voice,"Get off MY bus!!" I didn't hesitate, I grabbed my belongings and ran onto the infamous yellow footprints. This was the first formation of many to come.

~I will continue the bootcamp memories with a post a day... stay tuned! :)

Mamarazzi Monday: 4th of July

Finally! I am doing another Mamarazzi Monday with Household 6 Diva ! I am exciting about this week because she wants to know what the 4th of July means to us. If you are stumbling upon my blog for the first time, and would like to follow her "meme", just click the link above! :)

What Independence day means to me:

The Right to have a sassy personality

The Right to bear arms.. (even if it is a bubble blaster)

The Right to have a sister who has your back and is your best friend..

The Right to always be a daddy's girl..

Furthermore, to have a free country with natural unalienable rights that our Creator has given us.. and no one can take that away! Our forefathers and men/women have fought and shed blood for those very liberties. I am proud to be an American and to protect/preserve our Constitution. :)