I’ve been thinking a lot about the progression of the navy boot camp through the ages.

I would imagine if you were able to bring someone from the early twentieth century into today’s experience, they would be completely stunned at how far the experience has travelled since their day. As a collector of old Bluejacket’s Manuals, I can see the progression of the way sailors were onboarded.

The very earliest manual in my collection was the 1918 version. There was not much different from earlier versions, but the focus was what to expect when you got to your first ship. While I am sure there were many shore assignments, in 1918, there had been a large infusion of men from all over the country. The entry into the war in April of 1917 probably caught many planners off guard. After all, Mr. Wilson had promised to keep us out of war in the previous election. But the war and the need for large amounts of ships meant that having a pool of potential sailors on board was the focus.

By the eighth edition of the manual (1938), the focus had fully shifted to preparing the recruits in a more comprehensive manner.

The 1920’s and 1930’s had been periods of shrinkage and slow growth for the navy. Large international treaties had also limited the number and size of ships as well as types. Promotions were glacially slow if at all and new recruits were not as common as in later times. The winds of war were already blowing in both Europe and the far east. Shipbuilding was being increased as America recognized that it had fallen behind in every major category. Even the paltry number of ships authorized by the two major treaties remained short of the goals.

The new BJM (Blue Jackets Manual) was focused more heavily in bringing the recruit up to a minimum standard. The topics of shipboard life were enhanced and would better prepare the recruit for his entry into the modern navy. One interesting note is that Submarine Service is added into the manual for the first time. (It may have been in one earlier edition, but my research does not prove that out.)

 

The ninth edition in 1940 reflects how close the country is coming to a war time footing.

Recruitment had increased and ships were starting to flow to the coasts. In the recruit section of the book (Section 1) sound advice is given to the new recruits.

“You may be homesick and lonesome for a while. We all were. You are starting a new life, with new surroundings and new friends. Grin and bear it like we all did. No man ever succeeded by hanging on to his mother’s apron strings all his life.”

America’s entry into the war was stunningly quick. Lessons learned on how to bring recruits up to speed would continue throughout the war as new challenges arose. The lightning-fast speed of technology and warfare methods would test the training methods. That would continue after the war when the new types of weapons would emerge. From missiles to atomic warfare, the Cold War brough many challenges to the training pipeline. But at its core, the discipline and strengthening of the new recruits remained a core element.

New recruits, new issues.

I follow a number of active duty and veteran’s pages on Facebook. This is a way to stay in touch with old friends and learn about new things affecting our navy. Recently, a series of posts have involved the use of cell phones by recruits.

I have always believed the idea that boot camp was designed to break the old person down and build them back better. To quote the infamous scholar John Candy from the classic movie Stripes, they should all become a “lean, mean, fighting machine.”

In the summer of 1972, I can assure you that we were badly in need of conversion.

The late sixties had already seen the melting down of common core American attributes. Fast food, parties, relaxed values and a small cultural revolution in the country caused by the long running conflict in Vietnam had chipped away at the youth of America. The draft was still in place and service in uniform was not the highest priority for many young men.

Old School Commnications

In my house, we had two phones. One was on the wall in our kitchen, and one was in my dad’s office. I had little use for phones up until I started dating. Then I discovered how valuable the phone was. The problem was that my older sister and I were a year apart and often found that the phone line coming into the house was in use. Dad fixed that by getting her a princess phone with a separate line. The only complicated thing about the phone was when I broke up with the girl I had been calling. My parents were not amused that she used the phone as a weapon. I think they were ready for me to go to boot camp for the damn thing to stop ringing.

Arriving at boot camp was a culture shock in many ways. But we all had a common experience and finding out how privileged we were up until that day suddenly blew any pretenses away. We learned that we were all going to have to learn how to be hard quickly. Did some guys cry? Probably. But they learned quickly to shut their mouths without having to be told. The endless runs around the grinder holding a Springfield rifle over your head was enough to tame the most savage beast. That thing was heavy enough without the added exercise.

By the time August came, I was in better shape than I had ever been. My mind was sharp. The goals of the company were my goals. We were a cohesive unit with a mission. I wish that could have lasted forever. But at least for that time we were as prepared as we would ever be in our lives to become sailors.

But the thread of comments on the RTC Facebook that caught my eye and attention indicated that cell phones are now allowed to be maintained by the recruits.

WTH???

The single biggest threat to civilization today is the unencumbered use of cell phones in any generation. You see it every day in public. Look around the restaurant the next time you go out to eat. Heads are bowed in every corner. Not in prayer, but looking at the infernal machines. Even driving is more hazardous as people drive distracted while texting their every move. It’s frightening. And dangerous. It’s almost a national epidemic and we need to face the fact that its out of control.

The reactions on the page were predictable.

• God how times have changed!! Turned phone off?? I couldn’t even imagine being allowed to have one we had to send home every single thing we took with us right down to your underwear only thing you were allowed was what you were issued. We were given time for 1 phone call on first day “pay phone which you called home collect and hoped they weren’t outside or at store cuz you got one chance “then twice during the 8! weeks we would get to call home for a 5-minute conversation again hoping they answered. Your kids are out there starting their lives and that is a really good thing. They will learn a trade as I did which will hopefully carry them through the rest of their lives. Great Lakes in the Summer of 69

• In 1972, we had a single phone call to let the folks know we were alive. After three weeks, we could get a special in camp liberty and go to a phone bank where we could make collect calls. But only if someone had not broken some rule during the week which would punish the entire group.
• Got to Great Lakes Midnight Feb 29 1976, Cold as F, Had Great times in my 8 1/2 yrs then I was able to work as a contractor on the Navy’s P-3C Simulators for 30 more years. loved every minute.
• When I went to boot camp 1984. We had a 30 second phone call to say we got there. The next phone call I got was when I got to A School. Everything else was done by snail mail.
• If you have someone in boot camp, the term no news is good news definitely applies. Been there, done that.
• 1991 (From a female shipmate of mine) …In Orlando, we got one phone call a week. If you had connections, you might have a calling card. Mostly we just wrote lots of letters
• Wow, We are definitely in different times, when I got to boot camp in Aug of 1997 I was in line to use the phone with about 100 other males. I was in the 2nd group to use the phone. We were told you call whoever you call tell them you made it, you’re ok, that you love them, we had 1 minute. As my turn was up I walked to the first phone available and grabbed the phone connected to a pole, as I went to start dialing, instructor says times up, all I got to say was but I didn’t, and he lost his shit yelling at me lmao I was like that the hell? lol 😂 longest day of my life after that, checking in, haircuts, receiving your uniforms, socks, underwear’s, your whole seabag!!!! Up for countless hours, just asking myself what have you gotten yourself into? lol 😂 looking back after being honorably discharged in 2009 I would do it all over again!!! So, people if your child has all those perks non the less a phone where at some point sooner or later, they could call home trust me they have it good, we had to wait to Sundays during down time to use the phone or receive mail. They’re not being mistreated, they’re being turned into responsible young adults learning the meaning of responsibility, respect, and accountability they’ll be fine. You’ll be happy to see little Johnny or Sue as you son or daughter, but the world will view them differently as a service member!!!
• 1999 (From a hot running sailor who was the leader in his company) he tells me that he had one phone call when he got there, there was not time to make collect phone calls at all. Mainly, his ship was encouraged to write letters on the weekend.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

You can’t say we weren’t warned about the proliferation of technology.

The major point to all this is not to smack the next generation. Frankly, they did not make the decision to allow cell phones to be added into the safety net. I am sure that the decision was to help with recruiting or some such nonsense. But I would encourage the leaders who made this decision to think again. The advice given over the years is still relevant today. Let them grow up and let them become self-disciplined. If and when the next war comes, we need to be sure our sailors are as hard and disciplined as they can possibly be.

It is worth repeating for the recruit today (with some updates):

“You may be homesick and lonesome for a while. We all were. You are starting a new life, with new surroundings and new friends. Grin and bear it like we all did. No man (or woman) ever succeeded by hanging on to his mother’s apron strings all his life.”

And putting the phone away for eight weeks won’t kill anyone. I would offer a thought without actual facts, only conjecture. More people have probably died because of their addiction to cell phones.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have an incoming call…

Mister Mac

and by the way, yes, I am a Boomer…lol