July 4, 1997 - A Display, an Explosion, and Some Fireworks

970705 - Yesterday was very easy! We had SDI's inspection in the morning and I passed. then the day was pretty much free. After evening chow and showers we went out to the parade deck and watched fireworks. It was pretty fun but we got to bed late and I had firewatch so I only got about 5.5 hours of sleep. Today was easy but M______ was a real jerk so the day dragged on a bit. I'm tired but tonight I have 9 hrs. of sleep so that's good. Plus, we only have 55 days left. Before I forget, I'm going to document this: when we got here there were 78 of us. There are now 64. They've definitely weeded out the weak.

A Display

The Senior Drill Instructors' Inspection was the first of several that we had over the course of boot camp. The preparation for it involved mostly cleaning our rifles, pressing our inspection cammies (once they got back from the laundry following the "scrub brush" incident), and polishing our boots to a mirrored shine. The Drill Instructors also walked us through what would happen at the event: we would have our rifles disassembled and laid out on our racks where they would be looked over by the Senior Drill Instructors for cleanliness. We would also be looked over for cleanliness as well as being asked questions similar to those from Mid-Cycle testing. Our DIs told us that confidence was far more important than correctness. If we were asked a question to which we did not know the answer, we were to loudly and confidently give an answer, any answer.

The most memorable part of the inspection for me came minutes before it began. We were all dressed in our well-pressed uniforms, and those who had needed a shaving touch-up had done so. We were standing on line when one of the Drill Instructors came down the line with two spray bottles. One bottle was filled with Listerine, the other with Aqua Velva aftershave. The DI would step in front of a recruit and say, "Look up," at which point the recruit would look up and the DI would spray the recruit's neck with aftershave. He'd then say, "Open," and the recruit would open his mouth and get a spray or two of mouthwash. The reason this was so memorable is that several of the recruits got it backwards. When told to look up, they would open their mouths. Well, the DI didn't care. He would spray aftershave into their open mouths, then yell at the choking recruits to maintain their military bearing and learn to follow instructions. It was very entertaining.

An Explosion

Sometime after noon chow, the platoon was sitting on their footlockers and cleaning the outside of their rifles, mostly to kill some time. Soon, DI Sgt. M______ came out of the DI hut and said, "Give me ten recruits on the quarterdeck, RIGHT NOW!" So, ten recruits went up and started getting punished, for nothing. Then, DI Sgt. V__________ came out and did the same thing. Then, incredibly, so did DI Sgt. H__. By this point, half of the platoon was on the quarterdeck trying to follow the orders of the DI who had called them up while not being distracted by the chaos around them. Soon, the Senior Drill Instructor came into the squad bay, took one look at the insanity, and sent everyone back to their footlockers to clean their rifles. He left again, and within ten seconds, the DIs were at it again, choosing a different batch of recruits to punish for no reason than to kill some time. A few minutes passed and the SDI came back in. This time, he was visibly angry with the Drill Instructors. He yelled at them, actually yelled, and told them not to put anyone else on the quarterdeck. They looked abashed and replied, "Aye, Senior Drill Instructor," but no sooner had he left than they were at it yet again. I couldn't believe the boldness of these guys. How could they blatantly disobey a direct order from the Senior Drill Instructor?!? Well, when SSgt. B____ came back a few minutes later, he lost it. He screamed at the recruits on the quarterdeck to go back to their footlockers and then he turned to the Drill Instructors.

SSgt. B____: What the hell is wrong with you?!? I told you not to put any more recruits on the quarterdeck, and you disobeyed my direct order!!! GET OUT OF HERE, ALL THREE OF YOU!!! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACES AGAIN!!!

And with that, they left, while the platoon watched in stunned wonder. Our Drill Instructors had gone rogue, and our Senior Drill Instructor, ever the watchful guardian, had fired them. He'd actually fired our Drill Instructors. We sat there in stunned silence, wondering what our new Drill Instructors would be like.

That incident cemented in my mind that the Senior Drill Instructor would look out for us at all costs. That is, until the next day, when the Drill Instructors were all back. It was only then that I realized what had actually happened: it was the Fourth of July. The Drill Instructors had all been working extremely hard and had earned some time off to spend with their families. But of course, you can't just say that to recruits. Instead, you have to create some spectacle that will fill them with shock and awe. And if, in the process, you get to put them all on the quarterdeck for no reason, so much the better.

There were several recruits who refused to ever believe that it had all been an act in order to give the DIs the day off. They insisted that our DIs were nearly insane, had been fired, but had been re-hired because they couldn't find replacements. It was only a matter of time, they concluded, before one of them finally lost it and we all suffered as a result.

Some Fireworks

There's nothing really noteworthy about the fireworks, except that it's another example of Early Chow being a better job than Late Chow. While recruit C___ and I went to the fireworks with the platoon, the two Late Chow recruits were left behind to watch over the squad bay. Once again: if you find yourself a recruit in Marine Corps boot camp, volunteer to be an Early Chow recruit!