Boot Camp aka Recruit Training at Great Lakes, IL

The flight from Boston arrived in Chicago late at night. A Navy bus was waiting for us and we were loaded on it and and taken to Great Lakes Naval Station. As soon as we arrive we  are screamed at, "Line up and shut up!" We are lead to a room where they REALLY aren't nice to us. "Take out your wallets and put them on your desk." These are school type desks. We pull everything out of our wallets and they take out all girlfriend photos and rip them up. Generally it's just harassment but it wouldn't be a good idea to laugh.

Next we are "marched" to a building where we are issued fart sacks, mattress covers to civilians, a blanket, a pillow cover, and  then to a barracks where we learn to put the fart sack over the very thin mattress that lays on a wire bed frame and hop into bed. Four hours late we are woken up with lights on and and loud noise. The noise is the instructor banging on a full size metal trash can. It's unbelievably loud! Up, dressed, marched to the chow hall, and then we meet our company commander Chief Torpedoman's Mate Bruno. He will lead us all through boot camp, counsel and guide us, teach us to march and to work as a team.

Boot Camp wasn't hard. It was mostly tests and classroom work. Of course there was marching and physical fitness. The tests they administered were to determine what specialty training you were suited for. I did notice that the tests we took with questions about electricity had logical answers. They noticed that too. Since I was preselected for aviation training most of the tests didn't affect my specialty training. My scores on the electrical tests did have some effect because they scheduled me for aviation electronics training after boot camp. The marching and close order drill helped us mold together as a unit. All phases of boot camp had a purpose whether we were aware of it or not. I just kept my mouth shut (a miracle), did what we were told, did my best at everything, and consequently breezed through it all. Boot camp was 10 weeks and we graduated Oct 29, 1958. High school graduates are automatically promoted to E2 upon completion of Recruit Training. In boot camp your are a E1 Recruit. In my case, an Airman Recruit. Now my rank is Airman Apprentice and the pay goes from $74 a month to $85 a month.