July 22nd, 1999 is a day that will be embedded in my mind for as long as I live. That date is the day that changed my life and made me the person I am today. It was around 20 hundred hours when we were loaded onto a military transport bus. We arrived at the Great Lakes Naval around 21 hundred hours. Upon arrival on the base we all had a look of dread and despair not knowing what to expect. We were greeted by a large burly man, referenced as the Recruit Training Command also known as (RTC). This initial experience was quite a rude awakening as to what lied ahead. Honesty, by no means was this meeting of the RTC pleasant. The arrival was an instant shock of anger and resentment towards the individual that was yelling and barking orders at us
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It was a bring you down to earth wake-up call, and it gave the RTC’s a first look as to what would be expected and how hard to push each recruit. The initial statements yelled at us by these RTC’s will remain with each of us in that room for the rest of our lives, “You all aren’t living with your grandmother or mother anymore no one here is going to have milk and cookies, nor is anyone here going to hold your hand read you bedtime stories and say sweet dreams. So, you all are aware you have joined the United States Navy! You are expected to work and strive to be one of the best! This yelling and constant in your face provocation was the beginning of a grueling process of boot camp. They ended this introduction with the following statement, “The people around you are your brothers and sisters, this is now your family! It is your job to protect yourself and so you can have the backs of your brothers and sister.” This isn’t a game! This isn’t summer camp! This is the United States Navy, it is all you will eat, sleep, breathe and think about! Day two was no better than day one! We were woken at 03:00 hundred hours, in a way that made us think we were being
It was a bring you down to earth wake-up call, and it gave the RTC’s a first look as to what would be expected and how hard to push each recruit. The initial statements yelled at us by these RTC’s will remain with each of us in that room for the rest of our lives, “You all aren’t living with your grandmother or mother anymore no one here is going to have milk and cookies, nor is anyone here going to hold your hand read you bedtime stories and say sweet dreams. So, you all are aware you have joined the United States Navy! You are expected to work and strive to be one of the best! This yelling and constant in your face provocation was the beginning of a grueling process of boot camp. They ended this introduction with the following statement, “The people around you are your brothers and sisters, this is now your family! It is your job to protect yourself and so you can have the backs of your brothers and sister.” This isn’t a game! This isn’t summer camp! This is the United States Navy, it is all you will eat, sleep, breathe and think about! Day two was no better than day one! We were woken at 03:00 hundred hours, in a way that made us think we were being