PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
The following Reflection represents CAPT Michael Lilly’s legacy of their military service from 1968 to 1998. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life.
Where did you go to Boot Camp/ Basic Training? What specific memories do you have of instructors, fellow recruits and any rigorous training?:
Saturday, July 20, 1968, is still the longest day of my life. This is how it began as I entered Naval Officer Candidate School – officer boot camp – at Newport, Rhode Island.
“HEY, YOU!”
The voice belonged to a khaki uniform.
I pointed to myself, “Who me?”
He yelled, “Yes, YOU, mister – get over here. Double time.” His right gloved forefinger pointed to a spot in front of spit-shined boots wrapped in white “leggings”.
I started to run, dragging my gear.
“I said DOUBLE TIME!”
I fetched up to his forefinger. “Drop those bags.” I did. “Stand at attention.” I did.
“Hands flat at your sides, feet together, back and legs straight, shoulders back, stomach in, neck straight, chest out and eyes dead ahead.”
When I tried to speak, the Uniform said, “Clamp your trap! You’re an officer candidate now and you belong to us.” Waving a hand at my luggage, he ordered, “leave that trash and get next to that ‘boot.’”
As I started to move, he barked, “On the double, mister! Everything here is double time.”
“Name?” I gave it with a smile.
“What’s so funny, mister?”
“N-n-nothing.”
“There’s nothing funny about OCS, except for ‘boots’ like you. If there’s something to laugh about, you’ll be told to laugh.
“Now,” he continued, “You’re at attention. You will look straight ahead. You will stare at an imaginary spot in the distance. It’s called ‘caging’ your eyes. You will not think. You will not talk. So, ‘cage’ your eyes.
“Aha! Your collar is unbuttoned. That’s one red gig.”
In answer to my thoughts, the Uniform said, “A red gig is a bad gig. It’s like a demerit. A blue gig is a good gig. Two blue gigs cancel one red gig. Blue gigs are hard to get. Red gigs are easy to get. Five red gigs and you march on the grinder for one hour. Fifty and you’ll never get liberty during your four months at OCS. Seventy-five and you’re a swabby. You go to the fleet as a seaman recruit and clean urinals for two years.”
I would never have dreamed of what he next found wrong.
“Aha! You have an Irish Pennant!” What the hell was that? “An Irish Pennant,” the Uniform continued, “is any loose line. They’re called ‘IPs’ for short. In your case, you have a loose thread on your shirt button. IPs are to be cut or stowed.”
The Uniform noted another red mark. “That’s another red gig.”
The Uniform grasped the IP, pulling it free. The still air was pierced by a click, as the button fell and rolled against the Uniform’s shoe.
The Uniform raised his boot onto the button and crushed it into unrecognizable pieces.
“You’re missing a button. That’s three red gigs, giving you five and an hour on the grinder,” said the Uniform. “Enjoy your stay at OCS.”
Mercifully, his attention drew to a new OC.
“Mister, get over here!”
And that was just the beginning of the longest day of my life.
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Greetings CAPT Lilly,
Thanks for your recall of Day 1. I had a similar experience, on August 11, 1965, at Pensacola NAS as a newly enrolled NAVCAD. The “Uniform” in my case was Gunny Sgt. Lowder, USMC. Same rude awakening. Same introduction to a discipline that was essential in ultimately forming my personality and worldview. My time was from ’65 to ’72. I did three tours of combat aviation in Vietnam and later became the Academic Training Director for the Naval Air Basic Jet Training Command in Meridian, Miss. (ironic in a sense since I didn’t hold a baccalaureate degree at the time). Anyway, during my time an opportunity was presented for me to augment from USNR to USN and I waivered. I was RIFed in late 72 and have since enjoyed a satisfactory and successful post-Navy career. Still, I wonder if I made a mistake. I’ve admired so many of the senior officers I’ve served under (a few – not so much), that I often look back on the road not taken. Hope you have “Fair winds and following sea”.