Dear Mom and Dad,
I finally started getting all of your letters last week! They are really helping me get through boot camp, so keep them coming. I can only write on Sunday, so I’m sure it’ll be forever before you get mine. I also got letters from Grandfather, the Mendoncas and my friends Mel, Kate Cassalla and Kate & Nick. The rest of my friends are dead to me! Just kidding.
Boot camp is slowly getting better. I’ve met some good guys in my division, and we stick together and make sure we are all one team. The PT (physical training) is getting better, but still not hard enough for my tastes. The beatings [see previous blog post] continue, which is frustrating, but you get used to it. If we are lucky we might get a phone call next Sunday.
I happened to get placed into a “push” division, which means we have to learn everything in one less week, hence the earlier graduation date. However, Chief says if we keep screwing up and getting compartment hits, he’ll send us back a week. If he’s serious, which I think he is, graduation could very well be on the 13th, so stay tuned. I’d rather not be here that long, but in boot camp you roll with the punches.
I’ve been teaching the division in my role as Educational Petty Officer, and our first test is on Tuesday, so we’ll see how much got through. We have to know rank and recognition, first aid, uniforms and grooming, ships and aircraft and the dreaded UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). I’m not worried about that, but Tuesday is also our zone inspection, aka the fold and stow test. Everything has to be folded and ironed perfectly, no room for error. It’s a pain in the butt, but everything here is about attention to detail. We have to think about it as if our skivvies are multi-million dollar pieces of F/A-18 equipment. One wrinkle and KABOOM.
One area I’m really good at is standing watch at night and making entries into the deck log. Every few nights I stand watch from 0000-0200, to make sure terrorists or ninjas don’t come in and kill my sleeping shipmates. I don’t mind it; I like the responsibility. RDCs will often come in the middle of the night and grill you on chain of command or the deck log. I’m also one of 6 sticks for our drill formation, which means I get to stand in front carrying a flag for pass-in-review. It also means I have to learn a crap load of extra drill moves, and am under extra scrutiny. But I like it.
I’m glad the U.S. made the elimination round, but it sounds like a total heartbreak against Ghana :-(. Keep the updates coming! And throw in some news too. What’s going on with the oil spill? I’m still missing you guys a lot, but I’m almost enjoying my home here, and the letters help sooo much!
Love, Jackson
8.7.10
1.7.10
First Week Report
27 Jun 10
Dear Mom and Dad,
It’s finally good to get a chance to write you. I’ve been here almost 2 weeks, but we only get to write letters on Sunday, and the first Sunday didn’t count. Where do I even start to describe Navy Bootcamp. I arrived 13 or so days ago, a Monday night around 8 or 9 pm; don’t remember. From the second we stepped off the bus, I stayed awake for 40 hours. Seriously. There was a lot of processing, a lot of hurry up and wait, and a LOT of yelling and swearing. All that nonsense about no cursing in bootcamp is so not true, but I really don’t mind. It give it that salty boot camp feel. I’m in division 267, with Chief Alex and 3 first class petty officers as my RDCs. The first week we stayed in the temporary berthing compartments at the USS Pearl Harbor while we had “P week”. That week sucked. We had to wear full sweats everywhere all the time, even marching outside. We couldn’t do any exercise because we all had to be declared fit for full duty. And everywhere you go, everyone (the instructors and staff) treat you like shit. After being awake for 40 hours and being constantly crapped on, I was definitely having second thoughts. But that’s how its supposed to be. I also had night security watch the first night of sleep, so I was a zombie until the 3rd or 4th day.
Things are slightly better now. After P week we marched across base to Camp John Paul Jones, where we moved into our permanent home, the USS Triton. It’s named after a sub from WW2 I’m pretty sure. The “ship” is actually a huge, state of the art building/barracks. I would have preferred the USS Enterprise or the USS Theodore Roosevelt, but the Triton is still pretty cool. Once we moved in we also got to stop wearing our stinky hot never washed sweats and got our blue digital camo working uniforms (super cool), which we wear all the time except for PT (physical training). We also wear black combat boots about 15 hours a day, which really starts to kill your feet.
So far we really haven’t learned or done anything interesting except how to do things at warp speed. I can strip my rack in 2 minutes, make my rack in 10 minutes, and fold and store all my clothes EXACTLY the way they want. Everything we do is under high stress situations and even the slightest error can earn you a “beating”. They can’t actually hurt you physically, but they have 4 cards of varying difficulty which contain exercises to beat you into the ground. One recruit was sent to the hospital (we think). When the RDCs want to be mean and teach you a lesson, it is not pretty. But you’ll never make that mistake again. They also like making you hold in the pushup position for 5, 10 minutes at a time. The whole division (72 people) has been beat a handful of times, sometimes our fault, sometimes not. I don’t mind; it’s all designed to make us sharper and stronger.
The RDCs can be cool when they want to, but my division has a tendency to be slow and unreceptive, so we don’t see the nice side a lot. It’s definitely toughening me up and giving me a thick skin. You just can’t take it all too personally, and focus on graduation. Graduation will be the happiest day of my life by far. Boot camp isn’t that “hard”, but it can be demoralizing. So keep letters coming! So far I haven’t gotten any, because I think it takes a while to get here. In good news, I passed my 3rd class swim test and my PFA. I did 100 crunches in 2 minutes, 71 pushups and easily passed the 1.5 mile sprint. We’ve been marching more now too. Which is also fun (comparatively).
The other guys in my division are a mixed bag of everything. We’ve got some shipmates who don’t take it as seriously and hold us back, but a good portion are good people who want to succeed. This past week we were assigned positions. I was made educational petty officer (EPO) because I got a 99 on my ASVAB, and I was made athletic petty officer (APO) because I was a personal trainer. However, after a couple of days they realized that I couldn’t be both, so they made me just EPO. Which means I’m in charge of studying and preparing everyone for the tests. With this group, it could be a formidable task, but one which I’m going to give my all. Also, Chief said that however lower our test averages are below passing, that’s how bad I’M going to get “beat”. That’s how it works here. Our first test is next week, hopefully I can get these guys to pass. We have to know rank and recognition, the UCMJ, ships and aircraft, first aid, uniforms and grooming, and watchstanding procedures. It’s not too hard, but it’s a lot of information and some of it (like memorizing articles of the UCMJ) can be tricky.
The best part of boot camp is the food. We eat 3 squares a day, big healthy portions. I think the food here is pretty good. You have to eat fast, but not so fast you feel sick. I’m eating salad a fruit 2-3 times a day, keeping it pretty healthy. Now that we’re doing PT, my body feels a lot better than the first week. I hear that the first 2-3 weeks suck the most; then it gets better. So far I’m keeping my spirits high and keeping my eye on the prize. I really do miss you, home, my friends and the world cup! So please keep writing, you have no idea how big a difference a letter from loved ones makes. I’ll write again in a week.
Seaman Recruit Dehn
Dear Mom and Dad,
It’s finally good to get a chance to write you. I’ve been here almost 2 weeks, but we only get to write letters on Sunday, and the first Sunday didn’t count. Where do I even start to describe Navy Bootcamp. I arrived 13 or so days ago, a Monday night around 8 or 9 pm; don’t remember. From the second we stepped off the bus, I stayed awake for 40 hours. Seriously. There was a lot of processing, a lot of hurry up and wait, and a LOT of yelling and swearing. All that nonsense about no cursing in bootcamp is so not true, but I really don’t mind. It give it that salty boot camp feel. I’m in division 267, with Chief Alex and 3 first class petty officers as my RDCs. The first week we stayed in the temporary berthing compartments at the USS Pearl Harbor while we had “P week”. That week sucked. We had to wear full sweats everywhere all the time, even marching outside. We couldn’t do any exercise because we all had to be declared fit for full duty. And everywhere you go, everyone (the instructors and staff) treat you like shit. After being awake for 40 hours and being constantly crapped on, I was definitely having second thoughts. But that’s how its supposed to be. I also had night security watch the first night of sleep, so I was a zombie until the 3rd or 4th day.
Things are slightly better now. After P week we marched across base to Camp John Paul Jones, where we moved into our permanent home, the USS Triton. It’s named after a sub from WW2 I’m pretty sure. The “ship” is actually a huge, state of the art building/barracks. I would have preferred the USS Enterprise or the USS Theodore Roosevelt, but the Triton is still pretty cool. Once we moved in we also got to stop wearing our stinky hot never washed sweats and got our blue digital camo working uniforms (super cool), which we wear all the time except for PT (physical training). We also wear black combat boots about 15 hours a day, which really starts to kill your feet.
So far we really haven’t learned or done anything interesting except how to do things at warp speed. I can strip my rack in 2 minutes, make my rack in 10 minutes, and fold and store all my clothes EXACTLY the way they want. Everything we do is under high stress situations and even the slightest error can earn you a “beating”. They can’t actually hurt you physically, but they have 4 cards of varying difficulty which contain exercises to beat you into the ground. One recruit was sent to the hospital (we think). When the RDCs want to be mean and teach you a lesson, it is not pretty. But you’ll never make that mistake again. They also like making you hold in the pushup position for 5, 10 minutes at a time. The whole division (72 people) has been beat a handful of times, sometimes our fault, sometimes not. I don’t mind; it’s all designed to make us sharper and stronger.
The RDCs can be cool when they want to, but my division has a tendency to be slow and unreceptive, so we don’t see the nice side a lot. It’s definitely toughening me up and giving me a thick skin. You just can’t take it all too personally, and focus on graduation. Graduation will be the happiest day of my life by far. Boot camp isn’t that “hard”, but it can be demoralizing. So keep letters coming! So far I haven’t gotten any, because I think it takes a while to get here. In good news, I passed my 3rd class swim test and my PFA. I did 100 crunches in 2 minutes, 71 pushups and easily passed the 1.5 mile sprint. We’ve been marching more now too. Which is also fun (comparatively).
The other guys in my division are a mixed bag of everything. We’ve got some shipmates who don’t take it as seriously and hold us back, but a good portion are good people who want to succeed. This past week we were assigned positions. I was made educational petty officer (EPO) because I got a 99 on my ASVAB, and I was made athletic petty officer (APO) because I was a personal trainer. However, after a couple of days they realized that I couldn’t be both, so they made me just EPO. Which means I’m in charge of studying and preparing everyone for the tests. With this group, it could be a formidable task, but one which I’m going to give my all. Also, Chief said that however lower our test averages are below passing, that’s how bad I’M going to get “beat”. That’s how it works here. Our first test is next week, hopefully I can get these guys to pass. We have to know rank and recognition, the UCMJ, ships and aircraft, first aid, uniforms and grooming, and watchstanding procedures. It’s not too hard, but it’s a lot of information and some of it (like memorizing articles of the UCMJ) can be tricky.
The best part of boot camp is the food. We eat 3 squares a day, big healthy portions. I think the food here is pretty good. You have to eat fast, but not so fast you feel sick. I’m eating salad a fruit 2-3 times a day, keeping it pretty healthy. Now that we’re doing PT, my body feels a lot better than the first week. I hear that the first 2-3 weeks suck the most; then it gets better. So far I’m keeping my spirits high and keeping my eye on the prize. I really do miss you, home, my friends and the world cup! So please keep writing, you have no idea how big a difference a letter from loved ones makes. I’ll write again in a week.
Seaman Recruit Dehn
21.6.10
First Contact (by snail mail)
21-6-2010 First letter from Jackson is a basic form letter with 4 personal lines at end stating he is alive and surviving though not getting much sleep. He has not had any PT yet but is looking forward to that.
Important feature is the address:
SR Dehn, Jackson, E.
Ship 12 Div 267
Recruit Training Command
3515 Sailor Drive
Great Lakes, IL 60088-3515
The letter also gives the graduation date of 06 Aug 10.
KCDehn
Important feature is the address:
SR Dehn, Jackson, E.
Ship 12 Div 267
Recruit Training Command
3515 Sailor Drive
Great Lakes, IL 60088-3515
The letter also gives the graduation date of 06 Aug 10.
KCDehn
17.6.10
15.6.10
15.6.2010 It is always something. Jackson called me yesterday at 0821 from Ft. Meade to say the Navy needed his HS transcripts by 0900 or there would be a delay shipping out. So I called the school the person in charge of transcripts was in a meeting until 0915 but they would call me back. Then I searched through our home records and came up with the official transcript from the end of his jr yr and the final report card from sr yr drove into town to 7-11 to fax what I had to the Navy. Jackson had said he would call me back around 0900 but he never did so I assumed what I faxed was acceptable. I was on high alert though expecting some other problem to come up. He called me again using a phone card from BWI about 1630 saying his flight out was delayed and there was no definite time of departure. There was bad weather out west that may have been the problem with departure. I told him I didn't care what time he got in to Great Lakes Recruit Training Command I want to get the next call. I honestly wasn't going to sleep until he called anyway. He called at 2330 so I slept like a baby. Next contact should be in 1 - 2 weeks when they ship his civilian clothing home and send a letter with his address. Can't wait. Will post address or any other info ASAP. KCDehn
9.6.10
Ship Out
So, after a fun but long year of waiting, the time has finally come. This Sunday, around 4pm, I'll be meeting up with my recruiter in DC to travel to Fort Meade, MD, staying the night, and then proceeding to BWI Airport on Monday, June 14, arriving in Great Lakes, IL later that day. I've got some great festivities planned for Friday and Saturday to enjoy these last moments with my friends, but I'm still ready and willing to get started on the journey. Not much else to say really. I've enjoy the past year with friends and family, but after some final partying I'm ready to get to work!
If you'd like to write me while I'm in Basic (which I hope you will!), I'll be providing that information here on the blog. Or rather, I'll write home to my parents, and they'll be in charge of uploading that info. Hopefully they can also post some of my letters here so everybody knows whats going on even if you're too shy to write a lonely sailor!
If you'd like to write me while I'm in Basic (which I hope you will!), I'll be providing that information here on the blog. Or rather, I'll write home to my parents, and they'll be in charge of uploading that info. Hopefully they can also post some of my letters here so everybody knows whats going on even if you're too shy to write a lonely sailor!
5.1.10
Courage
Here's to a productive and meaningful 2010.
I recently finished reading John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", the book he wrote while he was still a freshman Senator, and which also happened to win the Pulitzer Prize. After reading it I can see why. It's mainly an analysis of political courage, highlighting 10 Senators in particular. JFK profiles subjects from both sides of the political aisle, which is part of what makes this book so good and relevant. Aside from political courage, the end of the book features a section on "The Meaning of Courage", with some great quotes that I found particularly meaningful. Here are a few from JFK that I'd like to remember...
"It is when his regard for himself is so high that his own self-respect demands he follow the path of courage and conscience that all benefit."
"Must men conscientiously risk their careers only for principles which hindsight declares to be correct, in order for posterity to honor them for their valor? I think not."
"The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality."
"To be courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all."
"In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience - the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men - each man must decide for himself the course he will follow."
"The stories of past courage can help define that ingredient - they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul."
The last quote is how JFK ends the book, and one of my personal favorite. An inspirational read, and especially interesting to any history/political junkies out there. While we're on the subject of inspiration, and great presidents, I'll end this post with another of my favorite quotes and one which has held sway over me since before I enlisted.
"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy." -President John F. Kennedy, 1 August, 1963
I recently finished reading John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", the book he wrote while he was still a freshman Senator, and which also happened to win the Pulitzer Prize. After reading it I can see why. It's mainly an analysis of political courage, highlighting 10 Senators in particular. JFK profiles subjects from both sides of the political aisle, which is part of what makes this book so good and relevant. Aside from political courage, the end of the book features a section on "The Meaning of Courage", with some great quotes that I found particularly meaningful. Here are a few from JFK that I'd like to remember...
"It is when his regard for himself is so high that his own self-respect demands he follow the path of courage and conscience that all benefit."
"Must men conscientiously risk their careers only for principles which hindsight declares to be correct, in order for posterity to honor them for their valor? I think not."
"The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must - in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures - and that is the basis of all human morality."
"To be courageous requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all."
"In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience - the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men - each man must decide for himself the course he will follow."
"The stories of past courage can help define that ingredient - they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul."
The last quote is how JFK ends the book, and one of my personal favorite. An inspirational read, and especially interesting to any history/political junkies out there. While we're on the subject of inspiration, and great presidents, I'll end this post with another of my favorite quotes and one which has held sway over me since before I enlisted.
"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy." -President John F. Kennedy, 1 August, 1963
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