Okay, this ends my two weeks of four military anniversaries. You will not see me talk about the Marines for another year.
Twenty-one years ago on this date, I started my basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. It is just something that no Marine will ever forget. At least several times a year, I have a “nightmare” of my boot camp experience. The movies and documentaries make the Marine Corps boot camp look very tough. Trust me, it is actually a lot harder in person. Still, you can get a glimpse of what Marine Corps boot camp is like by watching the two Making a Marine videos on YouTube. Yes, the drill instructors do yell at you all the time.
Today I just happened to find the Marine Corps Boot Camp video on YouTube that I purchased back in February, 1991. I left my copy in Kazakhstan back in 1999 so when I saw this online, it brought back some memories. I still got my cammies in that the woodland designs. The video does not do the actual boot camp any service, the above Making a Marine link is more realistic. I remember calling this version (below) the “Made for Mommy” version. It is still good.
Were you drafted to join the army ? Young Vietnamese people are by the way, especially when they don’t go to college or university.