Well, DEP Recruit McElman is coming closer to becoming Seaman Apprentice McElman in a few weeks, Aug. 12 is my date with destiny.

I'm getting nervous, and kind of depressed, cause I only have a little bit of time left. But I am also getting excited at the dawn of whole new future.

So, does anybody have any suggestions, words of wisdom, last things to do before I go? I'm just kinda bummed cause I don't want to leave my friends and family, they are all I've known and have.

 

Good luck and dont worry about your friend, cause if Bush gets re-elected, it sounds like they'll be joining you...

 

There is nothing to be nervous about... Navy Basic Training (or whatever the Navy calls it) is not that hard. Plus it's only 8weeks... and after that you'll come back as a Split-op and wait a year for your Job School... At least thats how it works with the ARMY, not sure if the DEP program is the same for all services. But good luck in the Navy.

 

thanks guys for the good words, Katanaman, I go to boot, then right to A school in pensecola, fl.

 

well, just a few days now :\ i leave home on wednesday and report to RTC thursday

 

Best advice ever (I was in Army OSUT [One Station Unit Training] only a year ago, so it's still pretty fresh):

1. "Shithouse lawyers" are trouble. These are the guys whose neighbor bought them a copy of the UCMJ and they know such and such of this and that and this isn't legal and them taking away your pack of smokes is out of compliance this and that. Dude, don't listen to them. You're there to train, keep your mind focused.

2. It's never too hard. Training is about breaking you away from happy go lucky life at home to the real deal world. It's never "too hard", but it sure as hell can be tough. Remember that lesser men have done what you've done and been sucessful.

3. Focus. Focus focus focus. Learn to do something right the first time. There's more than just you training, and if you're on top of your game, your instructors don't have time to mess with you. Oh they'll mess with you, but if you're on top of your game, it'll be in fun, however twisted their sense of fun is.

4. Never give up, because there's nothing, and I mean nothing better than the sense of accomplishment. Never give up. You will be pushed beyond your limits, and do things you have maybe been "taught" are as far as you can go. For a fact the one thing the Army taught me was that my body can go a lot farther than my mind can.

5. Women loooooove a uniform. They do, period. And for the women in service: Y'all may not think so, but a lot of you can make those BDUs and Class A's look good.


Good luck man, keep your head up through the rough.

-Mess

 

All I have to say is OH YOU LUCKY BASTARD! Pensecola is KEY

 

thanks mess for the good advice, I'm heading up to MEPS this afternoon, so this will probably be my last post for a while. TTYL