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In which I take an old Marine back to boot camp…. part one.

35 Comments

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Day two of our anniversary trip started with a glorious sunrise.

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And the required selfie with palm tree background.

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We headed out early and pointed the beast south.

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Through low country marsh…

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And those wonderful live oaks. (You’re going to see a lot of them in the days to come because they were everywhere and I love them.)

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More marsh.

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More moss draped trees. (I did warn you)

An hour and a half later, we reached our destination.

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Parris Island, South Carolina. The base that serves as east coast boot camp for the Marine Corps. The last time my Marine had been here was in 1966.

Almost 58 years had passed and he was interested to see how much he remembered.

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Those palm trees lining the entrance road?

Nope.

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The rifle range?

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Yes. Though the brick jersey barriers were new.

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I could tell this was an emotional trip down memory lane for him. The last time he walked these grounds he was fresh out of high school and training to go to war.

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We drove slowly, touring and taking in the sights. Base housing has definitely improved over the years.

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And as we rounded a large bend?

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A beautiful golf course…

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Complete with live oaks…

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Ponds…

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And shore birds.

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Egrets and herons were everywhere.

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As were the moss covered trees.

I asked if the golf course had been there in his day and he honestly didn’t know. During the Vietnam era, boot camp was condensed from 3 months into 2 and every single minute was spent training, drilling or sleeping. No days off. One hour a week to write a letter home and mandatory church service Sunday morning. There was no time for golf.

My husband really wanted to see his old barracks, but they were made of wood and torn down long ago. Modern brick was in their place.

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Just when the husband was feeling disheartened that everything had changed… we saw this.

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New recruits.

Looking lost and scared to death.

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Scurrying to and fro beneath the famous sign.

Turn up your volume for the full effect.

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Now that was familiar.

To be continued…

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35 thoughts on “In which I take an old Marine back to boot camp…. part one.”

  1. Well that was a glimpse into a life I haven’t and will never be a part of. Don’t get me wrong, my family serves/has served, just not me. But i don’t mind experiencing through others.

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  2. How great that your husband was able to revisit his old stomping, er, marching grounds. And don’t worry about over-exposing me to moss-draped oaks. It’s one of the things I’m most excited to see on my first trip to the South. (To me, childhood trips to coastal southern Florida and Disney Florida don’t count as “the South.”)

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    2. You don’t have to believe, you just have to go. Because you were told to go. Because, if you don’t follow orders and your enemy does, guess what… You don’t join the military to advance your religious or political agenda. How’s the weather up there?

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      1. Today, and for the past week, the weather is amazing. But it was hortible just over a werk we were -40, C or F. This week we set a record for the new high one day, +12° C — in the high 40s F.
        Thus comi g week, we are goi g vack i to the minuses, we will see haow far.

        Folliwing orders led to My Lai .

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The Nazis didn’t conquer Europe by letting the troops decide what they were and were not going to do. The Allies didn’t take it back that way either. Spring is coming. I’m expecting some daffodils in the next week or so.

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  5. Gotta say those recruits don’t look too high and tight. Did they change the rules? Personally, I wouldn’t care. high and tight’s a good looking haircut. In fact, I may just get one next time around.

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  10. As much as I admire you husband’s service, I must admit I don’t share his nostalgia….probably because I was drafted and never dug military life (when I declined to “re-up” after my time was up, my sergeant for almost two years at Fort Knox told me, “You’ll be back.” Never happened, though I live but a few hours drive away).

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    1. For a farm kid… one of 9… with just a high school education it opened up a world of opportunity and gave him a career and benefits for the rest of his life. It’s not fur everyone, but he loved it.

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  11. Sorry, posted in the wrong post (hush puppies) before – what are the numbers on the sign post? Really interesting post – I love it when people look back on the past

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  12. I can imagine how this was emotional for him; a big part of his life started right there. I hold those Marines (and all service men/women) in the highest regard.

    A three month training smashed into two weeks? And he was basically a CHILD. Goodness. I can’t imagine.

    Lolo’s Nathan trained there a few years ago and said it was the biggest challenge of his life thus far.

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    1. No, it was three months condensed down to two months… which was probably bad enough. The stories he tells (of what really amounted to abuse) back in those days curls my already curly hair. Things are very different today.

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