Book One - WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 8 - GI JOEY
True to his word, we began exchanging letters from the time he arrived at the Marine Recruit Depot at San Diego, Camp Pendleton. His missives were full of enthusiasm and interesting details about basic training.
8 August 1969
Hello from Boot Camp, Squirt!
Technically, though I'm not actually in boot camp yet. We've spent the first five days in a special version of hell called receiving, You wouldn't think a tough outfit like the Marines would spend so much time on paperwork, but that's all I did the first couple of days. We filled out forms and memorized all kinds of things. It's like being back in school. I've had to learn all this stuff about the M-16 rifle, but I won't get to fire one for weeks yet!
Yeah, Maggie, they shaved off all my hair, but I managed to save a lock for you. You'd really laugh if you could see me! I look like a billiard ball with ears. Then, I had to turn in all my civilian clothes and get my uniforms and field gear. You wouldn't believe all the stuff! I swear I've got more costumes and accessories than one of your Barbie dolls.
The DI's (Drill Instructors) are always in our faces, yelling orders. It reminds me of good old Brother dear, except Ricky's an amateur compared to these guys. I've seen them make grown men cry like little girls - no offense! They must have calluses on their vocal chords from all that screaming.
Between all the marching, drilling and getting yelled at, I've been too busy to be very homesick, but I sure do miss you, Squirt.
I passed my Initial Strength Test. It's sort of like all that President's Council of Fitness stuff they make you do in Phys Ed at the beginning of the school year. I had to do sit ups, push ups, pull ups, and all kinds of other stuff to prove I was in good shape, so they wouldn't stick me in the dreaded Physical Conditioning Platoon. That's like remedial P. E., and the rumor is that it's pretty brutal. Tomorrow we get sent to our new home for the next two months. I can't wait.
Keep saving up those hugs, Sweetheart! I'll write more as soon as I can.
Much Love,
Joey
Every week brought another letter with details about Joey's new life. During the first week, he joked about having to learn a whole new language and call everything by nautical terms: floors were decks and walls were bulkheads. His bunk was a rack and the windows were portholes. Ahead was forward and behind was aft, left was port and of course, starboard was right. "The weirdest thing, Mag-pie," he wrote, "is that I can't say ‘I' or ‘me', I have to call myself ‘this recruit'. It feels kinda strange talking about myself as though I'm not here and talking about what's happening as though it's not really happening to me."
As odd as it may seem, I think Joey actually enjoyed basic training. He enjoyed the physical and mental challenges. According to the axiom, the most dangerous thing in the world is a Marine with a rifle. Joey, as it just so happened, turned out to be more dangerous than most. He was a natural marksman. To the astonished delight of his DI - and those guys do not delight easily - Joey proved himself on the firing range where he demonstrated an almost supernatural proficiency with the M‑16 rifle and later with the M‑60 machine gun. He qualified as a Sharpshooter on his very first attempt, and earned his Expert badge at his next trial.
Even though I desperately wanted to go, we didn't attend Joey's graduation from Basic Training. My father said it was too far, it was a bad time for him to take off work, and that he didn't want to me to miss school for the trip. My father could always come up with an excuse for anything he couldn't be bothered with doing. At least Uncle Dan made the trip, and Joey was able to spend his leave with family, getting acquainted with the nephews he'd never met.
Boot Camp, however, was only the beginning of Joey's training. They do call it "Basic" for a reason. As soon as his leave was up, he headed straight back to San Diego for his Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) training as a helicopter weapons specialist, a machine gunner. Then, he was accepted to Non-Commissioned Officers School and graduated with the rank of Sergeant. He later wrote to me that at first the grunts - the infantry soldiers - had called him a Shake-n-Bake, their term for NCO's who arrived In Country with rank but no practical experience. However, Joey's easygoing disposition, unassuming manner, and his willingness to learn quickly won them over.|
Hi Yaakova
Written by jean.day (2364 comments posted) 2nd August 2007 | I'm up to date now with these chapters. It gives us a nice gentle impression of her relationship with her uncle. I rather wish we didn't know in advance that he is going to die. But of course, your novel is all about flash backs.
One thing that struck me, having lived through the period you are describing, is that she doesn't make any comment about the attitude of America towards the war at that stage. It was about that time that the Democratic convention was being held in Chicago - and the scenes of the war protestors being beaten up by the police is a memory that has stuck in my mind. There was an emormous anti war feeling at the time, and for him to volunteer when the war was nearly over, and he was a young man, puts a question in my mind.
And coming up the next month is the assasination of Robert Kennedy. It was quite a violent summer, that one, and everybody was talking about it.
Don't be depresssed about not getting many comments. That is the way with extended work - not that many people bother to read it. But you will find that if you review others that will perhaps encourage a few more people to try your work. I have written about 10 books and posted them on the site and I never had more than 3 or 4 regular readers. | Some reasons?
Written by SammoR (132 comments posted) 2nd August 2007 | US combat troops stayed in Vietnam till 1973, so the war had a long way to go.
As to him volunteering, well, it could be that he wanted to get out of his brother's house at all costs, to strike out on his own. Like many young men, he probably believed himself to be indestructible.
Plus, he seems to have fallen for the 'we need to fight communism' line. I know that seems very 1950s McCarthy era, but I suppose being from small town America, it's not entirely surprising.
Personally, I think he joined from a mixture of the above two reasons.
I agree that these chapters would probably sit better if we didn't know he was going to die. |
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