‘Ten Hut - Recruitment Stories - A Comparison

After reading Rainbough Phillips’ reminisces of being recruited for military service, I am inspired to share my story about enlisting in the U.S. Navy.

Unlike Rainbough’s experience in being recruited to volunteer, which in the end she did not do, I enlisted in the Navy, on a whim.  She lists a variety of reasons for her consideration of joining up, of which I can say only one applied to myself.  The desire to improve my self discipline, at least in regards to dealing with individuals in authority over me.  What follows, is my enlistment story.

On December 27, 1979 I awoke without a headache for the first time in two weeks.  The headache was the result of a twenty-three day micro dot binge.  Taking increasing doses during those twenty-three days did nothing to alleviate my headache, which commenced on the sixteenth day, so on the twenty-fourth day I decided to take a break from tripping away my days.

During the two weeks that this headache lingered, I carried on with my other normal activities, reading the newspaper and books, hitchhiking around West Michigan, and consuming other less mind altering drugs.  So, on December 27th, 1979, with no headache, and a joint in my pocket I hitchhiked into town from the beach house where I was living.  When I arrived in town, I strolled by the Naval Recruiting Office, which I had passed many times before, and, as I looked in the window, finding the office empty of potential volunteers, I wandered in.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/30 at 11:49 AM

  1. Wow. That’s a great story. It made me laugh. So apparently this “nuke program” had been around for a while. Somehow I’m not surprised. My brother told me that if you score high enough on the tests they give you after joining they will give you the option of the nuke program or the worst job they can think of so that you’ll have to sign up. He was apparently given multiple options because he wasn’t a high scorer, but was higher than average. After I declined joining my recruiter begged me to talk my AP Calculus teacher into letting him talk to my class. They were apparently desperate to find people to join the nuke program. I just about laughed at him, because no one in my Calculus class was going to turn down college to join the Navy’s nuke program.

    Posted by Rainbough Phillips  on  03/30  at  06:38 PM

  2. The nuke program was a world of its own.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  03/30  at  08:36 PM

  3. Thanks for the memories.  Similar story, only 1961.  I walked in and asked what it took to join the USN.  He said I’d have to take some tests.  I always did well at test-taking, so I did all tests and, being still in a mood to write, signed up on the spot.  I had the highest scores, I assume, in my group because they gave me the train tickets, guaranteeing me a Pullman room and I let the other guys gamble for the remaining better berths.  Then it was off the Albuquerque for swearing in, and onto San Diego.  Some fun.

    Posted by gary  on  03/30  at  10:32 PM

  4. “The nuke program was a world of its own. “

    a world of adorable small creatures who kept eating the control rods!

    old sea lung
    (on loan from strategic air command)

    Posted by old sea lung  on  03/31  at  11:27 AM

  5. “a world of adorable small creatures who kept eating the control rods!”

    Well, I guess that explains all those reactor scrams.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  03/31  at  12:09 PM

  6. No, it didn’t turn you into a bum.

    Posted by John T. Kennedy  on  04/02  at  06:52 PM

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