Regarding Lisa L., Bootcamp & "A" School

Lisa L. was from Alabama, and our E.P.O., or Educational Petty Officer/Study Group Leader, and a friend from bootcamp and "A" school. In San Diego, she was assigned to daytime classes, while I was in the evening ones. Lisa L. was abused by a Caucasian, male, Radioman student (a daytime one I barely knew) there. Later on she became an officer (a Lieutenant) on a ship, and married a (ship, not submarine) Lieutenant, when I was at N6.

She had a Marine brother (a Staff Sergeant), so we went to visit the Marines at his workplace after bootcamp was over. I was quite excited because honestly, I didn't know what Camp Pendleton looked like, or what Marines went through for their bootcamp. It turns out that Marine bootcamp is very similar to Navy bootcamp in some ways.

Whenever I think of the Marines, I remember my brother-in-law writing (as a Marine recruit) to inform us that they have to be strapped to some chair, then plunged underwater, and required to calmly release themselves from the straps within a set amount of time. They have it tougher physically also. I originally wanted to be a Marine, but truthfully, the Marine recruiters were out to lunch that day, so I went into the Navy recruiting office and was enrolled into their delayed entry program at age 16. Right after graduating high school, I went to boot camp at age 17.

From what I saw there, the Marines recruits were all men. I never saw any females there. They were all in a height line, like we had been, and getting disciplined as we arrived. That division I spoke with was all-Caucasian, all-young, all-male, and all had similar haircuts. Thankfully, I didn't see any lookalikes or dozens with the same names like in Great Lakes, Illinois. However, I was only there briefly.

Some of the poor boys had tears in their eyes, and were quite scared. I felt so sorry for them. They were like frightened babies. The Marines are put into the most dangerous conditions, suffer high casualty, paralysis, IED loss of limbs, and post-trauma rates compared to the Navy. However, they only seem to receive hand-me-downs from the Navy, for housing, funding, etc.