C077/K051 Feb 21 – Apr
25, 1990
I have a little more I am
going to add about my time at RTC. But, I have wanted to add this personal note
to an already personal story.
What did RTC Orlando mean to me?
What did RTC Orlando mean to me?
Wow, that is a big
question. The base meant different things to different people. We all know the
different sailors out there from lifers to those FTN why did I join sailors.
I was a lifer, no doubt
about it. I enlisted as a 6-year Nuke. When I changed jobs, I specifically
asked for a 6-year program again. I wanted to do 20 or mare. That was cut short
by two stupid taxi drives in Egypt. That is a crazy story in and of itself.
For me, the experience at RTC Orlando was obviously memorable, but it was very formative in my budding career.
Picking an exact word to tell you what RTC meant is impossible. And no matter which one I would choose, they are many more that could be used.
RTC was just the start for me. I learned a good deal, as most of us did. One vitally important piece of Navy info I learned, “Always be working on a Navy Course.” Whether it be a rating manual, BMR, or another one, be working on one. Also, work two pay grades ahead.
Signing up for a 6-year program, I was advanced to E4 after A-school. I still did all the courses for E4, even though I did not have to. I was about to turn in my Gas Turbine 1-Chief books when my accident occurred. I had just made E5, under 2 years in. Others, at my same time in service, could not even take the test because they were behind on their books.
So, I learned to work hard and move ahead.
I also learned to appreciate things better. Who didn’t like being able to just walk into the kitchen and get something o eat when you were hungry. Or take a nap when you wanted? All of that changed in our worlds. We were all taught to think differently.
How many of you still lace your shoes like you did in the Navy? Or go through a new pair of pants and remove all the stray threads? How many of us still make our bed every day?
Like it or not, we did feel the impact of what our CC’s pushed into our heads.
For me, the experience at RTC Orlando was obviously memorable, but it was very formative in my budding career.
Picking an exact word to tell you what RTC meant is impossible. And no matter which one I would choose, they are many more that could be used.
RTC was just the start for me. I learned a good deal, as most of us did. One vitally important piece of Navy info I learned, “Always be working on a Navy Course.” Whether it be a rating manual, BMR, or another one, be working on one. Also, work two pay grades ahead.
Signing up for a 6-year program, I was advanced to E4 after A-school. I still did all the courses for E4, even though I did not have to. I was about to turn in my Gas Turbine 1-Chief books when my accident occurred. I had just made E5, under 2 years in. Others, at my same time in service, could not even take the test because they were behind on their books.
So, I learned to work hard and move ahead.
I also learned to appreciate things better. Who didn’t like being able to just walk into the kitchen and get something o eat when you were hungry. Or take a nap when you wanted? All of that changed in our worlds. We were all taught to think differently.
How many of you still lace your shoes like you did in the Navy? Or go through a new pair of pants and remove all the stray threads? How many of us still make our bed every day?
Like it or not, we did feel the impact of what our CC’s pushed into our heads.
I am sure my own view of
RTC Orlando is clouded with 30 years of other memories. I am sure it is twisted
a good deal by nostalgia. But, I did enjoy my time there in a strange, odd
crazy sense. Hell, as you may have read, I have some good stories. I have even
more from AT Land, A-School, and the rest of my Navy time.
Without a doubt, one of the worst days of my life was when I saw NTC Great Lakes in my review mirror for the last time as a sailor. Three years later, when I received a letter from the Navy asking me to come back, I was ecstatic. Only then to have my emotions crushed by being told I was not eligible due to medical.
Without a doubt, one of the worst days of my life was when I saw NTC Great Lakes in my review mirror for the last time as a sailor. Three years later, when I received a letter from the Navy asking me to come back, I was ecstatic. Only then to have my emotions crushed by being told I was not eligible due to medical.
RTC Orlando, what did it mean? A lifetime of memories collected over those 8 weeks.
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