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How I Graduated From Boot Camp
Boot Camp was at Cape May, N.J. It was good, bad and indifferent. I joined the Coast Guard because they promised nothing except you get what you earn. I needed a little of that.
The company I was assigned to was not exceptional. Through no fault of our Company Commander, we never managed an Honor Company in any of our weeks. Our Recruit Company Commander, I called him "The Rat", a ROTC Reserve was not at fault either. Him and I however were like "fire and ice". The end result of our mutual dislike, was a collection of additional demerits that managed to multiply. (But only in my case)
Not that I wasn't deserving of some demerits. I picked up a few at inspections and I missed a few clock punches while on watch in the tower. (No, I wasn't sleeping, the truth be known, I was watching the fairer sex and forgot to make the punches)
All in all, my demerits may have been slightly above average, but if it were not for the Rat always in the picture they would have been negligible. For example, we would be in formation waiting to go into Mess and it was the Rat's job to collect our letters for the mailbox. He would collect everyone's but mine. When I would tell him he forgot mine, he would give me 3 demerits for talking in ranks. When I told him where he could place those demerits, I would collect 5 more. You get the idea.
I acquired enough demerits that it I made it to the last week I would likely be “set back” to do additional time in a later company.
Two weeks before graduation I was called into the Company Commanders office. It didn't look good. "Well, you did it again", said the C.C. I was sure he knew about the Rat and I, but he never interfered with the Rat's unfair advantage.
Then he informed me that all I had to say was "Yes" and it was up to me. He explained that I was one of 16 in the entire Coast Guard who qualified. If I wished, I could go to the Naval Fleet Sonar School at Key West Florida. That meant graduating with my company, an immediate 5 days liberty after Graduation, and 2 additional days to get to Florida. Transportation would be taken care of courtesy the USCG. In addition, the chances of me becoming a petty officer if I completed this training were slim, but possible. (I even had two more weeks to earn some more of the Rat's demerits.) I said "Yes" and I did receive more demerits. They meant nothing and I enjoyed getting them and telling the Rat exactly that. As I assumed, the Company Commander still did not interfere.
I graduated Key West. I also did very well. I made Seaman, and then Petty Officer. In route my next assignment I stopped to visit a friend stationed at Cape May. While walking the boardwalk I saw the Rat coming toward me. I saw his two little Seaman Apprentice stripes at about the same time he saw my new Petty Officer Chevron. We would have passed in silence, except just after he passed I said, "Good luck, Rat." He did not acknowledge me and I never saw him again.
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