Matt Brzycki
02-13-08, 07:59 AM
Here's one of my favorite stories from boot camp. I'll be brief no matter how long it takes.
So we're at PI back in the fall of 1975. Musta been around Oct since we just completed 2nd phase and were back at mainside with a Nov 18 graduation date. Suddenly, the DIs told us to get on line. We were informed that so and so (a fellow recruit) reported that he was missing money which was assumed to be stolen. And, of course, stealing from other Marines is a huge no no (even though we weren't Marines at this point). Under certain circumstances, it's acceptable for Marines to heist things from soldiers, sailors and airmen but not other Marines.
So we got lectured on stealing from other Marines and so on. No one fesses up. We're told to go back and get our footlockers and dump the contents in front of us. The DIs then went up and down the squad bay, kicking our sh*t around looking for the stolen money. There was gear all over the squad bay. Looked like Black Friday at Wal-Mart.
At one point, the DIs were right across from me, kicking field goals with the gear of a Chinese recruit named Eng Kau or Kao or something like that (prounounced "cow"). One of the DIs bent down, grabbed something from the mess, stood up and said, "Oh, what do we have here, Private Eng?" Turns out the poor bastard - I can use that word here, right? - brought back some leftovers from his C-Rats when we were in the boonies the previous week. Ah, C-Rats. Remember in boot camp when you lined up at the back of a truck and the guy on the truck flung you 3 meals from the same case? So in effect, you got to dine on 3 of the same meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner? You might get 3 boxes of spaghetti or 3 boxes of Green Eggs and Ham - or was that Eggs and Green Ham? - or the infamous Beans and Baby D*cks (aka Beans and Franks). And who could forget the extras like the so-called "sh*t disc which, as the name suggests, leaves you crapping your brains out. It was a great diuretic. But I digress.
Okay, back to the story. The DIs reminded Private Eng that they told us that we were not to bring back any contraband to mainside. But Eng had smuggled some items back, including packs of instant coffee, powdered milk and sugar (which after having been denied sweets for a few months, was almost like a drug in rapidly elevating our blood sugar). Suddenly, one of the DIs grabbed Eng's head and tilted it back. The other DI started to rip open the packs and poured the contents down Eng's throat: instant coffee followed by powdered milk followed by sugar. Then the other DI got a canteen of water and poured it down his throat. Okay, now here's where it gets hilarious: After this, one DI grabbed one of Eng's arms just below his shoulder, the other DI grabbed his other arm just below the shoulder. THEN THEY PICKED HIM UP AND SHOOK HIM! After this, one of the DIs rubbed his belly and said, "Um, tastes good, Private Eng." Keep in mind that this happened directly across from me. I hadda bite my lip so hard to keep from laughing that I almost passed out.
Matt Brzycki
Sergeant (1975-79)
So we're at PI back in the fall of 1975. Musta been around Oct since we just completed 2nd phase and were back at mainside with a Nov 18 graduation date. Suddenly, the DIs told us to get on line. We were informed that so and so (a fellow recruit) reported that he was missing money which was assumed to be stolen. And, of course, stealing from other Marines is a huge no no (even though we weren't Marines at this point). Under certain circumstances, it's acceptable for Marines to heist things from soldiers, sailors and airmen but not other Marines.
So we got lectured on stealing from other Marines and so on. No one fesses up. We're told to go back and get our footlockers and dump the contents in front of us. The DIs then went up and down the squad bay, kicking our sh*t around looking for the stolen money. There was gear all over the squad bay. Looked like Black Friday at Wal-Mart.
At one point, the DIs were right across from me, kicking field goals with the gear of a Chinese recruit named Eng Kau or Kao or something like that (prounounced "cow"). One of the DIs bent down, grabbed something from the mess, stood up and said, "Oh, what do we have here, Private Eng?" Turns out the poor bastard - I can use that word here, right? - brought back some leftovers from his C-Rats when we were in the boonies the previous week. Ah, C-Rats. Remember in boot camp when you lined up at the back of a truck and the guy on the truck flung you 3 meals from the same case? So in effect, you got to dine on 3 of the same meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner? You might get 3 boxes of spaghetti or 3 boxes of Green Eggs and Ham - or was that Eggs and Green Ham? - or the infamous Beans and Baby D*cks (aka Beans and Franks). And who could forget the extras like the so-called "sh*t disc which, as the name suggests, leaves you crapping your brains out. It was a great diuretic. But I digress.
Okay, back to the story. The DIs reminded Private Eng that they told us that we were not to bring back any contraband to mainside. But Eng had smuggled some items back, including packs of instant coffee, powdered milk and sugar (which after having been denied sweets for a few months, was almost like a drug in rapidly elevating our blood sugar). Suddenly, one of the DIs grabbed Eng's head and tilted it back. The other DI started to rip open the packs and poured the contents down Eng's throat: instant coffee followed by powdered milk followed by sugar. Then the other DI got a canteen of water and poured it down his throat. Okay, now here's where it gets hilarious: After this, one DI grabbed one of Eng's arms just below his shoulder, the other DI grabbed his other arm just below the shoulder. THEN THEY PICKED HIM UP AND SHOOK HIM! After this, one of the DIs rubbed his belly and said, "Um, tastes good, Private Eng." Keep in mind that this happened directly across from me. I hadda bite my lip so hard to keep from laughing that I almost passed out.
Matt Brzycki
Sergeant (1975-79)