What is your wildest story from basic training?

Orlando Florida, July 1969 Company 159 in blazing heat. The first week of boot camp orientation I was a scared skinny 18 year old with an 8th grade education. They took us to the Naval Chapel and introduced Chaplin Dor to us.
After this and other introductions of boot camp life we were told to write our name in the front of our BlueJacket Manual. I in my nervous state misunderstood and wrote Chaplin Dor instead of my name.
During company inspection our Company Commander looked at my book and read the riot act to me in front of my shipmates. This caused great joy to all my mates including my friend who went in with me on the buddy system and who has never let me forget it! Me, I was horrified and the rest of my time in training it would occasionally be brought up.
Now as Paul Harvey used to say here is the rest of the story. Around 3 weeks in it was found that we were suppose to have a designated Religious Petty Officer who would read a pre-subscribed scripture reading before lights out while all stood at attention. Our company commander asked for a volunteer and all of us at attention for a very long awkward minute of so said nothing. I certainly wasn’t going to! He asked again and to my horror I saw my feet step forward!
The cool thing about this was we were kind of a rowdy bunch but when Bible reading was called out each evening all stood at attention in a reverent stance while I read.
Today I am a Follower of Jesus Christ and now you know the rest of the story!
RM3 Randy Rock

Among the many experiences I had in Marine Corps Boot Camp (1966), Parris Island one humorous episode stands out. One of our drill instructors called out wanting a private with a college education. A recruit came forward and was questioned extensively on his college credentials (learning institution, courses, etc). After the drill instructor finished and was satisfied with his fact finding mission he send the private out to see if it was raining.

San Diego recruit basic training in 1972. We had a tough company commander Chief Greene. First thing I remember was arriving from the airport on a bus to worm island and lining up in middle of night for a series of vaccinations applied with an air gun...needless to say many new recruits fainted flat on their faces getting the shots...Cheif Greene yelling at them to pop up and stand tall! Some recruits were thinking about jumping the fence to go UA/AWOL since they could see the airport from our barracks. Chief Greene told them that the Marine Boot Camp was on other side of fence and if they jumped over they would be caught and spend the rest of their recruit training with the marines! We had a chant for Chief Greene: "Every morning at the barracks you could see him arrive,
Stood 5 ft 7" and weighed 165.
Kind of wide at the shoulders and narrow at the hips,
But everyone knew you didn't give him no lip to Chief Greene. Mean old Chief Greene."

You know how they've got you standing guard over anything they can think of during boot camp; the clothes line, the barracks, etc., with a rifle that doesn't work. When someone approaches, you have to challenge him, "Halt, who goes there?". Well it's approximately 0200 and this LTJG is riding his bike and didn't stop, so one of my fellow recruits, swung his weapon and took the JG off of his bike. The company commander absolutely loved it. He praised the recruit for weeks. No charges were filed. The recruit was following orders and halted the guy and the JG learned a very good lesson.

It was qualification day for BRM on the range at Ft. Lost-In-The-Woods, MO. If I recall correctly from March 1978, we had 40 targets, ranging from 100-300 yards. Three positions were prone, standing, and last, in a foxhole. I’d been shooting since childhood. I shot the first set and everything went down. Good. Second set, I think fine. Down in the foxhole. I’m hitting targets popping up at varied distances, not knowing exactly what I’d hit or missed. I’m done. I turn around and the commanding general, brigade commander, my company commander, and my drill sergeant were standing behind me after a perfect score. I didn’t know if I should salute in the hole, scramble out and salute, salute and scramble out and salute, or just salute and crap my pants. At graduation, receiving the award on stage, the commanding general asked me , “Did you hunt squirrels as a kid, son?” I answered “all due respects, sir, you bet your ass!”

My TI had me carry a rock in my left hand for 11 weeks so I could tell my left from my right..

We were digging foxholes as part of our field phase. My battle buddy and I switched digging. He got out of the foxhole and took a drink from his canteen. He noticed a lizard climbing a nearby tree. It was about 4 inches long from head to tail. He said, “Hey, look what I found!” Out of nowhere he grabbed the lizard by the tail and slid the lizard down his throat and ate it. I about lost my MRE!!! I asked him why he would do that? His reply, “I like how it tickles as it goes down!”

Assigned as flight laundry detail slave and riding inside of a clothes dryer to test gravity principles in hopes of becoming a future astronaut.

It was the last day of boot camp. I was walking back to base with some friends. My drill instructor cam driving by and just by instinct I waved. A little while later back at the base I got called into the drill instructor’s office where she informed me I was never to wave at her. That she was not my friend.

When I was in basic training, we were doing grenade training. We were lined up laying in the prone position waiting for instruction. Once the call was given the soldier next to me pulled her pin and let go of the grenade. It rolled on the ground and hit my leg. I grabbed that grenade and tossed it. Craziness!