Week 7 | |||||
The countdown to the end has begun | |||||
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Week 7 is really the last week
of actual boot camp. You do so much in this week.
During the seventh week, you'll receive classroom training on the history of the uniform, grooming standards, dependent care requirements (Married with children...PAY ATTENTION, your spouse and dependents will need to know something about the life you brought them into!), and you will learn about terrorism. Another written test will prove to the Navy just how much you've learned. During week seven, you'll also get to practice your fire-fighting skills in an actual "ship board" fire-fighting exercise (This was important -- hope you were paying attention). It's also a ton of fun. It's one of the things you didn't expect out of boot camp but will never forget. The week winds up with Battle Stations. Battle Stations is the culminating event of Navy Boot Camp. It's designed to wrap everything you've learned about swimming survival, teamwork, fire-fighting, damage control, and more into one massive hands-on exercise. Battle Stations lasts all night. But don't worry it's a lot of fun. They put a lot of emphasis on it but it is one of the greatest times you will ever have. It last's all night. And you RUN from one event to the next. There are events all night each one different from the last. And it's not just random courses. Each Battle Station has a story that precedes it letting you know the purpose of the exercise. Again they put a lot of pressure on you to get it all done but don't worry too much. It is a lot of fun. And it ends with the greatest ceremony. You go into this large room. Surrounded by different displays of past sailors and different awards they received. Your entire division lines up in a certain pattern, spacing out a little. You receive a speech by several officers and the CO of RTC (It was Capt. Gant at the time of my battle stations.). Then when all the speeches are done you finally receive your NAVY BALL CAP. This is one of the most emotional experiences in boot camp. You wait for one of your RDCs to walk up to you. You shake their hand and they thank you. They then give you your navy ball cap. From this point on you are a referred to as a sailor and not a recruit. They also play "proud to be an American" in the background. A lot of people broke out in tears. If you don't get that choked up feeling there's something wrong with you. And it all wraps up with the greatest meal you will ever eat in your life. The breakfast after Battle stations is amazing. You are allowed to talk. You are given an hour to eat. There is a million good foods. And your RDCs eat with you. And then the final countdown begins. |