Navy Basic Training: Part I

By Erin O’Neill

In the Navy, boot camp is officially called Recruit Training Command (RTC). Each year, approximately 50,000 recruits pass through RTC, which is housed at Great Lakes Naval Station, just north of Chicago. Typically, recruits report for eight weeks of “Sailorization”, during which time they’re transformed from the civilians they entered as, into the highly-trained sailors we count on to serve and defend our nation.

To accomplish such a drastic transition in such a short time, the Navy needs—and takes—every bit of the recruit’s time and energy, leaving very little extra to be shared with their loved ones back home. With so little time and communication coming from the recruits, it can be helpful to know a little bit about what life at RTC’s really like, day in and day out.

Anchors (and Cell Phones) Away
As soon as the recruit arrives at RTC, they’re given one quick phone call—to let their family know they’ve arrived—and then their cell phones are confiscated. Without access to phones or email, they’ll be relying on U.S. mail to keep in touch throughout RTC. “Write a lot,” advises Linda Port, a Navy wife who’s survived not only her husband’s RTC, more than two decades ago, but also, the boot camp of her son-in-law and two sons in the past few years. “Number your letters so they can keep them in order, and send two letters a day. Just write, write, write, and always be positive.”

And don’t worry if you don’t hear back, right away. “I’d get a letter from him once a week, and I’d write to him everyday,” recalls Cara Morrison whose husband completed RTC in 2003. Remember they’re under a lot of stress and are probably exhausted. Just be supportive and keep the letters coming. “I had more free time that he did, so I wrote everyday, even on weekends,” says Jessica Spooner whose husband went through RTC in 2006. “He said it was great because he had one coming in every day. Pen and paper was all we had, so we took advantage of it.”

Basic Facts of Basic Training
Throughout RTC, recruits sleep in single-gender berthing compartments (racks), divided by division. These are contained within the barracks, called the “Ship” at RTC. Each ship accommodates 1,300 recruits and includes classrooms and an eating area, known as a galley (just like a real ship.)

The first five days of RTC are called “P-Days” and are spent processing the medical, dental and administrative records for each recruit. During this time recruits are taught about the Navy’s operations and Code of Conduct. They’re given uniforms and learn how to march, stand watch and organize their gear. As P-days conclude, each division—made up of 88 recruits—is presented with a flag, called a guidon, which indicates the beginning of official training. They’ll spend the coming weeks studying, drilling and participating in Physical Training (PT) to prepare them for their final evaluations at the end of RTC.

What Are They Doing Right Now?
After P-Days, the first two weeks of RTC are often the hardest, for the recruits. They memorize tons of new information (such as rank charts and chain of command), as well as stand watch, and PT for at least an hour, six days a week. They participate in a simulation on the USS Marlinspike, and taught to handle the potential challenges and emergencies that can come up at sea. For many recruits, this is make-it or break-it time, so family support is especially important.

“I took lots of pictures of our son that I sent him,” recalls Spooner. “Even when things got bad or he wanted to quit, he could look at our pictures and see that he was doing all of this to support and take care of us, and that soon enough we would be together.”

During the third week, the recruits learn shipboard communication, including semaphore (a marine alphabet based on flag positioning) and complete the first of two PT tests during RTC. This is also the time that separations can begin to take their toll.

“Just keep busy and don’t worry if you aren’t hearing anything from him,” recommends Morrison. 

Spooner agrees, “He wants to talk to you as much as you want to talk to him, so be supportive and let him know that you’re waiting for him.”

By the fourth and fifth week, the recruits are see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. They practice marksmanship and weapons safety, learn to fire an M9 pistol and an M870 shotgun. They are taught to handle life on board a ship and master basic water survival tactics such as firefighting, CPR, lifeboat organization and response to a chemical weapons attack.  By the sixth week, recruits complete the “final hurdle” of RTC—Battle Stations—which brings together everything they’ve learned and is concluded with the Capping Ceremony This finale signals their transition from recruit to Sailor, readying them for graduation.

Next week: Pass-In Review & A-School