San Diego or Bust

[Bawanna]

Just got back from Marine Corp Recruiting Depot in San Diego. I flew on a plane, first time in 30 years:001_huh: and the first time in a wheel chair. That part wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but not fun. Hopefully no more of that.

Any how my youngest graduated and is now an all the way live genuine Marine.

Evidence photos or it didn't happen.

Proud family.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5909_zps0ovx8olh.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5909_zps0ovx8olh.jpg.html)

Mom and older brother right after the grad ceremony.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5903_zpspotx7j9e.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5903_zpspotx7j9e.jpg.html)

Where's Waldo?
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5883_zpsjint9kwt.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5883_zpsjint9kwt.jpg.html)

There he is.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5897_zpsvp7cz19s.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5897_zpsvp7cz19s.jpg.html)

Family day, the day before.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5872_zpse70yb2ms.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5872_zpse70yb2ms.jpg.html)

My usual view of the goings on. Lots of people. Lots of weird people, like the people of Wal Mart.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5871_zpsnyshirjc.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5871_zpsnyshirjc.jpg.html)

Toured the Carrier Midway while I was there and met this fella. He actually flew off it and was on board when they recovered one of the Apollo capsules. Fun to talk with him.
In the background across the bay you can see the USS Ronald Reagan Nuclear Carrier. He said it was about a 100 ft longer and a little wider than the Midway which let me tell ya is one big arse boat.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/DSCN5862_zps5fyk1mki.jpg (http://s1138.photobucket.com/user/hopke5/media/DSCN5862_zps5fyk1mki.jpg.html)

Needless to say I'm beyond thrilled to get out of California and be home. It was a trip of things I don't do, rode metro buses, metro trolley's, half a dozen derelict transport vans. Those were paid for with your tax dollars I guess, they wouldn't take my money and said the Marine Corp had it covered?? Guess that was a good thing since I went through a ton of money just eating and staying, expensive stuff.

Awfully glad I went, probably won't do that again.

[leftysixty]

A proud time indeed! Thanks for sharing.

[SlowBurn]

Thank you. Thank him.

[knkali]

good stuff. Glad you made it back without being azzz raped or murdered. After 5 days in Kali, your genetic make up starts to become infected.. You will slowly start to crave the Opra Winfrey show, chai lattes and Jerry Brown will start to make sense. Its horrible.

BTW that good looking Marine looks like mom. Thank G-d.

[knkali]

Wow no one commented on his sharpshooter badge. Good work. Pistol or rifle?

[Bawanna]

He missed making expert by one measly point. He was 3 pts down in phase one but could have made it up and got expert but didn't quite pull it off.

They didn't get to play with Beretta's at all, only M16's. Pistols I think are in his next phase infantry training.

[yqtszhj]

That is too cool. I wondered how he was doing just the other day. Mrs. B looks proud too.

I'm gonna guess that you don't have the PM45 in that pack you have there. :rolleyes:

[b4uqzme]

Congrats Colonel. Thanks.

[jlottmc]

That parade deck brings back memories. Glad you had a good time, and as for your son, the good times are just starting.

[kenemoore]

Congrats, as others have mentioned, you and your wife can be be proud.

[ltxi]

Congrats to you and your son, Col, and glad you made it back in one piece.

[Bawanna]

That is too cool. I wondered how he was doing just the other day. Mrs. B looks proud too.

I'm gonna guess that you don't have the PM45 in that pack you have there. :rolleyes:

No PM45, nothing at all. I was traumatized completely. I carried a fanny pack like that for years and I don't know how. I hated it down there.
Because of the flying I had to basically take everything off the chair, different bag, no front bag so I had the fanny pack, so everything could come off. Every time I go to reach for something it's not there where it usually is.
If there ever is a next time, I'll just get a small back pack and toss everything in it. It was frustrating.

[muggsy]

Looks every bit a marine. You and Mrs. B. can be very proud of the way he turned out. Congrats to all.

[O'Dell]

Congratulations to your son and the family. I'm glad you got back home okay.

[TheTman]

You must be a very proud Papa, Colonel. Congratulations to you and you son, and thanks to your son for his choice to serve his country. Sorry he has such a crappy Commander in Chief.

[TD2K]

wow, that is so awesome. very proud!!!!!! Congrats to him!

I'm headed to LaLa land in a couple of weeks. I'll feel nekkid the whole time, hate it. But, I gotta do it.

[Big Sexy]

Outstanding, Bawanna!

I admire your son for his service, and you've obviously done a great job as a parent!

[muggsy]

He a good looking young man in that uniform. He must take after his mother. :)

[Longitude Zero]

Congrats, great family moment that will last forever.

[Alfonse]

Some things are worth traveling for. That is one of them! Congratulations to you, your family and your son. Thanks to all of you as well.

[Bawanna]

It felt so good to get up this morning strap on my normal gear, know where I was at and where I was going and be in control of my life.
Yesterday, I mowed the lawn nekkid. Guess I was still in California mode or something, don't know what happened.
Back to normal, the urge to have a gender reassignment, smoke whacky backy, and act libtard have subsided and I'm back to being my caustic, grouchy old self. I love myself so much.........not in any mano mano way ya understand.

[knkali]

It felt so good to get up this morning strap on my normal gear, know where I was at and where I was going and be in control of my life.
Yesterday, I mowed the lawn nekkid. Guess I was still in California mode or something, don't know what happened.
Back to normal, the urge to have a gender reassignment, smoke whacky backy, and act libtard have subsided and I'm back to being my caustic, grouchy old self. I love myself so much.........not in any mano mano way ya understand.
yeah you got out in time before the genetic mutations were permanent.

[downtownv]

Outstanding! Every reason to be proud!
That rear view can be dangerous around the Mexican bean eaters in the crowd!

[berettabone]

A fine looking lad, and family. I hate those sardine cans myself..................couldn't get me on another one unless it was life or death. Inhaling everyone else's breath, and smelling their arse, while at 30,000 ft. isn't my idea of a great time. The last time I flew, I had a very large person gripping the back of my seat the whole way, mumbling about crashing, storms, and basic paranoid sentences......and I didn't have my gun.:p

[Armybrat]

Looks like you and your family done good!
God Bless your son and keep him safe.

Hope none of the California rubbed off on you, particularly the urge to transgender into Colonette Bawanna.

[AJBert]

Congrats to your son! And to you and your family for surviving the trip.

[getsome]

Congratulations to you and Mrs B. for being the proud parents of a fine looking young Marine....

[deadeye]

Enjoyed the pics. Congratulations. It is great to see a young man stand up and be someone in this world today. You must have done a great job. Thank him for me.
As a side note it made me feel a little strange seeing those pictures. Seems just like yesterday I was doing the same as him. (It was 53 years ago!!!)

[GLOCKROCKER]

Congrats to you, Mrs. Bawanna, and that new Marine. I know you're proud of him. Any idea where he's headed next?

[Bawanna]

Back to Pendleton for infantry training, then not sure where after that.

deadeye- I spoke to a fellow (he took a family photo for us) that graduated 52 years ago. Said he was 17 when he went in and still 17 when he got to Vietnam. Spent a lot of time on a boat in a holding pattern on the way over.

It was I figure about 42 years ago when I got beat up in the testing station and rejected. Time sure flies when your having fun I guess.

[knkali]

Back to Pendleton for infantry training, then not sure where after that.

deadeye- I spoke to a fellow (he took a family photo for us) that graduated 52 years ago. Said he was 17 when he went in and still 17 when he got to Vietnam. Spent a lot of time on a boat in a holding pattern on the way over.

It was I figure about 42 years ago when I got beat up in the testing station and rejected. Time sure flies when your having fun I guess.

I would love to hear about that time in your life if you care to share it.

[Bawanna]

Figured I'd probably told that story but here it is for those just tuning in.
As our bawanna saga continues I decided I wanted to serve my country as a Marine back long about 1975 give or take.

So I see the recruiter and we do some test and then I'm set to go down to Seattle for the physical etc, etc, etc. So I get there and we're paraded around in our skivvy shorts, get the cough test, the backside check, look at some ink blots which I failed miserably since I'm color blind, bunch of other stuff.
Then we get put in this big tank for a hearing test, 10 or 12 at a time as I recall. You set at a console and they shut the door so it's pitch black and you hit the button when you hear a tone.

So I didn't hear too good even then so I'm really focusing wanting to pass, totally submerged in the tone and the button.
Well all of a sudden the door, big heavy son of a gun flies open, light pours in and I'm grabbed in a choke hold round the neck, drug backwards out of their chair, drug out of the tank, thrown on the ground and this uniformed dude is pummeling the crap out of me, saying something to the effect of how I'm messing with his machine and da, da, da, all the time just a flailing on me, to the point I tried to flail back with little effect of course since I was already pretty skeered and at a huge disadvantage.
Anyhow another uniform dude comes and knocks the first dude off me, I mean he's slobbering mad, like a damn bull in a bull fight, the second dude tells the first that he grabbed the wrong guy!
The next guy to my left, some long haired dirty hippie type who apparently didn't want to get in very bad was playing games and he thought it was me.
Well dude 1 refocused his attention on the hippie with the same tact and grace, as I was led away to the same doc that performed the cough and backside inspection I saw through my almost swelled shut eyes that the hippie was getting a good beat down too. I almost smiled at that in hind sight.

Anyhow after about an hour with the doc who straightened my nose, put some kind of gel stuff on my cut face and some cooling kind of stuff on my swelled eyes I'm escorted to the commanding dudes office, still in my skivvy's with a face only Mohammed Ali could love.

This guy has a million patches on his shirt pocket, boards on his shoulders, the full gammet, must have been a somebody.

Anyhow he apologized profusely for my beat down but tells me that due to the color blindness and the hearing loss and mostly because Nam was winding down and they didn't really need men very bad they would not accept me. He did say that if another war came up he would personally get me inducted. He then proceeded to tell me that he was also doing me a favor by not accepting me as he would have to put me immediately in the brig for striking a superior officer.:confused: Are you kidding me?
I told him I wasn't even in and I didn't even recall getting in one single decent shot at the dude 1. Apparently I did get one shot in that counted. But anyhow that was the end of my Marine Corp career.
He suggested I try the Army, they would take anybody.......................................

I did try the Navy on a buddy program, my buddy made it in and I didn't due to the same issues but at least I didn't get beat up.

All good, still love the Marines, my dad was one and now my son is one so I can at least say I helped make one, close enough for me.

[muggsy]

Geez Bawanna, that was a scene right out of Alice's Restaurant. I'd have to make something up to even come close to matching that story! Good un. :)

[wyntrout]

Congrats to all of you, Bawanna! I know all of you are proud! I'm so glad y'all survived your trip to Lala land.

My wife and I drove through LA about 34 years ago and stopped in the Pismo Beach area to visit my brother and my cousin. It took me about 24 hours to be able to breathe properly again... did see the Hollywood sign up on the hill while I was choking on the smog!

Wynn :)

[Planedude]

Glad you survived your visit to OZ... That is one fine looking Marine there, you are justifiably proud and we all feel a little safer.

I have reason to "go West" but I am much happier exiting than I am entering.

[Bawanna]

Geez Bawanna, that was a scene right out of Alice's Restaurant. I'd have to make something up to even come close to matching that story! Good un. :)

I'm not that good at making stuff up. Guess if I had got in I would have had to start off with There I was or Hell I was there. I forget.his you military men start your stories.

[ltxi]

Geez Bawanna, that was a scene right out of Alice's Restaurant. I'd have to make something up to even come close to matching that story! Good un. :)

Absos-fokkin'-lutely! I ain't gonna stop laughin' until mebbe sometime next week.

[muggsy]

You guys know the difference between a Fairy Tale and a Sea Story? A fairy Tale starts out, "Once upon a time." A sea story starts out, "Now this ain't no sh!t." And now you know the rest of the story. (With apologies to Paul Harvey) :)

[Ron AZ]

Congratulations Bawana, Son, & Family!

[yqtszhj]

Bawanna, thats got to be the funniest almost recruited story I've ever heard. I'm guessing you probably met Mrs. B after that so it all worked out well.

Now that I think about that event that almost sounds like a CJB story. Are ya'll related?

[jocko]

Figured I'd probably told that story but here it is for those just tuning in.
As our bawanna saga continues I decided I wanted to serve my country as a Marine back long about 1975 give or take.

So I see the recruiter and we do some test and then I'm set to go down to Seattle for the physical etc, etc, etc. So I get there and we're paraded around in our skivvy shorts, get the cough test, the backside check, look at some ink blots which I failed miserably since I'm color blind, bunch of other stuff.
Then we get put in this big tank for a hearing test, 10 or 12 at a time as I recall. You set at a console and they shut the door so it's pitch black and you hit the button when you hear a tone.

So I didn't hear too good even then so I'm really focusing wanting to pass, totally submerged in the tone and the button.
Well all of a sudden the door, big heavy son of a gun flies open, light pours in and I'm grabbed in a choke hold round the neck, drug backwards out of their chair, drug out of the tank, thrown on the ground and this uniformed dude is pummeling the crap out of me, saying something to the effect of how I'm messing with his machine and da, da, da, all the time just a flailing on me, to the point I tried to flail back with little effect of course since I was already pretty skeered and at a huge disadvantage.
Anyhow another uniform dude comes and knocks the first dude off me, I mean he's slobbering mad, like a damn bull in a bull fight, the second dude tells the first that he grabbed the wrong guy!
The next guy to my left, some long haired dirty hippie type who apparently didn't want to get in very bad was playing games and he thought it was me.
Well dude 1 refocused his attention on the hippie with the same tact and grace, as I was led away to the same doc that performed the cough and backside inspection I saw through my almost swelled shut eyes that the hippie was getting a good beat down too. I almost smiled at that in hind sight.

Anyhow after about an hour with the doc who straightened my nose, put some kind of gel stuff on my cut face and some cooling kind of stuff on my swelled eyes I'm escorted to the commanding dudes office, still in my skivvy's with a face only Mohammed Ali could love.

This guy has a million patches on his shirt pocket, boards on his shoulders, the full gammet, must have been a somebody.

Anyhow he apologized profusely for my beat down but tells me that due to the color blindness and the hearing loss and mostly because Nam was winding down and they didn't really need men very bad they would not accept me. He did say that if another war came up he would personally get me inducted. He then proceeded to tell me that he was also doing me a favor by not accepting me as he would have to put me immediately in the brig for striking a superior officer.:confused: Are you kidding me?
I told him I wasn't even in and I didn't even recall getting in one single decent shot at the dude 1. Apparently I did get one shot in that counted. But anyhow that was the end of my Marine Corp career.
He suggested I try the Army, they would take anybody.......................................

I did try the Navy on a buddy program, my buddy made it in and I didn't due to the same issues but at least I didn't get beat up.

All good, still love the Marines, my dad was one and now my son is one so I can at least say I helped make one, close enough for me.

sounds like police brutality to me. Just sayin where was ovomit or Holder when u neeed um???

[Bawanna]

Bawanna, thats got to be the funniest almost recruited story I've ever heard. I'm guessing you probably met Mrs. B after that so it all worked out well.

Now that I think about that event that almost sounds like a CJB story. Are ya'll related?

He ain't heavy, he's my brudder.

[WMD]

So glad you made it back from the land where everyone's Sushi has gone sour. Hopefully, you didn't bring any of their air, water. plants or other communicable devices back with you. We certainly do not want their "condition" spreading!

You son looks good in that uniform. Congrats! I am sure you are a proud poppa! I would be! :)

[Bawanna]

I thoroughly sanitized, cleansed my body and soul and burned my clothes. Should be ok.

I didn't drink any water, leaving the airport I saw a tour bus to Mexico, so figured I was too close to take any chances.

I didn't drink anything at all on flight day to make sure I didn't have to go tinkle and possilby spread any communicable devices, that and I didn't see no way for wheelchair folks to go tinkle if they wanted to on that super cramped little ole 737.

Seen some good stuff but never been more happy to get home alive in my whole life.

Might not be completely out of the woods though, I'm having an urge for a gender alteration, must have been in the food or something. And I almost gave a buck to a panhandler that probably had a new Cadilac parked out back the other day. Almost but I fought that urge.

[SGT5711]

Congrats to you and your Marine! Nice to see some recent pictures of the old depot. Semper Fi.

[DeaconKC]

Tell him thank you for us!

[Bawanna]

As a bit of an update, after coming home for 10 days son went back to San Diego, Camp Pendleton for infantry training.

Had some fun but still no picnic. Got to play with grenades, the M203 launchers, a LAWS and some sort of Bazooka I'm not familiar with.
This week he had to dig a hole big enough for two and then spend 24 hours in it. If they got caught sleeping they had to drag their partner up some hill or something.

I was appalled to learn that every trip to the mess hall gets deducted from his pay, and even MRE's when they are in the field are 10 bucks a shot! He says the guys with other MOS's are done and heading off to their schools, the riflemen like him often times stay in the field all week where the other infantry guys come back to barracks every night.
BUT he said the riflemen do get more weekend liberties than the others since they are out all week. So guess it's a wash.

He gets his phone now on weekends and sometimes evenings so he can keep us up with what he's doing.

Now he can also receive packages without paying for it with drill instructors so plan to send him some stuff.

[TD2K]

Now he can also receive packages without paying for it with drill instructors so plan to send him some stuff.

Give me an address and some hints as to what he likes!!! I'll fix him up.

[Bawanna]

Your too kind darlin. We'll fix him up, I only mentioned that because during recruit training he told us not to send anything. The drill instructors would collect everything anyone received that was edible and mix it all up in a garbage can and make everyone eat it.

I tried to conspire with other parents and have everyone send something that when mixed together would be good, even it if was like trail mix or something, he begged me not to do anything.

I do appreciate your kind thought and I may send you his address anyhow, he really should get to know my cyber brides.

[yqtszhj]

Don't know if it is the same in the USMC but my youngest Navy son figured out if he kept out of trouble, got good evals, and crammed at test time he could make rank pretty fast. He made E-5 in less than 3 years but I think some of that depends on his job too. Tell him to make a game out of it and it may make it bearable.

All that said he says there is still a lot of BS and he is leaving after 4 years and going to diver school with his GI bill. We'll see what really happens.

[Bawanna]

Way I understand it from draining an officer here who is a 17 year marine reserve, he's a Gunny Sgt, is it depends on what area your in. It's like a pyramid. Advancement in infantry is really flat and takes a long long time.
Guys in the aviation area advance really really fast. He has a friend who does something to helicopters, on the same base (Pendleton) although they have to take a bus to see each other, guess it's big, but he just got promoted to lance corporal and he's only been in a year or so.

Some guys made 1st class private before basic graduation. Some just picked by the DI's. I guess if you were an eagle scout you automatically advance to 1st class, lot of stuff I haven't figured out yet.

Guess I really don't need to figure it out, I'm just the old man watching from the side lines. They won't let me play.

[Alfonse]

Wow, that'a great. I feel a bit safer as an American already. Congrats to all.

[Bawanna]

No worries for you Alfonse, we're practically neighbors, we'll link up at the Apple Cup, grab a bite and take on all the evil we can find. Hopefully have it all wiped out in time for supper.

[TD2K]

Your too kind darlin. We'll fix him up, I only mentioned that because during recruit training he told us not to send anything. The drill instructors would collect everything anyone received that was edible and mix it all up in a garbage can and make everyone eat it.

I tried to conspire with other parents and have everyone send something that when mixed together would be good, even it if was like trail mix or something, he begged me not to do anything.

I do appreciate your kind thought and I may send you his address anyhow, he really should get to know my cyber brides.

I know you didn't mention it to ask anyone to send anything, but if you want to PM me his address, I may drop something in the mail occasionally. :)

and EW on the trashcan thing. YIKES!

[b4uqzme]

... cyber brides.

You said brides? plural? you steppin' out??????

[Bawanna]

Steppin out sounds so careless and impersonal don't you think. At one point I had 11 cyber brides.

My first two dropped off the map here on Kahr talk long ago. I tried to contact them several times to no avail.

I guess they felt it was time to start seeing other people.

I of course love and respect them all equally.

TD2K, I'll confirm I have the correct new address and send it to you. It would be way cool for him to get stuff, letters and such from folks he don't know. Probably make the boys day for sure. Heck we might find out if he has any comrades that don't get much mail and send them a letter too. Might be a pretty cool thing to do.

[b4uqzme]

Now you're just braggin'. Color me jealous. :)

[Bawanna]

I hate it when I sound like I'm bragging, I hate braggers.

[b4uqzme]

I talked to an account rep from Amazon.com once...does that count? She sounded nice. :o

Nah...Smiley would never go for it...even cyberally. ;)

[Bawanna]

No way do that count. You have to ask and get a yes.

Sounds like I'm bragging again but I've only got one rejection ever on another forum and it still isn't over yet.

Have to remember that in most cases I never laid eyes on them, never met them but they's nice to talk to.

Some after they realize I'm not a Jocko or a Muggsy the Molester have posted pictures of course but many remain a mystery.

In short fringe benefits are non existent and I'm good with that.

[TD2K]

TD2K, I'll confirm I have the correct new address and send it to you. It would be way cool for him to get stuff, letters and such from folks he don't know. Probably make the boys day for sure. Heck we might find out if he has any comrades that don't get much mail and send them a letter too. Might be a pretty cool thing to do.

count me in.