Battle Stations

It was a warm September evening in Great Lakes Il. It’s 2001; I just joined the Navy that year. About one hundred sixty impatient Navy recruits, I am one of them. We are anxiously waiting to start Battle Stations. Battle Stations is the term we use in Navy Boot Camp to describe a simulated series of “unfortunate” events each recruit goes through as a group with unrelenting pressure for twelve rigorous hours. It is a simulation of battles, crisis and ship life. It starts from ten o’ clock at night until ten o’ clock the following morning.

We all knew it was going to happen anytime soon within the seventh week in boot camp. Our RDC (Recruit Division Commander) keeps telling us to be ready, she always say it might happen tonight so be ready. And then they blew the horn it was a signal that Battle Stations is on. We fall in to general quarters and count off; General Quarters is a way to account for everybody in group or division in the Navy, the signal for General Quarters also tells us all to stand in attention then wait for instructions. After everyone is accounted for, then what seems to be a nightmare has begun. We fall into formation, then we double time. We were singing cadences.

This is one of the cadences we would sing:

Hey say that in Navy the coffee's mighty fine
it looks like muddy water and tastes like turpentine
Oh Lord, I wanna go
but they won't let me go

They say that in the Navy the chow is mighty fine
a chicken jumped off the table and started double time
Oh Lord, I wanna go
but they won't let me go

They say that in the Navy the biscuits are mighty fine
one rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine
Oh Lord, I wanna go
but they won't let me go

They say that in the Navy the training's might fine
last night there were ten of us, now there's only nine
Oh Lord, I wanna go
But they won't let me go

They say that in the Navy the pay is mighty fine
they give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine
Oh Lord, I wanna go
but they won't let me go

For every scenario, we have to do a series of protocols to follow on how to deal with the situations. We know what to do because for the last seven weeks or so in boot camp we are taught how to react when such a situation occurs. We had to do simulated scenarios where we had to jump from a diving board to an Olympic size pool and swim, turn our pants into a flotation device, it was not easy to do. We swim again towards a life raft. Going in to the life raft has to be a certain way, if we don’t do it the way we’re suppose to, we fail and “we die”. Some are sent home, but the rule is if you die three times, you were sent back to the barracks. It would mean you will be set back another week, and do Battle Stations all over again with a different division. We also get to shoot weapons in a simulated firing range. We were put in a situation wherein there supposedly a CBR (chemical biological, radiological ) attack, we had to wear our gas mask the entire time and a CBR suit, it was so hot and heavy with all the other gear we had to carry. We also simulated Fire fighting. We had fireman gear on. I wouldn’t call that simulation because we dealt with real fire. We did some damage control, were we had to seal off compartments on the “ship”, to prevent it from flooding and sinking. We got wet.  We also had to go through upended shafts likened to the bottom of a ship and carry at least a hundred and eighty pound dummy in a litter. In our case it was the heaviest guy among us, he was two hundred pounds. We had to carry him while walking in a kneeling or squat position at the same time.  There wasn’t much room in there. Our only option was either to sit and scoot our butts or walk in a kneeling or squat position. It was very difficult to do.

Going from one station to the next, we are briefed by our RDC’s on what to expect, remember what we learned and pay attention to details. We learn a piece of Naval History each time and how important it is for us. They stressed that for a mistake being made it can cause a life.

We had to run from one station to the next, being careful not to be left behind because it can cause us to fail. I did not want to fail. I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t want to do this again. I will have to do this only one time. I kept praying to God to please help me get through this. As painful and tiring the experience was I did not quit. While we were running, we had other people who are running with us giving us the motivation to finish. They made sure none of us fall behind; if we do they would run back and coax us to keep up. We would be shouting out cadence and the Navy’s motto “Honor, courage and commitment!” I learned that these are other RDC’s from other divisions, Religious Specialists (they work for the Chaplain) or Chaplains. They were great motivators and they were a factor for me to not even try to give up. We had a number people who gave up, failed and got injured in the process. One girl busted both her knees, another had an asthma attack. I met this girl who was in boot camp for seven months. She got injured the first time she did Battle Stations, and then failed every Battle Stations. Fortunately she finished with our group. In the end about one hundred and fifty in my division finished.

I was so tired that I was literally falling asleep while marching. We were all wet and dirty. That following morning we marched towards the ceremony where we get to change our ball caps emblazoned with Recruits to the one with Navy. It was an emotional moment for all of us. They were playing America the Beautiful in the background. Some of us were crying. I didn’t, I was so focused on trying to be awake. I keep on bobbing my head the whole time that my RDC slightly hit me in the back of my head. I find that funny but didn’t laugh. She might kick me out of the ceremony and make me do Battle Stations all over again. After the ceremony we marched towards the galley. While in there, we ate what we want and how much we want. They served breakfast but we get to request how we want our eggs. they cook the eggs in front of us. It was the first time we didn’t get yelled at. The RDC’s were talking to us like they were our friend. It was a good break and a great feeling knowing I will be graduating the following week.

Going through the training in boot camp was hard, aside from the classroom education, we also had to be physically fit, but Battle Stations was by far the toughest. I wouldn’t want to do it all over again. I was happy when Battle Stations was finally over. I came out of boot camp totally scarred but a different and better person.