Illinois by Eric Shelman

Illinois

Left my home state which is Texas on a plane to Illinois for my Basic and Deck Seaman Training at Great Lakes

which was eight weeks long.

frequented their Gurney Mills mall

for my liberty during my Deck Seaman Training.

 

I loved this resturant there that served a huge German saugage with fries and a pint of beer, sodas, and water.

Met and hungout with my best friend from eighth grade there who was still in his Torpedoes-mate school there.

Went to Subway, McDonald's, Wok King, 

at their recreational center on base and next to our NEX store.

Had eighty-one recruits in my division in boot camp there.

Slept in berthings which were bunk beds 

had to iron and fold our uniforms certain ways in order to fit them all underneath our bunks.

 

Learned our Navy's history

and was tested on it.

Drank ten canteens a day in order to stay hydrated and awake because it made me have to urinate all of the time.

Did intense physical exercises every day

had to stay in shape and actually gained thriteen pounds of muscle there

Had a blast at Six Flags, in Chicago

riding all the rides

Made real friends while in Boot Camp and Deck Seaman School.

Did trust falls and had to learn to trust eighty-one complete strangers, I did.

Marched around the base in step four abreast.

Called my family a few times on a prepaid minutes card.

Bought my first cell phone ever in Deck Seaman School.

Wrote my poem called Death, while in Boot Camp.

My bed had be taut

each corner had to be at a forty-five degrees angle.

We had inspections all of the time.

Learned how to tie a whole lot of knots

some were refreshed from my Boy Scout days.

 

Open and held the door open for two fellow women sailor who both screamed at me about how they were independent

that they didn't a man to survive or to open 

close the door for them, considering l was brought up with those manners living and growing up in Texas.

This really pissed me off.

After my Boot Camp and Deck Seaman School was over I flew to Texas for my two weeks leave and then took a bus to Virginia to begin being in the Fleet.