its cold up here in great lakes

[bmp408]

Hey everyone,
I've just graduated from boot camp 2 weeks ago and now i'm over here on the ntc side of the base doing scruff duty. I've been out of the loop for a couple months and i see that we have finally got someone that really knows what they are talking about (EODJW). I've read his comments and he refers alot to the increased pt and training for us up here in great lakes. That is definitly not an understatment. It is great! If anyone has any questions about bootcamp or the process that goes on up here feel free to ask me while it is still all fresh on my mind. Oh and by the way while i was in bootcamp people would come to the dive motivators every morning and drop their programs. To anyone going into these programs don't quit. if you can't make it you cant make it but don't just up and quit something that you have worked so hard for. This is a long process that i have only seen the beginning of. It just pisses me off to see so many people quit. In my division there were 14 people that were contracted special operations. there were only three of us left after bootcamp. these programs are not for everyone but i believe that if you have the right mind set anyone can do them. And one more thing. don't think that EOD is the easy way out to do a cool job. We do everything the SEAL's and SWCC do up until our schools. stay with it. Hope this helps.
Ben,

[eodjw]

It's good to get info from the new program. Keep us updated.

[gator28]

Ben,
Congrats on graduating boot camp and sticking with it. I'll be up there in about two months before dive school. Will we be doing scruff duty type stuff? Last time I went to dive school we were PSI's first so this is new for me, but I hear great things about it and can't wait to get up there. Are you guys PT'ing in the gym in the morning and doing a lot of pool work? Congrats and good luck at dive school. I remember when I was up there at A school in January and February and waiting outside to muster for that 0300 PT and...yeah, it was very cold. But, it was 23 degrees the first day of dive school and the pool heater mysteriously broke the weekend before our screen test. One of the guys hand's stuck to the pullup bar. Everyone thinks Florida is always hot, but not that far north. Thanks for the info.

Gator

Off the subect, but GO GATORS!!!!!!

[eodjw]

You'd think they'd get that fixed. It was broke in 98 also.

[gator28]

Yeah, it is weird, huh? The class before us had the same problem. I'll never forget as we're in formation walking to the pool that morning and passing the digital screen where the temperature would flash every few seconds at the entrance to the base. Our class leader said, "That can't be right. It doesn't get that cold in Florida." When I was in Gainesville, there were many a winter morning in the twenties and thirties so I wasn't that surprised, but it definitely sucked. LOL.

[bmp408]

Will we be doing scruff duty type stuff?


Don't quote me on this but i've been told that the only reason i'm doing scruff duty is because i did not get into the december class down in florida. I've got to wait until the end of february so i'll be up here for so long i guess they figure they might as well put me to work. hooyah border hall. anyway, I have not yet seen any divers doing scruff. They are over in the 635 building along with some eod guys leaving soon. they told me that they run maybe 6 miles in the morning and "play" in the pool for 3-4 hours. but no as far as scruff you won't have to deal with the recruits at rtc.



the pool heater mysteriously broke


The heater is broken in the little pool over at rtc. I remember taking my mask pin and snorkel class shivvering the entire time. It was around 23 outside also. sure makes it hard to hold your break when it is that cold.

While i was in indoc (waste of time) i was in the 635 building with the divers and we had a blast. you'll be on the 2nd floor of the j wing and divers and eod are the only ones there so you can imagine some of the trouble we got ourselves in. don't expect much liberty because we always get it taken away. If your coming up here in two months i'll still be up here. hope this helps.
ben,

[gator28]

ben,
The Feb. class is the class that I'll be in, too. Do we get any classroom work or book work on some of the dive stuff? When I was a PSI at MU3 before I went to EOD dive school the first time, we had to memorize a lot of simple definitions that helped when we showed up at NDSTC. Like Archimedes principle and Boyle's law and some dive medicine. Do you guys wear UDT's when you PT or the boot camp blue shorts? It'll be good to meet you when I get up there. Where do we check in at? Thanks for the info.

Gator

[gymmer13]

I hope you are having fun up in chicago area. You must have survived the blizzard. or did it miss you? My sister a little west of there got 1.5 feet of snow.

[bmp408]

Do we get any classroom work or book work on some of the dive stuff?


I'm really only going by what people tell me that are in this coarse. I have in my orders that it is 19 days long and i'll be in it just before i leave to go to panama city. They have not said anything about actual bookwork. i do know that they get beat in some pretty messed up ways though. for example today they had to go through their whole pt with a mask on full of water. Thats like 2 hours of hell if you ask me.


Do you guys wear UDT's when you PT or the boot camp blue shorts?


yes UDT's are still worn if you get lucky enough that the nex has your size. They are always out of everything below a size 38. They sure do draw some attention when we have to go up stairs and get records in the golden thirteen building.


It'll be good to meet you when I get up there. Where do we check in at?


Yeah i have yet to meet someone form this site. I had to check in at the indoc. building over here a ntc. They place where we learn how not to rape people for 5 days. but i'm not really sure where you would go.

[bmp408]

You must have survived the blizzard. or did it miss you? My sister a little west of there got 1.5 feet of snow.


Yes i'm from georgia and don't see much of the white stuff. I loved it until i walked outside found out that the wind blows really hard when it snows here. it was about 14 inches here but the temp has not gotten above 23 so it is all still here. I rented a sled on liberty yesterday but couldn't find any hills, its so flat up here.
Ben,

[gymmer13]

I rented a sled on liberty yesterday but couldn't find any hills, its so flat up here.


Thats why we from wisconsin call people from Illinois flatlanders. You'll have to go a little farther north for hills.
I suppose going from 60 degrees and sunny to 20 and snowing is a big change.

Best of luck to you from here on out.

-gymmers

[gator28]

Hey guys,
Just got back from two weeks out to sea. Finished my ESWS and got pinned. I really wanted to make sure I had that before transferring. I definitely didn't want to come off a ship and not have that. I really look forward to meeting you guys up there. Yeah, that mask-full-of-water PT sucks. We had a bit of that as PSI's. I hope we get some work on treading water with weight. I'm sure we will. LOL! It's a big pain in the *** to get a package together from the fleet. I hope you guys have a great Christmas.

Gator

[gator28]

On the UDT subject; if you can't find any your size, let me know and I can bring some extra ones up there when I come up there. We have plenty at Oceana or Little Creek. Just let me know your size. Have a good one.

[bmp408]

I hope we get some work on treading water with weight.


HAHA you better be careful what you wish for. Just the other day we had some good fun in the pool with that. 2 ten pound bricks swimming around the pool with fins for about 2 hours. I jogged/stumbled bow legged back to nstc after that one. I can not even imagine what you are having to go through to get your package through. I thought it was pretty rough just checking in over here. well good luck and don't forget to bring a jacket burrrrr its cold.
ben,

[gator28]

ben,
hey there. I hope all is going well. I just got my airline ticket. I'll be up there on the 5th of February. Sometime in the late afternoon, I guess. I'm excited to get started. I'll send you a private message and give you my cell number. Look forward to meeting you.

[SoCal101]

Gator28 , aren't you from military.com?