I am a giggler.

            If it’s funny, I will giggle, if I am nervous I will giggle, pretty much if the occasion calls for it, I will giggle.

            This is not something that fits in well with military bearing. In boot camp it is pretty much faux paux. Maybe this is why many women declare they have no desire to go through it.

            However, I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. In fact it was a little like summer camp, only it was in Chicago Illinois in the dead of winter and everyone’s name was recruit.

            I was in an integrated division (men and women), of course, thankfully rooms were separated by gender but during exercises and drills we were altogether.

            The men were pretty much everything you see in the movies, buzz cuts and tattoos and the women were normal, from all walks of life and not the fire breathing, snarling, burly women most might imagine. The only catch, pretty much every woman had an A-type personality, but I digress.

            We (being all Navy recruits) spent about 12 weeks in an outfit we recruits knew as “Smurfs” but consisted of blue Navy sweat pants, a white t-shirt, blue Navy shorts and a blue Navy Sweatshirt with hood, white socks and combat boots. This might sound comfortable and even fashionable for some. But the truth is, the Marines own their weapons, the Navy owns their BO (body order).

            That’s right, we did everything in those outfits, from eating breakfast, to marching drills, to physical exercising, to listening to lectures. Yes, as you can imagine, laundry day was a happy day.

             Another part of the pleasantries of boot camp is inspections. There are inspections for how much lint is on the floor, how you iron your clothes, shine your shoes, make your rack (bed) and even how you fold your socks, that’s right, there is even an inspection on how you fold your socks.