| On our first day, our newly minted firstclassmen were
waiting for us
with unsupressed glee as 63D tripped in with all our worldly belongings
and crumpled uniforms. What they were not ready for was a
new
guy in tailored uniform, spit shined shoes, OC insignia, and marching
at
a brace. They literally didn't know what to make of
me.
Some of them seemed to recall an OC who was relegated to the Hospital
from
63B- but as none had ever laid eyes on me, I must have
appeared
as an apparition from Hell!
Luckily, I already knew the drill, and all of their
scare tactics, tricks
and threats had little effect on me this time. As some of
you
may remember, I was also able to warn our squadron of what would be
coming
- like how to cycle 20 guys through one shower stall in 5
minutes!
One year before, my first few weeks in 63-B had been
pure Hell.
I had just spent 3 years in Tokyo in enlisted man's luxury - with
waiter
service in the mess-hall and a houseboy to shine my shoes.
Needless to say, the immediate and demeaning hazing by the first
class - with hours standing at a brace and countless push-ups - was a
rude
shock to say the least. I still have nightmares of doing close
order
drill inside a closed locker!! Apparently, the cumulative
methods
for hazing the lower class - dreamed up by sucessive OCS classes since
1941, reached near-perfection in 63-B, and which was apparently
(and
fortunately) curtailed by intervention by an admiral whose son
was
the recipient of some of the worst treatment.
There were many moments in the hospital - after an
operation on my knee
- when I was really glad to be out of OCS with a reasonable excuse for
not finishing. But then I thought - who am I kidding - am I any
less
capable than the thousands who have already graduated?? So, after
recovering from a second operation, I decided to return- albeit with
some
uneasiness. Today I can look back with some pride at perhaps the
most significant decision I have ever made in my life!
One note: It would seem that I hold the dubious
honor of serving
in the rank of Officer Candidate longer than anyone!!!
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