After Action Report - Basic Training cont'd

Date: September 28, 2009

Subject: Basic Training June 1984-August 1984

From: ET1 Cole
To: shipmates, friends, and anyone else who'll listen

Purpose: Summarize the actions involved in Basic Training June 1984-August 1984

The first two weeks of basic training went rather quickly. This meant that the BMR phase of basic training would take a back seat to our part in graduation ceremonies. We would perform the last three graduations or so of basic training. We also had a second show that we performed for visiting parents and dignitaries prior to graduation. It was really moving.

The drill company consisted of the crack rifle team, drum and bugle corps and the fifty state flags. The crack rifle team had a great show that included spinning rifles and getting very close to the leader's face with some bayonets. How he kept his cool I'll never know.

Crack Rifle Team

I was in the fifty state flags and we did this really incredible bit called a sunburst. The flags would form three circles and each flag would be dipped. Then the American flag, unseen by the crowd would come shooting out from the middle during the playing of America the Beautiful.

The Sunburst

In drill company we got to skip what they call service week. Service week, the fourth to fifth week of basic training meant one thing for BMR companies but something altogether different for a drill company. The BMR companies had to work in the galley (cafeteria). Either in the scullery (dish washing) or in food preparation. There were some administrative jobs but most everyone worked in the galley.

Not so for the drill company. We did a half time show for a San Diego Soccers match and a halftime show for a Chargers and Cowboys game. We had seats on the 50 yard line. It was great.
We still had plenty of classes, PT (physical training), the gas chamber and the smoke house. We also had to memorize our twelve general orders. Things like...'I will not leave my post until properly relieved.'

Gas chamber training is designed to get you to be able to don your gas mask and to make a proper seal. Then they demonstrate what it would be like should you not have a mask. So we march into the gas chamber WITH our gas masks on and properly sealed. The tear gas is set off. We were then instructed to remove our masks as a group. Amid the snot, phlegm, tears and burning you have to recite a general order. Let's just say that 3 or 4 words is enough to let you know that if you're ever in that situation you hope to have that mask.

gas chamber

Even worse than that was the smoke house. The smoke house simulates a shipboard fire. A shipboard fire is a sailors worst nightmare. In fact later while stationed on the USS Proteus in Guam, the USS White Plains also homeported in Guam had a fire onboard. In basic you're taught to pay attention to detail. Unfortunately improper tagout procedures led to the death of 6 sailors. We met the White Plains after they had been towed to the Philippines so that we could help make repairs.

On May 9, 1989 while underway in the South China Sea enroute to Guam the White Plains experienced a major Class Bravo fire in the main engine room while conducting underway fuel replenishment with the combat replenishment ship USS Sacramento (AOE-1). The fire resulted from the ejection of a valve stem on the fuel transfer system which sent a high pressure spray of fuel over the boiler and consequently ignited into a fireball. There were 6 fatalaties and 161 injuries reported as a result of the fire.

A fellow from church, Jon Rummel was killed along with 5 others. Fires on a ship are the worst thing that can happen.

putting out a fire

We were trained over and over in the basics of firefighting. We extinguished a real fire and learned how to don an OBA (oxygen breathing apparatus) and to duck walk. Still I wasn't prepared for how frightening the smoke house was. We dressed in firefighting slicks and held on to the coat tail of the fellow in front of us. As we approached the simulator we were to duck walk (literally walk like a duck). This would allow us to breath as the smoke would rise. We were instructed that the smoke in the smoke house would be a fraction of what we would encounter in a real shipboard fire and would not require an OBA. As we entered and walked through several hatches of the smoke house it was readily apparent how absolutely frightening this could be. You couldn't see, it was diffiult to breathe and you had to rely totally on the man in front of you. Somewhere ahead of me a man panicked and ran out leaving everyone behind him, including me without a guide to get out. The instructor finally came and ushered us out (he was wearing an OBA).

smokehouse

The simulator drove home the message. Though my face was blackened and I was having trouble breathing I knew this was one thing I hope I never experienced.

Lessons Learned: Attention to detail. Training is a serious business, it can mean life or death. Drill company was a blast and seeing Dan Fouts in a football game, in the middle of basic training...priceless.

Action Items: more basic, Capt. Marsha Evans - we meet again, wash outs

Appendix: Personnel Involved: Co. 84-926, Chargers, Cowboys, Soccers