Guessing you might have been at Great Lakes... I was, company 316. July 4th, 1969, was a happy day since we went on Boot Liberty. We rode the train from North Chicago to Milwaukee Wisconsin with consuming multiple quarts of adult beverages in mind. Great day, never forget it and we even got back to boot camp before the carriage turned back into a pumpkin. Two weeks later, while you were still having fun, I was watching the first moon landing while on Boot leave at home.

Here is my fun 4th of July story. I was 14 years old in 1976 and traveled with my family to Richmond, Indiana to watch my brother, a Navy SEAL and on the Navy Chuting Stars Parachute Team, participating in the U.S. 4 Man Parachute Championships. We were camping in a local camp ground, along with my brother and the three other SEAL members on the parachute team. The OIC of the parachute team was Captain Norm Olson. The final night at the camp ground everyone was sitting around the camp fire and Capt. Olson and my father, a WWII Navy Vet, was swapping sea stories. I was sitting there listening to their stories and drinking beer that my parents occasion allowed. What my parents did not know was my brother was sneaking my shots of whiskey. After a while my mother saw what was going on and told my brother to stop, he said “he has to learn sometime”. The next day we broke camp and I was no help.
Fast forward 4 years to RTC San Diego, I was sitting in a classroom at boot camp and watching a film about physical education. Toward the end of the film Capt. Olson came on and reiterated the importance of physical education in the Navy. I could not believe my eyes. I yelled out, “I got drunk with him!” I don’t think anyone believe me.

Nick, I was a little behind you, company 449 in Glakes. That boot liberty sounds familiar. We took the train to Milwaukee too and got turned away from several bars before a guy let us into his bar. We got pretty stupid. There were 5 of us and after we left we were approached by a couple working girls. Between us we had about $50. We pooled the money and somehow elected a guy to go with them to the Hotel Wisconsin. After a while we went up to check on him and as one of the gals opened the door a man approached from behind us and started yelling about what the hell we were doing in his room. We all hauled tail in different directions, laughing and scared at the same time. A moment later our "electee" came running down in his scivvies, dress blues in hand. We laughed about it all the way through boot camp and had a nickname for him that I won't post on here :)
I remember watching the moon landing in the barracks lounge. It was the only time we ever watched a TV in bootcamp.

Randy, good story on the Seal OIC. Those guys are a tad dangerous to drink with, knew several well in Va Beach.

Randy, just wondering when you went through the "Green Doors". I know my class finished up close to the end of November 1969. I was held back for awhile waiting for a class to fill up, after I got to Key West and had to work in the galley for a few weeks. Once classes started, we would go to class until 9:oo pm and then head over to the EM club and sit out on the patio with our instructor and drink multiple beers telling jokes until the place closed down. I only remember the name of one of the instructors, and that was a chief named Tribble.I ran into him a few years later when I went to Navfac Midway Island. Many nights a squad of UDT or Seals would come out of the water after swimming from a buoy, probably a half mile out. I'm sure there were more than just regular fish out there in that water.
Also, just wondering if these stories continue to show up on this thread, why they didn't make it in the past newsletters . Fourth of July on Midway Island... bet some of you guys can tell some stories from that hot time.

Nick, I got to Kwest about the end of Oct 69 and left Feb of 70. Went to Arg from there for 3 years. Jim Tribble was the chief you remembered; I recall him chewing me out for something and was later stationed with him in CVB...where he was the judge at my initiation. Spent many nights at the club at Kwest drinking Busch beer for 25 cents a can, tequila shots on payday. We also used to go to town and sell blood for $10 a pop. I went every 2 or 3 weeks, lol. Several of us went to a "theatre" one night to watch a burlesque type show. Several older men were there in trench coats and I suspect nothing else, and before the show started a huge rat went running across the stage. Funny what we tend to remember! My wife and I went there on vacation a number of years ago, it is definitely different now.

Was stationed with MC Tribble in 74-78. He was one you would not forget. He attempted taking up Golf for short time. He sucked at it as most do when they start, so one day I was driving to my quarters on base and I hear him
bellowing out most of his favorite words as he threw club after club out in the yard in various degrees of being bent or broken. His bag went in the yard as well. I always wanted to ask him how his game was coming along, but knew better. He was a *******
CEC

Hey Chuck,
When I was stationed on Midway with MC Tribble, I like everyone else steered clear of him, knowing his temper at times, but a great guy. Couldn't begin to count the times he told me to get a haircut... sorry too short. We had a (cough) par three, nine hole course on the island, which was shaped between fuel tanks, water towers and thousands of Gooney Bird nest. I never did see the Master Chief out there swinging a golf club, but we would not have had many milk crates for him to stand on if he used regular sized clubs.

I remember MC Tribble from NAVFAC Centerville Beach. After getting off of work at 4pm, I was still in my work uniform, drove into Ferndale, parked and was walking down the street when MC Tribble spotted me from his bar stool inside the town's watering hole.
He put me in dress blues for a month.

We had the Sunday/Monday mid watch on Midway (1972), which meant swab and wax the display room floor before the day workers came in for the morning briefing. We did such a good job of waxing the floor, it looked like it had water standing on it. MC Tribble yelled at us to get a mop and clean up the water spill before the CO came in. After someone told him it wasn't water, there was no apology or good job... just carry on.