- Joined
- Aug 27, 2010
- Messages
- 5,866
You must have had it soft!The truth is, us old guys (and gals) remember the good more than the bad. Even the rough times (yes, screaming detailers and puddles of sweat) seem okay almost 40 years later !
Believe me, I definitely remember the really bad times of Plebe Summer, pretty much all of which would result in charges brought against the detailers today (yes really). While I can't say that I remember all of the specific tortures, there are some that are extremely vivid to this day. I've read and heard about former Firsties becoming friendly with "their" plebes after Herndon but that was not my experience. Every company has a different culture for sure and in mine, even afterward, we never were accepted by about half of the firsties. I've encountered a couple from that group over the years and time definitely does not heal all wounds.
Remember too that plebe summer has changed an awful lot. Much of what you see in the pictures were not part of the old-time plebe summer - no damage control/firefighting, no running around with logs or inflatable boats, etc. In comparison, we spent a LOT more time drilling and the sailing portion was much more extensive. I also think that there was more unassigned time - where our firsties could and did train us where they tught we needed it.