As he was a very last minute admission, Walter spent the remainder of the day scrambling to get things taken care of for the upcoming year. He was shown to Bancroft Hall. It was the single largest dorm ever built. He was assigned a room and a roommate called George S. Hammond and unloaded all his gear. Changing his mind at the last second, Walter grabbed a tin of cookies as he was shown to the quartermaster. He was issued everything he would need for his first summer.
White cotton underpants - 18 issued
White cotton crew neck shirt - 9 issued
To be worn under uniforms
White cotton vee neck shirt - 15 issued
To be worn under uniforms
White Athletic tube socks - 22 pairs issued
To be returned and reissued as necessary
Black or Navy "Compression Shorts" - 6 issued
To be worn under running shorts
Summer Working Uniform - 6 issued
Summer PT Gear - 6 issued
Summer Working Footwear - 2 issued
Summer Running Shoes - 2 issued
Summer Gear Belt - 1 issued
Toiletries Bag - 1 issued full
To be returned and reissued as necessary
Shaving Kit
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Shampoo and Soap
Hygiene Products - Deodorants
Stationery Kit - 1 issued full
To be reissued as needed
Letterhead
Envelopes
Stamps
Fountain Pen
Ink
Academy Mailbox with Key(2) - 1 issued
They told him menacingly that if he survived the summer, he would be issued books and more day to day uniforms. They taunted and jeered as they informed him he would be issued uniforms and gear as needed throughout his first year. When they tried to get him to sign a form saying he was issued a summer camping kit without giving it to him, Walter merely smiled at them and offered a cookie from his tin. He knew how the military worked. They promised to have it before lights out.
On the walk through the campus to medical, Walter was shown places like the Chapel, the Repair Tailor Shop, the Cobbler Shop, the Barber Shop, the Laundry and Dry Cleaning Facility, and the Post Office (which he personally wouldn't need until after the Plebe Summer). He learned that service in the Navy and Marines was called the Fleet and he was here in the "Reef" for training.
In medical he was given a physical and an eye test with the doctor grumbling all the while. He had Walter sign half a dozen requests for his medical records to be sent. He had blood drawn for his records and immunizations given freely. He was scheduled for a follow up visit after school started in the fall and was told it would show up on his schedule later. He was told not to break his glasses because they couldn't have his two new government issued pairs ready until the school year started. He was briefly examined in dental and by a psychiatrist. He was told to report outside for a PRT (Physical Readiness Test) with half a dozen others. He decided that whatever they guy next to him did, he would too.
They started out with sit-ups. The instructions were to do as many as they could in 2 minutes. After 20 or so Walter stopped counting as he matched the guy on his left move for move. They did 78 sit-ups! He couldn't believe he had that in him. The exercise wasn't too hard for him because it was kinda like leaning over on the stool to milk the cows, but he got to lie on his back.
Next they did push-ups. Walter had to do a lot of those in the Army and he had continued after he got home because it made him feel more connected to his friends overseas (not to mention it made his arms look swell). He got into a rhythm and actually passed the guy he was supposed to be pacing himself against. The officer assigned to count him off was shocked that a little guy like him had managed 90 push-ups in the two minutes given. Walter just shrugged his shoulders and told him he was used to it. Hauling bodies around at the 4077th and gear at the farm gave him some great muscle strength.
Next they had to do jumping jacks. Radar had been the worst in the 4077th at jumping jacks, but never let it be said that he didn't try his best. For two minutes he jumped with all his might! All that hard work only resulted in 47 jacks though. The man he was pacing did 63. The officer doing his counting was a bit displeased as the minimum was 45 and Walter had just barely passed.
Next was the timed one and a half mile run. Walter had to cross the finish in at least 10 minutes. After a brief rest and a outline of the course they were to run they lined up for the starting gun, so to speak. When the officer dropped his cover (hat in military speak), they all took off as fast as they could. Quickly Walter found his workout buddy, as he had deemed the man in his head, and began a trudging pace behind him and to the right. Slowly he pulled even with the man. His workout buddy was a bit shocked to find the scrawny, short man from Iowa keeping pace with him. The man sped up and Walter followed suit. Again and again the man sped up with Walter following him until before they knew it they had finished the run in first and second place at a time of 7 minutes and 7:02 respectively.
Walter's chest was heaving and his lungs burned with the effort of bringing air in as he stood with his hands on his knees to recover. The instructor went over to his workout buddy and clapped him on the back. After talking with him for a few minutes the the instructor shook his hand and left. Now he approached Walter with interest shining in his eyes.
"What's your name, son?" The man inquired.
"Walter O'Reilly, sir!" He replied. He had a feeling he would be answering that question a lot as a late applicant.
"Are you aware Walter O'Reilly, that you just paced one of the top athletes in this years plebe class?" The man asked impressed with Walter's performance.
"Um, no sir. I didn't know that at all. I just picked the guy next to me and was determined to do as good as him." Walter told him honestly.
With his answer the man's eyes seemed to grow even bigger. "That boy was specifically asked to join the Academy and later the Marines as a star athlete and you kept up with him as a pace man?" He seemed incredulous to Walter.
Walter didn't know how to answer that. "Well I didn't know how many was good or failing or anything, so I just did what he did." Walter mumbled.
The man smacked his clipboard against his thigh. "So you could have done better at this test, is that what you are telling me?" he asked, getting angry now.
Walter thought about it for a bit. "I could have done more sit-ups and push-ups for sure, but he had a good rhythm going there. I am not the best at jumping jacks and I did my best there, and I could barely keep up with him running! He was so fast! There is an exercise we did with the Marine guards at the 4077th in Korea where you do a sit-up, jump up and touch the sky, then do a push-up and touch the sky again. I was really good at those. Much better than at jumping jacks." Walter hoped he had answered the man's question adequately.
"Son, the only thing I want you to think about this summer is whether or not you join the field and track team here at the Academy when the school year starts. Promise me you'll consider it." The man sounded excited now.
With a final promise to think about it and a cookie for the man from his dwindling tin, Walter was off to the pool for his basic swim test. He was told it was a 25 yard pool so he needed to swim four laps in any style he wanted and then after a short rest he would be treading water to stay afloat fot at least 15 minutes. This was the basic to get into the Academy. He would be taught this summer how to swim, sail, and dive the Navy way. He would be taught that along with a whole lot of other stuff the Navy wanted him to do their way, but this was what his swim instructor was concerned with. Another approval for his file and he was rushed off again.
In a small cramped room, Walter had spent the last 4 hours filling out form after form. He filled out a budget book and got a bank account set up with the Navy because it was too far away from his own bank and the Navy needed to be able to pay him here. He filled out life insurance forms and emergency contact forms. He filled out forms to get SECRET security clearance and for a passport. As he filled out paperwork people came to talk to him about what was going to happen over the summer and over his career here at the Academy. They spoke about his duties and responsibilities and also his rights and privileges. One thing they especially focused on was sponsor officers in his career and sponsor families in town here. He had a letter from Col Potter to a family who lived in Annapolis, but who had never served as an Academy family due to being Army. Walter and the sponsor family officer agreed to see if things could work out, but that Walter would take an Academy sponsor if they didn't.
His last order of business for the evening was signing 3 copies of the Agreement to Serve and the Personal Swearing-In Ceremony. He was now an official member of the Brigade of Midshipmen!
Walter had returned to his room that night exhausted and sore. The package from the quartermasters was on his bed as promised. His roommate had arrived and had his gear all put away, so Walter did the same thing. Excited and unable to sleep, he sat down to write a letter to his family.
Dear Lyall and Jimmy, and all the Family,
I made it. I traveled all this way and spoke to the people in charge and they let me in. They said I had to help out because I already served in the Army and know what to expect, but that is no big deal.
I went to medical and got poked and prodded and immunized. They said that is so I don't get any bugs when I go overseas again. I took a PRT, that's a Physical Readiness Test, with a bunch of other guys and they were impressed with my scores. I guess working on the farm made me real strong.
I have a bunch of new uniforms and a new roommate and I didn't have to pay for nothing. Whenever something breaks all I have to do is take it and trade it for a new one! How cool is that!
Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. They call it Induction Day, or I-Day. I better get to bed or I won't be rested. Problem is I am so excited I don't think I can sleep. I'll write again soon. I'll find out where you can write me and send it to you in the next letter.
Love, Walter
Walter put the sealed, stamped, and addressed envelope square in the middle of his desk to send in the morning. The adventure begins!
