Kaboom! My eyes opened to Marco’s maliciously magnificent and terrific trumpet. I jumped up and filed into the Dana Barracks with my fellow soldiers. After the Commanding Officer of the Day (COD) gave a rousing speech we dunked ourselves to a cold wet, performed our daily regimen, and notified the Captain (Mr. Vinnie) of its completion. “Troops, move to Mem-Hall” – COD. “Sir, yes, Sir!” – troops. Yummy grub in the Mem-Hall; I love this station. We practiced our battle-hymns for Chapel and filed out ready to serve our institution with our sacred duties. After another quick rinse off (tub), our General inspected our living quarters, and we made our way to hear the weekly sermon, this time speaking to the distinction between popularity and respect. With our hearts full, we returned to Mem-Hall Station and filled our stomachs. Finally some rest! Boom! It was just Marco’s trumpet again. We had our camp meeting. We marched down and assumed our battle stations for the crew races. Several of my comrades loaded themselves into our crew shells of war (a speedy and precise vessel). These boys competed amongst each other to determine the fastest crew, and oh man, was it spectacular. The races were consistently riveting and close, especially that of the senior crews, who had two of the fastest times in our history. This makes me feel more comfortable about our Naval defense. As the sun set over the water, we sang at the Bathhouse dock and then marched up to our sleeping quarters, had prayers, Circles, and taps.
