Boot camp

And the potentials for a totally different reality

19 years ago today, on June 26, 2007, I was supposed to be in a van driving down to Parris Island to begin basic training. I ended up going just shy of two months later. I was supposed to ship off with some other guys from recruiting station, and also Richard Williams.

A few weeks prior I had gone to a family reunion in Tennessee and while there I had foolishly road a skateboard with woefully loose trucks down a long hill. I fell off and experienced my first, and only today, road rash. It was bad, oozing for days. Hoo buddy that peroxide burned like hell.

When I came back one of my recruiters, (Sgt Thomas(?)) saw this massive 6-9 inch long abrasion(?) on my left(?) leg and said "absolutely not. You are not going to Parris Island with that open wound. You'll get cellulitis." I didn't know what that was. I'd find out about 4 months later from something totally unrelated.

I ended up getting sent to MEPS to have my leg looked at by a doctor, who signed off and pushed my ship date back about 2 months. That date ended up being August, 20, 2007. I was a little relieved.

I ended up going on August 20, 2007, as scheduled, and that is another story which I may or may not relate elsewhere.

Bifurcating realities

But the bigger thing I wonder about is basically, time, reality, history bifurcates at this event. Two realities now theoretically exist. One that happened, that I experienced, and one that theoretically, is only theoretical.

What would have happened had I not fallen off that skateboard and shipped when I was originally supposed to?

My platoon would be different,. obviously. No GnySgt's Corea and Reynolds, nor Sgt. Lilly. Would I even have bended up in 3rd Battalion? Richard was 2nd Battalion. How different would boot camp have been if Richard and I had gone together, along with the other guys in the Poolee program at the time? I don't talk to Richard anymore. But he ended up graduating late as well being on med whatever because of his shoulder.

Would I have been booger platoon? Scribe? Different marksmanship? I basically went it alone because of that injury. Did that affect my outlook along the way? I remember sitting with (I'll have to look up his name) on the range, who I think ended up taking my place as scribe when I did get cellulitis and saying "yeah, I don't really wanna be here, this isn't really what I was expecting or thought it would be" and I remember his reaction being kind of maybe not 'disappointed' but maybe a little sad that I wasn't gungho about the experience of boot camp. I don't know what to make of that, but in some ways, I kind of feel like that was sort of how the rest of my time went. Not really wanting to be there and just waiting till.it was over, knowing this was sort of a mistake but it was too late now.

And so, I wonder, would it have been different not being in a booger platoon in 3rd Battalion Kilo Company #3096? Would have been issued Dress Blues have made any difference? I never bought em, and was basically the only one who went to the Marine Corps Ball in my Alphas. And that's sort of been my M.O. since. Didn't go to any graduations for college, community, undergrad, or grad; at W&M I specifically did not get a gown and cap, and was the only one. I generally avoid participating in group activities.

In MOS school I didn't even get to go to my class graduation because I hadn't gotten a haircut as was out of regs. First Sgt or whoever ran them said I couldn't and had to go get a hair cut. I've never thought about that in this regard until now.

And so, had I gone when I was originally supposed to, would I have had a totally different experience at Camp Geiger, at MCT? Maybe.

MOS school would have obviously been different. No Gibson, Koschel, what's his name that became a DI, Giles who was not a good roommate. Would I even have gone on to be a 1371 and no some other 1100/1300 MOS? Would I have gone to Okinawa instead of Pendleton, Lejeune, Cherry Point, 29 Palms.

Would I have ended up in at 9th ESB instead of MWSS-172? Gone grunt side instead of wing. Another logistics battalion, wing squadron, or a grunt unit at Pendleton or Lejuene. Would I have gotten to Okinawa too late to ever to go Iraq? Pendleton and been too late for Afghanistan?

I don't really talk to folks anymore, but how there would have been no Andrew Atkins, Robert Tabor, Andrew Wohaska, no Napoleon, no what's her name Cpl something, the almost sister like woman. No Sgt. Gregory, Cpl Turpin, Cpl Price or Bosley, SSgt Metzger, fucking Cowden, Giles, Wilden... Would I have gone to the Philippines, Cambodia or Thailand?

Would having gone to whatever that bar was outside of Camp Futenma have still resulted in that random group of douche bags riling up Tilley and Babbitz, resulting in that fight, then shore patrol picking us up, which ended up with us getting charged... With my NJP for underage drinking...

Would I have eaten practically nothing at mandatory fun then been enticed, while on restriction to drink tequila and more stuff and gotten literally black out drunk? How would things have been different had that stupid fight not occured? Had I not been Pfc 2nd award and Lcpl 2nd award?

Basically, this one event, with it's now binary branching possibilities of realities leaves a whole range of potential differences. Had I gone to boot camp when I was supposed to there would be no theoretical secondary timeline. Would I have gotten out and stayed at home, working for Eagle Aviation, then ATI, and then GPC?

Would I have gone in to Thomas Nelson, then to W&M? Would I have not ended up a terminal Lance and maybe gotten out and stayed wherever I had been? Met someone while in or there? Stayed in Oceanside? I feel like a lot of this was all decided well in advance, back when I first fell off that stupid skateboard.