MOS School NAS Meridien MS

Josh Rabine, Victor Faraj and I were all assigned to go to Naval Air Station Meridien Mississippi for MOS school.  We got our travel orders and headed to the airport. Of course the plane was one of the twin prop puddle jumpers three seats wide.  Every bit of turbulence felt the drop off on a roller coaster.  The trip took about two hours.  We landed at what they called Meridien International Airport and by that I mean the single building that the smallest elementary school would be bigger than.  Baggage claim was a 10 foot conveyor belt.  We got our sea bags and then caught a cab.  Twenty minutes later we entered NAS Meridien, our home for the next eight weeks.  I don't know if I felt sorrier for us or the men and women who are permanently stationed here.  We report in to the barracks SNCO for room assignments and are introduced to a crinkled, nasty, sour and generally unpleasant man named GySgt Green.  Gunny Green sees us and is angry.  He snaps at us that nobody told him we were coming and we just ruined his day.  He storms into his office and starts yelling at nobody.  He comes back out and tells us he found temporary space for us by the grace of his heart. By the grace of his heart? He's the god damn barracks SNCO!! This is his JOB! Eight weeks here is gonna be fun! So we haul our gear up the hill and put the key in the door and as we're about to open it.. a tall kid wearing gasses and just a pair of shorts rips the door open and shouts "What the F@#$ do you assholes want???" This is my introduction to PFC Lovelle Winton. We tell him that we've been assigned to this room and he says, "Ah F@#$!!! Just my luck!!!" And just turns and goes into his room and slams the door. Ya, nice to meet you too! About an hour goes by and there's a knock on the door.  PFC Ramon Jorge the Barracks Leader has arrived to show us around.  This kid has a gigantic broomstick with the words Marine Corps shoved up his ass. Every turn is cornered. Every step is heel toe. Every phrase is ended with "Good to go?" I figure that he will probably have a heart attack before he even gets to his duty station or someone will just beat the shit out of him cuz he's WAY too serious.  

Now here's the good part.  I applied for Recruiters Assistance while I was on Boot Leave.  It was denied because they needed to get everyone through MCT during hurricane season.  Then when I got to MCT, I was placed on Guard Duty because my MOS class was starting later so we were at Camp Geiger for a month instead of two weeks.  Because we were on guard duty, we are a week late for MOS school.  The SNCO in charge of the school tells us that if the follow class instructor won't add us to the class then we have to wait 9 weeks to begin MOS School. Which means we'll be on barracks duty while we wait.  We did NOTHING wrong.  We have been jerked around since the beginning and now they are acting like they're gonna do us a favor by adding to a class that we shouldn't have been late for??? WTF?!?!?!  So we go to see the instructor with the head of the school.  He pulls the instructor out of the class.  This is my first meeting with Sgt Tim Campbell.  Sgt Campbell is from Missouri. He's tall, lean, blonde hair, glasses and notable southern accent. He's less than thrilled that more people are about to be added to his class.  "So let me get this straight, either I take them or they are stuck here for 9 weeks? Dammit! Look boys, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't want you. You're behind and I don't have the time to catch you up.  You'll have to learn what I've already taught on your time. Oh and we have a test in two days.  If you fail two tests, then you are dropped!"  Welcome aboard!