[Trombone-l] Basic and trombone (was New place, old desires)

[Wayne Dyess]

Great letter, Tom.

My experience, bad as it was, was better than that.  But Navy Boot  
Camp was 8 weeks if it was a day.  I heard rumors of the Army being a  
6-week camp.

Give me band camp ANY day!

Wayne Dyess



On Mar 9, 2009, at 12:25 PM, Tom Ervin wrote:

> You guys who got to do some music in basic....wow.
>
> I got drafted in 1966, and there was this war on.  No openings in  
> any of the better bands, no projected vacancies.
> I was able to scramble an audition and get a MOS of a trombone  
> player, by enlisting for another year, in the Army.
>
> But boot camp was at Fort Ord.  Seems there was a meningitis  
> outbreak at Fort Ord, so each training company was quarantined from  
> all others, no mixing.
> No liberty at all for the 10 weeks I was there. No passes, no  
> leaves, none. No band, either.  No male chorus, either. We marched  
> to the PX separately, company by company. Haircuts also.
>
> All Boot Camp, All The Time.
> No alcohol at all. No bands. No practicing, no instruments. No  
> piano, even. No pool halls, no kicking back, like ever. Rugged.
>
> My CO was just back from Viet Nam and was all into us becoming  
> soldiers. He was REALLY annoyed that I wasn't headed for Nam like  
> most of the lads, and he was FURIOUS that I was going to Norfolk.
>
> We survived it.  Well, I did anyway.
>
> Tom Ervin
> ervint at u.arizona.edu
> Prof of Trombone, Univ Arizona (Emeritus)
> ...now a recovering trombone player.... ; >}
> (520)241-4411 (cell)
> website:     tom-ervin.com
>
>
>