Bibles distributed to potential recruits at MEPS in CA

[Sirveri]

This is a first hand account. I am attempting to omit various information that might identify me because I'm slightly paranoid.

I decided that since I basically can't find gainful employment and can't really go to school, that I would join the US Navy (if you have a issue with this I will gladly open another thread on the subject). So my recruiter sent me to MEPS to DEP in. Went to the Hotel, got on the bus at 5AM and went on out to the MEPS.

Got off the bus, and there was this strange looking guy handing out books. I started to walk past without taking one when he brutally shoved a book in my general direction. So I took the book put it in my pocket, and walked into MEPS. Took it out while I was standing there and found that it was a copy of the New Testament, Psalms Proverbs. The outside covering is in desert camo. It was from Gideons.

I'm not quite sure if this is illegal or not, but I do know that I saw at least three of them dumped onto a table right inside the front door. Probably by recruits who didn't give a shit. Other interesting side notes, the Army only had perhaps two or three people trying to join up that day (it was one of the busier days). National Guard only had one or two, I'm not sure how many the Air Force had but I don't think there were more than 4 people trying to join. Navy had 48 people in line, but that's counting shippers (which I think was between 3-8 people). Marines did second best, they had at least 10, possibly up to 20 people. Coast Guard didn't even bother showing up that day.

Decided to do some googling and found the following data on this.
scroll down to march 27. Be careful you might kill their badwidth, and wouldn't that be a pity.
http://members.tripod.com/patsnews/mar2003.html
this thread also popped up. I found it amusing none the less.
http://www.bibleforums.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19345&page=1&pp=15

[agarrett1]

1. Acronyms?

I was in the Air Force, but that was some time ago - and we might have had different acronyms anyway. Could you explain MEPS and DEP?

Thanks,

Drew Garrett

p.s. OK, sure, it's irrelevant to your point - but I'm still curious.

[CarbonDate]

3. acronyms:

Military Entrance Processing Station

Delayed Enlistment Program

And the Bibles were there when I went through in 2000, so this isn't a BFEE thing. FYI.

[lenidog]

12. They were there

Back in 1989 when I joined up. They were probably there when my grandfather joined in 1916. It is definetly not a new thing. Actually when I was in the only book besides training manuals you could keep with you at boot was a holy text.

[indianablue]

4. MEPS...DEPS,,,

MEPS...Military Entrance processing station.

DEP...Delayed Entry program

[indianablue]

2. I was in the Navy 1991-1997

what are you thinking about doing if you join ?

[Sirveri]

7. nuclear, either ET or MM

[indianablue]

10. Very tough program..

Do you plan on going submarine or surface on carriers.

I did not go into the nuke program even though i was recruited for it and took the tests and passed.

I went into electronics (sonar) area.

The nuke program is one of the toughest programs in the navy academically speaking.

If you was out of nuke field you will probably will have to at least dor part if not all of your extension in another field.

the guys that wash out of nukes are usually called 'Nuke Waste'

If you still are holding a clearance if you wash out your probably will become an OS or some other tech rate that requires a clearance.

[indianablue]

11. Sea Duty......

Sea duty onboard ship or submarine is not a carnival cruise. I spent 4.5 of my 6 years on ships. I had a decent time in various ports but shipboard life is not easy. It is hard to describe you just have to experience it.

[tkmorris]

25. Nice to meet another ET

Though after reading again it seems you were probably a Sonar Tech. I was an ET myself, USN 1987-1993.

You are absolutely right about shipboard life which is why I avoided it. I was married and in the end decided that it was worthwhile to try to pick a specialty and so forth to try to stay off of ships if at all possible. I served my sea duty time instead at an overseas base that qualified as such but allowed me to bring my family over with me.

Of course if he goes Nuke he could find carrier duty fairly easily I'd think, which isn't too bad as ships go.

[indianablue]

27. I was a Sonar Tech you are correct.

I was on 20 + year old cruiser out of San Diego, CA. I was on it until it was decommissioned in 1994. Sent to school for about 3 months then off to a frigate out of Norfolk, VA.

You are very lucky o have avoided shipbaord life. Being a Sonar Tech it was pretty much given i would be on a warship.

Both ships had there own forms of hell.

The first ship i was on it was old and broken down. A few months after i arrived they turned the sonar off so i was out of a job essentially but stuck on the ship. Being new i immediatley was sent to the mess decks to 'crank' but at least in the wardroom. I spent about 100 days there before I made enough noise to get me out of there one month longer than i was supposed to be down there. Tehy eventually sent everyone who was in my division down there two who had done it before or not enough times.

The second ship was smaller more work load but in the end i liked it better. I got there and a few months there i was sent cranking there too. The time on the other ship did not count on such a smalkl ship. I made E-5 and was pulled early almost worked there as an E-5 but I told them no way am i going to work there as a E-5 so they pulled me.

Ship board life...24 hour duty every few days, living in a small room three high

NO PRIVACY

Sharing two showers, three sinks and three toilets with 48 other people...oh yeah great fun.

[BrainRants]

5. To my recollection it was pretty common

I'm ex-Navy, it's pretty common at least during bootcamp. I found church in bootcamp to be the one place everyone could "relax" and actually have a little fun away from the headgames.

[indianablue]

6. Bible is nothing new...they do not force it on you...

When i was in boot camp most people wen to to church mainly because you had a little more freedom on Sunday if you did. Otherwise you could only read outdated newspapers and say nothing and sit n a hard bench in the center of the barracks.


ex navy

[Sirveri]

8. This wasn't at Boot

I'm aware at boot you have the option to go to church.

This was at the processing station.

[BrainRants]

9. Maybe they're trying

to attract some born agains who voted for the chimp.

ed:
Then again, there's an old saying: "There aren't any athiests in foxholes"

[lenidog]

15. Naah

That dog wont hunt. If you glance through the posts this has been going on long before Bush was around and probably long after he is gone.

[lenidog]

13. We could

sleep on the floors when I went to boot if we didn't go to church on sundays.

[indianablue]

14. earthquake watch ?

[lenidog]

16. No!

We couldn't sleep on the beds because heaven forbid we would muss them up if we had inspection. So if you wanted a little extra shuteye while the others were off at church you slept on the floor. You would find it amazing how comfortable a hard floor can be when you are in boot.

[indianablue]

18. well i went to san diego for boot in the navy.

we called that earthquake watch.

[lenidog]

19. Okay

That is intresting. I went to Knox for armor. Got to see Iraq the first time around.

[lenidog]

20. Your post

reminded me of some of the tales friends of mine told me of navy boot. They were all Vietnam era and all ended up at training center up at the Great Lakes. They said at least back then the place was a utter hellhole.

[BrainRants]

21. I would have slept on a bed of nails given the chance!

What's interesting is I just turned 40 and now I can get by an 6 hours of sleep!

[lenidog]

24. Hell I slept everywhere I could

I recall marching and sleeping at the same time. Now that is a very valuable skill to have in the army at least.

[BrainRants]

17. I remember the invocation at

bootcamp graduation, we were all told to bow our heads when the priest said "Let us pray" with the instructions that if you weren't religious just check the shine on your boots.

[htuttle]

22. The Gideons have been handing out bibles for decades

They are the same guys that keep leaving them in hotel rooms, hand them out on college campuses, and so on.

BTW, I think you unfortunately made a huge mistake. I have read of numerous cases of both Air Force and Navy personnel being 'retrained' for infantry patrols and escort duty in Iraq. Good luck, and keep your head down if they do.

[indianablue]

28. Ex Navy here.....

I heard something like that but what i read was, people in the Navy and Airforce in obsolete jobs or problems could 'cross over' to the Army.

Blue to Gray program i think it tio called.

On the other hand it woudl nto surpise me if they did some sorta of thing where you join the Navy or Air Force and be forced into Iraq as a grunt or soemthing, nothign surprises me anymore,

[Sirveri]

29. I don't think the Navy would want to let me go that easy.

I didn't score a 35 on the ASVAB, I'm classed as a UMG (Upper Mental Group), so I suspect that they'll try and keep me from going any such way to Iraq. Plus I'm aiming for nuke school, and it would be somewhat stupid to waste a guy who you just sent to school for 18 months when you're already desperate for personell in that field.

And then finally to top it all off. If the draft starts, as I am still of draftable age, I would very much rather be in the Navy.

[jmowreader]

23. They passed them out in 1981

However, at Spokane MEPS they gave you a Bible when you were shipping out to basic. You didn't get one beforehand.

We even had an assigned place in our footlocker for it. It went in the upper-right corner of your footlocker tray. "We don't expect you to read it, private, we expect you to display it." The battalion chaplain put some Bibles and tracts--no, not Chick crap--by the doors so that soldiers who wanted to read it could get to it easily. He knew no one moved the Gideon versions.

[lenidog]

26. I actually did read it

I have been a reader all my life. So I was going through withdraw at boot when we had some idle time. So I read it. I just just love some of the bizarro stuff in the Old Testament.