*HUSHED CHANTING*
*LOUD CHANTING*
HOOYAH BATTLESTATIONS!
I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
HOOYAH BATTLESTATIONS!
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
Y'ALL TAKE THAT SAME THING INTO THE SHIP!
AYE, AYE, CHIEF!
YOU WILL NOW HAVE TWO MINUTES TO COMPLETE AS MANY PROPER PUSH-UPS AS YOU CAN - ARE YOU READY?
ALWAYS READY!
READY - UP!
BEGIN!
I FEEL GREAT - I REALLY DO.
LIKE ALL THE HARD WORK PAID OFF.
IT'S A HUGE WEIGHT OFF MY SHOULDERS
I'M COMING FOR BATTLESTATIONS - THAT'S FOR SURE. BATTLESTATIONS IS GONNA GET THE BEST OF ME RIGHT NOW!
TAKE ALL OF THAT
WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM,
EXECUTE THE MISSION,
AND THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU - YOU'LL BE SAILORS.
HOOYAH NAVY!
BATTLESTATIONS IS A CRUCIBLE EVENT;
THEY GO IN AS RECRUITS, AND THEY COME OUT SAILORS.
THE MOST NERVE-WRACKING PART ABOUT GOING INTO BATTLESTATIONS WAS
KNOWING THAT IF WE DON'T PASS BATTLESTATIONS THERE IS NO WAY WE WILL GRADUATE
HOOYAH BATTLESTATIONS!
HOOYAH FUTURE SAILORS!
WE GOT TO BATTLESTATIONS AROUND 8 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
ALL RIGHT - Y'ALL ARE MOTIVATED - THAT'S GREAT -
YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN THAT MOTIVATION ALL THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT,
YOU'RE TIRED NOW? THIS IS GONNA BE NOTHING AT 0400, 0500, 0600.
CHIEF - DIVISION 229 MANNED AND READY FOR BATTLESTATIONS, CHIEF!
VERY WELL.
SO BATTLESTATIONS IS THE FINAL TEST BEFORE YOU CAN GRADUATE BOOT CAMP
IT IS ALL NIGHT LONG
AND IT'S BASICALLY ALL THE CLASSES THAT YOU'VE HAD AND ALL THE TRAINING THAT YOU'VE HAD SINCE
YOU CAME TO BOOT CAMP - JUST ALL CRAMMED INTO ONE.
WE TRIED TO KEEP EVERYBODY IN LINE, WE TRIED TO KEEP EVERYBODY AWAKE,
WE TRIED TO KEEP EVERYBODY AS LESS STRESSED AS POSSIBLE,
TRIED TO KEEP EVERYBODY HAPPY - AND I THINK WE DID A GOOD JOB.
THERE'S NOT MUCH THAT I CAN SAY ABOUT BATTLESTATIONS - JUST THAT IT'S VERY TIRING AND VERY STRESSFUL.
YOU'VE GOT TO RELY ON YOUR SHIPMATES NEXT TO YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL GOT
THROUGH IT EFFICIENTLY.
IT MADE ME KINDA THINK ABOUT MY JOB AND MY ROLE
AS FAR AS THE NAVY GOES - IT REALLY MADE ME APPRECIATE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR EVERY
SINGLE MEMBER ON THAT SHIP TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO AND
HOW TO GET THINGS DONE EFFICIENTLY - THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT JUST LOOKING FOR THAT ONE
FIREFIGHTER OR THAT ONE DAMAGE CONTROLMAN TO COME AND SAVE THE DAY, SO TO SAY.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT PART AND THAT ASPECT OF MY TRAINING,
BECAUSE EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THAT.
WHERE'S THE OTHER SIDE?
HURRY UP!
WE - UM - EVERYBODY IS JUST REALLY EXCITED THAT WE GET TO GRADUATE TOMORROW
AND GET TO SEE OUR FAMILIES... AND EVERYTHING IS DONE PRETTY MUCH - THAT'S THE MAIN THING.
WE'RE HAPPY TO BE DONE WITH THIS.
AND I'M HAPPY FOR ALL YOU GUYS - AND HAPPY WE FINISHED IT TOGETHER.
HOOYAH!
YOU'LL HEAR PEOPLE SAY "BOOT CAMP IS A FILTER, NOT A PUMP"
WE'RE SUPPOSED TO EVALUATE THESE PEOPLE AND DECIDE WHETHER THEY'RE SAILORS OR NOT
BUT I REFUSE TO LOWER THE STANDARD TO HELP SOMEONE ACHIEVE THE GOAL THAT
IN MY OPINION IS ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU CAN DO - AND THAT'S TO BECOME A SAILOR
SO ALL THE RECRUITS THAT DO MAKE IT THROUGH MY DIVISIONS, I'LL BE PROUD OF
AND FEEL LIKE I'M REALLY HELPING OUT THE FLEET.
FOR THE CAPPING CEREMONY, I GOT THE CHILLS - I GOT THE GOOSEBUMPS
AND I KINDA TEARED UP A LITTLE BIT - I'M NOT EVEN GONNA LIE...
IT'S EMOTIONAL, YOU KNOW? IT'S BEEN A LONG EIGHT WEEKS... ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH...
IT WAS KIND OF EMOTIONAL - IT WAS NICE FINALLY BEING ABLE TO SHAKE MY RDC'S HANDS
AND SHAKE MY FELLOW SHIPMATE'S HANDS
AND TRADE IN THAT RECRUIT BALL CAP AND FINALLY GET THAT BALL CAP THAT'S
BEEN SITTING IN MY RACK SINCE THE DAY WE GOT HERE -
SO IT JUST FEELS LIKE A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
JUST THAT WHOLE CEREMONY AND SWITCHING OVER - IT FEELS GREAT.
I THOUGHT COMING INTO THE NAVY AS SOMEONE WHO HAD ALREADY FINISHED COLLEGE AND
BEEN ON MY OWN AND WORKED AT MY OWN JOB,
THAT THIS EXPERIENCE WOULDN'T CHANGE ME AS MUCH AS IT HAS
BUT I CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN IT - I CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE - THE WAY I TALK TO PEOPLE,
IT GIVES YOU SO MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR YOURSELF AND SO MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF IT WILL EVER HIT ME.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S JUST A CHANGE IN MY LIFE,
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CHANGE YOU DON'T REALLY NOTICE IT, BUT OTHER PEOPLE DO.
DIVISION 229!
BOOT CAMP HAS MADE A PRODUCT OF MYSELF THAT I WANT EVERYBODY TO SEE...
...A PERSONALITY THAT I NEVER KNEW I COULD HAVE... AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF MYSELF.
THERE IS 1% OF THE UNITED STATES THAT JOINS THE MILITARY
AND TO BE THAT 1% - IN THE NAVY - IT'S A SENSE OF PRIDE THAT YOU CARRY WITH YOU.
OUR DAY-TO-DAY JOB - IT'S A TOUGH JOB - YOU HAVE TO BE TOUGH.
THAT'S WHAT BOOT CAMP DOES - WE CREATE TOUGH SAILORS
SO THAT ULTIMATELY OUR NAVY IS WHAT THE NATION NEEDS.
IT'S A CHALLENGE TO COME UP HERE AND DO THIS JOB, AND TO MAKE CIVILIANS INTO SAILORS
IT IS THE HARDEST JOB I'VE EVER HAD
BUT IT'S THE MOST REWARDING JOB I'VE EVER HAD
IT'S A FEELING YOU CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN TO SOMEONE UNTIL THEY COME UP HERE, PUT THE ROPE ON, AND GRADUATE A DIVISION.
I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD NOT ONLY TO WHAT THE NAVY HAS FOR ME, BUT ALSO WHAT I CAN GIVE BACK TO THE NAVY AND TO MY COUNTRY.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SERVE AND SAY THAT I DID SERVE
WHICH WASN'T NECESSARILY AT THE TOP OF MY LIST WHEN I WALKED INTO THE RECRUITING STATION
HONESTLY I WAS THINKING MORE ABOUT, "OH I WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE - OR GO BACK TO COLLEGE"
"I WANT THE BENEFITS, I WANT THIS - I WANT THAT..."
BUT AFTER BEING HERE, AND SEEING HOW PASSIONATE MY RDCS WERE ABOUT BEING IN THE SERVICE
AND HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO THEM, IT REALLY MADE ME REDIRECT MY ATTENTION FOR
MY REASONING OF BEING HERE.
I WANT TO BE HERE - I WANT TO MAKE MY PARENTS PROUD, I WANT TO MAKE MY RDCS PROUD,
SO I JUST WANT TO GO OUT THERE AND GIVE MY BEST, AND
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHETHER MY TIME ENDS UP FOUR YEARS OR MY TIME ENDS UP THIRTY YEARS
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT MY TIME IN THE NAVY I GAVE EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE GIVEN
AND... THAT WAS IT.
NOW HEAR THIS: LIBERTY CALL, LIBERTY CALL!
I FINISHED NAVY BOOT CAMP.
*LAUGHS*
I REALLY FINISHED NAVY BOOT CAMP...
WOW...
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE SAID THAT.
YES - I AM A UNITED STATES SAILOR.
IT'S KIND OF SURREAL - AND I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF,
I'M PROUD OF THE JOURNEY THAT THAT I HAD TO TAKE TO GET HERE, AND ALL OF THE CHALLENGES
AND OBSTACLES - IT JUST MAKES THIS MOMENT SO MUCH GREATER
KNOWING HOW FAR I HAD TO COME TO BE HERE.
I AM A UNITED STATES SAILOR NOW, AND I FEEL COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
I DIDN'T COME HERE A SAILOR, BUT I'M LEAVING A SAILOR NOW
AND IT'S AN AMAZING FEELING, HONESTLY.
WE MISSED YOU A LOT!
I MISSED YOU A LOT TOO.
YOU