The summer of 1966 was definitely a summer I will never forget. That was the summer my older brother, Don and I spent our summer vacation at United States Marine Corps Bootcamp in San Diego. To this day it is still one of the highlights and proudest seasons of my life. The training was condensed to longer days spread over 8 weeks due to the demands of the Vietnam war. The Marine Corps instilled in me many things: Loyalty, Responsibility, Perseverance, Dedication and Teamwork, just to name a few. It's a fraternity of the few and the proud whose membership never expires. "Once a Marine, always a Marine." And that goes for all those special women Marines as well. That particular summer was a turning point in my life. I went from a young naïve boy to a self-confident young man. And it was pretty intense! Those eight-plus weeks were probably the most terrifying yet rewarding weeks of my life. The events that took place in Bootcamp pushed me to my physical, mental and emotional limits where, at times, I was not sure I was going to make it. Years later, when recalling and sharing some of my Bootcamp stories with my buddies, we found ourselves laughing at some of the scenarios I found myself in. On more than one occasion I was encouraged to write some of the stories down. Thus, one story led to another, and out of all that came this book. And what makes this book different from other bootcamp stories is that I wanted to make a "clean" version so my grandmother wouldn't blush or be offended by the language, which, in actuality was extremely "colorful." As you read you will still get the impression of the "hostility" in the air but without all the extra verbiage. With that said, this book in no way is it intended to demean or criticize the training methods of the Marine Corps: Quite the contrary. It is intended to give a glimpse into the physical and mental toughness required to endure such training all the way through to graduation day. This is a first hand account of my experiences as I remembered them. And those of you who have also experienced Marine Corps Bootcamp are well aware that I could have written several hundred more pages to cover all the events that took place, but wanted to hit the highlights and make it an easier read. I am proud to be able to say that even though it was tough, I made it through USMC Bootcamp and went on to enjoy the rest of my enlisted time while adding many more incredible memories. I hope you enjoy this book, and to all my Eagle-Globe-and-Anchor comrades, bootcamp platoon-mates and especially my awesome, unforgettable drill instructors: "SEMPER FI!"
About the Author: Tom Sorensen has been married to his beautiful wife, Lynette for 46 years. They live in Lakewood, California. After graduating from Brethren High School in 1965, he spent 2 years in the Marine Corps where he got the inspiration for this book. The following 26 years he worked as a rigger/diver for the Long Beach Naval Shipyard where he retired in 1994. During this time he wrote the manuscript for "Marine Bootcamp 1966," but never published it. In 1997 he became Operations Manager for Parker Diving Service in Long Beach, California, retiring in 2012. Finally, he had the time to fine-tune his manuscript as a tribute to his brother Don, who died in 1967 as a Marine fighting in the Vietnam War. Tom's goal is to offer the reader a light-hearted, "clean" version of bootcamp as seen through the eyes of a young green Marine. Besides writing, Tom also enjoys teaching his 4th grade Sunday school class, weekly hiking with friends, road trips with his mom and sister and spending time with Lynette.