I’ve seen quite a few questions about Navy bootcamp on Quora. Looking at one of the answers today, I couldn’t help recalling something I hadn’t thought of in years.

My boot camp experience was 3 decades ago. We had a very special group in our company. They decided in the second week that they wanted to go home and were not following any more orders. After the four of them told our company commander, the division chief and several military police were summoned. After the four again refused to follow orders, they were told they were getting charged with (among other things) mutiny, shackled, and led away.

A week later every recruit not on a special detail was formed up in front of a podium. The CO of the Recruit Training Center made some comments about Naval traditions and their histories. Then he informed us we were there to witness the tradition known as “Mast” (known as Article 15 or NJP in the other services). My company’s “special group” were brought up to the CO. They were informed of their charges, which included conspiracy, sedition, and mutiny. Each one was offered a choice between spending some time in a correction company then completing boot camp or a court martial. They were then told that the latter choice could result in up to a year in confinement and a bad conduct discharge. They all chose the latter and I never looked into the final dispositions.

Sometimes you just run out of chances to give someone.

I have no idea why this group of 4 formed or why they thought they were above the laws. Sometimes group stupidity just reinforces itself. I hope or this group that they recovered once they got some distance from each other.