I have a story about a US Navy tradition called Chiefs' initiation. Sometimes, this tradition gets very intense that some Navy Chiefs actually balk from it, others go through it and later file harrassment complaints, but most go through it and take the experience as an inescapable chapter in the life of a Navy Chief Petty Officer. I participated in one when I was promoted chief in 1989.
I was fed live gold fish, at least a dozen of them. At four o'clock in the morning I was made to swallow an earthworm; raw eggs, raw oyster and fish sauce mixed together . At the height of this ritual, I was placed inside a coffin with a hole cut out right over my face. The chiefs who had been through this initiation and who are present at that time in my initiation, took turns yelling, "Fire in the hole!", followed by a bucket of iced water poured over my face.
Luckily, the coffin is not water-tight, so, the cold water just drains, although it's somewhat slow. I was half-submerged in iced water the entire time I was in the coffin. Finally, the coffin was opened and I was let out and blind-folded. I was made to touch a box of sharp broken glass and was told that the box of broken glass will be placed at the foot of a ladder which I was made to climb blindfolded. As I climbed the ladder, I couldn't control my entire body from shivering. The crowd started to laugh at me and made comments like, "What kind of a chief will you be? Chicken?" "Call a doc, this chief won't make it. He's shaking like a leaf." Finally, the "Judge" (he's the man in charge of the rites) yelled "Jump!" And I did just like I was told. I jumped off the ladder and landed on my butt in the box at the foot of the ladder. I heard this crushing noise which sounded like a pile of broken glass. I said to myself, "Oh, shit, I messed up my butt." But I didn't feel any pain. "I must be numb from the cold," I thought, "Can't feel anything." Suddenly, my blindfold was removed and I saw that I was sitting in a boxful of potato chips.
Everybody busted laughing again. "is that what you're shaking about, Chief?" everyone asked almost in unison. I tried to be a sport so I simply said, "You dumb
assholes, you froze me to death in the cold, that's why I'm shaking!"---#
1 comment:
I cannot help when I read this article but remember my own experience too. I have a relative who is a retired CPO too, and it is my understanding that while training and initiations in the Military, as well as the Marines, as well as in the secret societies like Masonry are indeed harrowing, they are tempered by the fact that you can in fact file lawsuits, and get results, in the Good Old America!
One cannot say that in the Philppines. And I wonder, and Im ashamed why I was a part of it, why in my younger days I wasnt discerning enough not to join fraternities, Philippine style. Lucky for you sir you were fed what in the Philippines would be "sosyal pulutan!"
Maybe twas the machismo, maybe the regionalistic quirk transforming itself to kayo-kayo, kami-kami. I just dont know now.
I cannot name the fraternity, for obvious reasons, but members count among the whos who in the Philippines, and it is an all-UP frat.
I was paddled 237 times, in my legs and buttocks, made to jump in Pasig river, eat my own feces, countless punches,publicly humiliated, the edema sank to my balls, I was jaundiced for 2 weeks, urine became red,endured psycho torture,etc.
I am now anti-hazing. And I will tell of a not so good picture of frats to my grand sons.
But, just for fun, and this was one of the lighter moments hehe, we were told to xerox our faces and butts, butts first, and oooppps, dont wipe the machine with alcohol you stupid applicant!!!! hahahahahhaaha
Post a Comment