A Lesson in Life

It's been over twenty years since I graduated Marine Corps boot camp, but the experience made permanent changes to my personality, and I recall some things as if they happened yesterday. Today, for no apparent reason, I remembered one of my not-so-proud moments.

Most people have heard of blanket parties. My platoon didn't have blanket parties per se, but we did have something similar... we tipped racks. A rack tipping consisted of waiting until the offending recruit fell asleep and then another group of recruits would fling the slacker out of his bed -- mattress and all. There was no lasting physical damage to the slacker, but it did serve as a "wake-up call," if you'll pardon the pun.

One night I took part in a rack tipping. I don't remember what the guy did, but I remember a group of us tipping the mattress. I remember running back to my own bed. And I remember that something went wrong. When we tipped the rack, the guy got tangled in his sheets, hit the deck face-first, and ended up busting a tooth, right at the gum line.

One of my con-conspirators was identified and refused to take the fall alone (again, no pun intended). He came to us and said that if we didn't step forward that he'd blow the whistle. We all came forward, and we all got busted. I still think the guy who was identified was a weasel. He should have kept his yap shut, because that's how this kind of crap works. But I also deserved to get busted; the slacker may have needed a wake-up call, but he certainly didn't need to lose a tooth over the whole deal.

During boot camp I stayed away from the slacker recruit. I don't remember if it was because I was ordered to do so, or because I was ashamed of what I'd done, but I ran into him in the airport after graduation. When I saw him, I did what I should have done sooner. I walked up to him and apologized. He was incredibly gracious and said that it was okay. I was relieved by his forgiveness, but knew that it wasn't really okay, and I told him so.

This experience underscores the power of group think. I did something I shouldn't have done, and I justified it by thinking that it was necessary for the group's overall well-being. It was a crappy way to learn an important lesson about conforming, and I regret it to this day. My guilt is somewhat reduced by the other guy's forgiveness, but nothing truly justifies what I did. I can only hope that the lesson stays with me, so I don't repeat the mistake.