I was in Diego in '68. I was a little late getting there since I had been going to school. I got tired of the deferments and draft letters an just went ahead and joined. Turned 25 in boot camp! I was older than our company commander! He was a hardhat diver, named Rider. CC Rider was a popular song then.
Boot Camp was what you make of it. When it got bad I would look across the fence at the Marines and think it could be a lot worse. We didn't drag people that collapsed during PT runs.
I don't remember how many weeks it was but it went quickly. Then it was off to Great Lakes for ET school.
3 of the 4 years were in the Far East. I liked the fact that I got to meet people from around the world and got some appreciation of a few different cultures.
All in all a great experience.