US Naval Reserve Midshipmens School - Capstan Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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September 30, 1943, is destined to live in history . . . the history of the fourth class at Notre Dame Midshipmenis School. On that day the big gray cattle car made many trips between South Bend's busy railroad station and the rear of the U.S.S. Morrissey. From Maine, Oregon, Texas, Florida, South Carolina and Missouri the future ensigns were dis- gorged, wane and weary, upon strange ground. You,re in the Navy now. As future officers of the fleet, you will be expected to conduct your- selves at all times as gentlemen, you. will be ex- pected to work hard-keep on the ball. You will be expected to obey commands instantaneously, when you reach the fleet, you will have great re- sponsibility on your shoulders and will have to think. Until that time, don't think-obey and continue to obey and maybe something can be made out of you-but you're a pretty ragged looking bunchf' After depositing luggage on sidewalks, the ap- prentice seamen were taken to the chow hall. Looking back through the haze of, time it seems there was an extremely good dinner that day. At any rate, there were only three or four good meals cmbarkaizoi Ol' eaten in that building-the first one, Thanksgiving, Christmas and noon January 20, 1944. D After that first mess of beans and potatoes, the problematical civies were arranged alphabetically and led off to Lyons, Morrissey, Howard and Badin, the firetrap. That first day somehow managed to recede into the past. The weary, and now wary, embryonic ensigns dropped off to a restless sleep after uttering prayers for a safe voyage and damning thirteen buttons. Yes, late that afternoon they received their gear,' with those eternal thirteen buttons. First they stood in line to turn in their orders and be assigned to billetsg then they stood in line to draw their bedding, and then they stood in a gigantic line at the stadium to draw uniforms. Three things stood out in their minds that day, on the double, in line, and waitf' It was on the double to get there, in line after you got there, and wait half the day. The story goes the rounds that the only person to be fitted in a correctly sized uniform was a 4-F civilian. And he wasnit turned loose until the medical department wrote seven letters to Wash- ington, three weeks later.