What happened with me was when we got our first company insepction Captain Duncan, I Co. CO, he was a southerner so had a deep drawl. Well the private next to me, a Private Huppman, was fat, and I do mean FAT, not chubby.
We were standing at attention when Captain Duncan stepped in front of Huppman and began to speak. "Boy, you tryin ta grow a set of tits?" His southern drawl made it even funnier. I was busting a gut trying not to laugh. he continued, "Y'all want me to buy you a bra?" Man I was turning red-faced from trying to not laugh.
Needless to say, my senior drill instructor, Staff Sergeant Brown, had noticed me by now and the look he gave me was indictive of what would happen if I began laughing. The proverbial 'if looks could kill.'
Captain Duncan then turned and stepped in front of me. Well, you guessed it, I let out one hell of a deep belly laugh, I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
Captain Duncan immediately let into me, "Boy was I talkin ta you?" His southern drawl just made it even more funnier to this seventeen year-old snot nosed punk. I laughed harder and replied, "No sir."
He replied Then what tha hell are you lauging for?"
Well, being just off the block and wet behind the ears I replied, "It was damned funny Captain." I know, I know, I REALLY fucked up by calling him Captain, but you have to remember, first inspection and had done nothing so far but get scalped and clothing issue.
Captain Duncan then calmy turned to Staff Sergeant Brown and said, "Is this the way you train Marines Staff Sergeant, to be mouthy and talkative?"
Staff Sergeant Brown turned red-faced replied, No sir, I will make sure that recruit learns proper discipline and courtesy." The look on his face told me I was in for a hell of a time.
To make a long story short, Captain Duncan left and then it was my turn. By the ned of that night I had cramps so bad in my legs that it took three recruits and the duty DI to get the fist sized knots out of my muscles.
After that every time somebody else got in trouble and had to do extra PT SSGT Brown would say, "Communist Private?"
I would run up and reply "Sir, Communist Private reporting as ordered, Sir!"
He would then say, Assume the Position." And then I would get ready for the extra PT.
Needless to say, I was the most fit person in that platoon.
All this came about when SSGT Brown called me into his DI Hut and told me, "Dickinson, I am going to break you and make sure you never finish Boot Camp."
At the time I was pissed, not knowing him then like I do now, I thought he was serious, So I asked permission to speak freely, and when he granted it all I said was, "you're full of shit, sir." All through out Boot I took everything he could throw at me, and just smiled and asked for more.
Of course there were times I passed out and had to be revived, but I never quit or gave in.
The funny thing was he told me he was impressed by my willingness to speak my mind and was not brow-beaten by either the Captain or him.
Damn glad he did, it taught me a LOT about myself I did not even know was there, yet he knew from that first inspection, he knew.
So in a way, being the Communist Private prepared me for my future
Cheers, Þórgrímr