I know this is a serious day and date. You can find many solemn remembrances of Armistice Day all over the web. One of the most spectacular is the sea of poppies placed in the grassy moat which surrounds the Tower of London.

My purpose here today is to show you what a veteran looked like before he was placed on active service in a real job. Behold the boot camp sailor!

Linkmeister official photo, Company 132, RTC San Diego, June 1972

This was the official company photo, taken from a hardbound album given to each recruit upon successful completion of 9 weeks of basic training before heading out to either the Fleet or to specialized training school (in my case Radioman Class “A” school, about two blocks from the recruit areas on the same base in San Diego).