When I was at RTC (July - September 2008), I wore a lovely blue utility uniform: Dark blue trousers (work slacks, if you will -- the sort of thing Dickies sells); light blue, long-sleeve, button-up shirt; black boots; and a black web belt with a silver buckle that's damn near impossible to get clean when an inspection is coming. This is phased out now. I left RTC shortly before the uniform change became mandatory. You'll be wearing some sort of camouflage uniform, and your RDCs will be wearing an atrocious khaki-and-black uniform (horrid, really, khakis used to mean you've made Chief or officer, and now any idiot can get them) instead of whites. Whatever you're wearing, wear it well.
Iron, even though you have to get up in the middle of the night to do it. It doesn't take that long, and if you don't, you'll get the division beat (exercising) the next morning when it's apparent that you didn't do anything to your uniform. Like so:
"Recruit! What the fuck happened to your uniform?"
"Nothing, Petty Officer." (Here you have just woken up and are trying to figure out why your RDC thinks something happened to your uniform overnight).
"Exactly, nothing. And what was supposed to happen to it?" (Here you figure out what the RDC is on about, and begin praying to whatever you believe in that yelling is all they're going to do).
"It was supposed to be ironed, Petty Officer."
"Then why wasn't it?" (Insert here ranting about how you don't deserve to wear this uniform, etc.)
(Here you -- if you're stupid -- make excuses or -- if you're smart -- say something about how there's no excuse for slacking on personal appearance, you apologize, it won't happen again, etc., and, though the RDC knows you're only saying it because it's the prudent thing to say, it might help you somewhat. But the division will probably be getting their newly ironed uniforms sweaty anyway because someone else screwed up too, or the RDC wants to get you no matter what you say.
See, it's just a fun mind game. Don't let on that you know, though, or they'll accuse you of not taking training seriously, and be harder on you.
If anything doesn't fit properly, tell someone the moment you know. You don't want to go through boot camp with an ill-fitting uniform. You will be miserable considering how much you have to move around in it. You will, of course, lose (or gain, as the case may be) weight during training. For that, you'll just have to adjust your belt and carry on until you're told to have your uniform checked for refitting. If it's too bad, though, let your RDC know. They're there to help. While bitching at you for bothering them.
Inspection tip: Don't wear your glasses. The inspector doesn't know you have glasses. The ones the Navy gives you are ugly as all hell and get dirty in two seconds flat sitting in a sterile environment. It's a pointless hit. You don't need glasses to stand at attention and stare into the distance of the opposite wall for an hour. I understand if you have a problem with headaches when you don't wear your glasses. A little voice inside me says "So stop trying to focus, idiot", but I realize it's hard to control. If there's absolutely no way to avoid wearing those glasses for an inspection, make sure the last thing you do while preparing is spit-clean and buff them, then don't even think of touching them.
Now fix your damn gig line.
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