So I recently read a book, shocking I know. I actually picked up a book and sat down long enough to do nothing but read. It also helps may I add, that I spend about 5-10 hours a month on an airplane on my way to Newport, RI to see Jeff. And let me also add that this is usually where I have been able to catch a few moments to myself to be able to read. Now the last time I traveled, I chose a lovey romance type. This time, a navy classic. It is called "Assumed the Watch, Moored as Before."Okay so maybe classic is a bit of an overkill, but it was quite funny. This book was written by a guy who like myself, is a Surface Warfare Officer or SWO for short. This guy tells all about his misfortunes and the stories of his journey and time in the navy. Although his time is short, he has some quite entertaining stories. Well, let me be honest, he is disgruntled and his stories are not very positive, but they are as he see the navy and his experiences. And while I do not share his distain for the navy, I can completely relate and laugh while I read his stories.
He talks about how he joined for this great romance of being out to sea, and not really knowing what he was getting into. And how he realizes just how silly the inspection process is and how the people in the navy make these inspections to be the biggest thing of your life, only to do it again the very next year/month/week... you see the point. So I am reading this book on the plane out to RI this past Friday, Veteran's Day, and as I am giggling with delight over the stupid funny story I am reading, the woman next to me asks, "that must be a pretty good book. What are you reading?" So I flip it over and show her the cover and she seems perplexed. So I explained to her a little bit about the gist of the book and tell her that its about a disgruntled person in the navy and some of his funny stories and she gives me a one eyebrow raise and says something like "oh how nice." Obviously she has had very little experience with the navy and has not had anyone in her family or friends in the navy to have heard any of these funny stories.
Well, I continue on my reading and giggle some more, and she continues to look at me like she really wants to know what is so funny, so I indulge her. I do not remember at what point of the book I was at or which story I tried to explain to her, but she seemed to not understand or to really get it... And then I started to think, does anyone really understand what life in the navy is really like unless you have been there, or have someone who will tell you about some of the humor/idiot things we do? I think not. I truly believe that unless civilians have a relative or friend or spouse in the military, they truly believe that it is all glamor and just like the movies. They have no clue as to what it is that we do, or what we do not do all day... which makes me giggle even more.
My sister, when I call her at work, always tries to tell me that she is working... duh i just called you at work... yet she doesn't understand that I work too. Okay well not all the time and not a lot, but I also leave for months at a time, stand watch on the bridge trying not to hit other ships, and getting very little sleep... even when we sleep, its not always peaceful and relaxing sleep, even if you do get more than 3 hours at a time. So then I thought maybe I would use this blog to tell the world, or just those who wish to read, about the real life while in the navy...?
This week, my ship, USS Cape St. George, CG 71, is on POM leave, that is Pre-Overseas Movement Leave. This is the leave that is not always guaranteed to navy personnel before they leave on deployment. This leave while I reiterate is not guaranteed, is much needed for the crew prior to leaving because it helps them get last minute affairs in order, spend time with loved ones and allows for a break from the everyday grind and misery that we are about to go through... again. Since the return from last deployment in March of this year, our ship has been put through the ringer and had a lot of things to accomplish in order to prepare for this deployment. We put the ship into the ship yards and had a great deal of maintenance work done to the ship, some by the ship yard and some by ship force work. We have also had a number of inspections and certifications that we had to pass, some pretty, some, not so pretty. But we did seem to make it and we are certified to go on deployment, shocking... especially since, its not like they would fail us and keep us in port to fix ourselves... they just passed us so we could go anyway. And if we were to fail, we would still go anyway, because let's be honest, there are not enough ships in the navy and the missions we do while gone are too numerous to complete if we let some ships stay home.
So that is how it is. We work, we work and we work some more. And no one seems to understand really what that entails...so i will continue to update you... and hopefully my stories can be half as entertaining as the book i read... so let me know!
He talks about how he joined for this great romance of being out to sea, and not really knowing what he was getting into. And how he realizes just how silly the inspection process is and how the people in the navy make these inspections to be the biggest thing of your life, only to do it again the very next year/month/week... you see the point. So I am reading this book on the plane out to RI this past Friday, Veteran's Day, and as I am giggling with delight over the stupid funny story I am reading, the woman next to me asks, "that must be a pretty good book. What are you reading?" So I flip it over and show her the cover and she seems perplexed. So I explained to her a little bit about the gist of the book and tell her that its about a disgruntled person in the navy and some of his funny stories and she gives me a one eyebrow raise and says something like "oh how nice." Obviously she has had very little experience with the navy and has not had anyone in her family or friends in the navy to have heard any of these funny stories.
Well, I continue on my reading and giggle some more, and she continues to look at me like she really wants to know what is so funny, so I indulge her. I do not remember at what point of the book I was at or which story I tried to explain to her, but she seemed to not understand or to really get it... And then I started to think, does anyone really understand what life in the navy is really like unless you have been there, or have someone who will tell you about some of the humor/idiot things we do? I think not. I truly believe that unless civilians have a relative or friend or spouse in the military, they truly believe that it is all glamor and just like the movies. They have no clue as to what it is that we do, or what we do not do all day... which makes me giggle even more.
My sister, when I call her at work, always tries to tell me that she is working... duh i just called you at work... yet she doesn't understand that I work too. Okay well not all the time and not a lot, but I also leave for months at a time, stand watch on the bridge trying not to hit other ships, and getting very little sleep... even when we sleep, its not always peaceful and relaxing sleep, even if you do get more than 3 hours at a time. So then I thought maybe I would use this blog to tell the world, or just those who wish to read, about the real life while in the navy...?
This week, my ship, USS Cape St. George, CG 71, is on POM leave, that is Pre-Overseas Movement Leave. This is the leave that is not always guaranteed to navy personnel before they leave on deployment. This leave while I reiterate is not guaranteed, is much needed for the crew prior to leaving because it helps them get last minute affairs in order, spend time with loved ones and allows for a break from the everyday grind and misery that we are about to go through... again. Since the return from last deployment in March of this year, our ship has been put through the ringer and had a lot of things to accomplish in order to prepare for this deployment. We put the ship into the ship yards and had a great deal of maintenance work done to the ship, some by the ship yard and some by ship force work. We have also had a number of inspections and certifications that we had to pass, some pretty, some, not so pretty. But we did seem to make it and we are certified to go on deployment, shocking... especially since, its not like they would fail us and keep us in port to fix ourselves... they just passed us so we could go anyway. And if we were to fail, we would still go anyway, because let's be honest, there are not enough ships in the navy and the missions we do while gone are too numerous to complete if we let some ships stay home.
So that is how it is. We work, we work and we work some more. And no one seems to understand really what that entails...so i will continue to update you... and hopefully my stories can be half as entertaining as the book i read... so let me know!
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