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I know the Navy needs its nukes. I think the head of the Nuclear Propulsion Program, Admiral Donald is probably smoking from the ears about this latest incident. If this keeps us from training, then the Navy is severely short on operators for quite some time.
30 years. I can't imagine doing this for that long. Wow.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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The last 10 years he was not on a sub. He worked at the Navy Annex.
He got promoted and obtained higher ratings. He didn't stay where he started. On the Robert E. Lee he was a Master Chief. I could actually tell you his whole career, as I inherited all of his papers. I have every performance review and job promotion and all of his correspondence with the Navy.
quote:Originally posted by School4ever: My BIL is a nuclear guy on a sub. Has been for years. His last re-up bonus was HUGE because the navy needs nuclear guys so badly.
My grandfather was also a nuclear guy on a sub - one of the first - the U.S.S. Robert E. Lee. He was in the navy for 30 years.
My grandfather was on the H-boats.
Posts: 11187 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Today, I finally qualified as mechanical operator. I get to go to the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego. I am so pumped about that! San Diego!
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Oh, hey. Congrats. I'm in San Diego. One of my best friends is in the Navy, but unfortunately did not get stationed there because he kinda got caught with a handle in his room one time and that was his form of punishment. (According to him)
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Well now I get to stay up all day checking out, after being up all night because I was on midshift. This is going to be a long day.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Another update. We'll be going on deployment soon, in the next month, to the standard places in the pacific. Then we'll be in combat support operations for Iraq and Afghanistan. The length will be greater than half a year. Obviously I'm being intentionally vague for OpSec reasons.
I'm pretty excited. I have some stateside loose ends to tie up, but they should be simple. Maybe I'll start getting those skill sets the recruiting commercials all promised!
The carrier is pretty cool. It is not like the old days. There is satellite TV with NFL Sunday ticket, slow internet, and planned activities.
It's weird when we're in port and it's a weekend. The huge ship is nearly devoid of activity. It's easy to walk aft to forward on the messdecks and not pass anyone if it's late enough at night.
At sea it's different. The chow line goes up two ladder wells and into the hanger bay. It's so cool to stand right next to FA-18s when you're in line to eat bad food. I think this is the same food prisoners get.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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I understand you have some security concerns regarding posting here. I know a pilot with the 7th fleet, who flies an FA-18 (technically, I think he's flying an FA-18E). I have no idea what his deployment schedule is, either.
Good luck, and I guess, have fun over there. Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Reader, just read through your thread. I've got a lot of friends who are Sailors and Marines in San Diego, including one who I'm pretty sure is going to be on your deployment.
May I ask where you went to A-school?
If you happen to stop at Pearl Harbor and get some time off, and feel like hanging out with a fellow Hatracker, let me know. I'm stationed here at MCBH Kaneohe Bay.
Posts: 2222 | Registered: Dec 2008
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Make sure to take a lot of books. Or video games. Or something to do. I read 40+ books on my last Japan deployment.
And you're wrong about the food. I'd reckon that prisoners get FAR better food. Coming home from a deployment to Hawaii, this was our menu: - "Pancit" (spaghetti noodles with chunk beef, no sauce) - No sides or anything to drink but water and root beer - "Pie" consisting of grape jelly on pizza crust
Also, our boiler exploded, so we were cruising along without AC and on emergency power for about a week on the equator.
And you might want to see what kind of items that the ship store runs out of on long deployments. You can make a good deal of money by supplying stuff. On any long deployment when I was in, Camel "Hard Pack" cigarettes could go for as much as $15 / pack (they don't sell them in Asia), and I've seen Newports going for $10. Some food items like jerky, peanut butter, and Mountain Dew can also fetch a premium. That is, if you have any room left in your rack locker. My shop would keep an area of chair lockers for food / cigarette storage.
Needless to say, I got out after six years. Good times!
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Chewing tobacco and monster is what's huge now. I can get a premium for that stuff. It also works to get a qual card signed when someone is realle jonesing for nicotene or sugar.
Pancit. I had it once in A school. It was one of the worst things I have ever eaten. The pie is still the same, but there was peanut butter cake today that was killer good. We had crab legs a few days ago, but they always pull out the good stuff for the times right before we pull in.
I think an advantage to being on a carrier is that there is room for more supplies, and the opportunity to fly more on if necessary. There are vending machine banks on board, full of Monster and candy bars.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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