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Finally in Japan!

Posted by Lee on May 27, 2009 at 9:21pm

After a 3-week leave upon completing A-school, my son Kevin left North Carolina on Sunday to join the crew of the USS Tortuga in Sasebo Japan. To say it was hard to say good-by is an understatement. It is one thing to send your son to Illinois, but to send them to Japan was a lot harder than I imagined. He had a grueling trip, which included a 14-hour flight from Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea. Jet lag did catch up with him and his LCPO allowed to take a nap on his first day on board, which caused him to sleep through dinner.I heard from him tonight via email and he has made his first journey off base. In Sasebo, there are 2 primary sections of town: Sailor Town (just outside the base) and Saki Town, which is primarily a traditional Japanese town. He had a blast! He said he was able to find a decent meal at Subway (imagine that), which he prefers over the food on the ship. He has already made many new friends among his shipmates and they are showing him the local sights.On June 12th, the Tortuga begins their tour to Australia as part of their 5-year certification called INSURV. He is very excited about this, but more importantly, he is excited about actually performing the job he was trained for and finally being on his ship. HOOYAH!

Everyone should go to this Challenge

Posted by NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin on May 27, 2009 at 6:30am

Navy SEAL Fitness ChallengeDallas / Ft. Worth Texas 05/09/2009On Saturday May 9, 2009 the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge visited the Dallas – Ft. Worth Metroplex and was held at the Keller School District Natatorium. (I live about 5 miles from the location.) It was their biggest event by a long shot with 590 people competing. They competed in a 500 yd. swim, push-ups, sit-ups, pull ups and a 1.5 mile run. The event was free and open to anyone over 13 years old. Since both males and females are allowed to compete there is no difference in the set standards. Everyone who completed the five rounds received a White Shirt, those with scores that would qualify for SEAL Training received a Brown Shirt and the ones who scored the minimum or higher SEAL Competitive Standard of 500 yard Swim in under 10 minutes, 80 push-ups in 2 minutes, 80 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 11 push-ups with no time limit and 1.5 mile run in under 10 minutes received a Blue Shirt. In each Group the best for each event received a Silver Medal and at the end of the day the Best of the Best for each of the five events received a Gold Medal. The first Group started at 0700 (I arrived at 0650) and the last Medal was Awarded at about 1630 (I left at 1700). While I had a long day I was really amazed at the way each person put out their all to Win. I as well as others had a scratchy voice from yelling “Come on you can do one more!!” and it did help some do more than they imagined. There were several Sailors with bullhorns heckling the guys and gals to make them do more. I remember during the swim all I heard for about 5 minutes was a bullhorn screaming “Get Off My Wall”, and when they would swim to the other side of the pool and rest someone on that side would scream the same thing. One Gentleman destroyed the SEAL Fitness Standard and earned a Blue Shirt and 2 medals; not bad if you consider he was 41 years old, a special education teacher and 13 years too old to join the SEALs. Another Gentleman smoked everyone in his heat of the 500 yard swim in a time of 8 minutes flat and he was using his worst stroke, the breaststroke. Did I mention he was 48 years old? Everyone (participants and spectators) had things to do at the event. I watched a 3 year old girl do a count down at the start of one group’s sit-up competition through a bullhorn, a girl about 5 show the right and wrong way to do a pull-up (she did have help from the instructor) and both times they got as loud or louder HooYah! than the guys and gals doing all the work. I really enjoyed meeting all the people. I had the opportunity to speak with a retired Navy Frogman from Class 3 and one from Class 30. What an honor! The pride they showed and the stories they told were priceless and I could have gone home after that, but there was so much more to watch. The Leap Frogs attempted a jump about 0900 but the ceiling was too low. They tried again about 1300. It took about 4 passes before the ceiling opened so they could see the ground and proceed. One of the guys told me when they jumped that the top of the plane was in the clouds, it was a quick and short jump since they were at 2000 feet.Enough about the Challenge in general, the reason I am writing this is because I have a Grandson who is in SQT and I expect him to get his Trident in a few month. I also have a Grandson who along with his girlfriend took the Challenge. Remember when I said the standards are the same for both male and female? He decided about 3 days earlier to enter and had not been doing any extra workouts; he just Graduated HS and is working. His girlfriend plays soccer. Do you see where this is going? I am really, really proud of both my Grandsons and scores do not tell the whole story. Just attempting the challenge and completing it is an accomplishment in itself. With that said, I am going to list their scores as they appear on the SEAL Fitness Challenge Web Site.Grandson age 19:Run Time 20:00Swim Time 15:29Pullups 7Pushups 30Situps 87PST 1970Girlfriend age (ask her):Run Time 11:38Swim Time 14:00Pullups 6Pushups 30Situps 45PST 1427Enough said on that subject.The next Challenge will be August 8, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. If you live in the area, will be visiting the area, or can make a trip to the area at that time it is worth going. Just in case the Captain I met is reading this you may see me there, I have relatives in that area and may feel the need to schedule a visit.That Saturday was a Great Day for me and our family! I have said that same thing so many times as I go through this process of having a Grandson join the Navy, complete Bootcamp, finish Pre-BUD’s, ship to Coronado and conclude each of the 3 phases of BUD’s while still with his original class. It’s equally as rewarding as he completes the different phases of SQT. Pride, joy, amazement…. There are not enough words to describe the emotions. I cannot imagine what is around the corner. When I think I have seen the most amazing thing to date something new comes along and I have to make my list of incredible things even longer.To see Photos, Videos and Scores from past Events you can visit.http://www.sealfitnesschallenge.com/index.html

Eric's Graduation

Posted by Jeffry Redden Parr on May 26, 2009 at 4:49pm

We got a letter from Eric today. He and his entire division passed their PT and so his graduation is a certainty.

Memorial Day at the Ballpark in Arlington, Texas

Posted by Ralph (Adam's Dad) on May 26, 2009 at 8:47am

My son Adam along with other future sailors from the DFW area took their oath yesterday before a sold-out Ballpark in Arlington crowd. This took place on the field behind home plate before the beginning of the Rangers and Yankees baseball game. Thanks to Navy for Moms and the U.S. Navy for putting this event together.

One Woman in Today's Navy

Posted by Charley on May 26, 2009 at 6:00am

One Woman in Today’s Navy:A Sailor’s Personal AccountBy DCFN Ashley Marie XXXXXXXXXXRemembering that some women might have a different opinion, due to how long they themselves have been in, where as I have been in only a little over a year. To me it seems, because I am a woman in a man’s job (engineer/damage controller) we have to mold ourselves as much as the men of the navy do. There is the obvious, that most women can not physically compete with most men in the work that we do, but most men can not compete with what most women excel in. Women have better organizational skills (are more detail oriented, and read instructions first) than men which is important in any job in or out of the Navy. Then there is the argument of men being able to adapt to organizational skills easier than women can adapt to gaining physical strength. As the Navy’s philosophy has changed these days, they now see that every sailor is a contribution of their own abilities in their own rate, man or woman.Quote me when I say that when there was a fear that women would not be a contribution to the navy, but a liability; it has been proved wrong. We are a contribution we are equal and we do make a difference. There is and will always be sexism in the navy and everywhere else in the world, along with everybody disliking somebody for something. There are some women in the navy that think that, reasonable and unavoidable decisions made are sexist. For example; a male and a female can not be behind locked doors with out a third party. It goes both ways it’s not sexist. The NAVY is not sexist. In my case there are some higher ups whose eyes are only opened to women being equals if they prove so. Not that we should have to prove it, but in my case I had to prove that I could do my job as an engineer/damage controller, pull my self out of a stereotype. Yes, I know what the difference between a monkey wrench and an adjustable wrench is, yes I can lift as much as the other males my size, no, and I don’t mind getting greasy. There will always be the hard headed that you deal with just as you would in the outside world. At least now days, in the Navy we are aloud to prove ourselves.My main job is to train shipboard readiness for any damage control needs; flooding, fire, de-smoking, deep void rescue, etc. We as an engineering rate have maintenance on all damage control equipment on a daily basis. Firefighting being the rate itself is of course, our main priority over everything if and when it happens. The women in our damage control rate right now on this ship the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON proved, not just to everyone in our rate, but this whole ship that we are a big part of this firefighting team. I am proud to say that I am a damage control (woman). I am a fire fighter!Us women, all we wanted was a chance to prove ourselves. And we did! I am very successful in a man’s world in a man’s job

"In Between"

Posted by John Livesey on May 24, 2009 at 12:18pm

My thanks to the Admins (EG & Paul) for the warm welcome here at NavyDads. I found the site when my wife noticed a magazine ad for navyformoms.com and signed up. Like EG, I figured there had to be a corresponding site for the other gender, and am grateful that EG (and others) have put so much effort into making what looks to be a great site.I titled this post "In Between" because my daughter is in a slightly different situation than many of your sons and daughters. You might think of the joining process as binary - you're either in the military or you're not - and at one level that may be true, but there are other levels to consider. I put in "my child is thinking about joining" because she's not yet taken the oath, but yet she is committed.Audrey has accepted a place in the Class of 2013 at the Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. As a part of this acceptance (of her by the school and her acceptance of a place in the program), she will be commissioned as an Ensign (O-1) in the US Navy in a few weeks. She is to report to Newport RI on June 21 and will complete Office Development School (ODS) run by the Navy Officer Training Command. Thus, she won't be going to Great Lakes as many of your sons & daughters do. After ODS, she is to report to the USU campus on August 3 for training prior to the start of her MS1 year.Her mother and I are still trying to figure out all this... I did not serve in the military (though looking back on my history, it would have done me a lot of good to go that route as some point in my development), so I know little about the culture and traditions of the Navy. I have good friends who both served in the Navy - a flight surgeon and a carrier pilot - but in completely different eras, so I'm grateful for this site to help with some of the acronyms and procedures.Audrey has had an ongoing interest in serving in the Navy since high school. She applied to the Naval Academy and actually received the nomination of our congressman for entrance, but didn't gain admission (she completed a B.S. in biochemistry at CalPoly San Luis Obispo last year). She has spent the intervening year as an emergency medical technician (driving an ambulance) in her community and applying to medical schools. She turned down admission to three other medical schools (Drexel, Temple, and Univ of Southern California) to attend USUHS. The teamwork and camaraderie of the military is very important to her and fits well with both her commitment to serve and her own learning and leadership style. She is excited to begin this adventure (and is impatiently awaiting her commissioning paperwork). Her mother and I are also excited (and truth-to-tell, a bit apprehensive) and very proud (you can tell that by the tome of this post [!]) of her achievement and her choice to pursue her medical training in the US Navy.

Care packeges

Posted by Bob, Andy's dad on May 23, 2009 at 10:00pm

Hello all, got to hear from Andy several times by cell phone and text. He is doing well. Told me the worst part was 115 degrees at 2315. He said it cooled down a lot one night. They had to break out their foul-weather gear. It dropped to 92 degrees at 0200. He is having some great times. Thanks for prayers and kind words. We are praying for your sailors. God bless America. I have been proud to be an American all of my life, not just in recent months.

Steve left for boot camp May 13th. Steve's dog Shadow is still not himself. My wife is very quiet, definitely not herself. I have been through this before when our oldest daughter, Lisa went away to c

Posted by Jeffrey B. Parlee on May 22, 2009 at 9:07pm

Steve left for boot camp May 13th. Steve's dog Shadow is still not himself. My wife is very quiet, definitely not herself. I have been through this before when our oldest daughter, Lisa went away to college. This time is different. This time there are no daily phone calls, just one brief call to say I'm at Great Lakes, I'm safe, I love you Mom. This time it has hit me, I feel like a piece of me is missing. Steve and I are both volunteer fire fighters, when the whistle blows we are out the door, now it is just me. I do have allot of community support, but at times it just seems to emphasize the fact that Steve is not here. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud that Steve has joined the Navy. What I have come to realize is just how imbeded in this community my twenty year old son had become. Every where I go someone asks, "how is Steve doing?" Most kid his age don't have an impact on their community like Steve has, he was an asset our small town. Now that is something to be proud of.The "box" arrived this week. My wife recognized the hand writing and had tears in her eyes when she carried the box in the house. As we unpacked the box our moody became more cheerful as we talked about some of the funny things that Steve had done in the past.Our family wiil get through this and be stronger for it. Now I am looking forward to graduation.That is all for now.

Boot Camp

Posted by Jeff ( Corey's Dad) on May 22, 2009 at 6:00pm

My son Corey left Monday for boot camp 5/19. from Jacksonville, Fl.We got to see him sworn in and spent a few minutes with him before he was rushed out to go to the airport. quick call that he had arrived. Today (5/22) we got "the box". so everything he has now is the Navy's..Waiting for his letter with his ship/div on it so we can write him. I'm used to him calling me 4-5 times a day everyday( I have good relationships with all my sons) so it's hard not talking with him.

The Sacrifice of Seperation

Posted by Leonard on May 22, 2009 at 10:00am

After not being able to communicate for a long time, my son called his mom this week. The conversation was short, less than three minutes, but in that short time the concerns he expressed spoke volumes. There was no talk of what he had been doing, or of what he would be doing next. There was only concern for those here at home who he had left behind.He said he had only been ashore long enough to exchange some currency and get to a pay phone. He had no idea how long he would have on the phone because he had no idea how much money he had put in the phone. He went down the list of all of the family members starting with the oldest, and asked if everyone was okay. Once he was assured that all was well here, he said he had to get off the phone because there were about sixty other guys lined up behind him waiting to use the same phone to call home.I could just picture it in my mind. Sixty or so young sailors anxiously awaiting their turn to call home. Since my son is a submariner, I also knew that each of these young sailors were men. Young men. And here they were in a foreign port having the adventure of their lives. For most of them, if not all, this was the first time they had ever been to this place. Most young men would have been off immediately to see the sights of this strange land and experience all it had to offer. But not these young men. You see, each of them had not been able to communicate with their loved ones for weeks. Moms, dads, wives, brothers, sisters, grandmas, and grandpas were all that were on their mind. None could even think about the excitment of visiting a foreign land until they were sure that everyone back home was okay.It hit me then, one aspect of their sacrifice that I had not thought about before. The sacrifice of seperation must weigh heavy. Life for a submariner is one of isolation. Oh sure, they have their shipmates for company. But they have no phones, no nightly news, and no way for anyone to get word to them if mom had an accident, or grandma fell sick. And even if they did, there would be no way to get them off the boat and back home to be with family.Seperation. The psychological impact is something few can endure, and I can only imagaine. Could I handle it? I seriously doubt it. While its true that submarines have few casualties and is generally considered one of the safer military careers, the environment of seperation takes a toll on these men like few other jobs in the world. But, like the the motto "Silent Service," you will never hear these men complain. In fact, you will never hear much about these men at all. News crews don't film from the deck of a submarine. There are no imbedded reporters telling those at home of the exploits of these brave men. Their crews are small in number, so even the homecomings don't get as much notice as those of the larger surface ships.Although I've always known they were out there somewhere under the oceans silently serving our country. I never spent much time thinking about the sacrifice these men make until my son decided to join their ranks. Seperated from all communication, cut off from the world as we know it, they go about their jobs silently patrolling the worlds oceans and keeping tabs on our enemies. And even though we never hear much about them, their sacrifice is indeed great.

leaving for boot camp

Posted by Mike Davis on May 19, 2009 at 5:10pm

well my son Kyle left Atlanta, Monday afternoon. We had a going away party for him on Sunday afternoon. a large number of family and friends came out to say good-by.although Kyle said he did not want a big to-do. But he really enjoyed the party.Late last night, Kyle called home and said " i don't have much time to talk, we made it to boot camp, you will get a box and a letter from me in about 3 weeks."we could hear the instructor in the back ground, for them to hurry up.It hasn't set in yet he is gone. We are still stepping over his shoes. This morning, I was getting things around to leave the house trying to be quiet, when I realized he was not here.

Tiger Cruise - Homecoming !

Posted by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on May 16, 2009 at 12:30am

Wow….homecoming….after seven-plus months at sea everyone was returning to US soil and their families. I knew it was going to be a memorable day with lots of mixed emotions for all.

Eric and I had agreed to make it another 06:00 day, but around 05:00 I managed to wiggle out of the rack and get cleaned up. I wasn’t sleeping anyway, so why stare at the inside of my eyelids when I could go ahead and get cleaned up and get ready for the day. The ship’s movement had eased over night and the roll and pitch were almost gone….too bad as I was starting to get used to the movement. But it did make the shower easier…not worrying about loosing balance and all- or maybe I was just getting used to things now. It figures that about the time I adapt to the ship pretty well the cruise is over. Hours on the carrier start pretty early, and there was a fair amount of activity and movement. Of course coming home may have had a little to do with folks being up and about.

Soon enough junior popped his head into berthing and we headed out into the hanger deck. It was amazing to see the area so packed with crates and tool boxes and desk chairs and bomb racks and whatnot. It was clear a lot of folks stayed up pretty late getting ready to move to a new duty station. Whereas the night before had clear pathways and all, this morning you had to watch where you wanted to walk.

Off to the galley….no lines, no crowds- guess the early bird really does get the worm so to speak. Eric was happy….real eggs…said the powdered kind wasn’t the best, so eggs and bacon and biscuits and gravy and all. Maybe not the heart healthiest diet this AM but what the heck. How often do you get to eat breakfast on a Nimitz-class carrier anyway? Walking around the hanger you could see that the day was nice…sunny…really no significant chop out there, but it was really cool. It made you appreciate a coat. Soon enough it was time to think about a trip up to the flight deck after spending some time in the shop. Not too many people on the deck, but like I said, it was COOL….VERY COOL. I’m not sure what our speed was, but enough when combined with the wind and morning temps to really make you know it wasn’t summer on the Atlantic. The word had come down….any sailor not sponsoring a Tiger was to man the rails…in whites. Now while we parents think that whites look wonderful and that they are the signature of the Navy, the sailors find them a pain. They are a “dirt magnet” and for this morning, they are not the warmest uniform for cool weather. I felt sorry for those sailors that would be on the rails. I was glad to have a Navy “hoodie” to wear. But all that was in the background because you could see land….we were a little south of Virginia Beach and soon the buildings would start to appear, but here was no mistaking the sight of land in the distance.

We were scheduled to dock at 10:00 and we were slowly making our way to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. I hadn’t seen the Bay since I left the East Coast in ’78 and knowing that I was that close to Maryland and the years I spent there during college gave me pause to think about all the years that had passed. There are a few defining moments in our lives where we see how the past has shaped our lives and that was one for me. I was starting to wish for some more time in my schedule so I drive up to DC and visit…I still have friends in the area and I would have really liked to see the area again….and I want to visit “The Wall” and new World War II memorial. Those will have to wait though…but I figure with Eric there for a few more years that I’ll have an excuse to fly back and fulfill those goals.

Anyway…time to get off the flight deck. Back to my lost puppy routine…I’ll never learn all these passages and corridors. And once we get back down to the hanger level, that is closed off as well as the crew is moving a lot of stuff around. We’ll have to go below the hanger and cross the ship to the shop area. Man oh man…people everywhere and once again to the right, down a ladder, though this hatch, to the left, through this hatch, up a ladder, right, left, down….etc….etc. I really don’t know how these sailors manage to remember all this as Eric even had to pause a time or two to figure the best route to take. Eventually we ended up back at the shop where all were getting ready for Norfolk and home. Seeing everyone running around in whites was sure a change from the utilities I had seen over the past two days.

I had packed my belongings earlier and stripped my rack so no need to head back to berthing for anything. That was a pretty chaotic area earlier with everyone packing their sea bags and trying to get their uniform ironed. I had gone with Eric as he did the same and he took a few minutes to show me the collection of cigars and humidor he had bought….he also took a couple of Cohiba’s with him that we were going to light up to celebrate being back in the United States…..I know about the embargo and all so no grief please!

Anyway, it was certainly fun being in the shop and seeing excitement on everybody’s face about getting to head home. We didn’t stay in the shop for long however as the hanger deck was clear to move about and I stopped at one of the elevators for a little while. A Coast Guard escort was off our starboard side and it was nice to see the defenders of our home waters there to help maintain a security perimeter…..a small fishing boat was heading towards the ship, probably only to look at the Roosevelt, but the Coast Guard boat was there in a flash to prevent them from getting any closer.

The small vessel got the message pretty darn fast and turned away rather that face further ire from the CG. The CG doesn’t get the recognition that they deserve in my book and I salute them all for the tough job they are entrusted to. The sailors were manning the rails…and I knew it was cold up there. I felt sorry for them, but knew that they would soon be in the Bay and things would calm down and warm up. I could tell we were slowing down as we drew closer to the south tunnel of the famous Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Soon enough we crossed that line and we were in the Bay and nearing the Navy yards in Norfolk.

The word came down that the Tigers could assemble on the flight deck as well- so back my lost puppy routine and follow Eric right, left, up, down, etc.. We were all anxious to be up there—we’ve all seen on TV the celebration from dockside when a warship come home to port. Being on the ship though would give us all a special perspective and I knew it was going to most memorable. We were advised that we must stay back from the rails though so as to allow the Navy to present the ship with the correct look of sailors on the rail. Seeing 1292 civilians wandering around the deck would look chaotic and we didn’t want to interfere with long established Navy tradition.

It was till cool up there, but with the pier now in sight, everyone forgot about the temperature. Besides, the sun was rising ever higher and being in the protected waters of the lower Bay made the climate much more comfortable. Soon enough it would be downright warm! The ship was nearing Pier 14 dead slow as the tugs became the primary mode of propulsion. They knew the waters and the currents and could control the movements of the ship much more precisely. The area is congested and to dock the ship would actually stop and the tugs would swing the stern around and “back” the ship into place.

When you look around at the pier the first thing you really notice is the cars….lots of cars parked! We had heard estimates of 10,000 people expected for the return and to see that many cars in the lots….well…maybe. Then you look around and the yard……Naval vessels everywhere and then you realize you’re looking at a carrier….the George Bush is moored there…the last of the Nimitz-class carriers to be built.

And you start to realize that this is something big…not the size of the ship we’re on, but the mission and the people that make that mission. And all the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and aunts and uncles and everyone else that support our sailors that man these ships and get the mission done. It was a moving thing to realize.

The pier…pier 14…..lots of folks there in grandstands and on the pier with signs and banners and music from the band playing there. Soon enough everyone was at the rails and people were waving and yelling…flags were everywhere and man, there sure were a lot of smiles! You could not be there and not feel the emotion and the happiness in the sailors. Soon enough they would be reunited with their families.

Mooring a ship the size of the Roosevelt takes some time....you don’t move 100,000 tons of steel very quickly in close quarters and you want to be pretty careful with what you do, so we headed back down to the shop to kill some time. It takes quite a while to get the lines drawn between the ship and the pier and you could hear the shots from the gunners shooting lines to the pier workers. After the ship was tied off they would have to set the brows in place. And there is protocol and tradition to disembarking.

New fathers are about the first off the ship and then by rank….it took quite a while before the call went out for E-4’s and below to disembark--- and the rush was horrendous! Lines everywhere trying to get to a brow to head off the ship. Mixed in to the rush were all the Tigers trying to follow their sponsor off the ship. The lines moved slooooowly, but soon enough Eric stepped on the brow, turned and saluted and we headed back to land! Now keep in mind that a pier is not terribly wide and with 5000 sailors trying to get off the ship and 10,000 family members were trying to meet up with their sailors….well, you get the idea. We might have been on land, but the crowd was ridiculous and it took longer to get from the ship to the gate than it did to get off the ship. It was cool though to see all the happy faces and tears as people found their loved ones and got reacquainted after those long months. It took awhile, but soon enough we were at the gate and the crowds thinned out. We headed to the NEX for something to drink and find a taxi for a ride to our hotel. A little of the surreal atmosphere was still in the air….I just got off a two-day cruise on the Theodore Roosevelt and I was at the NEX drinking an iced-tea while I was looking across the road at the USS George Bush. If I looked to my left all I saw were Navy ships for miles……….amazing……simply amazing……..

Next: Some thoughts on the experience

Brothers at War Movie

Posted by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on May 15, 2009 at 9:30am

Tiger Cruise blog continues with next post---- click NEXT POST in the bottom right to contiue

Saw an interview with Gary Sinise this AM and he was talking about a movie out today...if you look at the website: http://www.brothersatwarmovie.com you can watch a clip and read about the project....it looks powerful and something that all Americans should see. I know this is off-topic here but the fight for freedowm is larger than NavyDads.com.........

Morgan passed FMTB

Posted by Cindy on May 13, 2009 at 11:35pm

Morgan did it! He went through two "hell weeks". I got a text from him today saying he passed the Casualty Assessment Test (CAT) and completed the 8 mile hike. These were two huge tests for all of them. He is so tired of going through school, but is realizing that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.He will not know where his final duty station is until after he graduates, but it will be there in Camp Pendleton. We do know he's assigned to the 1st Marine Div. Graduation will be next Wednesday, the 20th. I am so looking forward to it as I will finally be able to give him a great big hug and we are headed to a place we've never been to. Okay, we have been to San Diego but Morgan was 5 or 6 yrs old. We've never been to Oceanside.I can't wait til I hear a Marine call him 'doc'. Now, when he's deployed, I'm hoping he has the biggest, badest, Marine keeping an eye on him. Morgan is bummed that he's pretty much a Marine. The only Navy on him is the cammie that says US Navy/US Marine and a small red cross. He's not even sure when he'll get to wear a Navy uniform again. Poor guy. ;-(Just thought I'd share my joy and pride with you.

Families Serve Too

Posted by Leonard on May 11, 2009 at 11:30am

I've often heard and read that the families of our military men and women serve too. That statement seems perfectly logical when you hear it, and I never really thought too much about it except to agree that our military families made sacrifices to allow their loved ones to serve our country.The first time I actually experienced this was when my daughter's husband, a Marine, was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2004. She moved back in with her mother and I for a while during that time. I can tell you that every phone call at odd hours caused immediate heart racing. And every time we heard a car pulling into the driveway we were almost scared to look out the window for fear it would be an official vehicle. Now that my son is on his first long deployment, I'm experiencing those feelings again. Wondering when the phone will ring, and what news it will bring when it does.Those months taught me something that I had not known before. The families that wait on deployed service men and women pay a high price as well. It can't be measured, nor fully understood without experiencing it firsthand. Once you have understood, the fact that this price is paid willingly and with pride is an amazing testament to the character and patriotism of our military families. I say this not about myself and my family, but for all of those members here on NavyDads who have given their son's to the service of our county. Thank you. Thank you all for being who and what you are.When attending the commissioning of my son's submarine I had an encounter with his Captain that bears repeating. I introduced myself and shook his hand. Then I thanked him for his service, and expressed my admiration for the responsibility that he held. Submarine captains are literally responsible for the lives of the entire crew with every decision they make. I was surprised by his response. For the next few minutes he deflected my comments and went into lengthy detail about how it was him and his country that should be thanking me for raising a son who was willing and qualified to serve. He talked about how parents of the young men and women who serve in our military are the backbone our nation. In his words, we are what keep the country strong, and able to defend itself against its enemies. He went on to say that if not for people like me our country would be defenseless.I was humbled. I did not feel like I had done anything special at all. Certainly nothing worthy of note or thanks from a decorated submarine commander. But, looking back I now see the truth in his words. And for every father of every sailor I want you to know the truth in those words as well. I am thankful that we still have people in our country like the members of this site. And I want to thank each and every one of you for being the kind of parent who raised his son or daughter to have enough appreciation and respect for our country to volunteer. If not for people like you, this country would fall.Sadly, we are not in the majority in our nation. Even sadder, our ranks are dwindling in number. Many in our society don't place value on our military men and women, and yet our sons and daughters put their lives on the line to defend them as well. But, I don't want to go on a political rant here in this forum, so I'll get off that topic.Let me close by saying thank you again to all the dads (and moms) out there who have given their sons and daughters to the service of our country. I recognize that YOUR child is putting their life on the line for MY benefit. And I recognize that YOU are serving too in your own silent way by loving them, supporting them, and waiting anxiously at home while they are deployed.Thank you,Leonard

Happy Mothers Day

Posted by E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin on May 10, 2009 at 9:01am

to all of our Navy Moms. I hope you all get a phone call from your Sailor on this day when it's time to honor Mom. Just remember, there would be no United States Navy without MOM. I hope you all have a day of pampering as you deserve. Sincerely, EG

Update on ET (no more SA) Trevor Sullivan

Posted by NavyDads Admin, Tim on May 8, 2009 at 4:02pm

Trevor called me last night and told me that he graduates A-School next friday the 15th of May. Trevor took his final test last nite with 2 others in his class. All 3 of them passed the test. Trevor told me that he is graduating 3rd in his class. I gave him a hard time about the fact that he was ranked 3rd in his class. Then he proceeded to tell me that the 2 guys ahead of him were reporting from the fleet for more training. His instructor told him that even though he was ranked 3rd in his class he was by all rights #1 in the class. Trevor says that these guys had to report back to A-school for more trining as they knew the proper ways to do their job just didn't have the mechanical side of doing their Job. Trevor was all excited that he no longer is a Seaman Apprentice he is now an Electronics Technician. Even though he woke mom and I up from a deep sleep with the phone call. He was overly apolagetic about that, but I told him that it was ok. I don't mind getting a wake up call like that especially when he is that excited and doing as good as he is. He is deffinately ready to get that ET badge put on his uniform so that he can be recognized by his Classification rather than an introducing himself as ETSA Sullivan. Now if we can just get them orders to San Diego and get headed west. All will be good.

Tiger Cruise- Day 2, Part 3

Posted by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on May 8, 2009 at 7:30am

Wow! Pretty impressive air power demo….sure makes you appreciate what the pilots and support crew go through. I was still kind of in a daze as I don’t think it still hit me that it was real. I’ve been a fan of military aircraft my whole life and swear I was a fighter jock in another life, so I was living the dream of being that close to the planes as they launched.

Anyway, as I said in part 2, the Air Boss asked all to leave the flight deck so he could recover the aircraft and Eric and I headed off the flight deck. I was getting pretty used the “lost puppy” routine by now and dutifully followed Eric off the deck, down the stairs and back into the confusing world of hatches, corridors, stairs, etc.. I swear the ship is such a maze of passages that I’d get lost onboard with a roadmap and a GPS……and I’ve always had an awesome sense of direction. If I was in the hanger bay I was cool getting to the tire/wheel shop, my rack in berthing and the head! So that’s about 4 compartments….only 3200 more on the ship to learn.

Anyway, eventually we made our way to the shop, took off the parka (did I mention it was pretty nippy on the flight deck?) and kicked back for a minute.

I thought it was a good time to clean up a little as the morning had gone by in a blur so off to berthing for fresh laundry and shower…..some hot water felt pretty good even though you try to take the traditional Navy shower and try to conserve water. Coming from the Arizona desert I understand the water conservation idea anyway so it was no big deal for me….being able to generate about 400,000 – 500,000 gallons fresh water a day on the ship seems like a lot, but when you start to think about 4000-5000 people using that water each day and all the support areas as well, it doesn’t add up to much of the stuff for each individual per day. It did take some getting used to trying to shower in an area not much larger than the traditional phone booth…there is not much space to move around and luxuriate in for sure. And you note once again the grab bars in case the ship decides to roll about a little. The ship was still moving around a little, but I guess I was getting my sea legs and getting used to it now.

Feeling about a thousand percent better, we decided it was time to head for chow. There are two galleys on the ship so you get your choice of which lines you want to endure. If you tend to time chow to get into line a little on the early side the lines seems to move along….though I saw dinner lines from the galley, up a deck, though several hatches, into and across the hanger deck. I gather you get very used to waiting in line in the Navy….from boot camp chow line throughout your career on one of the most powerful warships ever built….go figure. Choices are several for grub and while not haute cuisine, the food will keep you going (heard several jokes about that anatomical process while on board……..) and generally it’s not too bad. I did have some noodle concoction for lunch though that day that I’m still not sure what it contained….but wasn’t bad with some A-1 on top. Seems that ketchup and A-1 are pretty popular on board…I can see why the Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company picante sauce I kept on sending to Eric over cruise was so popular. So keep that in mind you parents out there….stuff to spice up bland food is a pretty popular item in care packages.

As I think I already wrote about, seating is catch as catch can so you have to look around for empty seats. There are a bunch of areas set up with tables and you get used to sitting next to what is an ordnance elevator. Funny how fast you adapt to these kinds of things and think…okay…whatever. When done, you police the area, scrape you plates/trays into appropriate waste bins, glasses go into one area, silverware, plates/trays into another etc.. And for all you moms out there the Navy has hand sanitizer dispensers located in key areas where the line forms. And most everyone uses it….contrary to what you see in the civilian word.

After chow we kind of walked around the hanger deck…into some shops and out. The area was a real beehive of activity. The air squadrons would be disembarking in Norfolk to move on to their next commands so EVERYTHING associated with their squad gets packed into large, pallet mounted boxes. Man, there were people and hand trucks and forklifts running around all over the place, which continued well into that night. In the space of a few hours the hanger deck was transformed from a work area into what looked like a distribution dock for a large trucking or shipping firm. You expect to see stuff like office chairs and the like, but you realize that over there is a stack of bomb racks, over there were some dummy 500 pound bombs, etc..

In the main parts of the hanger, the crew had setup a display of fire fighting tools and gear along with some damage control gear. I’m not sure how many civilians were aware that all Navy personnel are trained as fire fighters. After several terrible accidents over the years (for instance the USS Forrestal and the USS Enterprise) the Navy realized it needed to alter the approach they had to dealing with and fighting fires….now all are trained as first responders. It was a lot of the gear you typically may see in fire fighting company anywhere in the US, but they have an awful lot of specialized gear as well.

Eric’s damage control role is in shoring and they have a lot of specialized equipment for shoring bulkheads and frames in the ship. Of interest were some steel shores that can exert 12,000 to 20,000 pounds of force and that can be welded in place to affect a more robust shore that could last until the ship got to a shipyard. Add to that a lot of high capacity pumps and eductors to move seawater and you realize there is a lot of specialized equipment and training here. I would imagine ex-Navy would be in great demand as fire fighters in the civilian world due to their training. It was interesting to listen to Eric talk about methods for stopping leaks in lines…some high tech equipment that must date from a hundred years ago….wood wedges, jute-type rope, etc.. Guess what was effective then still applies today!

About that time Captain came over the intercom…they were going to have a “boot shoot” on the flight deck. Over the past hour or two all the aircraft had launched off the ship as they would fly into port that afternoon. It was surprising how fast you get used to the sound of the cats launching….about like background noise! The planes were in the air so no ear plugs needed…back to following Eric up to the flight deck again. Stepping onto the deck this afternoon was strange…empty deck with no aircraft to be seen- just a helicopter or two left.

The crowd was gathered around one of the bow catapults for a Navy tradition….when a “Shooter” leaves the ship, it is tradition for him to launch his boots off the ship with a catapult. I’ve seen it done on TV and on DVDs, but never thought I’d see it in person. Kind of odd to be on a multi-billion dollar vessel that typically is the home for 50-70 of the world’s best fighter and support aircraft and we are gathered around the cat to watch a pair of work boots take their ride into the Atlantic! Before the “shot”, the squadrons flew over the ship one more time in echelon formation as a salute to the ship and crew of the Roosevelt. They would be landing in Virginia a little in the day so this was a “goodbye and farewell”. It was a fitting way to bid farewell to the planes which once again inspired a great sense of pride in all that saw it. Some of America’s best were heading home and would be soon landing back on US soil for the first time in many months.

There was lots of good natured banter between the yellow shirts and officers on the deck…..soon the shuttle makes it way back to the launch position, the boots are carefully aligned, control surfaces checked….wait a minute – there are NO surfaces to check, tension is taken up on the shuttle….strange no afterburner sound or other engine sounds…the shooter touches the deck and extends his arm towards the bow and the boots are gone to great applause and laugher from all.

It was a neat thing to see and certainly mirrored the mood of the ship….we’re homeward bound! It kind of marked the transition from aircraft carrier to Navy ship heading home!

Having the deck clear made for a great opportunity to walk to the aft of the flight deck.

I stopped at the arresting wires and took a couple of photos…I made sure my shoe was in one to give some scale so you can see the diameter of the wires. When you see the planes land and the wires whip around and coil you get in impression they are pretty flexible but when you see that they are about 2” in diameter, you realize the amazing forces that are in play when you bring a 25,000 pound airplane moving about 135 knots to stop in about a hundred or so feet. Another photo to show the metal spacer that holds the wire off the surface of the deck at the correct height for the hook to snag on landing.

It’s a reminder that everything on this vessel is pretty stout and built to handle high loads in high stress environments. A lot like the folks that man these great vessels.

The mood of the carrier had changed. The thought on everyone’s mind was that tomorrow morning we’ll all be home. I’m not sure that any of us that haven’t been through a 7 month deployment half way around the globe can ever understand….those things that we take for granted everyday had been in very short supply for the crew of the Roosevelt and while there sure were a lot of hints of life home, I think all would agree that much can be said for being back in the United States. That would happen in a few short hours and all were feeling that buzz. So after the boot shot we just kind of “hung” in the shop…it was kinda nice to just kick back and tell some stories and share. Eric went out and got a couple of Cokes….now I want to be politically correct here, and I do not wish to offend anyone so I’ll just talk about the soda and not the nickname for Middle Eastern products. He handed me the can and said “bet you’ve never had one of these before” as I see it is a can of traditional Coke, but labeled in Arabic.

And with the old fashioned pull-tab which has been gone in the US for what…20 years? It tasted like “our” Coke, but with a little more acid or citrus bite…it was pretty tasty! In talking to the shop folks, they were all raving about some of the products from the Middle east….the most amazing was….Sprite! Everyone said how great the stuff was as you could really taste the lime and it sold out of the machines very rapidly. An interesting break for sure.

Soon enough it was time to start thinking about dinner and some more chow…I had heard a rumor about surf and turf and after getting a little cleaned up, back in line for chow. There was also an ice cream social with music planned…that would be interesting. The lines didn’t seem too terribly long, but like before we snaked around this passageway and that, though this hatch and that one and into the galley. And sure enough, there was some sort of steak/meat product and small lobster tails….and I have to say the meal was pretty darn tasty! The meat was pretty tender and had some flavor and the lobster was good as well. No A-1 needed that night! Now as far as the ice cream social…..a big table was set up with all kinds of large containers of a name brand ice cream along with all kind of sauces and goodies. It looked pretty tasty, but when it came to the tunes…well…I like a wide diversity in music, but with the Chicken Soup song blasting at 800 decibels it was a little much for the two of us. I guess a lot of the crew liked it though as the lines were pretty horrendous for the frozen stuff. We finished our meal, disposed of the plates and all and retired to quieter areas. Eric decided to head out for a cancer stick….yeah he smokes…we won’t discuss that. But the sunset was amazing with vivid colors. I was surprised at the speed at which the sun set. I know it was the same as I see all the time, but it seemed so much faster…I guess because of the clear demarcation between sea and sky and no vegetation to blur the horizon. About that time it hit me…no dust or pollen as I could breathe without suffering the allergies that plague me in Arizona this time of the year when all the mesquite and other desert vegetation starts to bloom. It was pretty glorious to inhale air!

We didn’t do much for the rest of the evening….the hanger bay was getting pretty crammed with boxes and crates as the squadrons were packing up everything for their next duty station.

We headed back to berthing and to a lounge area…nothing really good on the tube and it was pretty darn busy where we were. Lots of sailors getting their whites pressed to be ready for the morning as they would be manning the rails when we came into Norfolk. We headed out and back to another lounge area…no TV on here so Eric went to the berthing office to try to find a remote….no joy with the remote so we just sat and talked for quite a while. It was nice just to talk for awhile about things and for me to hear about some of the stories the boy had from cruise. In particular he talked a lot about the visit to South Africa and how impressed he was with Cape Town. He made me promise to put that on my list of places to see before I die. He also told me about the cigars he bought there and told me had two from a land a little south of the US that are considered to be the best in the world and that we would smoke them when we got back to the United States….now I don’t smoke, but figured I would share one with the boy even though they were illegal in the states.

It was real nice break from the hectic pace just to sit quietly and talk…..about the cruise, cars, motorcycles, guns….all the good male bonding stuff! Soon enough It was time to start to think about an early night. We knew it would be a hectic day tomorrow, what with packing up and coming into port and all so off to clean up a little and into the rack. It was a lot earlier than the night before for sure, and while we were still moving around, the movement had settled down a lot. Let’s hope this night brought a little more sleep then the prior one, though I was still so wound up that I knew I would be restless and probably couldn’t sleep much. I figured I would have lots of time to sleep when I got back to Tucson! So back down onto the bottom rack, wiggle in, get situated and try to get some sleep.

Next.....Homecoming !

Need some advice/help

Posted by Ulon (Bud) Haynes on May 6, 2009 at 8:27pm

I sent this once thru "message to Group", but have no idea where to see it, so am re-sending in the blog post:Our son Jeff graduates 15 May 09. We received a letter from him today, requesting checks to pay for his photo, yearbook, and video to be taken at graduation. Can anyone tell me if he can receive blank checks in the 8th week, to pay for these items? The way his letter reads, the items are on hold pending payment. From the other messages I have read in Navy Dads, they have to be paid for in advance. Is that true, or can we pay for them when we arrive for graduation? Any advice/help on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

No communication

Posted by Leonard on May 5, 2009 at 2:20pm

I feel strange today. Nathan just left on a long deployment, and although I knew it was coming I didn't expect to feel this way. Submariners are truly a different breed of men. It's odd knowing that I can't contact my son, but I can't imagine not being able to contact anyone.......at all. I'm proud of him, but I couldn't do what he does.

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