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In Medieval days up till the early 1800's there were no engines and no Snipes. Along about 1812 the Navy obtained their first paddle wheel steamer named the USS Fulton. To run the boiler and engine, men of steam were also acquired. They were not sailors but engineers from early land based steam engines.

From the beginning the sailors did not like or appreciate these landsmen and their foul smoky plants. They were treated with contempt and pretty much given the short end of the stick.

In spite of all this the steam engine prevailed. There were still two crews however. The Engineers and the Deck crew. Soon an Engineer Officer was appointed to each ship. He was the Engineer master and all the Engineers reported to him. The Deck sailors reported to the ships master. Curiously, the two masters were on equal footing and neither was over the other. The Deck Master though was in the best position. He controlled the quarters and rations. The Engineers were still at the mercy of the deck gang. By the height of the civil war, as steam was taking over and sails were disappearing the old Admirals that controlled the Navy were in a quandary what to do about the situation.

They accomplished a couple of things. First, they managed to make the senior Master a Captain. As Captain he was in overall command of the ship and the Engineering officer reported to him. Beings as how there were occasions that the Engineer master outranked the ships master something had to be done to keep the Engineer from becoming "Captain". To solve this problem they developed two separate Officer branches. Staff and Line. Only Line Officers could succeed to command. Staff Officers would always be subservient to Line Officers at sea. Staff Officers consisted of Surgeons, Supply and yes, Engineering officers. To this day that is still true. The second change was to make all engineers's Navy men, however they were also made junior to all deck sailors. A petty officer machinist was junior to a deck seaman third. All this went to make the life of the engineers even more miserable. They could now be flogged and harassed at will by the Deck crew.

Along about this time came an Engineer Officer by the name of John Snipes. I cannot find the name of the ship he first appeared on, but he was a different cut from the others. He demanded sleeping accommodations, and food equal to the Deck gang. He also declared that there would be no more harassment for his gang. When the ships Captain laughed at him Snipes simply had his men put out the fires in the boiler. To make a long story short, Snipes brought about the changes in the system. In time these changes extended to the entire Naval fleet. The Engineers became strictly "hands off" for the Deck gang. They became known as Snipe's men and over the years as just Snipes.

My son Andrew is currently on the USS Enterprise CVN-65's 22nd and Final Deployment.  He is a "Snipe"

I try to write this everyday
my tongue gets tied on what to say
you guided me through good and bad
I'm leaving soon but don't be sad
A man I am thanks to ya'll
I promise you that I will call
You've raised me right
and that I know
through laughs and fights
which made me grow
your sons a sailor
and damn proud to be
I'm serving our country
the home of the free
so when you can't sleep
just look at the sky
on that ship
so will I
I'm not scared
there's no reason to be
beleive in God
like you've taught me
four years I'm gone
alot will change
don't let Jessica forget my name
a life to live
and alot to see
thank you guys
for loving me

written by Evan Moore

SEAL Qualification Training
Graduation Trip
A major Milestone for our Family


mile  stone (mil’ ston’) n a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, career of a person, nation, etc.: turning point.

There are major milestones in everyone's life; marriage, birth of your first child /
grandchild / great-grandchild, High School and College graduations, etc. but very few families have the opportunity to celebrate the event we were about to attend. From the beginning of Boot Camp, February 2008, and through each phase of training when we were unable to talk to our Grandson the days were long and nights even longer. October 2009 felt a lifetime away. Now it seems as though only a few days have passed since he began this journey. Jan and I have encountered every emotion possible during the last 20 months. There were restless nights when we focused on the tough training with each Phase and periods where no one could remove our smiles with each new accomplishment. Now the end of training was drawing near and we were beginning a new phase. I'm not sure we're prepared, but we can look back and remember we lived through the pain of worry with each and every challenge and know we made it this far. So we must go forward.

The alarm went off very early on a special Thursday morning and it only took about 5 seconds to be up and turn on all the lights. Two things were about to happen, later in the day; it would begin raining in DFW and by Sunday the predictions were for a total of 4 to 6 inches, and I wanted to get out-of-town. More importantly my Wife and I were catching a flight to San Diego, Ca. to watch our Grandson’s SQT graduation. The flight must have been uneventful because I caught up on the sleep I missed. I was awakened by words I don’t like to hear, “Attendants prepare for our Final Approach”. Did I sleep through the first few and was this really the final attempt? Was there a problem on the previous attempts? We did land safely and my worries were over. After arrival at the rental car lot, and while my wife was talking to the agent about the car, I took Barbaric’s wise advice, installed the GPS and converted it to IWS (Ignore Wife System). With my wife settled in the passenger seat I entered the hotel address into the GPS, turned up the radio, and ignored my wife while she argued with the female voice on the GPS. (I do love a good cat fight.) We made it safely to the hotel and took off to explore Coronado. It had been a year and we were excited to return.

It was a short drive and our first stop was pre-planned; “BULLSHIRTS”. We had the list of things we’d forgotten last trip and wanted to explore new items. Of course we stocked up on shirts, decals, pins, challenge coins and some things we just couldn’t live without. Needless to say, they were happy to see us return. The next stop was “Muhl Jewelers”, my wife’s idea. On the way we noticed a sign in front of Beach-n-Diner for “All You Can Eat Crab Legs beginning at 16:00. Since it was too early we decided to do our shopping before eating dinner. After trying on every size of the charms 10 or more times she finally made a decision and had one added to her necklace. Since it was less than 24 hours till Graduation she wasn’t worried about bad luck. We popped into the Book Store for a browse and then it was time to eat. We consumed enough crab to last for the next two weeks. They were wonderful! Bad idea, but we enjoyed each and every bite. We made it an early evening and returned to the hotel to check email and all the Social Networking sites to ensure everyone made it safely to Coronado. Finely we’d personally meet parents, family members, and friends of SQT Class 273.

Friday we were dressed and ready to head to NAB Coronado. It was the moment we’d waited for the last 20 months. When we arrived at the Main Gate we were directed to a special parking area where shuttles would take us to the Naval Special Warfare Center and the Grinder for Graduation. We saw several groups standing around, joined one, and then things became very confusing. I have a suggestion for the Navy. Give special nametags to everyone attending Graduation with a special space for Social Networking Screen names. The conversations went like this:

“Good morning I am Calvin and this is my wife Jan.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I am AAA and this is my wife BBB.”
“Is your Son Graduating today?”
“Yes/No my Grandson, Brother, Uncle, Boyfriend, Etc.”
”We are from Texas where are y'all from?”
“We live in CCCCCC.”
“My Grandson is DDD and we can’t wait to see him.”
“Our (one of the above) is EEE and this is a great day.”
“That’s odd. I don’t remember DDD talking abut EEE do you honey?
“No”
“I don’t remember EEE mentioning DDD.”
“Well there’ve been lots of guys mentioned. Some have gone, but I’m sure I know him.”
“Then I remembered, our Grandson’s last name is FFF.”
“Oh I know him. GGG and he were swim buddies.”
“That’s right! I remember him talking about FFF. I am Grandpa273 on HHH.com.”
“I am III. We’ve talked several times. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

It was funny and there were lots of laughs in the parking lot while everyone began using last names of their Loved Ones.

The shuttles arrived and we proceeded to NSW and into the Grinder. Everyone explored the area while images of our guys went through our minds; some good and some terrifying. There was a lot of meet and greet and a room where you could view a film of our guys during BUD/S and SQT. They had several showings so everyone had the opportunity to view the trials and training. That’s when you realize the last 20 months you considered so difficult was nothing compared to what our guys faced.

Then the most important moment arrived!

The time had come for the Graduates of SQT 273 to take their place on the Grinder. I wondered how I would react to seeing my Grandson. I could tell by the program he would march in 5th from the last. As they came onto the Grinder and turned to walk down their row, I found it hard to take my eyes from one to the next. The Pride of each of the Fine Young Men was almost more than I could handle. I watched every guy as if he were my Loved One. I was so Proud of each and every one. With my eyes glued to each of the guys I almost missed my Grandson. I as well as others have seen movies about the Navy but I can tell you being there, seeing them enter, and the way they marched in is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever witnessed. As the Official Party arrived a Bell rang and each was announced and Piped aboard the stage. The Color Guard presented the Colors and a small Navy Band played the National Anthem. I still get chills remembering those moments. After the Invocation the Commanding Office, NSW Basic Training Command made some remarks and introduced the Principal Speaker, Commodore, Naval Special Warfare Group ONE. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Graduation take a recorder. I would give anything to have a transcript or recording of Capt. Krongard’s remarks. He spoke to two different groups; first to the parents and loved ones. He explained to everyone how these Fine Young Men made it this far. Their passion and will to become a US Navy SEAL and serve their Country played a very large part in their accomplishment but there’s an underling reason. It is called Family. He explained that what he was taught growing up and the morals and goals his parents instilled in him made a big difference in his future. Each Graduate’s mother and dad were raised according to their individual parent’s values. The graduates were raised with a combination of their own parent’s upbringing. What our Ancestors taught their children, and as the world changed, each generation combined what they had been taught and passed it down to the next generation. What I got from this is: it took hundreds of fathers and mothers combining what their parents taught them to culminate in what each of us teach our own children. It takes good and bad times, truth and lies, success and failures, and many other life lessons to raise our children. Then he spoke to the Class. He talked of Trust and Respect for each other. How the Class had become a Family and each had learned that Teamwork is essential for them to accomplish their Goal. No one person can do everything alone. It takes a Team.

As the Graduate’s name was called he marched to the front and a Trident was pinned on his chest then he received a diploma. The aisle was full of excided parents and loved ones taking pictures. Most were taking photos of multiple members of the class. It felt as though each was a member of our family and it was important to have a picture to retain the memory. After the reading of the SEAL Ethos, presentation of the Honorman Award, the SQT 273 Gift to NSW (a Black Trident from the God of the Seas), Benediction and the Retirement of the Colors it was time to congratulate each of the New SEALs. Everyone treated each Graduate as a member of their own family. I told as many guys as possible how proud I was of them and how I had no doubt during the last 20 months each would be there that day. Now we were all Family and we all talked and enjoyed the reception.

Graduation was over, what to do now? Back to Bullshirts and downtown Coronado. Of course the shops were glad to see us again and it seemed like everyone in Coronado could tell where we had been and congratulated us. Yes we bough more at Bullshirts and ate more at Beach-n-Diner.

I would like to thank Scott for the excellent directions he gave me on how to get the next place on our list of must things to do when in San Diego; eat at Devine Pastabilities. If you haven’t been there you must go. I had a Fettuccini Alfredo with Broccoli Torpasta and Jan had a Carbonara over Fettuccini Torpasta. I couldn’t find a way to bring some home onboard the plane. Again Scott thanks for the directions. I did check my GPS. Is it is only 1148 miles to get another one. With a GPS it seems hard for people to understand how I got lost going from the restaurant to the hotel but we did, so we stopped to get directions. The people at the Viejas Casino were very helpful in giving us direction but they seemed to be happy that we heeded their suggestion to put money into those machines in the building. We had less spending money but we did make it back safely.

Overall I would say this was the Best trip my wife and I have ever taken. We meet face to face with friends we met via the internet, the food was great, sightseeing was wonderful, seeing our Grandson Graduate was the most amazing event we’ve ever attended and the nice people who gave us directions back to the hotel even said the hopped we would come back to see them again.

These men, my son among them, are being subjected to the most intense scrutiny of the year due to the soft approach of previous classses. I say Soft even though BUDS soft is pretty brutal. Either way the ones that get through are very special and the ones that try and don't make it have nothing to be ashamed of.... Prayers for all of them, I am in awe of their commitment but not surprised that America still produces such men,,,,

Is the military for every one?

I love my girlfriend and want to be with her. The more I learn about the military the more I believe it may not be a good fit for me.

When your girlfriend joins the military she belongs to them. You can choose to be a part of that system if you like.

Things I am having a hard time with. She is in boot camp and this is stressful to me for a verity of reasons. These are soldiers they work closely together and the bond between them is very strong.  Soldiers have no say over their bodys. Often they pull their wisdom teeth if needed or not. Women are forced to go on birth control. My employer has forced no one to do either of these things. Is there promiscuity in the military? I don’t know but at least my girlfriend wont get pregnant if there is.

What got to me was, missing my sailorette and wanting to talk to her. If you don’t mind someone else dictating correspondence between you and your loved one you shouldn’t have any hang ups. The key (and this has been shown in research of successful relationships) to any healthy relationship is communication. When that is taken away from me I do not function well. The advice from the Mil and others is to keep your letters positive. I am a part of this and I have feelings too.  They say they are working hard. I believe folding pants and swinging from monkey bars with a belly full of water is hard work. But letters about how I feel are just as important to me.

The military needs to work on supporting relationships among loved ones instead of dissolving them. The alternative would be single post adolescents  living on base together which would not be sustainable.

After the handshake and hugging it was time for introductions to all……it was a great way to see our sailors as you realize that they still seemed like kids when they left but now seem like grown adults. All naturally were in uniform and looking pretty darn sharp….but then after not seeing the boy for a year…..’nough said.

It was time to make our way to the check-in gates. Our sailors had come out to escort us through the gate and onto the ship. It was nice to be able to finally leave the line, baggage in tow and do some walking to the ship. Check-in was easy and before you knew it, we were the line to board the brow to the forward elevator. This was a short line though and moved pretty fast. The stairs to the brow was the first introduction for many to Navy stairs and walkways….the stairs are steep and tall and the brow, while covered in a non-skid material, also has “ribs” every 18” or so across the walkway. I had experienced these boarding the Lincoln, but they could be a real trip hazard if you had your head in the clouds and didn’t watch where you were going. A stop at the end of the walkway for Eric to salute the national ensign and with a big step we were on the elevator.

I keep talking about these elevators, and if you’ve not seen a carrier up close let me explain…..they raise and lower aircraft between the flight deck and the hanger bay….you can fit two fighters on one, can lift more than 300,000 pounds and make the vertical journey in about eight seconds…..not exactly like getting on the Otis at your office building. For those that had never seen a carrier up close they were the first introduction to the massive size of everything on the ship. You walk across the elevator and you note some things…..pad-eyes are embedded into the deck surface. These serve as tie-downs for aircraft and equipment. Also you get to first experience of non-skid. All horizontal surfaces where wheeled equipment or aircraft transit is covered in a metal non-skid surface to provide traction and grip. Keep in mind the surfaces may be wet with water, hydraulic oil, or fuel spills and having a slippery surface would be bad form. The non-skid also wears out boot soles pretty darn fast and would not at all be fun to fall on….so everyone watches foot placement pretty carefully.

Eric had warned me to be aware of pad-eyes and tie-downs to aircraft….the planes are chained to the pad-eyes and the chains are a wonderful way to reacquaint you with the effects of inertia and gravity if you trip over one. Lucky for me that I am used to walking around the plant at the mine and am always on the lookout for hoses and other trip hazards in walkways.

As you enter the hanger bay off the elevator you are struck by the shear size of the hanger deck. There are three main hanger bays, each perhaps 70 yards long, 40-50 yards wide. There are moveable blast doors that separate the bays from one another that are usually open position forming a large open area to store aircraft and perform maintenance. In case of an emergency though, the doors close very quickly isolating the area from the rest of the ship. You soon realize that damage control and being able to isolate various areas on the ship is one of the most import aspects of survivability on a carrier and that carries over to the walkways and passages…..there are a million hatches everywhere and you learn very quickly that if you come to a hatch that is dogged, you carefully un-dog the hatch, CAREFULLY open the hatch, pass through and then re-dog the hatch… This assures that you maintain compartment/passageway integrity in case of flooding or fire. There are also many hatches that serve as barriers between air-conditioned areas and those that are not air-conditioned. Keeping those hatches secure maintains climate control.

Anyway…back to the hanger deck. The height of the hanger deck is amazing…it has to be about 50 feet, so you are talking a massive area under the flight deck. It also serves as a “common” area for many events, movie nights, etc., but generally it is a working area that never closes. So anyway…. The forward elevator you entered on is on the starboard side….forward is berthing and most of the shops are aft. There was a safety movie that all had to watch…but in reality, there was so much talk between Tigers and their sailors that it made watching the movie almost impossible. I figured Eric would clue me into what was important and what wasn’t so I followed him around like a puppy dog to berthing. I’ll have a lot more to say later about berthing…it is an experience to say the least! After showing me the way to berthing (head forward from the hanger beck, through two sets of massive double swinging doors, starboard up the aft facing stairs, though the blackout curtain, turn to left and forward into compartment 1-35-0-L, through the berthing area, turn left and then right through the door into compartment 1-24-0-L after the first set of racks turn left and left to the bottom rack…….got it!?!?!). I spent a few minutes orienting myself while Eric showed me the rack and where to stow my stuff under the rack….each lifts up and there are compartments under the rack where you can stow your gear….not a lot of gear, but the essentials fit. He also showed me the smoke hood that each rack has….it provides about 15 minutes of breathable air in case of fire or smoke. Each rack has one and could save your life in case of an “event”. After grabbing the camera (essential gear for sure on this trip….), Eric showed me the head which is a pretty important location to know……they are not marked in big bold letters “HEAD” or anything like that, so it is important to remember where you can use the facilities otherwise you might wander around for awhile while discomfort levels increase!

A general tour of the ship ensued….and don’t ask how we got anywhere as there are passageways and walkways everywhere and after going though, up, down and around I was totally lost…I just faithfully followed my sailor and learned a little about how to move about the ship. Ladders between decks are a bottleneck and you learn very quickly to step aside if there is traffic on the ladder and let all pass. Likewise, if there are several folks going up or down, they will let you continue until there is a break in the flow…..kind of like hitting a one-lane bridge over a creek. It is amazing how many people manage to move about without a traffic jam. Eventually we made our way from foc’sle to the fantail which covers about the entire ship. We stopped in several shops, Tire/Wheel, NDI lab, and the airframer’s shop, met lots of other sailors and saw an awful lot of happy faces glad to be back in the United States. About that time we started to head up and made our way to the flight deck to walk around and get some fresh air. It had turned windy and nasty with a hint of rain in the air, but it held off while we walked the large expanse of deck. It was covered with planes and you had to look out for tie-downs, and wing and stab ends that would leave a serious hurt if you walked into them. A little different from a museum in that you are wandering through flight-ready aircraft and over the four catapults on the deck. Pad-eyes everywhere, tie-down chains forming a maze of trip hazards and above all lots of aircraft…it doesn’t get much better. Inching away form the pier the great adventure was beginning in earnest, with dark skies and wind. No one minded though.

After getting underway, it was time for some early chow…..now there are several galleys on board and line for each….so back down this passage way, though this hatch and into line- while not five-star chow, it was decent food and unless you were a picky eater, you would not go away hungry with typical choices of chicken, fish, hot dogs, deserts, veggies, salads and a variety of drinks. Finding a place to sit can be a chore as there are several smaller dining areas rather than one big common area. I felt sorry for the galley staff as they not only had to provide for the usual TR crew, but a bunch of us confused and somewhat overwhelmed Tigers as well. You learn when done to separate your trash…scrape your food into a waste barrel, paper into one, plastic into another, etc.. It’s a shame to see so many take food they didn’t eat…guess from my upbringing I was always taught to take whatever you want, but eat whatever you take…..enough of my editorial……….

Spent a lot of time in Eric's shop (Tire/Wheel) meeting his co-workers and whatever Tigers they had on board…..great bunch of people with lots of good natured ribbing and teasing…..they were a bunch that you learned dish it out as well as they take it….great fun and lots of laughing.

Soon it was time to wander around some more and make our way back to berthing….there are some lounge areas set up in berthing with chairs/couches, some tables and usually a TV….not a lot of space though so you enjoy whatever is on the tube or typically hit the rack. Hours are generally pretty early and by 20:00 many are headed to bed.

Now I promised some talk of Navy racks…..let’s see if I can do this justice……..

You berth in crew areas….Eric is part of AIMD so my rack was in one of the AIMD berthing areas with about 75 other racks. There is not much space…racks are stacked three high and the guy in the middle rack has the best deal to ease of ingress and egress. The top rack is kinda high and while there is step built into the middle rack, I’m not sure what contortions you’d go through to get into your rack. The advantage of the top rack is that there is extra space above, so if you are like Kat and somewhat claustrophobic you have more space. Naturally I had the bottom rack, and I discovered that I am not nearly as young or agile as I used to be. The rack is about 26”-28” deep and about 6’8” or so long, but only about 22” or 24” in height so you need to crawl in without sitting up. And to make things a little more comfortable, there are lockers at the head that project about 20”….this forms a nice area for your head, but once you are into the rack you think “hey wait a minute….I got into this by flopping down and then inching my way into this…..how do I get outta here in the AM because I’ll have to exit feet first and then somehow extricate my head….”. Each rack has some curtains that slide to darken the area so you can sleep….but once again you cannot sit up so you do a lot of wiggling and the like to close the curtains. Turning in this limited space is interesting as there is very little space to spare….but I guess you get pretty used to it after awhile. Lights out are pretty early and the overheads switch to red….not much light so you appreciate the small flashlight you were told to bring. Each rack has a small fluorescent light that I tended to constantly hit with my shoulders if I turned…..and because the ship never really sleeps there is always some noise as people move about…not to mention the constant ventilation noise….all in all it made for a pretty sleepless night for me, but I’m sure part of that was the excitement. And oh by the way, the captain had set severe weather condition 2 as we were in some nice wind and seas, but the pitch and roll of the ship was pretty slow so no seasickness with me….did make walking a straight line impossible though. The ship’s movement felt really good while in the rack though, not so much with the roll as the pitch, but I could see that in really rough water it would an interesting experience to say the least.

Day Two starts in the next bog post.

 Hey I am back again with a bit of information and a bunch of opinion.....

    This continues to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to sit on my hands and let happen. He called his mother yesterday and started his conversation by telling her how sorry he was he had let us and everyone pulling for him down, see after his initial fail on his run he was segregated from his shipmates and this is really sticking in my crawl the Navy spent the first seven weeks this young man was there making him understand that it was all about the "team" that above all else the team must succeed then at the one precise time that he needs his shipmates they move him out into another barracks with people he has no connection to, how is this designed to improve his feeling of belonging to something greater than himself? think about this if you will just for a second am I the only one that this seems wrong to? I know that they have their standard hell I used to hold fast to it training military troops myself and like I said it seems like it does because it is one of mine. All I can see is this young man that goes from qualifying Expert with the 9mm on top of the world to being told get your stuff we gotta move you.

       He managed to get his time down to 12 seconds in a week and for this reward you get to sit and listen to everyone else having their moment of glory just sit there and know today there is no team, today you sit here away from all of that, sit here and wallow in the short comings you have displayed. I know the whole argument you can't change the standards for one because you would have to do it for all; and on the grand scale all is a lot. All I can see is the the teenage boy that felt he didn't belong anywhere had no friends  to speak of and stayed shut away in his room to getting letters from him stating he was exactly where he belongs that "I have 88 brothers and we all answer to the same name and move at the same speed" I know that in the long run it will hopefully all work out and he may still indeed have a long and illustrious career in the navy and I know this is not even close to the worst he will see but it has to be one of his darker moments and in a organization that relies on teamwork he once again feels like he is an outsider.

     I know this young man and I fear that in his mind he is just as alone now as he was before he got there no buddies to look out for him or to look out for no shipmates to have your back when things hit the fan no none at all.  I have many many years in which I was in or working for the DOD and I know all to well the way things work but this young man that wasn't allowed to call for over a week,  had not received one piece of his mail not one letter. We all have been in a frantic dash trying to do our part to keep his morale and spirits high and he has not gotten one bit of it. No words of encouragement no "you got this" nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch,  all he had to keep him company was continued failure in a place that was designed because people fail but I know from experience that if you keep them in a place that the bonds have been formed performance increases, morale increases, and overall unity increases and in the grand scheme of things by week seven these men and women have formed bonds that they will defend bonds that will make them look to and at each other for the strength they need to accomplish the task at hand.

    You want him to succeed line the running track with the same shipmates he has relied on and have relied on him, put them on that track beside him pushing him driving him on, showing him he is part of a big picture not make him wait here and watch as the people he has been through one of the hardest things he has ever done form up and march away, march away as you stand there in your own mind saying wait what about me? we are a team we look out for each other, we support each other or at least that is what they told him. That is the bill of goods he was sold that is where I have the problem. They are told and rewarded for thinking of their shipmates first before themselves praised and given commendations but yet when one falls behind you are now saying go on every man for themselves?

      I have been told by many to "do nothing" or the ever popular "there's nothing you can do" well I just do not believe that can not believe that. There are to many things built into the process he is involved in for there to be nothing I can do I know the way the military works and I know that some where is just the right person for me to call or talk to that can help me in the matter at hand. I apologize for the lack of eloquence in this entry in to my mind but as you can probably tell is just a little mentally overloaded.  ...

Waiting here for the breakfast buffet to open and get to the USO to sign in and get going! Met with Richard at the Atlanta airport yesterday and then met up with Fred and his father-in-law Tom at the hotel over some beverage. The shirts have attracted some attention and think we have some more potential members- haven't even been to the base yet! Great Weather-- in the 70's when we landed yesterday and there are bunch of dads as giddy as kids on Christmas eve......will try to spend some more time as I can with details, but have to get ready to go and get this gig started!

Tiger Cruise has come and gone and I guess I have returned to earth and will start some blogs about the entire experience. To sum it up…AWESOME. We’ve all seen much on TV and the movies about carrier ops and many of us have poured over the PBS DVD set “CARRIER”, but until you have experienced a cruise on one you have no real concept. I’ll try to start and the beginning and try to give an idea of what my 2 & ½ day cruise was like.

Packing is an experience…you are advised that there is limited space on a carrier so pack light. True! I had a rough idea of the space limitation from the tour Kat gave me the day before she deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln. I did find a great duffel bag on the internet (from REI.com--- the “weekender”). I started early…you are not going on a Princess cruise so you need to think about things like a bath towel, washcloth, your own soap, shower sandals, etc.. What ever you’re going to need on the cruise you better bring with you! So after packing and re-packing finally got on the plane to Atlanta. There met up with Richard- he flew from Hawaii and was getting a little more tired of planes than I was for sure! We hit it right off….lots of Navy talk and lots of NavyDads.com talk as well. It was a great hour on the ground!

We were separated on the plane by several rows. After takeoff I could hear talk several rows in back of me…a gentleman (Chuck) was telling someone about the Tiger Cruise and what it was all about so I knew Richard and I were not the only ones feeling like a kid on Christmas eve. We were all pretty excited! The three of us met up at the Jacksonville airport waiting for rides to our respective hotels and agreed to meet for some beverage at my hotel (the Travelodge) a little later. I knew that Fred and his father-in-law Tom had flown in earlier and were also staying at the Travelodge.

Richard, Chuck and I met at the bar and had a nice cold beer to help us get acquainted. Called Fred and he came down and we’re proceeded to have a good time talking about our kids, the navy and naturally describing NavyDads to Chuck….he wasn’t aware of the site and promised to check it out when he got back home to Atlanta.

Fred’s father-in-law Tom was not feeling well, but he came a little later and we took the shuttle to the Longhorn grill…naturally more Navy talk and a lot of car talk as well. Richard and I had worn NavyDads tee-shirts that I had printed up and several people made note of the organization…great PR! We all agreed we wanted to be at the very front of the line, so all agree to meet up EARLY and get to the USO at Jacksonville Airport to get to the front of the line. All knew it was going to be a restless night in anticipation!

This afternoon my son called and I missed his call by seconds. By the time I picked up, I was too late. I feel horrible! Today I'd say is one of the crappiest days of my life. I can't help but to blame myself.

He did get a hold of his mother and from what she tells me he's a bit emotional from being away from home cause he misses us all. Otherwise, he's doing fine in boot camp. That made me feel happy and sad all at once.

So for all you folks out there who are expecting a call from your SR, please don't miss the call!...

    I found no one online in my situation. I wrote the first handful of blogs and posted them on my own web site. I emailed someone I know that served a full career in the Army. His response was “keep writing.” So I did. I found this site and thought people here would have some knowledge and input into these thoughts, and feelings.  I figured it would be therapeutic and the advice would be helpful. I am reasonably good at picking out advice even if its not right on the surface.

    Did I know when I started what I know now? Absolutely not. Interacting with the experienced people here and others that have been through it, I learned as you well Know by now its not for me. I thought I could do the reserves. I thought it would be easy. I knew it would be an adjustment for me. I am learning it is not an adjustment but a complete change in your life.

    Comments have been made if I don’t write positive letters someone could get hurt or killed. I don’t believe that for a minute. A more likely cause of an accident would be the yelling and berating for 20 hrs a day. Letters telling her the many reasons I miss her are not the problem. In fact I believe telling her if she cant do it, it would make my day to pick her up from the airport a couple weeks early should relax her. So the conclusion I have reached is that I will stay with her whole heartedly till A school is over. If she decides she would like to experience more of the military, that’s her decision.

    We had planned on getting married a few time s before boot camp, but it just hadn’t happened. I will not get married if she is in the service. I am here for her, and its her decision. Not yours or mine. The only advice I ever sought was a little context, and insight into the culture

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 !

My daughter, a college grad, just spent six months in a combined A and C school for advanced IT. She went to RTC as an E3 and will be getting a rate of E4 when she starts her first duty next week.  She was in DEP for nearly a year, and was pretty well prepared for what she would be doing in the Navy.  She humbly states that she was "just lucky" to get this opportunity.  I don't think is was "just luck."

An acquaintance of my daughter has been in the Navy for three years as a fire control technician, and has a rate of E3.  I believe she began as an E1 and has no college or DEP.  She contends that it is very difficult to get a better rate in this job.  Are some job specialties better than others as far as advancement/rate goes? 

My Son, My Sailor, My Hero

Poem Written By:  Paige Robbins

September 2011

The years since your birth have come and gone in a hurry.

And even though you’re grown now, I still often worry.

I’ve watched you change from boy into a man,

Knowing it's one small part of God’s plan.

Always determined to be successful in life,

You set goals for yourself and follow them in strife.

Your unwavering devotion toward family and friends,

With love and support, your dedication never ends.

Joining the Navy was your childhood dream.

The pride in my heart really makes me gleam.

Serving your country inspires you in every way.

You gain from your experiences with each passing day.

Only God knows what the future will bring.

Your strong will and determination is certainly a good thing.

Your journey through life may take you many places.

And you will endure many challenges the world faces.

I’m closing this poem to say how very proud I am of you,

And you’re always in my thoughts when on the ocean blue.

You’ll soon return from this journey across the oceans and seas.

At home again with your family is soon where you’ll be.

I think we were all anxious to get the adventure going…I know I was as I didn’t really sleep much at all. I even spent a little time on the computer at the internet café seeing what was new on NavyDads.com at 05:00. Fred, Tom and I met up, checked out and proceeded to catch the shuttle from the hotel to the USO at the airport. Tom was still not feeling well and came very close to going to the airport and flying home- he toughed it out though and was a real trooper even though he was feeling pretty poorly. We discovered that many had the same idea as us and walking around the corner saw that there was quite a line already. Richard and Chuck beat us there and were quite a-ways up the line…when offered to join them we naturally could not refuse and got to know some of the other folks around us. It is always kind of surprising that regardless of the geographical diversity of the folks there that all share such a common and deep pride in the job that their sons and daughters are doing on the carrier. Naturally there was talk of NavyDads.com with the NavyDads.com shirts that Richard and myself were wearing we once again become salesmen for the site and for what we stood for.

Around 08:00 the first bus showed up and we managed to shoehorn our way in. I say shoehorn as were riding contact school buses and while fine for the junior high crowd, we were pretty cramped. All were holding their bags on their laps and cameras and what not…..funny how no one really complained though but we did a lot of joking. We had to wait about 15 minutes for base security to show up….finally seeing sailors in whites boarding the bus made everyone happy as we knew that the journey was real and about to get underway. It is about a 35 minute ride from the Jacksonville airport to Mayport NAS….a good chance to see some scenery. In addition we got to cross the cable-stay bridge that has been featured on TV…..it is pretty impressive and it was my first time seeing a cable-stay suspension bridge. There was some confusion at the base when the bus showed up…but all was sorted out and soon we were on the pier and we all managed to bail out of the bus and into the morning sun. It was a glorious morning….bright sun and pretty warm considering the time of year. The Navy had some refreshment set-up…about 70 boxes of doughnuts and tons of bottled water available for the Tigers. Was nice to see the water…being outside tends to dehydrate everyone and we had quite a while to wait for the ship to show up.

There were quite a few chairs set up for the Tigers, but it was pleasant to stand and be able to walk around a little and explore a little. About a hour later talk turned to the Roosevelt being visible in the distance….walking over to the ocean side of the pier it was coming into view….slowly…in the distance. A number of us walked down the breakwater and climbed over the rocks to get a better view….the silhouette of a carrier is unmistakable and the excitement level was building….not only were there 1292 Tigers waiting there, but a large number of families were on hand to see their loved one come back to United States soil. I’m not sure how many crew were disembarking at Mayport, but there were an awful lot of wives and children with big smiles on their faces as the ship slowly made it’s way into the harbor.

The day was still great….sunny and warm, but there was a hint of wind building and some broken clouds started to show up. Still, sunscreen was the call of the day and despite being pretty well painted with the stuff, I know I got pretty sunburned on the face and forehead…..a small price to pay for what was about to unfold.

Cheers went up as the ship drew abreast and all were trying to find their sailor on the ship….no easy task with a vessel almost 1100 feet long carrying 5000 sailors. Cell phone use was huge with everyone trying to hook up with their sailor….you could hear things like…”yeah, we’re standing in the line by the red car parked in the lot just to the north of the semi-trucks”……got to be like a big game of hide-n-seek!

Mooring something the size of the Roosevelt takes quite a bit of time as the tugs very slowly inch the ship towards the pier. Soon you could hear the shots of the rifles sending out lines from the ship to the dock….soon the windlasses were pulling the ship towards the dock, but it sure seemed like it took forever. Around 11:00-11:30 (I’m guessing here as time kinds gets confused with all the excitement) the cranes started to place the brows between the pier and the elevators on the starboard side. All the elevators had all been lowered simultaneously and that was quite a sight to see—I am still awed by the size of the ship and the associated equipment like the elevators. It was chaos with all trying to get to the front of line to check in to board….we were in line and lots of people were frustrated when they tried to cut in and security personnel told them to get in line.

Soon enough though the sailors that were disembarking from the aft brow were headed to the dock and there was much kissing and hugging going on as families were reunited after all those long months apart. We’ve all seen much on TV and movies about homecomings, and seeing in real-time sure reinforces the time apart. In a later post I’ll talk about seeing this from the ship perspective as we were allowed on deck to experience the ship coming into Norfolk from the ship side view.

It wasn’t long before we saw sailors heading down the forward brow. They were meeting up with their Tigers and escorting them aboard their home for the next couple of days. David found Richard and Kira and Fred had a tearful reunion. Soon I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice that said “give me all your money and wallet”….my first thought was that it didn’t sound like Rich, Fred, Tom or Chuck….I turned around and Eric was there with a big grin greeting me.

I’ll continue in the next part of the story………………

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

As I said in Day 1, Part2, sleep didn’t come easily for me….think more so the unfamiliar place and excitement than anything else. I’m also used to a very quiet environment- not at all like an active aircraft carrier. I really cannot imagine the noise level if they are conducting ops at night, though both Eric and Kat have told me that they are so used to the sound of the catapults and arresting gear that they have trouble sleeping in the quiet. The racks are pretty comfortable once you get used to the limited nature of the space and having a ceiling just a few inches above you. At 06:00 Eric poked his head in as we had agreed to make it an early day. I’m still not sure how I managed to wiggle out of the rack as you have to exit feet first without sitting up. Off to the head to clean up a little….so lets see…outta the rack, turn left…turn right…no wait it’s another left and turn through the doors to the head. The ship was still moving a lot so certain bodily functions have to be adapted to the ships movement…and there are grab bars everywhere in the shower stalls and toilet stalls.

Followed Eric back to the Tire/Wheel shop and then over the AIMD airframers shop where they had a coffee pot going….nice to have some hot coffee and naturally some good natured banter between the sailors and other Tigers,

Everyone was always asking how I liked the cruise so far and what I thought of the ship. Nice to see such interest and whenever I met someone I always welcomed them back to the United States- THAT always got a big grin as I think all were more than ready to touch US soil again after seven-plus months at sea. It was interesting walking around with Eric as he said on more than one occasion that the whole atmosphere of the ship had changed…..it was awfully low-key and relaxed compared to “normal”…I always blamed that on the Tigers being on board, but I know that the thought of “one more day and then I’m home” was the real reason and totally understandable….even the officers I met shared that thought….I guess I had never really thought about the feeling as they came back from 67,000 miles of cruise….I knew that pulling into Norfolk with all those families there was going to be something special and memorable.

I knew that today was going to be pretty special as the captain had told us the prior night that he felt confident that the air power demonstration would come off as planned in spite of the winds and seas….all were looking forward to that. I had to laugh to myself thinking about sitting in the lounge areas the night before….here we are on a war ship returning form seven months of overseas deployment….what were the most popular shows on the TV the night before? Dangerous Catch and anything about World War II naval battles. You could almost see the sailors recreating the battles in their mind as they watched the shows about the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Anyway, we skipped breakfast- neither of us felt like fighting lines and we really we not hungry…that would change later we figured. The airpower demo was scheduled for 09:30 so after killing some time and just hanging, the word came down to assemble on the flight deck from the starboard side forward of some frame number I don’t recall. We were way forward of that so I did my lost puppy routine again and followed Eric up to the flight deck after grabbing some “foamies” (foam ear plugs). They had given us each a pair in our Tiger Cruise grab bag, but I had grabbed a few from work that I know provided a 33 dB NRR…I wear those to the drag races, and while not really enough for 2 fuel dragsters at full throttle, I figured they would do in the non-confined flight deck for a fighter.

Now for you that haven’t had to chance to climb onto the deck of a moving carrier, let me try to describe some of the feelings. You exit the hatch onto a covered walkway with grating that you walk on. Depending on which route you’ve taken, you can often look down through the grating to the water below…about 60 or 70 feet below so it makes you pause for a second if you don’t expect it. Then up a short, but steep flight of stairs to the level of the flight deck….the stairs are narrow…about a single person width with really no hand rails to speak of. At the top of the stairs is a small platform typically with a step …one step onto the metal step , one more step over the rail and you’re on the flight deck. There isn’t much to hold on to, so you do a serious act of faith thing, look brave and like you know what you are doing, step onto the flight deck and there you are…..wind blowing a thousand miles an hour and cold……..quite cold. But the view is amazing…..there is nothing to block the view from the flight deck save for people, planes and the tower. Otherwise you have a $5 billion dollar view of the ocean and the sky and you start to understand the lure of the sea.

The color is quite blue…the further out you go, the bluer the water gets and it provides a stark contrast to the whitecaps. You continue to look around at the parked planes and all and realize that if you looked between two of the F-18’s parked on the deck you can see one of the escort destroyers.

I think that is when it really hit me that this is serious stuff we were all looking at and that I was guest on a working, active warship. Very recently planes were flying off that deck with live ordinance and that some bad folks on the ground probably had a very bad day as a result.

So anyway, then you realize you hear some jet engines at idle-- there is a E2C-Hawkeye staged at a waist cat, tons of other Tigers lining the flight deck, and green- and yellow-shirts hustling around the plane. Eric had told me the new prop design was a lot quieter than the traditional 4-blade prop and I really was surprised how muted the sound is…of course they weren’t at takeoff power and didn’t have any pitch to the blades. Soon enough they ramp up the power, blades increase in pitch, the cat fires and the plane is airborne in about 2 seconds.

You’ve seen this stuff on TV, and if you’re like me you’ve watched it over and over, but being about 50 feet from the wingtip as the cat fires is pretty hard to describe….kinda like trying to tell someone how a perfectly grilled ribeye tastes. The cat fires and you see the shuttle pulling the plane as steam starts to billow out of the cat. The acceleration is pretty darn fast though not like a fuel dragster….still they go from zero to about 160 knots in about 2 seconds. Off the flight deck and right away into a clearing turn to port. The JBD (jet blast deflector) drops and right away you hear a 18 increase power to maneuver into position.

Slowly the fighter pulls up to the shuttle which has returned from the Hawkeye shot….the hold back bar is installed, the pilot tests all his control surfaces, all the colored shirts check the movements of the surfaces and you see some crossed arms. Immediately the pilot holds the aircraft as they announce that was a demo of the safety checks…..someone didn’t like the movements of the rudder so they put a hold on the shot. It’s not a group decision- anyone of the colored shirts can hold the shot and you realize the responsibility that these young sailors have. Once again the pilot tests all the flight control surfaces, all approve and indicate with a thumbs-up, the shooter indicates to take up slack in the shuttle, take the engine power up and kick in the afterburners, a final safety check, the pilot salutes, the shooter touches the deck and raises his arm pointing down the cat and the cat fires! You watch the pilots head and you realize that you’ve just seen a “E” ticket ride…it looks pretty darn violent…and is pretty darn noisy!

I’ll continue with Part 2........

My son andrew is at boot camp. I have received to disturbing calls from him, I am concerned for his condition. Andrew is no quitter and is a hard working person, i think he has made a bad decison joining the navy. He wants out, what can i do.