The Navy

[Dis]

and we all slept in the same room of course. Around 80 to 100 people in a company.

There were females in florida (Florida is no longer open by the way- everyone goes to great lakes, IL- which is much colder of course), but the women were not in the same companies, and we weren't allowed to talk or look at them.

Near the end of my boot camp, they started integrating the companies. They still slept in seperate compartments of course, but they did their inspections in the same compartment I believe. And of course marched together.

I should mention the bathrooms. If you are shy about showering in front of other guys, well... Great lakes may be different, but our showers consisted of a post with about 4 shower heads on each side. So you kind of have to face each other when showering (and we all showered at the same time just before lights out). I usually kept my eyes high .

Also the toilet stalls had no doors on them. So you have no privacy on the ****ter either. But most guys were considerate enough not to look directly at you when taking a ****

[Dis]

life gets considerably easier after you get out, but you still have rules.

The higher the rank, the more privacy and priveldges you have. If you are on shore duty as an E-5, you may only have to share a room with 1 other person (like dorm rooms in college). As an E-4 you may have to share with 2 or 3. Below E-4 you may be in open berthing similar to boot camp.

But even in open berthing you will have curtains and walls around your rack (bed) for privacy for jerking off etc. .

Onboard ship all enlisted will be in open berthing. Though E-7 and above will have seperate chiefs quarters. Like I said, the walls and curtains around your rack will give you some privacy. You get a coffin locker, and one stand up locker. You may also get a room to store your sea bag. That's all the storage space you get.

So I couldn't buy anything big. I did buy a marble chess board in greece. I had plenty enough room for that.

You will go to A school to learn your profession. For nukes (short for nuclear operators), you will have additional schooling.

Then you are normally sent out to a ship, unless you have a rating which normally does shore duty. You start low, and usually have to do some mess hall/galley duty (though I got out of it because I was an E-5 ). You then have to qualify on your watchstations or learn to do your job. This can vary depending on what you do. As engineering, we only stood watches in engineering plants, so we didn't have to qualify quarterdeck watches etc. All other will have to do quarterdeck watches when in port.

Also everyone is responsible for damage control during general quarters (sort of like a red alert). You will be assigned a station. And when the alarm is sounded you go there. People can have various GQ duties like working hose teams or shoring.

In port or on shore duty you will have duty sections. As long as you are'nt on duty, you can go out on the town during liberty (time off). Those on duty have to remain on board (or on base). You usually stand some bull**** watch (though these watches are important for nuclear plants).

[Dis]

this should go without saying, but in boot camp we did not have televisions, radios, telephones, or computers.

you are completely cut off from the outside world. The fall of the Soviet Union started when I was in boot camp. I had no idea.

oh, and they cut off all your hair. Almost down to the skin (just leaving a little bit of stubble). After boot camp you can wear it longer, but still have to keep it tapered on the sides and back (and the length cannot exceepd 4 inches on the top).

and more I forgot to add about boot camp. No cigarrettes if you are a s moker. and no alcohol (or other drugs).

No candy either. Although occasionally the CC's would take us to the store, and would let us buy candy. But normally you will have no food except what's in the mess hall

[Dis]

Originally posted by Space05us

I think he doesn't care about being patriotic, he just wants to get away from home

Patriotic is cool, but Im nowhere near home. Im in hell right now as most of already know.

Pekka is the basic training over there for the army the same as the navy?

Originally I was going to join the Army or the Marines so I could call myself a badass, but I started having trouble. Im about 99.99% sure Im epileptic, havent gone to a doc about it yet, and my seizures consist of just about every muscle in my body going into spasms when I stand up (30% of the time). However Ive been going to bed every night for the past month at 10pm and waking at 6am and havent had a seizure in that period of time, so Im pretty sure it all under control as long as I get my beauty sleep.

Which is why I cant join the army or marines, in combat situations I wouldnt be able to trust my body to function properly. However its my understanding that the navy is a bit more relaxed, and I would be able to sleep enough. If thats so then I can join the navy and finally get out of Barrow.

I don't think you can join the navy if you have that condition (and there will be many times you won't get any beuaty sleep). Unless you lie about it and say you don't have any medical problems

[Admiral]

No matter how it is sold. the armed forces are about one thing, and that is war. More importantly, war is about one thing, and that is injuring. If you are prepaired and accepting that you will, for your country, abandon all the constructs of civilization, essentially deconstruct yourself for the state, then go for it. If you manage not to serve any combat duty, it will be through chance, and you should not plan on it.
Basically, hold realistic assumptions.

[Tuberski]

What Diss said, except I went to Great Lakes, Illinois.

Up at 6 am in bed at 10 pm.

Only 10 minutes to eat, which still affects me 16 years later.

ACK!

[Eli]

Ah... Basic training. The place where I have mastered the art of knowing what needs to be done, where it needs to be done, and being as far away from there as possible.

[Space05us]

I don't think you can join the navy if you have that condition (and there will be many times you won't get any beuaty sleep). Unless you lie about it and say you don't have any medical problems

thats the idea.

Btw, thanks for all the info. The privacy thing something that has always made me rethink joining the military. I never could understand the need to make men shower and **** while staring at each other.

[Kuciwalker]

It will be simple really... you will learn how to speak, walk, run, crawl, shoot, make your bed and whole bunch of scientifically proved 'best' methods. You will learn all kinds of signs and ranks, how to salute, how to this and that. How to dress yourself, and you will definitely learn to WAKE up. Then after a while, you might even learn how to dig a foxhole or just how to dig.

In the navy?

[Dis]

Originally posted by Admiral
No matter how it is sold. the armed forces are about one thing, and that is war. More importantly, war is about one thing, and that is injuring. If you are prepaired and accepting that you will, for your country, abandon all the constructs of civilization, essentially deconstruct yourself for the state, then go for it. If you manage not to serve any combat duty, it will be through chance, and you should not plan on it.
Basically, hold realistic assumptions.

navy is non-combat

I was an engineer. My job didn't require killing folks. it involved moving the ship into a position where pilots could kill folks.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Space05us

I don't think you can join the navy if you have that condition (and there will be many times you won't get any beuaty sleep). Unless you lie about it and say you don't have any medical problems

thats the idea.

Btw, thanks for all the info. The privacy thing something that has always made me rethink joining the military. I never could understand the need to make men shower and **** while staring at each other.

the privacy isn't that much an issue, but something to be aware of.

As for our ****ters, we had a wall in front of the ****ters, so people couldn't look directly at you when on the toilet. Only if they happened to be walking by (and they would only do that if en route to another toilet).

As for the showers, they probably aren't any worse than in gym class in high school or whatever.

The racks in boot camp also don't have any privacy, I didn't mention that. They are just like regular bunk beds (though made of metal).

And when you get out of boot camp, you have more privacy. Even on ships (which can be cramp) you will have individual shower stalls with curtains. And you can put the towel around you as soon as you step out if you want . And the toilet stalls do have doors. And the racks do have curtains.

But it helps to be able to live in close quarters. But if an un-sociable guy like myself can do it, anyone can. . I don't even like being around people or near large crowds, but I didn't have too much problem. Though I admit I'd get a bit anxious during long periods without a port of call. The most we went was about a month and half. This is probably nothing compared to what the guys did during these recent two wars though (I never served during wartime- except Kosovo, but we weren't in the area). You may have to do longer stints. But somtimes you can get a port of call every 2 or 3 weeks. In any case, it was a relief getting back from a 6 month cruise. Even if I do have fun at the ports, it's not the living conditions I prefer to live in.

The longest cruise time is supposed to be 9 months (usually 6). Then the ship usually pulls in. Sometimes they will do a brief stint in the shipyard for a refit. Or sometimes a more complex overhaul. I did some of my sea duty in Newport News Shipyard while all our reactors were refueled and other complex overhaul. It's like shore duty with the sea pay . I was in the yards about a year and a half I believe. Or sometimes they just pull in for a few weeks or a month. then the cycle repeats (work ups etc). I think it's supposed to be 18 months in between Med cruises (for east coast). West coast does westpac cruises I guess they call them. Though because of the Iraq situation in the 90's, we usually did a couple of months in the persian gulf which required the long transit through the suez canal- but that was pretty cool the first time.

[Pekka]

Space, I skipped most posts, but in here, yes, the basic training is the same for navy as well.

Diss, sounds familiar. Must be international thing.. most things rings true in here as well and I bet all over the world. It's amazing how you can lose the fight to stay awake in a class that isn't even too late... 1PM, and you're fighting, full on. I mean, sure you do that in school as well many times, but ... it's not the same!