February Navy Thread - hang all brownshoes - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > February Navy Thread - hang all brownshoes

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Applewhite posted:

Have you ever woken up forgetting which way around you are in your rack and tried to climb out, only to discover there's a bulkhead there and you're still mostly asleep so you think you're trapped in a tiny box and start to freak a little?

Yeah. Also, getting tangled in the curtains and then hitting my head on the rack above.
Still, I liked the coffin racks. Cozy.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2015 03:28

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 23:50

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Applewhite posted:

BMs are pretty cool guys. They're some of the hardest workers on the ship and get treated like poo poo but they make the best drinking buddies anywhere. Plus they get a lot of leeway for backtalk because no one expects better of them.

My first job was DIVO for ABHs and ABFs, this is pretty accurate.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2015 13:19

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Pandasmores posted:

Meh, its not too bad. Most of it is how you view it. The people abobe and below you can probably make you hate work, but when it comes to the actual job some of them can be cool.

For skatest job I vote YN or PS. You just lose or gently caress up paperwork and write yourself up for a NAM over something a civilian probably fixed.

And even at sea you get to set 6 "working hours" per day.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2015 03:11

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

UoI posted:

Yeah, I really am happy with my decision. I couldn't think of anything else as interesting as SHOOTING JETS WITH MOTHERFUCKING STEAM CATAPULTS.

But seriously, ABEs are permanently covered in exhaust and grease.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2015 04:26

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

vulturesrow posted:

ABE does have that going for it. If you don't mind working hard than you'll probably be ok. Since you will be on a carrier your amenities underway will be better. One unfortunate fact is that many of your peers will not be the most well adjusted individuals around. I think ABH is the best of the ABs in terms of what the job entails but at last you aren't going to be an ABF.

Yeah, it really isn't a bad job. It's a lot of hard work but it's on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. My personal opinion is that I'd never want to join the military, have to put up with all the bullshit and regulations and come out of it with "I filed papers in an office for four years."

Plus there are no bad carrier ports.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2015 15:08

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

ManMythLegend posted:

Not the Navy Lodge, the Navy Gateway Inn and Suites. There's like 5 of them in the area, but I'm not sure if you have to try all of them before you get a CNA or not.

You do. If the one you call is full, they'll check all the other ones before giving a CNA.

That said, when I was there last week North Island was the only one that had any rooms available and that was a couple weeks in advance when I called so it does fill up pretty fast.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 01:52

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

MancXVI posted:

Wait, officers didn't just have their BAS deducted while they were on the ship? What a scummy loving classist bullshit system.

Officers don't get full BAS; it doesn't cover all meals.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2015 13:01

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

PneumonicBook posted:

A fun thing I tell newly selected chiefs is "Don't forget there's an E in front of that 7!". It makes them angry.

I put in my 1306 today so now it's for real.

I also put in a selres application...can't win them all. About the reserves, for retirement does anyone know if they give you one point per active duty day served? That's essentially what me going into the reserves is hinging on. If I retire with 5000 points it's actually a decent retirement (at 60).

Yup, one point per active duty day.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2015 00:25

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Nostalgia4Dicks posted:

I think it's funny like the history of officers is that they were literate educated upper class folk with money who could buy their own ship or w/e and everyone else was legit peasants. Everything stems from this "speak when spoke to only" etc poo poo. Like they're loving royalty (I guess then they were in a way)

So the Military keeps all those traditions. I remember reading the blue jackets manual and it said some bs like "but unlike other countries American Military officers are educated instead and that's valued and they're not just upper class folk!"

I remember our department head telling us about back in the day in his Navy (he was in for like 14 years lol) it was like the above and you could only speak when spoken to and had to request permission for everything like getting married (not a bad idea imo)

Then when you have the high ranking officers and poo poo coming around work places you clean forever roll out the red carpet and kiss their toosh like they're the king of England. Then you're forced to stand in a formation for them and ask them dumb questions then get yelled at for asking said question.

My favorite story was from a buddy in Lejeune. I guess they had a visit from the commandant or some poo poo and spent weeks beforehand picking up pine cones. Some lower enlisted dude in the crowd asked "sir do you not like pine cones or something?"

"Uh, no, I have nothing against pine cones why?"

"Because for the past god drat 2 weeks I've been picking up pine cones and I thought maybe you didn't like them or something"

http://www.duffelblog.com/2014/04/admiral-cleanliness-check/

vulturesrow posted:

I think your SEAL example probably isn't the best one. The lines are blurred because of the nature of the job. It's not really a fair comparison in my opinion. As for aviation, I agree with your assessment. Yes I'm biased. I think you are conflating treating enlisted folks like the people they are with things like separate messes. I don't have much experience with other officer communities so if they aren't good at that it's not because of things like separate messes, it's because they are populated with shitheads who don't understand what being a leader is. I used to do things like buy my division a bunch of sodas and munchies and stuff when they were doing a really tough maintenance job. I played basketball and other sports with them when the opportunity arose. I think some of it is the fact that as aviators we are really focused on the operational part of our job and we are pretty in tune with how important our sailors are to making that happen. I think SWOs for example get bogged down in the minutiae of their jobs (because their superiors emphasize stupid crap like that) and the leadership piece of the pie gets short shrift. Carrier squadrons are also relatively small units which makes that style of leadership a little easier. We still have separate messes and all that jazz. Now I do agree that having separate messes and all that might reinforce elitism among those that don't really "get it." I hate that sort of attitude. But I don't think having a separate mess is the cause, at worst its a symptom. But I do think fraternization can be really bad and I've seen it really have a negative effect on a squadron. Having separate messes helps mitigate that to a degree and its good to be able to sit down and relax for a bit without having to worry about appearances or saying the wrong thing, etc.

That all said, I think it's good to questions our customs and traditions and get rid of stuff that doesn't make sense any more. I'd definitely be comfortable with less of a divide between officers and enlisted. I'm not sure of the best way to go about doing that.

See, I have the opposite view. I've seen way more aviation officers take the attitude that they're in the Navy to fly planes and dealing with the enlisted is why we have chiefs. When I took over my division on the carrier, they were loving shocked when I showed up to the ship before 0700, was at daily quarters, and actually took an interest and got to know my sailors (especially by showing up and working with them during daily cleaning quarters) instead of hiding out in my stateroom or the department office like all the 13xx officers.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2015 13:29

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Applewhite posted:

Talk to me when you are in 3 sections and just came off the 2-7 and are expected to do the 22-02 the next night and ~~there's a GQ all day~~ you're a SWO so God loving forbid you be in your rack for any reasonable amount of time. Maybe if you skip dinner you can catch ~~a couple hours.~~ 20 minutes.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 00:52

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

KetTarma posted:

You got to sleep every night??

or during the day??

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 01:44

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Applewhite posted:

Yeah that's what they told me that got me to go SWO, too.

They told me about Westpac and Med cruises.
Then 9/11 happened.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 02:43

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

You think that's something, get a gung-ho Boatswain's Mate talking about how BMs are "literally the Navy."

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 02:51

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Analogical posted:

then goes to OCS, becomes SWO

That would require a BM learning to read and write.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 03:06

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

PneumonicBook posted:

For real, the now now now culture and the fact no one will tell an 0-5 or above "No", or "That's a bad idea and here's why" are enormous problems.

Or maybe people do tell them that but then they yell and stomp their feet like a child and still get there way.

Or literally say "a JO never says no to a commander"

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 03:18

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Nostalgia4Dicks posted:

Why are naps so loving taboo in the Military? Look man you're jerking off and playing video games what's the different if I sleep we're both doing nothing

I got the evil eye if I tried to sleep or work out any time other than taps-rev or dinner.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2015 00:37

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

Fart Sandwiches posted:

Lol this is the complete opposite of what I saw. You needed several command level collaterals to show leadership potential, department level collaterals to show you could be a departmental figurehead, and divisional poo poo to demonstrate a personal touch. Add in your LPO position (in which your work center supervisor did all the work) and general dick sucking you can spend way more time being an rear end in a top hat do nothing and make chief.

Even better if it's "your turn" and despite all the evidence to the contrary of you being a piece of poo poo who deserves to get separated for high year tenure that you get all the good eval bullet points because you need that 4.0 over people who actually deserve it.

Civilian life has its own bullshit to deal with but I'll take corporate culture over chief boards and the culture around it any day.

Chief boards change their story every drat cycle.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2015 03:02

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# ¿ May 16, 2024 23:50

Stultus Maximus: Dec 21, 2009; USPOL May

PneumonicBook posted:

Yes but if the chiefs that do know you are worth a poo poo they'll fight for you on the board assuming you're not a piece of poo poo.

Which of course means that rankings end up a reflection of which chief in the mess has the most pull.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2015 21:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > February Navy Thread - hang all brownshoes