When I was in the Navy, we socialized. We played cards in our off times, told sea stories, played Acey Deucey, we played on divisional soft ball teams, command sports teams, and shared our lives together underway or in port. There was no computer games, lap top videos, email 24/7, or books on tape. Sailors, Chiefs, communicated, discussed things, taught each other, socialized.
Today's Navy and probably the other Military organizations no longer have the social skills to support each other on an emotional level. Hell, they don't even know their shipmate, unless they are trying to date her! That lack of social skills in one of the reasons we have the suicide problems we have today!
I remember Command Master Chief Bobby Scott on the USS Wisconsin, he knew every sailor on the ship by name, their wife's name, most of their children's names, and their issues! He probably did not own a personal computer, but he could tell when a sailors demeanor changed and that knowledge saves lives!
During the Viet Nam war, the sailor's who served in country suffered from the same stress disorders as the veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but the Viet Nam veterans who stayed on active duty had a built in support group! We talked about the mental issues, stayed up whith them when they were stressed, brought them back when they were drunk, and looked after them! One of my best friends, Jim Smith, who is now dead, suffered from PTSD. Sure it was undiagnosed, it was not even heard of then! But he knew it and we all knew it, but we stuck together through the tough times and we made it.
That bonding is what is missing in today's military. So you see these commercials for you to donate to this military charity or that one. I hear the Veteran's say; I was alone, I wanted to kill myself, no one cared! Why wasn't their shipmates there for them. I'll tell you, they were playing their video games and getting sexually excited reading an interactive sex site! Shipmates are killing themselves because shipmates don't care. Why, because they don't socialize. They don't know their shipmates, and they don't care.
Share it
Facebook Share
Search
My Blogs
My Favorite Links
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
Followers
PlanetUSA
Labels
- "A" School (1)
- "Stinger" (1)
- 1000 inch range (1)
- 1492- 115 vac micro switches (1)
- 3"/50 (1)
- abortion (1)
- Allies (1)
- Ammo (1)
- Anger (1)
- anti biotic super bug (1)
- Anti-chucker pawl (1)
- bad decision (1)
- BAD guys (1)
- Barge Hercules (1)
- Blue Water Navy (1)
- Bravery (1)
- budget (1)
- Captain Dick Stratton (1)
- CDC (1)
- Chief (2)
- Chief's (1)
- Chief's Mess (1)
- combat ready (1)
- Communist (1)
- Congress (1)
- CQB (1)
- Dementia (2)
- deployed (1)
- dod I I say (1)
- Explosion (1)
- Extra mile (1)
- FFG 7 (1)
- fight (1)
- Ford administration (1)
- Foul Bore (1)
- Freedoms (1)
- general quarters (1)
- Gun School (1)
- Gunner's Mate. (1)
- Heavy Seas (1)
- Hedge (1)
- Hero (2)
- hollywood (1)
- homosexuality (1)
- Hot Gun (1)
- immorality (1)
- Iran (1)
- Iraninan Destroyer (1)
- Jane Fonda (1)
- LCS (1)
- Leadership (4)
- learning (1)
- Lebannon (1)
- left (1)
- Lewy Bory (1)
- limited response (1)
- love affair (1)
- M-1 Garand (1)
- manning reductions (1)
- Marine Corps (2)
- Marksmanship (1)
- mechanized bugs (1)
- Memorial Day (1)
- Military Service (1)
- MK 92 (1)
- MK III PB (1)
- Mullinnix (1)
- NATA weapons (1)
- National Cemetery (1)
- Naval Gun Fire Support (1)
- navy (1)
- Navy career (1)
- Navy Traditions (2)
- North Korea (1)
- North Vietnam (1)
- nuclear threat (1)
- nuclear war (1)
- NVA (1)
- onion skins (1)
- Operation End Sweep (1)
- Otto Melaro (1)
- PBR (1)
- Politicians (1)
- POW (1)
- progressives (2)
- promotion (1)
- PRT (1)
- Qualifications (1)
- rage (1)
- rapid escalation (1)
- Rules (1)
- Russia (1)
- SEALS (1)
- Sequester (1)
- serve (1)
- short attention span (1)
- Shotgun (1)
- slave (1)
- Small Arms (1)
- South Korea (1)
- space station (1)
- Stew Burner (1)
- submarines (1)
- Tactical Nuclear Weapons (1)
- ten cap blasting machine (1)
- Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (1)
- Traitor (1)
- transfer tray (1)
- Tuition Assistance (1)
- USS Caron (1)
- Viet Nam (1)
- whore (1)
- Zippo Boat (1)
- Zumwalt class (1)
Your right Master Chief. Don't pretend to have a Navy wide answer. But what kept us Chiefs together back in the day? Where did we go once a week as a group when we were in our home port? What did we do at our ball games? At our cook outs? The going away parties? The CPO initiations, remember them? The judge is an AH. Who called that AH a judge? What did we do?
ReplyDeleteWE DRANK BEER!!!
Where there problems with that? Sure. Some. But thinking back on it not many. If there was a problem we, the Chiefs, took care of it. Don't recall reading about a lot of CMCs being fired back in the day.
Now a days. What do the Chiefs do now a days? How about this. http://hamptonroads.com/2010/04/goat-locker-challenge-no-rankandfile-celebration
No wonder we have a problem. Winds.
I think your comments apply way outside of the military too. Social activities are disappearing as more people stay home and hide from the world - something I am guilty of too. Neighbors used to have block parties - now the only time they come together is to bitch about somebody's messy yard. Too many people are closing the drawbridges and filling the moats instead of reaching out.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what impact the increased number of women has had on this. I remember the crews on all-male ships having more camaraderie than mixed-gender shore commands. Or maybe it's just a sea-duty vs. shore duty difference. Or command size. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteBut then, I was a shipmate of GMCS Smith and I was unaware of his PTSD. Maybe his fellow chiefs did.
Don,
ReplyDeleteI came in the navy later on 'Joined in 81, my first ship was USS SAMPLE FF-1048 in 1985. I remember the times underway, we all played cribbage, hearts and spades on the mess decks. Poker was in the berthing compartments. We had site TV and ships entertainment but not like the sailors do now. Heck if they loose there internet connection and can't get to facebook it becomes a quality of life issue. If we had issues at home the wives took care of things until we got back. Most times we did not know they had an issue until we did get back, or got the occasional letter (numbered of course to keep the proper sequence). There was no sweating things that were out of our control. Sailors have to many luxuries and distractions these days.