Comments on eProf2: When Did The SHIP Become The BOAT?

Shoot. Wish I'd mentioned your baseball pool when ...

2008-05-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Shoot. Wish I'd mentioned your baseball pool when I had the ear of mass media, eProf. Guess you'd better stick with Dada as your PR agent.

eprof: I suspected the navy might have called a we...

2008-05-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

eprof: I suspected the navy might have called a weapon a weapon just as the army. Thanks for confirming.

Re Mark the navy friend who never saw the sea, I don't know who got the bright idea, but those Navy dyes to help locate men overboard were just going to waste, being as how he was over 700 mi. from San Diego. So equipped with one of those someone came up with the idea to "bomb" the Las Cruces municipal swimming pool one night; to make it look like thousands of gallons of big orange drink.

The six of us on that mission that night became known as the "Fizzies" that summer. (Despite excited, anxious moments the following day listening to local news...with no word of our deed, we ultimately concluded we must have missed.)

Mrs. Dada discovered a brief interview on the local Las Cruces NPR station of our very own Border Explorer during a demonstration held in El Paso Thursday.

I don't know how long they keep these online, but it's here and Border Explorer is using the alias
Billie Greenwood.

And wouldn't that be something? Meeting at the High Desert Brewing Co. in Las Cruces with B.E. After a couple of excellent ales maybe we could see if your old navy dyes still work after forty some years. (That is, if you happen to have brought a few home when discharged.) I'd like another shot at that pool.

Thanks, Dada, for your comments above. In boot cam...

2008-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Dada, for your comments above. In boot camp, we used to say, "this is my rifle, and this is my gun..." Like you say, the message was drilled into us so we'd know which to use when. Interesting story about your friend being assigned to the NM desert for his deployment. I have a friend that, likewise, joined the Navy and ended up in Phoenix chasing Navy deserters from their CA home ports. Since the Marine Corps is a part of the Navy, there is only one Navy facility in AZ, and that's in Yuma.

I guess I'd have to say I enjoyed the character development too. And, the night time landings in rough seas was a bit of a white knuckle experience just watching it on tv. To that extent, the film-makers did an excellent job.

Thank Mrs. Dada from me for her review and encouragement. I'm going to send this review to my shipmates on a Navy web page to see what they have to say. So far, none of the posters has liked the series.

I'm glad you introduced me to BE. I'm looking forward to her posts on a much easier format than where she is now. Hey, maybe some day we'll all meet up in Las Cruces and enjoy a glass of your favorite ale, assuming there are still some hops around to make it the drink of choice. That's another story for another post.

Have a great weekend.

DK, I hope you enjoy the series. In the overall sc...

2008-05-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

DK, I hope you enjoy the series. In the overall scheme of things it was worth the time invested to watch it. My review was probably more about the state of the Navy than about the film's photography, intent, and character development.

Yes, I've been back writing for about two weeks now. I have a new attitude about blogging from when I first started about three years ago: write for myself and don't expect any visitors or any earth shaking insights to occur. So, I'm always glad when some friends stop by, say hello, and either make comments or not.

Do you want in on the 13 run baseball game? Just pick a team.

Thanks eProf: As one who had no intention of doing...

2008-05-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks eProf: As one who had no intention of doing so, I ended up watching the entire 10 hours. I've been waiting for your feedback. Your "ship" - "boat" I found interesting because, "God forbid" - when in the army if you called your M-16 a "gun" you pretty much got the same admonition w/punishment (like push-ups or some other form of memory enhancement and it seems I recently heard a modern day soldier in Iraq refer to it as his "gun").

"This is my weapon
this is my gun" (a male's penis)
"This one's for shooting,
this one's for fun!"

(I guess it was a reminder of which weapon to use in the appropriate situation.)

However, in the process of the unfolding Nimitz story, the "ship" that didn't drop one bomb during deployment, I did develop an affinity for a couple of the characters, but was overwhelmed by many of the flyers blind allegiance to their president and his decisions for them. (I call this enabling, even if she is a nice young woman on her first cruise with the capability of killing innocent Iraqis with her F-18 fighter.)

My favorite episode was #7 (I think it was), where they practice TO's and landings in virulent seas.

And thank you very much for standing up for the untold stories of the supporters of this mission. In the army, I was one of those (officer's military pay clerk). I felt so much anguish for the young woman who joined to become a "chef" as the scene showed her struggling to hoist a side of beef from the meat locker.

And finally, as an army person, I must relate the story of one of my best friends during my 3 year tour at White Sands Missile Range. His name was Mark. He had joined the military before his 18th birthday, which-in that case entitled him to discharge on his 21st birthday.

He spent his entire enlistment in the southern desert of New Mexico. He had joined the Navy "to see the world" and the best he got was a three year assignment on the 'desert ship' out in the middle of the missile range.

But he made the most of it, and an interesting evening ensued shortly before his discharge involving one of those dyes a sailor deploys after ending up in the sea from his "boat."

(BTW, I read your review to Mrs. Dada who recommended you visit the PBS "Carrier" website and upload your story, this comment!)

Eprof: I didn't realize you were back blogging. I...

2008-05-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Eprof: I didn't realize you were back blogging. I know, I should get out more. We DVR'd this Carrier series & intend to begin it this weekend.

Your thoughts about Ship are spot on. Boat sounds so puny, so unnurturing. There's a science-fiction book (I think by Heinlein) where the ship (a spaceship in this instance) somehow attains consciousness & makes its first demand upon its human crew ... to worSHIP it! Well, you know from being in the navy, how your ship becomes the source of life, keeping you safe in an environment where you couldn't hope to survive for long without it.

Glad to see you back blogging!