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Comment by Ginnysue on September 23, 2013 at 2:25pm

Not offended at all, Joli :0) I will probably add a couple of those to my next letter. Thanks for the smile today. Another hard Monday without a call, trying to focus on the count-down. 18 days, Moms!! Whoo-hoo! Hang in there.

Comment by joli13 on September 23, 2013 at 1:39pm

Thought maybe we could use a little jocularity this week...sorry if anyone is offend by these, but I think they're kinda funny...Here's to a GREAT week ladies!

A naval officer fell overboard and was rescued by a deckhand. The officer asked the sailor how he could reward him. "The best way, sir," replied the bluejacket, "is to say nothing about it. If the other fellows knew I'd pulled you out, they'd throw me in."

A sailor and a marine are urinating at a public restroom. The marine finishes first and washes his hands - the sailor just walks to the exit. So the marine says to him, "Hey, in the marines they teach us to wash our hands after taking a piss." The sailor says, "Yeah, well, in the navy they teach us to not piss on our hands!"

A sailor trying to sneak back to his ship about 3 o'clock in the morning was spotted by a chief petty officer who ordered him to explain his tardiness. The lame explanation didn't work. "Take this broom and sweep every link on this anchor chain by morning or it's the brig for you," the chief said.
The sailor began to sweep, but a tern landed on the broom handle and he couldn't continue. He yelled at the bird, but it didn't budge. He finally plucked it off the broom and gave it a toss. But the bird came right back and again landed on the handle. Over and over, the same routine was repeated. A toss, one sweep, and the bird was back.
When morning came, the chief also was back. "What have you been doing all night? This chain is no cleaner than when you started!" "Honest, chief," said the sailor, "I tossed a tern all night and couldn't sweep a link."

A newlywed sailor is informed by the navy that he’s going to be stationed a long way from home on a remote island in the South Pacific for 2 years. A few weeks after he gets there he really starts to miss his new wife, so he writes her a letter.

"My darling," he writes, "it looks like we’re going to be apart for a very long time. Already I’m starting to miss you and we’re constantly surrounded by young, attractive native girls. The temptation’s terrible. I need some kind of hobby to keep my mind off them."

His wife sends him back a harmonica with a note reading, "Why don’t you learn to play this?"

Eventually his tour of duty comes to an end and he rushes back to his wife. "Darling" he says, "I can’t wait to get you into bed so that we can make passionate love!"

But she stops him with a wave of her hand. "First, let’s see how well you play that harmonica."

Comment by joli13 on September 22, 2013 at 6:40am

5-1 Day: 
- Basic Damage Control
- Portable DC Pumps (evacuating water)
-------------------------------
5-2 Day:
- EEBD/SEED
- OBA/SCBA

-------------------------------
5-3 Day:
- Chemistry and Classes of Fires
- Portable + Fixed Extinguishing systems

Here is how most sailors learn the fire meanings:
Saying:
- A = Ash
- B = Boil
- C = Circuit
- D = Deadly
Class A extinguishers are for ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics. Usually leave White Smoke.
Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, grease and oil. Usually leaves Black Smoke.
Class C fires involve electrical equipment, such as appliances, wiring, circuit breakers and outlets. Never use water to extinguish class C fires - the risk of electrical shock is far too great!
Class D fire extinguishers are commonly found in a chemical laboratory. They are for fires that involve combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium and sodium. However, in the galley a Deep Fat Fryers fires would be a fire since you need to use special precautions. Class D fires are special and usually more deadly than the others. D=Death
-------------------------------
5-4 Day:
- CBR (Chemical, Biological, and Radiological)
------------------------------- 
5-5 Day:
- General Fire Fighting + Fire Party Organizations
-------------------------------

Comment by joli13 on September 22, 2013 at 6:38am

Week 5:
Week 5 is all learning about firefighting. Topics you will cover include:

Shipboard Damage Control
How to Read Bullseyes (locations of compartments and fittings)
Classes of Fires
Equipment for fighting Fires
Survival Equipment
Confidence Chamber (fun, fun)
Fighting a Simulated Fire

Shipboard damage control consisted of a little bit of everything mentioned. You will learn what X-ray, yoke, and zebra fittings mean. A quick rundown is that out at sea, the ship is set to X-ray meaning that doors marked with an X are supposed to be closed at all times unless logged open in a place called Damage Control Central. There is an exception if there is a "Man Overboard" as you need to take the quickest route to where you muster. If a ship is set to Zebra, most likely the ship is about entirely on lockdown due to a hazardous reason or practice for that. You may hear of the term "Battle Stations", but it is called General Quarters on the ship. Someone will talk over the 1MC (speakerphone located all over the ship) and say that it is General Quarters and all hands are to man their battle stations.

It is an absolute necessity to learn how to read a bullseye. Here is a picture below and I will tell you what it all means:



The top line is a must know if you are to find your way around any ship.

The beginning number is what deck or level you are on. The quarterdeck will be on the main deck which is always 1. 1 is your starting point. If you go one ladderwell below this deck, you are on the 2nd deck. Going one ladderwell above the 1st deck and you well be on the O1 level. O is the letter and not a number.

The second number tells you the frame of the ship that you are at. By looking at the number 202, I can tell that most likely this is an aircraft carrier as they go up to 250 or so frames. If you were to read 10 or 20, you would be at the front of the ship.

The next number is also very important as you can tell which side of the ship you are on. Even numbers designate port side, while odd numbers designate starboard side. An easy way to remember this is (PESO) Port is Even, Starboard is Odd. As the numbers get bigger, the further you are from the middle of the ship. The zero in that pictures tells me that it is at the middle of the ship going from starboard to port.

The last letter is not as important as the 3 numbers before it. This letter simply designates the type of space it is. The L in the pictures stands for living space.

There are 4 types of fires aboard Navy ships: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta.

Alpha is the most common being ordinary compustibles like paper.
Bravo is your liquids such as oil and fuel.
Charlie is the electrical equipment.
Delta is combustible metals such as if an aircraft is on fire.

You will learn how to locate and oprate numerous types of survival equipment including EEBD's and SCBA's. It is vital that you pay attention when they tell you how to use them.

Near the end of the week you will have the "confidence chamber" which is a nice way of saying gas chamber. It was one of the worst feelings of my life. I recommend trying to sneak holding in your breath as breathing the gas in will make you gag and your eyes aren't really affected too much.

Comment by joli13 on September 22, 2013 at 6:08am

GinnySue, I'm definitely not living in "military reality"!!  Here's to a better week, huh! I'll send you a BIG cyber hug until I can do it in real life :0)

Comment by Ginnysue on September 21, 2013 at 4:40pm

I know what you are feeling! I was really hoping our guys would get to call us and let us know how this past week went. Apparently, I am still not living in "military reality" :o)

Comment by RobynS on September 21, 2013 at 4:37pm

I'm missing mine too Joli. Only 19 days, 17 hours and 23 minutes till PIR!  Joli I sent you a PM.

Comment by joli13 on September 21, 2013 at 3:41pm

Man, my typing sucks...sorry guys.

Comment by joli13 on September 21, 2013 at 3:36pm

I'm so missing my SR!!  I hate the not knowing how he's doing!  I am worried about him as I keep reading negative things about how the division is doing.  He was let go of his "ship staff" duties because they thought his time would be better spent working on inspection and division things.  I know that he failed his first PFA, and I wondering how he did with his second, which should have been Monday.  He's such a good boy, and I pray he's rising to the occasion.  I'm just so worried.  I am glad to hear that other's SR's are doing wonderfully and I hope that mine surrounds himself with the good people.  That concerns me though too as I have not found any of his "friends" parents on any of the sites.  Sorry guys...I don't mean to be a downer...I'm having a hard time this weekend.  I think the being spoiled by phone calls each weekend, and then the last two, none.  I pray our boys are all healthy and happy!  Kudos to the SR's that a kickin' butts and taking names!!

Comment by NavyMom2013 on September 20, 2013 at 12:46pm

I got 4 letters in the mail yesterday. He had been writing every chance he got he said. Good Son! LOL It is amazing to "read" the transformation he is going through in his letters. He is becoming a Man. The last letter his father and I read we both lost it and sopped. Tears of joy and pride flowed out. I am so afraid I am gonna be a sobbing Momma on graduation. He doesn't say a whole lot about what he has done directly just explains either the difficulty of it  or the ease of it.Mostly he just keeps tellin us how much he misses us and Loves us. He is counting the days down and says he's ready for A school.

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