Amphibious (Gator Navy)

My hubby has been retired for 12 years now and he is still proud of his ESWS. When we were in San Diego, I picked up a "Surface Warriors" shirt for him, it has the pin design on it and says, "Steel Ships, Iron Men".

Sometimes it isn't about the pay, it is about competence and pride.

Off topic sea story about an "iron man":

Background: MyLarry has hemachromatosis, which is a genetic disorder that doesn't allow him to shed iron. He was diagnosed with it while stationed at his last command before retirement, in San Diego. Only treatment is phlebotomy, or blood-letting. A pint a week for 26 months!

So we're all dressed up at his retirement ceremony, there's flags and cake and his CO is giving a speech. He keeps referring to how much the command will miss their "iron man". Those of us who knew about the iron disorder were cracking up, quietly, I had the giggles. After, while we were having cake and punch, the CO asked me privately if he'd said anything wrong. NO, not at all.. but he was mortified he'd not known of hubby's medical condition.

It was funnier in person....

Congrats on the MM3! I hope you do get a picture; they do have a photographer on board, don't they?

I have a lot of sea stories, not all of them can be shared on this board, LOL!

There re three levels of Petty Officer

PO3 = E-4
PO2 = E-5
PO1 = E-6

Their rate is usually inserted instead of the "PO", for example ET3 or MM2.

Chief Petty Officer begins at E-7, but they are simply called "chief", then "senior chief" (E-8) and "master chief" (E-9).

Polli, I hope they can figure out what's up with your mom and fix it. I know it is hard when a mom is sick, I couldn't bear it.

Polli, my mom had shingles decades ago. Glad it isn't that serious, but it is miserable and painful. A little pampering will go a long way. I'm sending good thoughts for her healing and comfort.

I finally posted my San Diego vacation pictures on Facebook. You should be able to view without joining. Not a single picture of my ET sailor buddy, LOL.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015385&id=1192536713&...

I hope you get the chance, Shirley, it is a great town. So much to do, and very lovely!

Suzanne, my nephew the nuke, and my buddy Troy on the Dubuque don't like me to share their progress in the Navy here on this board. I respect their wishes. I can still contribute and learn, I simply can't brag or talk about what when and where they're doing what they happen to be doing.

Polli, scouts are so much fun. My hubby was a Webelos den leader in Japan, on base, and so was a guy who worked with him. Neither of them had boys in the scouts there, but they'd been Eagle Scouts. The boys all had dads who were on ships or knew nothing about scouting, so there was a request for volunteers. They also worked with the Japanese scout dens and had a blast.

Polli, I remember bringing my hubby to be home, he was my second, so Dad was dead set that I not remarry. Heck, I was 30! The big-ass diamond impressed dad enough he said, "We'll be driving through Vegas, I suppose we could stop a day or two and you two could see a JP." LOL!

Scouts are fun, but we don't have kids here in Utah, and hubby works insane hours. Most of the local troops are church-related, so they don't take volunteers from outside the church unless you have children in the troop. Everyone is so scared of predators, so sad.

Hi Pat,are you talking about the Bonhomme Richard? If so that is the ship my son is on. I actually got to tour it in April and they just had family wkend on June 20th. If you go to facebook they have 2 sites. One is right on the ship and you get updates daily and get to see pictures. It has been wonderful to see what they've been doing underway and pre-deployment, especially over the holiday weekend. When will she be joining the ship? Hope this might help,

Hi Shirley, I know what you mean/feel about the tatoo. I found out about it when he was underway by seeing it as his picture for IM. Not being able to talk to him about it till he got back and it wasn't a small one. It goes from shoulder to shoulder and 1/3 down his back. He did try to explain what it meant but all I heard was this was only part of it that he was getting his whole back done when he has the money(his dad & I hope he stays broke). This happened after the first of the year and I'm still not ok with it. Nothing I can do about it now, I just keep hoping that he thinks about it in the long run if/when he continues with it.

Hi Pat, the ship site took about 5 wks b4 I had access but the site on FB seems to give me faster info. My son Steven is a BM and has been on the ship since September. SanDiego is beautiful and my hubby & I were thinking of going out there the wk b4 deployment. Steven is suppose to get time off a few wks b4 that and we thought we might fly back with him and stay around to see the ship leave if that was possible. I'll be sending you a personal message cuz' I'm a FL girl too(Steven was born in Sanford) but have been transplanted in the north.

Actually, mentioning the name of the ship isn't as big a deal as mentioning specific dates and last names. Be vague is a good OPSEC guideline. When in doubt, refrain until you've asked.

My sailor buddy has a nickname I could use, but I think "BoyToy" would just be embarrassing these days, LOL.

Shirley, my sailor is a young guy with a busy social life. An old friend has no chance against the cute girl he's dating. LOL. No news is good news. I hope to see him later this summer. Family reunion type of thing, except we're not all related.

My nephew is a nuke in SC, and I never hear from him either. He took leave after A school but didn't come home. That went over well with his mom and ex-gf. I don't think she understands she's an EX-gf! But he's a good kid and more like me than he knows. Heh-heh.

We've been in the 100s in Utah, but there is scarcely any humidity. That makes it much more bearable.

My friend Troy is an ET on the Dubuque (which was my hubby's ship years ago, also an ET).

I don't hear from Troy often, but if you have a specific question, I may be able to find out what's what as long as we aren't violating OPSEC. As in, if I did know about ships movement, I wouldn't post it here. I do have the mailing address for the ETs!

Shirley, my thoughts are with you and all the families.

Shirley, that would be Family and Fleet Services. They have counseling and classes and such.

for all the new moms, do check out the thread concerning OPSEC (operational security). There's a lot to learn to keep our sailors safe, and there are ways you can share information with other moms without posting too many details here on an open forum anyone in the world can read. Yes, it does get confusing. If anyone hasn't gone over the OPSEC guidelines, the link below is a good start. You may not be in the Navy, but we all have an obligation to safeguard our sailors.

http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/opsec-loose-lips-sink-ships

I'm not saying anyone just crossed the line, just wanting to get the newer members up to speed. Rule of thumb, be vague as possible when posting publicly and then talk privately.

glad to be back in NE but seeing my son's ship come back was nice. It's nice to have him home for a couple of weeks and he's glad to be back in "civilization" as he calls it. Half way around the world is not what it's cracked up to be he told me. hopefully they won't be out anytime soon.

My thoughts are with Jenn...

Good to hear good news about Jenn. Here's healing thoughts and warm wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

One thing for the future, when she does finish her enlistments and/or retires, it is very important this medical information makes it into her records completely. The Veterans Administration will go over her records thoroughly. The VA is very good about follow-up medical care if there are future problems, and she may be entitled to certain programs and benefits as a vet who has had serious medical issues. If she can get copies of her medical record (they can be funny about that) she may want to keep them somewhere secure.

Shirley, so sorry about your cat. Nope, no word from the Dubuque. No news is good news... they're going out for exercises sometime, but I don't know when. Cold be busy. A gf? LOL, yes, busy!

Hubby, who was on the Dubuque, says the BMU small boats are on the bigger amphibious ship. They're Seabees (mostly), who comprise the initial assault groups ... first ones on the beach to establish the beachhead so the troops can come ashore.

Sometimes there's EOD with the BMU if the beach is mined. These days they're just there first with the heavy equipment to clear a way to set a base camp or command post. In WWII, they were under fire. Now, not so much.

A Seabee can be a Beachmaster. Not all are, but almost every Beachmaster is a Seabee.

Shirley, Puff the Magic Dragon is not about drugs unless you are a drug user. They see drug references in everything! I know quite a few (I go to Burning man, they're all over there) so I understand the mindset. Nope, for most of us, it is a song about a dragon. I loved it as a little kid... when it was new and I didn't know what drugs were.

I'm kinda down, my SIL in WV has ovarian cancer, never good news. Then I got back from vacation to find a friend had died of pancreatic cancer. And just last night I found out my 86 year old dad has cancer of some kind, no details yet. Not a good one if they discovered it through blood and bone tests. I just lost a brother to cancer in December, so I'm pretty raw right now.

He's assigned to the unit itself. if it is assigned to the Comstock, then so is he. I can ask hubby when he gets home in a few days. Can you say what type of unit?

Babara, I will ask hubby, he should get home tonight. I don't like to pester him when he's driving that semi!

He was on the Dubuque, has always been a gator freighter sailor, so he should have some idea.

Barbara... if indeed your son is still assigned to the USS Comstock that is where my son is assigned. would love to get to know you better via private chat.. I know of a few other Mom's connected to that ship but we have not set up a "group" for that ship yet.

Hey Barbara and welcome to the group. My son is also with the USS Comstock. It is nice to meet you and would like to get to know you and your son better.

Okay, a BMU is a Beach Master Unit... a Foxtrot unit takes care of the small landing boats, such as the ones the Riverines use. Hubby says they can change ships, so the unit can be deployed with any gator which requires a BMU. He may be with the Comstock the whole time, or maybe not.

Pack the cookies tightly. The less they can shake, the less they will crumble. I haven't sent any to a ship, my sailor on the Dubuque said he didn't want crumbs and asked for Japanese snacks like wasabi peas instead.

What do you need to know, Lauren?

Okay, I can answer some of your questions.

Communication will be spotty. They can use the ship's computers for email. Sometimes. Other times it will not be available to them. Any email with attachments such as photos or too many graphics might mot make it through as they take up too much bandwidth. Phone calls will be rare; there are no cell towers at sea and the ship comms are not for personal use for the most part. Their personal phones may work near shore, but the roaming charges are killer, he needs to ask other shipmates how that works for them. Snail mail is slow, but very precious to them, do write and send cards. they don't have a lot of room to store stuff, so don't send much.

How long do they deploy? It varies, and can be extended. Six months, eight months, you won't know for sure until he is home. Plus, you can't discuss ship's movement on a public site such as this. Have you learned about OPSEC yet? That's something you will need to know.

He should receive sea pay while deployed, I would have to look that up for details. That is in addition to his regular pay. If he is married, he may receive separation pay too. Any dependents would get a housing allowance.

The ombudsman for the ship can give you a lot of information, but since you are a GF, he must give permission for you to receive updates.

Sherry, my Mom has had some success with using the canisters that "Pringles" come in to ship the cookies to my son on his ship.. but the biggest comment I will make is pack the box tightly.. use the flat rate boxes you get from the post office.. they give a price break IF it is shipped to an APO/FPO address.

Laura, I don't know how big the ship is that yours is on but the ship that my son was deployed with wasn't very big comparibly to lets say a carrier..(floating city) but a laptop would not of done him any good on his deployment except to play games on. that ship has lots of computers some can be used for email .. he claims that they were not allowed to use them for much but email.. no surfing the net especially in sensitive area. there were others that made calls from the ship..via "ship to shore phone cards" that they purchased or were sent to him. those could be purchased at the NEX, the ships store and there is a website that others can purchase for them (from the NEX..but only that product).
a laptop needs to be stored someplace while they are not using it.. to keep it secure.. there is not much space for them to keep stuff. I'm not sure if this helps much.

Laura there is a group for the USS Carter Hall.. put the name of the ship in the search box and scroll down. for the group. good way to communicate with others on his ship

Thanks, Elane, that is clearer than I was about the laptop. NO access to the internet via their own computers aboard ship. During his off time, off the ship, he can use it at places that have wifi.

Polli congrads on becoming a grandma. Best wishes to you daughter and her husband. Hope all will be well with the baby and your daughter. We will keep them in our prayers.

Polli, congrats! She MAY be able to get 30 days convalescent leave in addition to the family leave. Can't hurt to ask.

Laura, you'd be receiving updates from the Ombudsman, not the Captain. Your BF can email the ship's ombudsman and let her know to put you in the loop.

Polli, I sent a friendship request so I can give you details; the initial message is too short to explain what I know from a patient's side.

Yeah, I know1 I sent a message.

Laura, even if the satt signal can reach the ship, they CANNOT use the internet. It is forbidden to access the 'net using personal devices while underway. They MUST use the ship's computers as the messages are all censored/monitored. They can get in serious trouble if they try to get around the rules!!!! I know you've been asking around about this, but I am telling you the flat truth, no internet, ONLY ship's email at the ship's discretion. NO PRIVATE EMAIL while on deployment.

This is not an opinion, it is fact.

... and I'm not being mean, I just want to make sure you understand what you've already been told a couple times.

Fran-if you have never been across the bay to Coronado, I recommend that-beautiful island community with several good restaurants. Our daughter-in-law went to the famous San Diego zoo after Christmas and raved about it. We left before that and didn't get to see it.I have always heard so much about it, though.

Shirley, great idea, I just added Discussions for both San Diego and Norfolk too!

Jeano - there's a ferry connecting San Diego to Coronado Island, $3.50 each way, 15 min ride, and plenty to walk & see at each end: http://www.sdhe.com/san-diego-bay-ferry.html