Amphibious (Gator Navy)

All gators have ETs, they do the radar and the communications. My hubby was a gator ET, on teh Dubuque, by coincidence.

Mine is named Troy, ET2, no doubt they know each other, there's only one ET shop.

From the Navy Times: "The Navy plans to send seven ships to New York’s annual Fleet Week next month, it announced Tuesday: a big-deck gator, a cruiser, a destroyer and four smaller patrol coastal ships.
From Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the Navy will dispatch the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima, destroyer James E. Williams and PCs Tempest, Hurricane, Monsoon and Squall." http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/04/navy_fleetweek_042010w/
Does anyone here have a sailor on the Iwo Jima?

Shirley, if the ship is in the homeport, they try to put them in barracks, or floating barracks on a barge. If they're living on the ship, and if the repairs aren't dangerous or affecting the berthing areas, they just stay aboard. It varies, no single answer.

for all you who are not part of Molly's adopt a sailor . Please check this out. they need all the votes they can get to possibly get this grant from Pepsi to pay for postage on care boxes to our Sailors.

http://www.refresheverything.com/mollysadoptasailor

That is fantastic Dawn!! You'll have to fill us in on what his role is during Fleet Week. You must be so proud!

Asking about the little shaker last night? Or has there been another one?

Ours are all OK-said it was the biggest they had felt even after the Easter quake. Our son said he ran upstairs and picked up the baby-she slept through it, though!

Kari, That is a good question. I saw a video clip on youtube of the USS Bonhomme Richard as it docked.

Hi, I'm Arwen. My son was just assigned to the USS Denver in Sasebo, Japan. He's going as an undes E-2, so it's going to be a rough first year, but he's excited about Japan.

For Chris this is going to be tough. He failed out of IT school with a high GPA, orders to a prestigious intelligence institution and less than a day of work remaining. Then he ran up against his time limit and got kicked out.

Now he desperately wants to find another job that suits his super-techie mindset. Washing dishes, handling ropes and painting are going to be hard jobs for him, emotionally. He needs something technical and mentally challenging. He's a good worker, big, strong and willing. He'll be okay for a year or two.

I just hope he made the right decision. He turned down yeoman and aviation electronics schools for undes so that he has time to study up on mechanics and math and retake the ASVAB to become an Engineering Aid (Seabee). He spent 2 years in pre-engineering school and loves it.

When I was in the Navy (HT - crossrated to DC) I always felt sorry for and looked down on undesignated seamen, almost everyone did. Even Chris does, and he IS an undes. He sees this as a kind of penance for his mistakes at IT A school. I would have been upset with him for turning down AE except that he is doing this for a reason. I assume he's not the only undes for whom this as a choice. I'm starting to see undes differently now, but I will always have some part of my old bias stuck here in my brain.

Arwen, yeah, I was an ET so I get the attitudes toward the undes. Sailors can be a snotty bunch, can't we?

There is a definite hierarchy in the Navy, beyond rank. Yeah, we get snotty about it, too. It's hard to shake.

Just today I was talking to a retired senior chief who is arranging the military honors for my dad's funeral. He's a submariner. I teased him about being a bubblehead. he teased me about the "two kinds" of Navy vessels: subs and targets. Here we were in the middle of a serious conversation about my dad the Master Chief's final rites and we were immersed happily on the old rivalry. LOL, dad was an airedale.

The sailors get what I'm talking about.....

I still find myself dredging up old inter-service rivalry jokes and insults when I meet veterans of other services. It's like a compulsion. I'm getting better about it, though =~D

Chris plans to use the SW quals process as a way to explore his options. He wants to try everything to see what floats his boat. He may surprise everyone (even himself) when he does make a choice.

Okay, so a relative asked: "what do the initials LPD actually stand for?" I know an LPD is an amphibious transport dock, but where did they get those initials?

Does anyone know what ships will be at San Francisco Fleet Week yet? I heard they're going to start the whole shebang with an LHD, then later have a parade of ships, some bringing Marines home. Not sure how much truth there is to this.

Hi everyone. New to the group. My hubby is on the Bataan (LHD5) and we live in Norfolk. :)

Hes Undes. and works in Deck div. :) And im a part of the Bataan group but its been really quiet over there. I can always update you guys on the ship if you need me too. I just went and saw her the other day.

Welcome Miranda! My son's on LHD-7, the Iwo Jima - also a quiet group. Please do update! I saw the Bataan in early July when I was in Portsmouth. It was right across from the High Street ferry when we were boarding the Spirit of Independence to watch the Elizabeth River fireworks on the Fourth (a great thing to do, by the way). It was so cool to see the huge Bataan right there!

I dont have recent pics as I wasnt allowed to take my camera on board while she is in the yards. But I have pictures from early july from across the water also. :) We watched the fireworks from the deck of the ship so I might have seen you over there. lol. I have to tell you she is looking much better now than in the pictures. They are almost done with all the painting and the tents you see in the pictures they were laying non-skid. We are nearing the end of her overhaul but no saying when she will actually leave. :)

I know exactly where you were standing on the Olde Towne Portsmouth riverwalk when you took your picture! (Beautiful clouds, too, great photo.) You may have seen us then - we were on on the green and white schooner in my photo. We left at 7 pm, came back around 11 pm - we had to circle a bit to let an ocean-going tanker pass, if you saw that.

Leave between schools is one of those iffy things. He may not know yet if he doesn't have his orders in hand.

How long of a leave they grant is sometimes inexplicable.

Two of Chris' classmates are going to the same ship he is, and they graduate together tomorrow. One of them is a recent boot camp grad, the other has been in for the same amount of time as Chris. Yet the two of them got 10 days' leave, Chris got 17 days. None of them can figure out why.

And don't cut it too close at the end of leave......
It's funny, I've adopted a Navy mantra for myself - "If you're not early, you're late" - use it all the time!

The Navy gave him specific tickets for meeting his ship in Japan, so it's not really up to us. But yeah, when it's regular leave and flights are up to the sailor, then I agree, you need to give an extra day, just in case flights are screwed up.

We're getting conflicting information about Chris' uniform needs for when he hits the fleet next month.

His instructors said they should have a minimum of 10 coveralls in their seabags when they report to their ship, yet a uniform directive he received says that use of coveralls is restricted, and use of coveralls is to be replaced with digis when the uniform changeover is complete next month.

He hasn't heard from his sponsor yet, and he wears an uncommon size that has to be special ordered, which takes time.

So, does anyone know what he should be buying? Coveralls or digis?

Arwen, my son has two pairs of coveralls aboard the Iwo Jima. There's a sea bag list here - http://www-nmcp.med.navy.mil/EduRes/AcademicAffairs/Contacts/Chapter3.pdf but AM's right. Let us know?

LOL, I don't have to worry about breaking OPSEC, I don't know any dates yet. But the Navy news releases say that the Denver and the rest of her group is preparing for "fall exercises."

Shirley, that's so great! I'm just learning about them, too. Share some links about your son's ship and their activities if you can.

Hi Cheryl, welcome!! My son is currently on the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7).

Welcome Cheryl. My son is about to report to the USS Denver. This is really odd for us because my husband and I are both from the submarine Navy (he from a submarine, myself from a sub tender).

Hi everyone and welcome Cheryl. Just an update. The Bataan pulled out off the yard and is off into the atlantic as of yesterday morning at 8. I had an eventfull day after our son actually realized he was waving Bye to daddy and his ship. lol

Chris is really enthusiastic right now, about going to Japan and about getting a ship. He's changed his mind again, he doesn't want to be a Seabee, he wants to be a gunner's mate (loves guns). And no, he doesn't know yet where he will be assigned. Deck is likely, but he's going to ask if there are any openings in the gunners' division.

Yep, I know about cranking. I did it myself during my time in the Navy, 6 months in scullery. Ugh. My only advantage was that I was DC, so any time there was a drill I got to leave, no matter what my other duties. DC is the only group that gets to do that, hehehe.

I just saw this on military.com - the commander of the Pelelieu was relieved; this following the same on the Gunston Hall on 8/12.... http://www.military.com/news/article/commander-of-uss-pelelieu-reli...

Thanks for the update on the Bataan, Miranda - that must have been something to see! Poor you, yes I can imagine explaining to your little one what that meant wasn't easy.

Polli, Chris would rather play with things that go bang than things that go boom, LOL.

Okay, on a ship, what division do GMs belong to?

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.

One day the boss called him into the office for a talk.

"Charlie, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang up job, but your being late so often is quite bothersome."

"Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."

''Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say if you came in late there?"

''They said, "Good morning Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir?'''

Arwen, what is the answer to the GMs/division question?

I don't know. I'm still trying to find out.

Oh, I thought it was a quiz! :)

Anyone familiar with places to stay in Norfolk, besides the Navy lodge?

Personally, I don't like the Lodge because it is often full of families with small kids. Nothing wrong with that, but certainly not my thing.

I have nothing against the Navy lodge as I have never stayed in one, but this time it had no vacancy-holiday weekend.

Hey everyone, not sure if i am in the right place but my daughter just got her orders to San Diego USS Comstock and wanted to see if anyone here has sailors on that ship she still has to finish A school in GL but should be going to base in November. We are from San Diego originally so have friends and family in town we now live in Nevada i just wanted to find someone on same ship! She has to also put in for married quarters as she got married last month 18th sept after graduating pir 8/6/10 we have had a very busy few months

her roomie got married last weekend and i know of a couple more its because of the paper work and its a lot easier to do it now before leaving a school and her new hubby is going to boot camp in feb but in the meantime he will got to san diego with her and they willl get an apartment off base as the waiting list for base housing is 12 months long.

Marriage and the Navy is a funny thing. It is good for them, except, well, except when it is not. I've had one bad Navy marriage, and this one has lasted 23 years. So one good, one bad. I've known as many happy couples as unhappy, and the tough ones stick it out and make it work. Best of luck to all the newlyweds!

Time to start thinking about the holidays, and mailings. The Naval Supply Systems Command's (NAVSUP) Postal Policy Division mail-by dates for pre-Dec. 25 delivery of holiday cards, letters and packages are here ~ NAVSUP pre-12:25:10 delivery mail-by dates.pdf

My grandson is in San Diego and on the USS Comstock as we speak. I see that cheffiona your daughter is headed that way. We're in southern CA so we see him most of the weekends he's free. It's been great. We missed him so much when he was in GL. Anyone else on the USS Comstock?