tactical blueberry

half-staff

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:13:18 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan — A military helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops and seven Afghan commandos…
The Associated Press has learned that more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

I’m just heartbroken. And I don’t know what it is about August, but this makes it four years running when the month has brought me great change and great sorrow.

Rest in peace, brothers.

done, sir, done

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:44:00 -0400

This post is a few days in coming, I know. It took three days just to remember this existed, honestly, and then now another three to find my password and build up the mental capacity to sit and reflect a bit. And even now, I really ought to be studying. So how was OCS, you’re wondering. I can’t tell you everything here, but I will say that the program itself met my expectations entirely, that the people met my expectations to a great degree, and finally that there is no excuse for showing up unprepared. There’s enough gouge out there (I know because I read it) to prepare anyone for the experience. That doesn’t mean that everyone should get through in 12 weeks - the medical stuff happens, the inspections rattle people to their core. You can’t read something that will act as an elixir to a drill instructor’s negative attention. But to show up physically unprepared - which an overwhelming number of people do - is irresponsible on the part of the student and his recruiter alike. That part of the system is absolutely broken. For me, the best part of the program was Week 10 - Indoc Week. That is, the week during which the new class came on deck. I had been appointed the Indoctrination Class Commander, so the initial in-processing and training of this new class fell on my shoulders. My staff and I worked like dogs - it was like the week before election day, only on such a smaller scale that every action or inaction had magnified consequences. We were coordinating logistics, babysitting, teaching, mentoring, commanding, correcting, running around, exuding calm composure, minding the smallest of details…and we did it nonstop. 3 hours of sleep was a luxury. And at the end of the week, and when we stepped off training country as Ensigns three weeks later, the results of our efforts were plain. They’re my class. 15-11, here’s to fair winds and following seas. Now I’m at Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) taking a three week intro course with 6 shipmates from OCS. The small class size is such an extraordinary opportunity - I feel very lucky not to be in a class of 50 right now. The speed at which information is being thrown at us is fast - what was covered over 2-3 weeks at OCS is being taught here for 2 hours in just as much detail. The hands-on learning is the most challenging and fun, though. On our first day, the The Commanding Officer (CO) of SWOS actually took us out sailing for 3 hours, so I got to mind the tiller, the main sheet, and the jib, all while answering questions about maritime right of way rules. All in all, an awesome welcome into the SWO community. When I’m done up here, I head down to just outside Norfolk, VA for two more short schools: how to be accountable for ammunition and how to launch Tomahawk missiles. When those are done, I hop on something or other to go out and meet my ship, USS FirstShip (CG —) wherever she might be at the time. It’ll be about two months until I actually get out there, which is pretty extraordinary. It feels like a lifetime from now, though I’m sure that will change fast.

final countdown

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:31:55 -0400

Well, we’re getting there. In four days and a wake-up I’ll hit the road for the big drive north — 25 hours of I-95, 2 overnight rest-stops, and 3 planned exits to fill up on gas and vittles at Sheetz, whose made-to-order burgerz on a pretzel roll absolutely rock my world.

Aside from spending too much time on Sheetz’s website, what else does one do in their final days of absolute freedom, you ask? Well, label socks and underwear, for one. In preparation for OCS, I’ve had the privilege of expending a ridiculous amount of time, energy, and dollars on the most basic of basics. Also, permanent fabric markers. It’s like a crazy cross between getting ready for overnight summer camp and for back-to-school. You’re welcome, Hanes & Sharpie. Drink it up.

Other special end-of-days activities: sitting by the pool, sitting on the beach, eating lots of dessert, a little bit of extra “gouge” memorization, and trying desperately to get used to waking up well before dawn.

I’ve also gotten a few letters from a friend currently at OCS, just six weeks ahead of me. Everything seems to be going according to plan for him, which is about the best news I can hope for. It tells me that I’m about as prepared as I can be (if he didn’t hit unexpected snags due to lack of preparation, it’s reasonable that I won’t either, since we did a bunch of preparation in tandem), and that takes a little pressure off. It’ll be what it’ll be, and it’ll probably be fine. Also, he said the food was great, so bonus there.

boarders ahoy!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:23:45 -0500

NATO has developed a video game. In this game, you’re doing counter-piracy ops. You’re boarding vessels, searching them, and questioning those on board. But one prominent military blogger notes, theres “not even a parrot” featured in the training scenario, and that makes it less-than-swashbuckling.

Read over the possible things-to-say in the screenshot above…there’s something about them being things you click at CGI pirates from the safety of your computer that makes them hilariously stilted. I mean, “We must search you”?

That said, obviously I’d jump at a chance to play. And one day to do the real thing?

sworn in!

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:54:48 -0500

Well, it’s official, folks. I woke up this morning and headed up to Navy Officer Recruiting Station (NORS) Hyattsville. There, I signed three copies of my enlistment contract, three copies of my service agreement, and about an inch of other assorted paperwork. And so as of about three hours ago, I am a United States Sailor. Feels damned good.

pumped

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:25:56 -0500

So, I’m totally pumped. In five days and a wake-up, I’m going to walk into the Hyattsville office where, 11 months ago, I first met my Officer Recruiter. I’m going to raise my hand, and swear to support and defend the Constitution. I’m going to sign my name to a piece of paper (DD-0004) that says I’m no longer a civilian, but am instead a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, subject to the regulations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

And I’m so pumped. I really can’t stop smiling. I’m driving around town with my arm out the window, soaking up the incredible Florida February sunshine, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.

Thirty days after I enlist, I’m going to roll up to the sea wall at Naval Station Newport, and start OCS. Ninety days later, God-willing, I’ll raise my hand one more time, swear a new oath, and become a commissioned officer. Incredible.

It’s been a long 11 months, and I can already tell that this last month of waiting is going to lead to some serious restless leg syndrome (not clinically, of course). I’m trying to avoid the urge to start packing (because then what would I do in 3 weeks, when it’s actually time to start packing??), and also trying to avoid the urge to double up my gym time to pass the time, because I know that would only lead to overtraining and injury.

Time to clean the house, clearly..

continuing non-resolution

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 11:03:35 -0500

Okay. The president’s new FY12 budget is getting a lot of press these days, but all that attention is perhaps distracting folks from something very important and significantly more urgent: Congress still hasn’t passed the FY11 budget. And we’re almost out of cash.

This is bad. The Navy Times colorfully reports:

As it stands, the Navy has less than three weeks left of a budget. No one knows what comes next. That uncertainty has left planners reconsidering yard repairs and scheduled projects on-the-fly. Already, the Navy has canceled five shipyard availabilities set for March and April, and as many as 29 are on the chopping block if Congress renews the funding extension, known as a continuing resolution, instead of passing the proposed budget.

Meanwhile, the service’s just-proposed budget for the next fiscal year, a part of the larger federal budget, seems certain to sail into gridlock in Congress. All this has left the sea service adrift, its top budget official warned.

“Right now, we are in uncharted waters,” Vice Adm. Terry Blake said Wednesday in a speech before the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Naval Academy Alumni Association. “We have three budgets in the air,” and the prospect of a year-long continuing resolution. He added, “We have never been in that situation before.”

Already fouling up the service’s finances, the cuts will get closer to the bone the longer the stopgap funding is in place. If it is extended through the year, for instance, the Navy couldn’t afford to pay sailors their final paycheck this year, Blake said.

For those of you who may be reading, and who may have sway with Congress: Please, fix this. It’s really not funny anymore.

yes, this is what they look like

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:41:00 -0500

Photo

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:34:34 -0500

superlasers

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:51:29 -0500

Okay, the Navy’s been in the news this week and last. First, it was bad news — the firing of another CO. Then, we got a (small) taste of the good news as a boat from USS Laboon took out a pirate skiff in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. Then, it was more bad news — a sailor tragically fell from her destroyer and was lost at sea.

But today — oh, today. Scientific breakthrough. Superlasers.

Wired’s “Danger Room” has the scoop:

But now the Navy thinks it’s broken a power threshold. Tests in December of a new injector yielded the electrons necessary to get the Free Electron Laser up to “megawatt class” beams, the Office of Naval Research said in a statement issued today, nine months ahead of schedule. One of the project’s lead researchers, Dinh Nguyen, said in the statement that he hoped to “set a world record for the average current of electrons.”

I don’t even know what that means, but I’m damned excited about it. They’re expecting these…ahem…carrier-killer-killers…to be in shipboard tests by 2018. Too cool. I guess it really finally is the 21st century.

travel day

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:06:49 -0500

I’m sitting here at DCA after a six-day whirlwind Washington adventure, reflecting on the week. First, it was great to see so many people after two and a half months of relative seclusion in Florida. You folks (you know who you are) are incredible people doing amazing things, and I’m so proud to count you as friends.

Now, the week started with an afternoon at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium. They’ve convened the conference now 23 times, to bring interested parties (sailors, defense contractors, the media, etc.) together to talk about the issues our nation’s surface fleet is facing. I sadly missed the first two days, but I got to hear a Major General (USMC) talk about expeditionary warfare, and I listened intently to a rousing presentation by a Navy Vice Admiral about the FY11-12 budget.

My biggest takeaways? That I’m doing a damned good job reading the Navy Times (there was little said that I hadn’t already seen in print) and that the whole “Death by PowerPoint” thing is real. I couldn’t help but wonder: when people of my generation (who I think understand the special capabilities and best practices of PowerPoint) are wearing stars, will that change? And moreover, would it ever be worthwhile to provide formal training to officers in how to give a presentation? As it stands now, rising to a position of power in the military never demands of someone to learn the skill. As junior personnel, you obey orders and accept responsibility without “excuses.” As senior personnel, you issue orders without necessarily needing to explain them. The consequence? Perhaps a hampered ability to coherently present an argument, or to structure an explanation in a way that draws attention to key points, or that takes the form of a compelling narrative.

After the speeches though, and then wandering around the exhibition hall (where I picked up some great defense contractor chum), a friend and I sat down with a kind Lieutenant. For more than an hour we chatted and absorbed all the advice he would share. It wasn’t my first such encounter — I had talked with a handful of officers before making the decision to apply to OCS. And in every case (and this was no exception), I was blown away by the friendliness and openness that these officers demonstrated. Never underestimate the power of a strong alumni network!

enlistment

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 11:12:31 -0500

Lots of sailors choose creative venues for their re-enlistment ceremonies, but this one’s hard to top: Breaking the sound barrier in the back seat of an F/A-18 Hornet, five miles above the Atlantic Ocean.

The pilot, Cmdr. Mitchell Conover, administered the oath midflight and even gave [Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Alfonso] Tulavillanueva a surprise as he recited the final words, pulling back on the stick and putting the aircraft into a climb.

Now that’s the way to swear an oath.

I’ll be taking care of mine at some point in March, it looks like, in a ceremony much less dramatic. Just me and the folks from the recruiting office up in Hyattsville, MD.

Last week, I received my “final select” letter, which indicated my first day at OCS will be SUN 3 APR 2011, 97 days from today. I can officially enlist once my orders are cut, which apparently takes some time, hence the March ceremony. I’ll keep you posted, though.

In the next 97 days, I’ll be ratcheting up my PT routine — adding runs back in (it’s been a few months), as well as some targeted strength and muscle endurance exercises for the things I know are popular with the Drill Instructors at OCS — push-ups, planks, sit-ups, flutter-kicks, etc.

It’s a relief to have that deadline looming. The countdown is extraordinary motivation to crawl out of bed on cold(-ish) mornings, and reminds me to push myself to complete that one last rep. And it makes every moment a little brighter — I guess that might sound trite or contrived, but it’s true. In just a few weeks I’ll become the property of my country, and I’d be damned if I didn’t squeeze every last moment of joy out of the days I’ve got left as a free citizen.

the great green fleet

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:23:00 -0500

Thomas Friedman’s latest column in the Times shines a welcome spotlight on the Navy’s two-year-old push to “go green” in a big way — including having set a lofty goal of having 50% of all the Department of the Navy’s operations, afloat and ashore, powered by alternative energy by 2020.

The underlying thesis is simple — Congress can’t keep itself from buckling under the pressure of Big Oil and Dirty Coal, but the DoD, (with SECNAV leading the charge,) must do everything that can literally save lives, including going green:

Their efforts are based in part on a recent study from 2007 data that found that the U.S. military loses one person, killed or wounded, for every 24 fuel convoys it runs in Afghanistan.

SECNAV has plans in the works to put to sea an entire 13-ship carrier battle group wherein every component member is powered by cleaner energies — nuclear power and 50-50 biofuel blends. Even the air wings would be flying biofuels. This “Great Green Fleet” should be getting in gear by 2012 and fully combat operational by 2016 — and the progress made already, including a successful super-sonic biofuel flight and a handful of surface ships in various phases of production and testing, is keeping spectators impressed by the effort.

A green fleet could fly and drive further on the same tank of fuel, increasing combat effectiveness through the bigger operational range, saving taxpayers millions in fuel costs, all while keeping those deadly fuel convoys to a minimum.

It’s a program of scientific innovation driven by solid leadership and allowed the resources to be successful — and with NASA’s shuttle program trickling to a halt, it’s probably among our military’s most inspiring and forward-thinking campaigns.

yes, still waiting

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:43:00 -0500

Ah, the unglamorous waiting continues. It’s been more than a month since I’ve had anything legitimately new to report. It was September when I found out I was accepted by the SWO community, October when my background investigation really got cooking, and now, at the tail-end of November, I’m still simply waiting. Though, as of today, I sort of have vague inklings of news.

I found out that I’ve gone from “pro-rec“ status to a quasi-“Final Select” status, which means that my medical paperwork has all been signed off on. What is holding up the true, written-in-stone FS is apparently some combination of two things:

1) a budgetary snafu in which they accepted more people for the SWO program than they could accommodate this fiscal year (though this is mere scuttlebutt, and may be totally false) and

2) a technicality in my paperwork, in which SWO (the program I was accepted to) was listed as a 3rd choice, and SWO-IW — that “IW” stands for “Information Warfare” — (a program which hasn’t met yet to look at my application) was listed as my 1st choice, and so they won’t release the FS on SWO until SWO-IW has a chance to look over my application and make an offer of their own, if they choose to.

The first of these I can’t do anything about, other than to make it explicit to my recruiter that I’d like for them to be aggressive about sneaking me into a spot as they open. Which I’ve done.

The second of these will be solved (hopefully) by a letter I just sent off to my recruiter, which effectively removes SWO-IW from my list of preferences, which ought to remove the hold on processing my FS for SWO. Hopefully.

So, having done all that I can do to help move things along, I’m back to waiting. Hooyah.

call of duty

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:43:47 -0500

This, by the way, is why I took up the game:

veterans' day reflections

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:45:00 -0500

I’d always been a fan of Veterans’ Day. It made me feel lucky to live in America and proud of our fighting forces, past and present. I’d metaphorically tip my hat to their service and whimsically consider the awe of their sacrifices.

But this morning I woke up to a text message from a friend — it had occurred to her that this time next year, I’ll be a “veteran” — at least as far as this holiday’s definition is concerned. Later, another friend posted to Facebook, naming me among her acquaintances in the military.

I’m certainly glad for my friends’ warm regards today, but at the same time, this line of thinking has colored the day strangely for me. With just a foot in the door of military life, I’m perhaps more conscious than ever of not wearing the uniform. The obvious rejoinder is a seemingly-simple “yet,” but it’s an important word.

Standing here, mere months from wearing butter bars on my collar, I’m in every way a civilian. To meet a former officer or enlisted man humbles and confuses me. I find myself stumbling quietly between expressions of thanks and those of camaraderie, the latter of which I haven’t yet earned the right to put to words.

In the Sailor’s Creed, it’s said so matter-of-fact-ly: “I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy, and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world.” Today’s sailors are sworn to represent the sailors who came before them, to fight with the spirit with which they fought, to carry out that tradition of excellence that gives rise to the child’s easy reverence for the flag and for those who protect her.

And as I read the tales of the great naval leaders of history, and as I read in the Navy Times every day the heroisms of today’s sailors and marines of every rank and rating, I can’t help but wonder at my own narcissism, to think that one day, with my country’s training and my own instinct, that I’d be even half the leader they were, and are.

At any rate, I just haven’t the right words to express the clutter of emotions that comes from acknowledging that the path in front of me today will soon rightly enough create that effect in others which I’ve felt myself for those in uniform. So on this Veterans’ Day, my very last as a “non-prior,” I thank wholeheartedly the men and women who have served this country as members of the armed forces, and their families. You’ve inspired me to follow in your footsteps, and I pray only that in time, I will represent you well.

Apparently this is what happens when “fly-by-wire”...

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:21:19 -0400

Apparently this is what happens when “fly-by-wire” goes wrong on the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear attack sub…

The channel that runs underneath the Skye Bridge has red and green buoys known as lateral markers to ensure vessels do not run aground.

HMS Astute appeared to be lying in shallow water several hundred metres beyond that safe route. The Admiralty charts show submerged rocks in the area where the submarine has got into difficulty.

Whoops.

cue the 'inspector gadget' theme

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:11:22 -0400

Okay, background check time. I got the call from a special investigator today letting me know that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is starting the process, which is exciting, because it means that yet another section of paperwork has made it successfully from my recruiter’s desk to the proper authorities. As the SF-86 is not a form I’d like to have to fill out again, this development is a big relief. It took more than 20 hours to complete way back in June (wow, has it been so long??) between digging through my old records (read: intensive Gmail searching, scrounging through photo albums, and rummaging in old stacks of paper) and dealing with intermittent and inexplicable browser incompatibility.

At any rate, if you know me personally, you may get a call from a special investigator. Please be nice to him or her, answering all questions honestly and to the utmost of your ability. Carry on.

the 'echo' version

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:31:02 -0400

I suppose there are probably relatively few people whose eyes are called to attention by a headline like “Training changes trickle out to the fleet,” but mine were when the line popped into my Google Reader this afternoon. I eagerly clicked through to the story, which began:

Surface Navy officials are at work on the newest edition of an unglamorous but highly influential document in the lives of sailors — the Surface Warfare Training Manual — that promises more training at sea and more live-fire events for ships gearing up to deploy.

My former colleagues can attest to my absolute love for the institutionalization of training procedures. To me, a corporate body (or similar structure) that is constantly reviewing its own procedures and reinventing itself — while at the same time holding fast to its core principles — is the most dynamic place to work. Because when the workplace itself changes, each day brings new challenges that motivate and inspire everyone involved. The job becomes not just about doing the work, or even about doing the work better; it actually becomes about doing better work smarter. It’s a thrilling prospect.

The new version of the manual is version E — as in ‘Echo’ — and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

hurry up and wait

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:41:50 -0400

You may remember that a little more than a week ago, I got the good news that I’d been pro-rec’d. My next step was getting in touch with a recruiter closer to home who could administer my Physical Readiness Test, or PRT. It’s a three-part test: 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. Complete all three within the standards for your age group and gender, and you keep moving through the process.

So, I scrounged around to get contact information for the right person at the local Naval Recruiting District office, and managed to get an appointment for tomorrow at 0900 to take my PRT.

I’m not worried about passing it — I’ve been training for the three events in particular since, well…June. But you still want to do as best you can, to shoot for the A instead of the C. So you watch your sleep patterns and strategically rest key muscle groups, mentally and physically preparing for test day.

And then, just hours before the test is due to commence, you get the call: no PRTs will be conducted until further notice, no further explanation available.

The scuttlebutt’s flying around the applicant community — did a recruit get hurt, or worse, while taking the exam?

My recruiter maintains that the hold on PRTs won’t affect “Final Select” letters, which you get when the paperwork’s all done and the Navy has figured out when they want you to show up to training. Which is good news — theoretically no undue delay — but it’s also disconcerting. Tomorrow, do I train for a PRT, with the understanding that the ban could be lifted at any time and I could be asked to take it after all, or do I skip ahead and train for training itself, which ultimately will test a totally different set of physical skills?

It’s almost worse than a traditional “hurry up and wait” — when you rush to do something only to wait around for anyone to care you’ve done it. It’s more like, “hurry up and practice and wait and yeah you didn’t need to do that at all, so wait more, and oh wait, yeah after all, go ahead and hurry up again, ok great wait…”

Only thing to do, really, is to keep on keeping on with the assumptions both that I won’t have to take it and that I will — i.e. train for both possibilities — and to smile happily regardless. I know I’m lucky to even have the dilemma. Just another day in the Navy’s officer applicant pipeline.