Abandon Ship Drill or…
Around and Around and Around She Goes… In 1980, I was assigned to serve aboard the USS Jason. This was the first time in US Naval history that women would officially be part of a ship’s crew. Women were not allowed to serve on combatant vessels....
My Top Ten Navy Boot Camp Lessons (Good, Bad & Ugly…Smelling)
My Top Ten Navy Boot Camp Lessons (Good, Bad & Ugly...
US Navy Boot Camp-Day One: Welcome to RTC Orlando
Boot Camp Send-off? I really don’t recall the first leg of travel to Navy Boot Camp. A lot of things fade after 40+ years. I was twenty years old and already out of the house when I joined. I had also signed up a month or...
USS Jason: Rainbow at Sea
During my time aboard the USS Jason (AR-8), I was assigned to the R4 Division. We were mainly Electronics Technicians (ETs)—often called Twidgets. I have never quite discerned why. Although, the story goes that it had to do with the tools we carried for tweaking...
US Navy Boot Camp Spontaneity: Improbable, Not Impossible
Having a spontaneous moment at The Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, MD.
Spontaneity is not really my strong suit. With as busy as I am I have to be proactive. In order to manage all of my responsibilities I need to plan ahead. So, it is difficult for me to do anything on the spur of the moment these days. There was, however, a time when I was not as structured, when I did impromptu things, to use a cliché, at the drop of a hat. The odd thing is that the last place I would have expected to experience that kind of spontaneity would be US Navy Boot Camp.
US Naval Station Great Lakes: Petty Officer Tennis Shoe
In 1977, despite the best efforts of some, the US Navy was not an Equal Opportunity Employer. Sexism was a huge issue. Mid-level Petty Officers expected lower ranking females to sit in their laps and stand under the mistletoe at the holiday party. Some even obliged. It was a difficult environment to navigate through.
Add to that a misuse of authority that cropped up in many places and you have the perfect recipe for a hostile work environment.