There’s a time for “patrol quiet” and then there’s a time for “barracks party”.
Maybe you’re just a curious traveler on the net who stumbled across this site, or you read some reference, or stumbled in via some search engine somewhere that leads you here, or maybe you’re an alumni of the boat who’s come back to reconnect with the past from time to time to see what’s happening, and finding that for the most part, over the past few years this site has stood quietly, holding few words.
Submarine sailors, by their nature, and by training have been men of few words, and yet there is the fact that none of us is short of opinions, stories and something to say when asked.
In fact, none of us is grey about what we believe. I’ve never met a boat sailor past or present who doesn’t have a solid persona, that when pressed will give you strong opinions about whatever is being discussed.
This site’s been sitting here for 5 years now … we had a lot of traffic and discussion during the first couple of years as the site became known, and then we had a reunion in 2004 that I found most rewarding as well as fascinating. But it’s been quiet lately.
I’ve learned a lot since we got started. I also found that reconnecting with the past was more than just nostalgia, but that I could be reunited with old friends and acquaintances.
I have always referred to my own personal Navy experience with a dual love-hate perspective. Yes, we got to go, do and see the world, and experience covert operations. But then there was the parental, Boy-Scouts-on-steroids-Navy that clouded the whole experience with a lot of bullshit.
For the longest time, I thought it was just me, but now, with this site, and reconnecting with a lot of the guys, and then also seeing that the experience was similar, and that we all suffered alike - I don’t feel so bad.
I’ve also come to see that there is a couple of different types of alumni. There’s the rebel like me, who didn’t fit in, but made the best of it, who saw the massive amount of bullshit for what it was, and wouldn’t allow my intelligence to be insulted without commenting upon it.
And then there’s those of you who really embraced the whole Uber Vet persona, with vests full of boat patches and sea stories that would fill volumes.
And yet we all carry this shared experience forward, and coming here to the site, gives us a place to reflect upon a shared experience.
I had one guy write me a while back, when we were all waxing about where and when to have the last reunion, how amazed he was that some of my comments were really in-depth and personal.
One of the most fascinating aspects is the profound impact serving in the submarine service is. Some of the other profundities include the amazing bond we all share with a 4500 ton of machinery, which seemed to carry a personality of its own, like a giant beast. Its death affected us all, and you find this same sentiment with other crews on other boats.
Another profundity is that I noticed how enlisted people seem to have more of a bond with a boat and crew than officers did. That officers see each assignment as a stepping stone to some glorious career, and enlisted people, doing the actual work, bonded closer with each other, as well as the boat. Officers tend to want to stay quiet lest they damage themselves with some political consequence, and cower behind pretense so they look good at the country club.
So here you are, sitting at your computer, staring at the photos of the past, remembering “the good old days” and reflecting upon a bygone era.
Take a moment and share a story, contribute to the historical narrative.
And by the way, I’ve seen more than a few of you see you signup for the blog, or you sign up for the gallery, and then contribute nothing, as if signing up to say something, and share a photo, and then you disappear. If you sign up for the blog, then write something. If you sign up for the gallery, post some pictures. There’s no judgement here. Contribute to the historical narrative - post some photos, and if something’s not working, which happens from time to time - let me know - we’ll fix it.
We have the forums, and it’s broken more than once or twice, so if it doesn’t work, don’t just slip away into the darkness, let someone know.
And for those who have contributed to the site over the years - you’ve helped to create a kick-ass gallery of photos, and anything else you’ve contributed has helped us all to learn more about ourselves and this crazy shared experience.
And now, as we enter a [post Cold War] era, a [post Right Wing Extremist era], and now entering a pro-intellectual era, feel free to engage, to contribute and carry the shared experience forward into a better time of friends who have grown, that the past is not the only thing we have but that we can all still be friends and share the current, not just the past.
So, all you closet writers, sitting there thinking that the hammer of judgement will come down on you if you say something controversial, or maybe you won’t be as eloquent as you’d like, “fuck it” - POST SOMETHING!
