Sailors don’t talk about-
The culture shock of coming home from the ship and having to relearn how to be a part of society.
The moments you spend re-examining yourself in the mirror because you forgot what you really looked like out of the uniform.
The bruises, cuts and scars from working in the harshest environments and conditions.
Wearing normal clothes is the most comfortable feeling on earth. Even the jeans you barely fit into anymore.
Getting sick every time you come home because you are able to eat civilized food again and drink your favorite drinks.
Getting dressed with the lights on.
Amazed at how you lose so much weight without trying.
Having to sleep with a fan on because the room you are in now is too silent.
Suddenly being thankful for literally everything you own and experience in a normal day.
Showering without shoes on.
The water is a normal hot, and doesn’t switch to ice cubes then to burning steam before losing pressure. And no water rationing hours!
Folding laundry while sitting on the bed.
General Quarters! Man your battle stations!
Not being able to sleep because we are catching jets and you have to make sure that you hear them catch the wire… retract. The pilot is safe.
Not being able to sleep because you’re no longer in rough seas. The bed is still and the room isn’t moving. Its quiet.
Man overboard. They didn’t say it was a drill this time. Everyone gets to their stations a little quicker to make sure their guys are good.
Evening prayer.
You probably don’t notice how often you hit your head anymore.
“Medical emergency in compartment…” silence. Do I know anyone in that compartment? I hope they are okay, nothing major.
I don’t remember the last time I was alone in a room for more than 10 minutes.
Fire, Fire, Fire!…. These things are always catching on fire.
Coming home in a different season. The grass is green now. They harvested all the corn fields.
Oh! She had her baby, bless her heart.
Wow. It’s been years…where was I?
“First call. First call to colors.”
Coming home from all of this is so hard yet so easy.
Author unknown.
Those are quite a few thoughts and events which do not cross the civilian in Every Day Life. Service to our Country certainly does have some sacrifices of its own.
When I was single I gained weight when we were at sea, after I was married I lost weight at sea.
I was subs, Beta was the height of technology. You would come home and people would discuss movies, music and even current events on the order of history that we completely missed.
Going to the mall and seeing a pale guy in geeky glasses with a tanned girl – I know what he does for a living. One of guys had a woman at a counter give a sniff and say “You work on a submarine don’t you?” He was in civilian clothes, he’d changed back into civies before leaving. My wife would pick me up and keep the windows down. Our XO’s wife had him strip in the garage and immediately shower before being allowed in the rest of the house. I still have no sense of smell and a much smaller sense of personal space than most people.
Strangely enough when people talk about the military stamping out individuality I saw a lot more individualism on a sub than in corporate America or in the suburbs. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Yes I remember working on subs whislt on shore duty at Pearl Harbor as rigger/weight test at the SIMA , now NAVIMFAC . Subs had a distinctive smell , not bad altogether , the ships did too , but different . Even the old static displays of welded to the pier tourist attraction ships have that smell years and years after being decommed . I damn near broke down on a vacation while checking out the USS Alabama , I was coming down the ladder off the bridge and could still do the forearm slide barely hitting the steps after all these years and extra pounds, but I got to this spot , where I froze up , got goosebumps , and teared up , pretty strongly , I felt all the sailors in spirit there , my own travels and adventures all came crashing in at once . My wife , saw me freeze ,all teared up , and walked a short way off to look at the bay to let me enjoy / get over that moment I was having . The moment was neither bad nor sad , cleansing was the best way I can describe it .
Thanks for the all too true reminders of a 21 year life in the Navy!
Yes all these things I remember . But still there’s nothing better than heading home . Shipmates were happier , better vibes , jokes,smokes in the middle of the night on the weatherdecks (cause no one could sleep ) and finally getting pierside , rain or shine family and friends were there shouting , and the women looked their best . You could smell perfume from a hundred yards out .
“Wearing normal clothes is the most comfortable feeling on earth. Even the jeans you barely fit into anymore.”
My Dad was 6’3″ 135lbs when he reported to Great Lakes in 1951. He weighed 175 when he was discharged 4 years later. He was on the Wisconsin (BB-64) his whole tour. A farm kid from East Tennessee who had never seen the ocean. He sailed around the world 3 times and was proud of his service.
Amazing how after 28 years it all comes back fresh. Thanks.
My friend who’d served on one of those smaller carriers as a fleet sailor once told me that they never successfully recovered a sailor who’d gone overboard while they were underway.
Not once.
When one of the cooks went overboard (he was out on a smoke break or something) they got his chef’s hat back – that was it. He never went into detail as to whether it was believed that they just drowned or got eaten by the sharks that followed them around, but that’s a pretty poignant reminder of just how unforgiving life in the Navy, at sea, can be.
Culture shock. Not sure that’s the right description for me, I just remember my first day of total freedom after getting out–sitting in my car at a stop light, feeling like rolling down the window and shouting “YEAH, BABY” (or something like that) and then realizing that everyone else at that intersection neither knew nor cared. Welcome home. No sour grapes, that’s just the way it was.
I was just a ground-pounder who did an Army hitch in West Germany. Funny part was I got pretty good a driving one of these in German traffic–
https://www.easternsurplus.net/VehicleDetails/161/M109A4-Van-Body-Truck
My car that I came home to was a ’69 BMW 2002 (bought used). Felt like traffic was moving in slow motion. Took about three months before anyone would ride with me.
All- Thanks for the comments, and yes, subs, ships, and airplanes ALL smell different… RHT, that had to be ‘fun’, for versions of fun…
I have experienced most of these. My Ex wouldn’t let me in the house after a patrol, had the leave my seabag and clothes in the washer and head straight to the shower. Amine and Diesel is a unique smell.
Though I experienced all of those things being on the boats from ’75 to ’80, I think of it as very well worth it…
Full career Air Force. Wasn’t until after retirement that my wife, after shopping with me for business attire, threw the doors of my closet wide open and pointed out that almost everything inside was one shade of blue or another.
I still leave the house fans on all the time. Doesn’t feel right without some circulation…
Clayton- Yep! Friend of mine had to shower in the garage first.
Glenn- Amen!
Bob- LOL
Allen- You’re not the only one.
Respect.
Hi Old NFO!!!!,
Funny thing you should mention that!!!?!!…
USS PRINSETON LPH-5 just got back from ‘NAM-’68 (DEC ’68).. not even 1/2 way thru the cruise everyone is talking about the first thing they will do when they get off the ship!!!! We got the “Newbie” on not even 2 months before we get back. Of course the usual everyone is going out to some particular BAR in Long Beach or what ever!! He chides everyone saying(He lived near by!!),”I’m going home and watch Rowan and Martin’s ‘Laugh In’ (a popular Comedy Show at the time) on TV!!!” Everybody of course just laughed at him!!
Myself I had things to do before I could secure my post on the ship and it took “A While” before I could leave. I had left a bunch of personal stuff and clothes with an old friend of my family there in LGB and finally made my way to his home..
Sure enough… there I am gathering up my stuff.. changing into some “civies’ and kibitzing with the family and guess what… we’re sitting in the living room and “Laugh In” pops up on the TV!!!!!!!!
I just had to Laugh!!!!!!!
skybill….
PR-2 USN USS PRINCETON LPH-5 Vietnam ’68…. and APOLLO X (ten) pick up.. MAY ’69….