On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:46:49 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:07:48 -0400, John H
wrote:

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:01:29 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 07:14:04 -0400, John H
wrote:

If you had decent qualifications they could have sent you to Germany
to defend us from the godless communists like my computer literate
friend from Maryland. With the qualifications you had, you could have
sat in the Stars and Stripes office in Saigon with Al Gore for a few
months and gone back home. The reality is, most people in the military
in the 60s never saw combat or even got close.

Or me. My first and last overseas tours were in Germany, working on plans to defend us from the
Godless communists! Saddam took our attention away from the Fulda Gap for a while. I wonder if the
forces over there still plan for an 'active defense' in the Fulda Gap.

I think the fall of the Soviets and the, loss for Russia, of all of
those countries between Western Europe and Russia widened the border a
bit and made that surprise attack a little less "surprising".
When Hitler went the other way, he had to take Poland and
Czechoslovakia first.
I do understand why Putin gets nervous when we talk about putting them
into NATO tho. The last time the Russians saw that kind of buildup on
their western border, Barbarosa came next.

It wouldn't have been a big surprise. We knew what was there in terms of divisions and armies. A
hell of a lot of them!

But the Soviets could stage right across the West German border (and
they did) making the Fulda Gap significant. Now the front would be 100
miles from there along the border of Poland, Hungary or Ukraine.
I do think we may have outgrown European ground wars tho.

Agreed, hopefully. Although possession is still 9/10th's of the law, eh?

On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 21:00:56 UTC-3, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 6:38 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 5:36 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 12:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 11:02 AM, wrote:
This article offers some interesting insights into some of the issues
behind the recent naval collisions:

http://gcaptain.com/separate-equal-look-officer-training-us-navy-merchant-marine/


They make the point that many, if not most, US naval officers regard
sea duty as something that must be endured on the way to higher rank,
as opposed to a career goal in and of itself.

My wife and I once met a recently promoted US Coast Guard admiral who
expressed exactly those sentiments in a conversation with us.Â* We were
surprised by both the attitude and the candor but that was probably a
reflection of our inexperience with such things.



I don't know of anyone who was in the Navy, officer or enlisted, who
relished sea duty.


Then why sign up for it? One might think that if one is signing up for
the navy, one relishes the idea of serving on a ship at sea.



Reason number one:Â* It was Navy or the Army.

Actually, the Navy is much, much more than just ships at sea.Â* There's a
vast system for communications, aircraft squadrons, INTEL facilities,
administration, logistics and supply facilities that support the mission
of the Navy and the fleet.Â*Â* I don't know the breakdown butÂ* I believe
that far more Navy personnel are assigned to shore duty stations at any
one time than assigned to ships.

Typically, the rotation is three years of sea duty and then three years
of shore duty.Â* But it's more complicated than that because some
overseas shore duty may be counted as sea duty for rotational purposes.
I was actually on ships for three years but had two tours overseas that
also counted as sea duty.Â* My only duty that did not count as sea duty
was time in schools and my last duty station in Annapolis.





Yeah, I know the navy is more than just ships at sea, but...why would
you join the navy unless you were into ships at sea?

Funny you should ask that. I had a niece and a nephew's significant other who both joined the navy. Both were trying to find ways to avoid sea duty after a couple long deployments and especially after kids arrived. One had the navy pay her way through nursing school right here in Halifax.

On 8/24/17 1:34 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:42:05 -0400, Keyser Soze
wrote:

On 8/24/17 11:33 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 07:57:34 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:


Oh, please. If it makes you feel happier to rationalize the assistance
you gave to the military-industrial complex that was involved in killing
hundreds of thousands of SE Asians, hey, go for it. Nothing this country
did in the war against Vietnam served our country.


So, maybe you might have considered serving in the military but only if
it was in total peacetime? Figures.

No not a chance. Harry is older than me and it WAS peace time when I
joined (64 reporting Jan 65). LBJ had just told us he would be keeping
us out of the Vietnam conflict.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/johnson%20vietnam%20lie.mp3

Harry was hiding behind his 2-S



More of your nonsense.

Nonsense is you posting things like the above without saying which
part was "nonsense".
I understand that if you registered as 2-S they were not going to
draft you.
It is also true that your chance of having to go to SE asia in 1962-3
when you were 18 was nil. It was a volunteer job then and most of the
people there were some kind of special ops that you would not have
qualified for anyway. By the time of the Gulf of Tonkin lie, you would
be in college with a GI Bill scholarship.



It is nonsense to state I was hiding behind a student status. Like
millions of young men my age, I went to college. I didn't go to college
to avoid the draft or military service, just as I didn't consider
college a trade school. Virtually everyone I knew from my high school
and several others went to college.

On 8/24/17 2:43 PM, True North wrote:
On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 21:00:56 UTC-3, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 6:38 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 5:36 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 12:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 11:02 AM, wrote:
This article offers some interesting insights into some of the issues
behind the recent naval collisions:

http://gcaptain.com/separate-equal-look-officer-training-us-navy-merchant-marine/


They make the point that many, if not most, US naval officers regard
sea duty as something that must be endured on the way to higher rank,
as opposed to a career goal in and of itself.

My wife and I once met a recently promoted US Coast Guard admiral who
expressed exactly those sentiments in a conversation with us.Â* We were
surprised by both the attitude and the candor but that was probably a
reflection of our inexperience with such things.



I don't know of anyone who was in the Navy, officer or enlisted, who
relished sea duty.


Then why sign up for it? One might think that if one is signing up for
the navy, one relishes the idea of serving on a ship at sea.



Reason number one:Â* It was Navy or the Army.

Actually, the Navy is much, much more than just ships at sea.Â* There's a
vast system for communications, aircraft squadrons, INTEL facilities,
administration, logistics and supply facilities that support the mission
of the Navy and the fleet.Â*Â* I don't know the breakdown butÂ* I believe
that far more Navy personnel are assigned to shore duty stations at any
one time than assigned to ships.

Typically, the rotation is three years of sea duty and then three years
of shore duty.Â* But it's more complicated than that because some
overseas shore duty may be counted as sea duty for rotational purposes.
I was actually on ships for three years but had two tours overseas that
also counted as sea duty.Â* My only duty that did not count as sea duty
was time in schools and my last duty station in Annapolis.





Yeah, I know the navy is more than just ships at sea, but...why would
you join the navy unless you were into ships at sea?

Funny you should ask that. I had a niece and a nephew's significant other who both joined the navy. Both were trying to find ways to avoid sea duty after a couple long deployments and especially after kids arrived. One had the navy pay her way through nursing school right here in Halifax.


One of life's absurdities...join a force that sends you to sea and then
try to get out of it. Love it.

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:43:25 -0700 (PDT), True North wrote:

On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 21:00:56 UTC-3, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 6:38 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 5:36 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 12:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 11:02 AM, wrote:
This article offers some interesting insights into some of the issues
behind the recent naval collisions:

http://gcaptain.com/separate-equal-look-officer-training-us-navy-merchant-marine/


They make the point that many, if not most, US naval officers regard
sea duty as something that must be endured on the way to higher rank,
as opposed to a career goal in and of itself.

My wife and I once met a recently promoted US Coast Guard admiral who
expressed exactly those sentiments in a conversation with us.* We were
surprised by both the attitude and the candor but that was probably a
reflection of our inexperience with such things.



I don't know of anyone who was in the Navy, officer or enlisted, who
relished sea duty.


Then why sign up for it? One might think that if one is signing up for
the navy, one relishes the idea of serving on a ship at sea.



Reason number one:* It was Navy or the Army.

Actually, the Navy is much, much more than just ships at sea.* There's a
vast system for communications, aircraft squadrons, INTEL facilities,
administration, logistics and supply facilities that support the mission
of the Navy and the fleet.** I don't know the breakdown but* I believe
that far more Navy personnel are assigned to shore duty stations at any
one time than assigned to ships.

Typically, the rotation is three years of sea duty and then three years
of shore duty.* But it's more complicated than that because some
overseas shore duty may be counted as sea duty for rotational purposes.
I was actually on ships for three years but had two tours overseas that
also counted as sea duty.* My only duty that did not count as sea duty
was time in schools and my last duty station in Annapolis.





Yeah, I know the navy is more than just ships at sea, but...why would
you join the navy unless you were into ships at sea?

Funny you should ask that. I had a niece and a nephew's significant other who both joined the navy. Both were trying to find ways to avoid sea duty after a couple long deployments and especially after kids arrived. One had the navy pay her way through nursing school right here in Halifax.

Apparently they were not 'into ships at sea', eh?

On 8/24/2017 4:23 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/24/17 2:43 PM, True North wrote:
On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 21:00:56 UTC-3, Keyser SozeÂ* wrote:
On 8/23/17 6:38 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 5:36 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 12:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 11:02 AM, wrote:
This article offers some interesting insights into some of the
issues
behind the recent naval collisions:

http://gcaptain.com/separate-equal-look-officer-training-us-navy-merchant-marine/



They make the point that many, if not most, US naval officers regard
sea duty as something that must be endured on the way to higher
rank,
as opposed to a career goal in and of itself.

My wife and I once met a recently promoted US Coast Guard admiral
who
expressed exactly those sentiments in a conversation with us.Â* We
were
surprised by both the attitude and the candor but that was
probably a
reflection of our inexperience with such things.



I don't know of anyone who was in the Navy, officer or enlisted, who
relished sea duty.


Then why sign up for it? One might think that if one is signing up for
the navy, one relishes the idea of serving on a ship at sea.



Reason number one:Â* It was Navy or the Army.

Actually, the Navy is much, much more than just ships at sea.
There's a
vast system for communications, aircraft squadrons, INTEL facilities,
administration, logistics and supply facilities that support the
mission
of the Navy and the fleet.Â*Â* I don't know the breakdown butÂ* I believe
that far more Navy personnel are assigned to shore duty stations at any
one time than assigned to ships.

Typically, the rotation is three years of sea duty and then three years
of shore duty.Â* But it's more complicated than that because some
overseas shore duty may be counted as sea duty for rotational purposes.
I was actually on ships for three years but had two tours overseas that
also counted as sea duty.Â* My only duty that did not count as sea duty
was time in schools and my last duty station in Annapolis.





Yeah, I know the navy is more than just ships at sea, but...why would
you join the navy unless you were into ships at sea?

Funny you should ask that. I had a niece and a nephew's significant
other who both joined the navy.Â* Both were trying to find ways to
avoid sea duty after a couple long deployments and especially after
kids arrived.Â* One had the navy pay her way through nursing school
right here in Halifax.


One of life's absurdities...join a force that sends you to sea and then
try to get out of it. Love it.


I admit, it is amusing to read your comments on a subject that you have
absolutely no knowledge of. Tooling around on Long Island Sound or on
the Chesapeake Bay on "YO HO" isn't exactly like being at sea on a ship
that runs out of fresh water on the second day of a six month cruise and
breakfast consists of powdered eggs, coffee or Bug Juice.

You've never experienced "Channel Fever" either.

On 8/24/17 5:51 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/24/2017 4:23 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/24/17 2:43 PM, True North wrote:
On Wednesday, 23 August 2017 21:00:56 UTC-3, Keyser SozeÂ* wrote:
On 8/23/17 6:38 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 5:36 PM, Keyser Soze wrote:
On 8/23/17 12:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/23/2017 11:02 AM, wrote:
This article offers some interesting insights into some of the
issues
behind the recent naval collisions:

http://gcaptain.com/separate-equal-look-officer-training-us-navy-merchant-marine/



They make the point that many, if not most, US naval officers
regard
sea duty as something that must be endured on the way to higher
rank,
as opposed to a career goal in and of itself.

My wife and I once met a recently promoted US Coast Guard
admiral who
expressed exactly those sentiments in a conversation with us.
We were
surprised by both the attitude and the candor but that was
probably a
reflection of our inexperience with such things.



I don't know of anyone who was in the Navy, officer or enlisted, who
relished sea duty.


Then why sign up for it? One might think that if one is signing up
for
the navy, one relishes the idea of serving on a ship at sea.



Reason number one:Â* It was Navy or the Army.

Actually, the Navy is much, much more than just ships at sea.
There's a
vast system for communications, aircraft squadrons, INTEL facilities,
administration, logistics and supply facilities that support the
mission
of the Navy and the fleet.Â*Â* I don't know the breakdown butÂ* I believe
that far more Navy personnel are assigned to shore duty stations at
any
one time than assigned to ships.

Typically, the rotation is three years of sea duty and then three
years
of shore duty.Â* But it's more complicated than that because some
overseas shore duty may be counted as sea duty for rotational
purposes.
I was actually on ships for three years but had two tours overseas
that
also counted as sea duty.Â* My only duty that did not count as sea duty
was time in schools and my last duty station in Annapolis.





Yeah, I know the navy is more than just ships at sea, but...why would
you join the navy unless you were into ships at sea?

Funny you should ask that. I had a niece and a nephew's significant
other who both joined the navy.Â* Both were trying to find ways to
avoid sea duty after a couple long deployments and especially after
kids arrived.Â* One had the navy pay her way through nursing school
right here in Halifax.


One of life's absurdities...join a force that sends you to sea and
then try to get out of it. Love it.


I admit, it is amusing to read your comments on a subject that you have
absolutely no knowledge of.Â* Tooling around on Long Island Sound or on
the Chesapeake Bay on "YO HO" isn't exactly like being at sea on a ship
that runs out of fresh water on the second day of a six month cruise and
breakfast consists of powdered eggs, coffee or Bug Juice.

You've never experienced "Channel Fever" either.


Yeah, like it is really complex and secretive, right? I understand that
if you sign up, the military will assign you where it has needs or where
you might have abilities, but to join up so you can serve in an office
building or on a dock? Meh.

In article n8mdnZuv57TM1wLEnZ2dnUU7-
,
says...


I admit, it is amusing to read your comments on a subject that you have
absolutely no knowledge of. Tooling around on Long Island Sound or on
the Chesapeake Bay on "YO HO" isn't exactly like being at sea on a ship
that runs out of fresh water on the second day of a six month cruise and
breakfast consists of powdered eggs, coffee or Bug Juice.

You've never experienced "Channel Fever" either.

What do they use to make bug juice?

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 19:50:57 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

What do they use to make bug juice?

===

Bug Juice is any powdered drink like Kool-Aid.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 22:07:07 -0400,
wrote:

On Thu, 24 Aug 2017 19:50:57 -0500, Boating All Out
wrote:

What do they use to make bug juice?

===

Bug Juice is any powdered drink like Kool-Aid.


The CG fed us better ;-)