Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Never Forget the Submariners When You Hear "Happy Thanksgiving!"

The photo vividly describes what he is talking about. At 27 April, 2007 18:22, Subvet said (here) ...
I'm reminded of my last command, USS Archerfish SSN 678, when we were training with a SEAL team. We had their senior enlisted man (also their #1 sniper) wanting to learn how to be a planesman. After getting trained up he was given the final "grilling" that was standard for all nonquals. This included donning an EAB with the lights out in Control, shifting to emergency on the stern planes and rudder while transiting to the periscope depth. Tough sure, but I believe we've all "been there, done that", no? When he was finally relieved his first comment (said with a colossal grin) was, "You f****ers are crazy!" Rather a bit of a compliment, don't ya think?

And at 27 April, 2007 16:30, SonarMan had said...
On submarines, when the shit hits the fan, there's only one way to run... Right into it. Nobody with a living brain cell can ever, ever call a submarine sailor a coward just because he's not dodging bullets somewhere.

More to remember about submariners sacrifices:




We had one crewman need a sedative when a practice, MK 45 ASTOR dented our superstructure (in a friendly 'attack' exercise) just inches from the rack where he had been sleeping. A 'nuclear torpedo' hit that close and personal was an alarm clock from hell for him. As you might imagine, we found humor and thought what our own reactions would have been. - Vigilis

We never had to go off station because we couldn't fix or adapt to a broken piece of equipment. We never had to go off station because someone got hurt or because of family problems back home... You, the men of the Augusta, fixed it when it got broken and you, the families of Augusta, handled problems as they arose and made sure the ship could continue to perform, ‘Any Mission, Any Time,' ” Haumer said. “I thank you.” - Cmdr. Mike A. Haumer, CO, USS Augusta (SSN-710)

"The Submarine Force is important to the defense of our national interests. It has the only truly stealthy platforms in our armed services and is the heart of our strategic nuclear deterrent." - Retired Admiral Bruce DeMars

Extreme Creatures ...
Who suffer no attrition upon news their kind are sunk,
Who endure sunless weeks on end in want of their own bunk.

Disturbed from precious sleep by those dreaded, alarming sounds,
When the latest hazard has sprung out of its nearby bounds.
Sacrifices are certain for these devoted volunteers,
Qualifications demanded by a jury of their peers.

In clear illustration of “24-7’s” meaning,
There is no phoning home during silent submarining.
- Juan Caruso Davenport HM1(SS) (nom de plume)

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2 Comments:

At 21 November, 2007 22:16, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I appreciate the quote. Many thanks.

 
At 21 November, 2007 23:41, Blogger Subvet said...

Thanks for the reference. Happy Thanksgiving to you also.

 

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