Submerged Submariners and Surprises

There can be little doubt that alarms requiring emergency responses (real and practice) are stressful for submariners. Imagine being awakened from overdue sleep to the daily sounds of dreaded alarms.

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We probably had 2 unannounced drills per week. Perhaps once every other month, we might have an announced drill. Practice drills competed with real emergencies. If we had just had a real fire, there would be little need for a drill unless there had been a major screw up (never happened). The conclusion of every drill and real emergency response was the same: the critique on what went well, and what should have been done better.

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Fire, flooding, radiation, and critical equipment failures of one kind or another are only the norm. What submariner has never experienced a real collision or man overboard alarm?

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Submarine missions are destined to become more complex in just a few years. Added stress will not be beneficial to anyone. Add females to the mix, and some will inevitably be Muslim. In the United States, Islam is the fastest growing religion, a trend fueled mostly by immigration. There are 5 million to 7 million Muslims in the United States. They make up between 10,000 and 20,000 members of the American military - American Forces Press Service , Islam Growing in America, U.S. Military, WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2001.

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Consider that one of the obstacles for some Muslim women serving in the U.S. military is that commanders may authorize them to wear the hijab (headscarf) or not. Some commanders do, while others do not.

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HIJAB IN THE WORKPLACE Q&A:

Q. Why is Islamic dress becoming an issue for personnel managers and supervisors?

A: The Muslim community in American is growing rapidly. Growth factors include conversions to Islam, immigration from Muslim countries and high birth rates for Muslim families. As the community grows, more Muslim women will enter the work force. In many cases, these women wish both to work and to maintain their religious convictions. It should be possible to fulfill both goals.

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Will it be a problem? M.E. does not believe so, in fact it is probably seen by Obama as an opportunity.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.