When I was a mid (he said, impervious to the sound of four thousand young people’s groans) there were two qualifications required to get a billet for flight school in Pensacola: An adequate GPA – this was, after all, a competitive process – and 20/20 vision, or better.
Believe it or not the higher hurdle was often the vision requirement, a fact for which your correspondent, who graduated solidly in the top 95% of his class, was eternally grateful. Those who whose vision did not support duties involving actual control of aircraft could do many other things, including drive pilots (naval flight officers), drive ships (blackshoes professional surface warfare officers), drive subs (?ºber-blackshoes submariners) or acquire coastal properties (Marine Corps officers).
Assignment to SEAL training was not available to graduating midshipmen in those days, SPECWAR being thought an over-specialized backwater – there was a Cold War on – and staff assignments such as the supply or medical corps were much frowned upon. In fact, I only ever knew of one guy to go supply from USNA, a brutal, rugby-playing first classman from my plebe year who claimed, by dint of numerous knee injuries on the playing pitch, to be not physically qualified for duty in the unrestricted line. Some time after graduation but before heading to supply school, his knees miraculously recovered in time for him to get physical therapy under the tender mercies of the instructors at BUD/S – Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school.
Which many of us bruited among ourselves, not always generously, had been his intention all along.
Those of us with perfect vision but imperfect study habits were quite happy to see the pool of potential aviation candidates reduced by the attrition attending to those who had spent too many late nights studying, and too few eyeing the ladies across the dance hall.
For generations, Academy graduates with high grades and bad eyes were funneled into the submarine service. But in the five years since the Naval Academy began offering free eye surgery to all midshipmen, it has missed its annual quota for supplying the Navy with submarine officers every year.
I dunno: Finish four years at the pressure cooker on the Severn, only to head down to another year and a half’s skull-packing at Nuc Power School, only to join a group that not only gleefully feasts on their young but requires the almost monastic devotion – strike that, monks aren’t quite so devoted – of a two-year CHENG tour as a prerequisite to wearing the command pin that more and more seems to be attached with explosive bolts, or…
Or dance “the skies on laughter-silvered wings.”
Which of these things?
(H/T to Eddie for the link)
Never been called “?ɬ
Never been called “über-blackshoe” before.
We’re much more deranged than that.
That’s the beauty of this job; it takes all kinds!
I have spent a couple thousand hours in the air. Zero underwater. And mean to keep it that way.
Even a Civilian/Feather Merchant can see the future, when looking at the differences between living in an underwater tube and an overwater tube!
Imagine, the C.O. of a Sub (You know, the brooding Taskmaster, with the personality of a small soap dish) Says to the Crew, “Let’s go on a Cross Country!!” That would mean a jaunt under the North Pole, stopping to pick up some Intel in Murmansk, and return. No sun, no fun.
Whereas, a young LT, having freshly made; “HAC” says, “Let’s go on a X Ctry!” With great exuberance, we fly to Key West. Stay a weekend, and return home. Sun, fun and great stories…
Which would you rather be?
P.S. If you can’t hover….
We can hover for days. At all sorts of depths.
That is what you were talking about, right?
When I was stationed in Hawaii, I wandered down to Pearl Harbor SubBase (in uniform no less) after getting off a Midz shift. I was noticed by the deck guard of the USS Honolulu who asked if I’d like a tour. I was soon being given a tour of the non-classified areas (this was around 1989) of the submarine by an Ensign who I suspect was using this as dolphin-acquisition training.
Pretty heady stuff for an Army E-4/5.
OTOH, I don’t think I’ve ever had a pilot invite me for a tour on his airplane.
DC,
I heard that. I spent just enough time in durance vile as an enlisted FTG2(SS)aboard USS Drum, code named SSN 677(an inside joke for Bubblehead), to head for flight school and the glories of unrestricted Naval Aviation without a backward glance or a second thought as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
I mean even if I’d been smart enough to go to nuke school. Or had the right major. Or good enough grades. Or passed the criminal background check.
Just right for helo’s though.
Oh, yes. The job sucks. Somebody’s got to do it.
And when the Chinese Navy tries to cross the Straits of Taiwan, or the Iranian Kilos attempt to leave port for the Straits of Hormuz or Arabian Gulf, it will be a 688 that sends them to the happy hunting grounds first.
That’s OK, CAPT. I remember when following contacts of questionable heritage without actually being able to put eyes on their carcass, just listening to their farts and snores, actually became boring about the 26th or 27th time in a couple of months. But then I did need something to do with myself besides beat my head against a nuclear reactor, didn’t I?
I’m sure I would have enjoyed the Hell out of flying on the Wings of Eagles every day, master of my own destiny for those hours aflight. But I think I’m satisfied with the knowledge of a job supremely well done, despite the admittedly less public glamour and praise. You know, we bubbleheads just love to play, “I got a secret” anyway.
I’m glad you all loved it. And you’re welcome.
Subsunk
I tired to “defuse” (HA-HA) the 33 kt mind, food-fight yesterday at milblogs with a link to same article to take some air out of the sub dudes.
They didn’t bite Lex. All those combatants kept their bullet-like shoe-bubble heads down and kept hammering away at each other. Yard arm to yard arm, their binoculars were clashing.
I’m glad you put it up where the sky’s CAVU and aviation reigns at Netunus Lex! Hey, these kids today are a lot smarter than I thought…
Subsunk- I don’t know if this is any solace to ya, but during my days as a brownshoe sub pay was about 20% higher than flight pay!
B2
OTOH, I don?
OTOH, I don’t think I’ve ever had a pilot invite me for a tour on his airplane.
SGT Jeff, I often find myself lamenting that very fact when reading Lex’s glorious stories–or catching sight of that amazing low-altitude video that’s been making the rounds lately. *sigh*
“OTOH, I don?
“OTOH, I don’t think I’ve ever had a pilot invite me for a tour on his airplane.”
I have.
While I was a cadet at the Air Force Academy, I came home one year and went straight from the airport to meet my Dad at Summer Drill (he was Army National Guard). I was talking to him at his office when one of his friends, a helo pilot, stuck his head in. After being introduced, he said “Say, we’re about to do a local proficiency flight in my Kiowa, would you like to come along?”
So, yes, it happens.
In Jamaican Accent;
“All tanks, and praises, Mon, to the great folks who serve under da see!”
No jabs aimed, or intended, at the Sub Bubba’s. You guys rock.
Just my ears hurt, everytime I think of going under the surface.
Maybe it’s just me, Lex, but did you really mean that you graduated in the top 95% of your class? Near the top or bottom of that 95%, Boss??
I mean, if I’d thought of it, I could have used that discription a few times while in college to gain a better reception from my parents from time to time.
I really did mean the top 95% of my class
Now exactly where in that august group, well: That would be telling.
One must question the idea of sending more officers to the “sleep ’till you’re hungry, eat ’till you’re tired” Navy.
My last line was cut off, it said
!ducking!
It’s a joke, son, a joke!
If y’all will permit a civilian snark …
That crack about submarine types exhibiting monkish devotion explains a lot. Such as the very nice letter sent by the submarine branch to yours truly, when I was but a lowly undergraduate physics major, inviting me to take a tour of one of the wonderous undersea machines o’ destruction and perhaps consider a career in the Navy, yes? Please? We need physicists for the glowing thing in the middle?
I have a very feminine first name. I was an undergrad mumblemumble years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth AND the subs had not gone co-ed. If only I had transportation I would have accepted the invitation to tour — I do love subs, but I love watching panic and consternation even more. Like when they realized what kind of creature “Mr.” Flowers’nRuffles really was …
Monks lead such sheltered lives, and it appears they didn’t notice universities had started letting WIMMEN in the science departments. Bwahaha!
Getting back to the vision thing, my daughter is counting on the eye surgery. She’s about 20/50 and slipping as she ages (just about 17 now.)
She just got done with the Naval Academy Summer Seminar. Now she’s even more sure she wants to go there. She’s currently in Colorado Springs checking out their Academy, but so far she hasn’t changed her mind.
B2,
Sorry to confirm a sore point then, but unless things have changed drastically, Subpay IS still about 20% higher than flight pay. There has to be some compensation for putting up with the abuse from the aviators, women, AND your own buddies. Hence the excuse, “but you get paid to be abused”. So do some practitioners of the dominant/submissive arts, however the legal “tender” is not the same color and has fewer fringe benefits in the Submarine Force.
Just so everyone knows, officially, there are still no women permanently stationed on submarines. There are no berthing facilities for them, and thus they remain the only non coeducational portion of the Navy besides the SEALs. Now what we do with the mermaids is a different story. I’m certain bad cat robot would be welcome to the mermaids quarters, although the cat might find them somewhat cramped.
Subsunk out.
…and not all guys wearing dolphins get continuous sub pay or the nuke bonus.
Which, by the way, is not exactly preferable.
so am i to understand that they haven’t figured out the concept of “forced branching” of the firsties in order to fill min quotas??
perhaps the boys on the Severn could learn a lesson from us Hudson Highlanders on how to mandatory fill the “less desirable” billets.
’sunk-
Not a sore point at all with me..y’all deserve more pay to take all that math, go into a tube underwater and never get a suntan…
If you meet (game?) your gates right (like I’m sure my man Lex has), you can collect flight pay until retirement.
BTW, I know nothing about any “dominant/submissive arts” and legal tender stuff and don’t think I want to….
B2
cold sore fact…
So far, the search for a holistic cold sore cure has been unsuccessful…