Watching the PBS special “Carrier” makes me feel like I’m back on the boat. Hungry, tired and horny in other words. All at the same time. They could have merely called it “Work” and saved me the effort of watching. It’s a good thing I TiVo’d it, because that allows me to hit “Stop” and answer questions from the Hobbit every so often. Which is pretty much continuously. For the life of me, I cannot imagine how someone could spend a quarter century married to a naval aviator and not understand how the holdback bar differs from the launch bar, or the distinction between the Air Boss and the Air Ops Officer.
I can only blame myself.
I watched the series out of sequence, so I saw the second episode first. Wherein the Senior Sailor of the Quarter – and a ship’s SAVI representative – ends up ruining what was looking to be promising career by making the beast with an overserved aviation ordnanceman. In one fell – pretty dern fell – swoop, he traded a stripe, half a month’s pay (for two months), 45 days restriction and 45 days extra duty against the very real possibility of cracking rocks in Leavenworth had herself leaned only a very little way in another direction and lodged rape charges. Oh, and racist-boy drums himself out of the service with an OTH, trading a six month deployment for the promise of a lifetime in the food service or gasoline attendant industries.
We all make choices.
“Warts and all,” I’d predicted, but this was looking pretty much like “all warts,” at least until I saw episode one. If you’ve ever lived through a farewell at the pier, you never forget the emotions which go along with it. Ever. As for opinions on the GWOT strategy, it seems to me that the PBS producers strove more to strike a balance than represent the weight of shipboard opinion, but that’s sheerly conjectural. It’s very easy for a young person to say that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, but it takes a bit more for the average 19-year old sailor – who was 14 years old when all of this started and only 12 on September 11th, 2001 – to eloquently enunciate the facts that, 1) Yes, we knew that, and 2) Saddam had to go anyway. Even some relatively senior naval officers can’t seem to wrap their minds around that notion.
I blame the school system.
Caught up (I think) last night and – stirred by Michelle, who’s running an interesting commentary of her own – thought about the whole “nobody got to drop” language that sounds so foreign to the non-attack pilot ear. I came as close as I could to describing the emotions of the professional aviator – that is, someone for whom arduous training is his life, deterrence is an activity, but destruction is a profession – executing his mission here and here.
Half the Navy went to war in 1991, meaning half did not. Half the Navy went to war again in 2002-2003, meaning once again that half did not. In those separate halves that did not go to war in Iraq (or in Bosnia, for that matter), there is significant overlap. Which means that roughly 60-70% of currently serving attack pilots that have been around for a while have seen the beast – and proven themselves – while 30-40% have yet to do so. No one ever talks about this, but it is always there: Every sea story brings up an answering sea story, but when a warrior tells a tale of combat, those who have not shared in that bloody baptism have no reply.
Killing changes you, in more ways than one.
That’s all I have to say about that.
I’d submit that there is actually a diversity of opinion on the Iraq War within the Navy and as the previous commenter pointed out simply shows that the Navy is a cross section of American society. It should not matter if someone thinks the Iraq war was a mistake so long as he ( and , sigh, now she) shows up for work on time. That should be the only thing that matters. It does not make them any less thoughtful or less discerning so long as they do their jobs .
After all I spent 8 months in the Indian Ocean in 1981 and almost got killed in a mishap off the catapult-boring holes in the water and air. A lot of posters to this list did the same and probably did not have a high opinion of why they were doing it. However they still did their jobs-which is the only thing that matters on a CV if you ask me.
Just remember:
“A complaining Sailor is a happy Sailor”
When I wore the Blue Shirt, I was the happiest Sailor in the Fleet!
In contrast to what is being aired, take a read at CAPT. J.W. van Tol’s (USN) Naval Institute article. Puts a different light on such shenanigans.
In general I was not too upset with the proportion of complaining in Carriers. Although my experience of carriers is a middie cruise on the Big O, followed by tin cans while on active duty, I didn’t think the bitching was much different than the transition-to-peacetime Navy of the 70s, in which I served. Given that there’s a war on, that is actually pretty remarkable. After all, a sailor who isn’t griping isn’t happy.
Interestingly, judging from what O’Brian has written in the Aubrey-Maturin series, that’s a universal, or at least a trait, like so many others, we inherited from the British Navy. For these reasons it didn’t seem unrealistic or biased.
Agree that more non-air department personnel could have been shown. Perhaps they have enough footage for a sequel.
Thanks Lex for the post and to all for your comments. Very interesting to a guy who’s only link to the military is a brother who flew P-3 Orions out of Jacksonville eons ago.
For lots of interesting reading on the series and how they planned it and selected sailors to feature, see the PBS website and the producers and directors diaries.
They were able to do a sort of pre-cruise cruise to see what would be involved and meet sailors they might want to feature.
As noted by Oyster, one female involved seemed biased from the start, but most of the film folks seem to admire the Navy and all in it.
Too bad a laughing comment to the effect that ‘a sailor that ain’t complaining ain’t happy’ from one of the senior officers wasn’t included.
So, just out of curiosity, these folks that have pretty specific specialties (like the ones that work on the arresting gear): what to they do when they’re not on deployment?
Oyster, perhaps you may look back and laugh at your young self and your young peers for not quite grasping the big picture, but I would submit that this is a never-ending process (until you’re dead, I suppose). In ten years time, you’ll probably look back at what you’re saying now and also laugh that you didn’t know jack.
I wouldn’t dismiss what the young’uns have to say so readily. Perhaps what we see as naive proclamations are actually quite succinct observations free from spin and framing. Perhaps they can actually see through the built-up BS and conditioning and rationalizing that older adults have accumulated over the years. Make no mistake, we all have a slant (including me) that we consider to be True, but at the end of the day, it’s just a slant. I consider it a sign of real wisdom when a guy is perceptive enough to see that he himself is full of crap and doesn’t take himself too seriously.
As for the quote from Pamela Yates, I’m not sure if that was meant to demonstrate a subtle or not-so-subtle anti-GWOT stance, but I happen to agree with her comments. It has been “one long bitter tragedy filled with death” with an “erosion of our civil liberties”–but perhaps it’s a necessary tragedy and one that’s worth the price that’s being paid. It’s probably unlikely that was her real point, but one can never truly know unless you happened to be her. And this is her opinion, not the director’s opinion, which is the one opinion that ultimately matters.
Senior D- “A Complaining Sailor is a Happy Sailor” You know since you mention it. I am most certain that most of these folks do love their jobs. I am afraid that I didn’t put much thought into my initial comment about complaining. I would be moved to think if I were in their shoes I would be doing a lot more griping. Seriously, that is why they call what they are doing “Sacrifice” So my apologies for coming across so insensitively. Matter of fact, I should know better, I hear all about it from the hubby.
VMaximus- About the Redhead LOL! I LOVED her too. (maybe not the same way as you though) she just had such a bubbly personality that just radiated from her glowing eyes. Seemed like a WONDERFUL mother that really loved her family. My heart really went out to her.
Jim C.- My heart was broken for that Ordinance guy too. Unfortunately that kind of thing is VERY common within military life. That is a sad reality. I think after watching the last episode it finally hit home for me. I think a lot of the “depth” it seemed to be lacking was the showing forth of emotions that folks were feeling DURING cruise. They finally brought the emotional side of Cruise to light in the last episode and I must admit I was a sobbing mess by the end of the two hours
Thanks Lex for the great thread here. I have enjoyed reading the comments as well as others.
Jessica,
Exactly. Right.
(I have always been partial to redheads) (before it turned gray I was a ginger too)
And I hated the fact that her ex was playing with the kids, and sent very ill thoughts his way.
I was shocked to find that I had set my DVR to only record 2, so it had erased all of the previous episodes. I guess I will have to send them the $30 for the dvd
Dave,
A lot of them get cross decked to other ships that are short on people.
For anyone who wants a second look, the local PBS station says they’re airing the CARRIER marathon on Saturday starting at 10 EST.
Check your listings, you might get lucky.
Thanks Bruce,
it is on here also, I set my DVR.
My one concern w/Carrier was that it may have give away a major secret – that we were already flying UAV’s off carriers and that they were involved in the most complex missions like electronic attack, AEW/battle management, even carrier on-board delivery….
- SJS
Regarding the idea that a bitching sailor is a happy sailor, that’s not always true. Depends upon what he or she is bitching about. If it’s at all related to their ability to perform their duties, that’s not a happy sailor. If it’s the length of the chow line or other such trivia, that’s a happy sailor.
People will always find some time in their day to complain about something. If My Good Wife is complaining because I didn’t put the seat down or let the dog in with muddy paws, that’s a good thing — means we still have food, clothing, a roof over our heads and money in the checking account.
If she’s complaining that we don’t have a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, clothing for winter or any money, she’s got a real point.
Soldiers of any service are kind of like that. They’ll dislike something, and vent about it, but until it impacts their jobs it’s all friendly.
– Max
As a not too distantly removed from active duty member of the Goat Locker, I’d have to say that from my eye it seems that the Chiefs Mess made a collective decision to maintain a healthy distance from the film-makers. The only shot of the Mess was in the first episode, when the CO was speaking to the Chiefs. I like that, it’s the whole “what’s seen here, what’s said here, what’s heard here, stays here mystery of the mess! They sure did spend a bit of time in the Wardroom though… ha ha!
As for the CMC being “annoying”, that may be the understatement of the year.
For the life of me, I cannot imagine how someone could spend a quarter century married to a naval aviator and not understand how the holdback bar differs from the launch bar, or the distinction between the Air Boss and the Air Ops Officer.Take heart. I spent a career in photofinishing engineering. One day, I opened up the back of a Yashica D and took the film out of it. The wife was moved to ask what is that, and where are the pictures?
“For the life of me, I cannot imagine how someone could spend a quarter century married to a naval aviator and not understand how the holdback bar differs from the launch bar, or the distinction between the Air Boss and the Air Ops Officer.”
Take heart. I spent a career in photofinishing engineering. One day, I opened up the back of a Yashica D and took the film out of it. The wife was moved to ask what is that, and where are the pictures?
SteveC @34 said:
Nose: A man who doesn’t appreciate hockey should be careful about saying so in public – it’s a strike against your manhood.
Ah…a guy who gets it!! Thanks for that, Steve.
And Nose… that was pretty danged mild. I was expecting a LOT worse.
Air Matters, obviously I agree that the learning process is continuous. My intent was not to, as you put it, “dismiss” the opinions of the younger members of the crew but merely to point out that much of what we’ve been seeing is reflective of society at large. And our society, like the Navy’s, is comprised of people from all walks.
With regard to any possible bias, it’s not exclusively the director’s opinion that matters. As you yourself said, what gets cut is up to the director “and whomever else the director includes in the decision-making process.” So, Ms. Yates could most certainly have had influence, no?
That said, it didn’t appear to me that there was any blatant bias in the series. (although I thought the out-of-focus bar scene of the Australian girl’s leftist rant was gratuitous and came close to the threshold of “piling on.” I would like to have been a fly on the wall when the decision was made to include that clip)
With regard to your agreement with Ms. Yates’ opinion of our post-911 world, everyday I keep hearing about how our civil liberties are being eroded. But dang it all, I can’t think of a single civil liberty of mine that’s any different than it was before those 19 freaks flew airplanes into our buildings. But then, I live out here in flyover country. So maybe you could share how yours have been eroded. After all, I’m always trying to get the bigger picture.
I thought that the shows were pretty well done, but I think they played too much on the war-doubting opinions of the VERY junior Enlisted’s and not very much of the opinion’s of some of the older/wiser’s that knew better.
I concur that the VFA-41 Skipper would’ve been a good guy to serve with.
Also, as shitty as going on Cruise would be, it shows that those Aviator’s have the best jobs in the mil. The others, not so much.
Overall I agree with previous poster 3 out of 4.
For me it basically validated my career. My enlisted time, FR – YN2, bitched a lot, hated everything about the boat (CORALS SEA), the work, the hours, being dirty, being a mushroom, etc. Later I realized it was the best of times, wouldn’t trade them for the world, and if anyone badmouthed my boat, we’d be trading knuckles. Also realized that back then, really had no idea what the hell I was talking about, kinda like the junior guys on the NIMITZ. Later, as an O, had a little better picture, still bitched a lot, tried to make life better for my Es. Then working at the Pentagon, realized even more that the guys on the boat (Es and Os) unless very senior, had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what they were taking about. Now I’m retired and realize that overall it was the best of times, worst of times, Made best frieds forever, wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Think there was definitely a little slant to the show. Agree, a little too much time on a couple of guys that on the boat provide entertainment, but not the average by any means. Wish we’d have seen more of the other departments but like someone said, maybe enough footage for a sequel.
Claudio