In the Navy!

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura) 03/26/2019 at 14:32 • Filed to: None

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

All enlisted sailors can wear gold service stripes after 12 years of service. This is a great photo, as well, IMHO, but I wish it reflected more diversity.

MonkeePuzzle > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 14:35

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I can photoshop some blackface if you like? but that seems a bad idea

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 14:40

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The person who complained about the two different colors (a musician!) gave all the negative reasons behind having two colors. Seems to me that the positive of being rewarded for not being a screwup should weigh in the decision too.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 03/26/2019 at 14:41

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Photo was taken in DC, which is pretty close to VA. So....okay?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MonkeePuzzle 03/26/2019 at 14:57

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Your reply seems like a bad idea.

lone_liberal > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 14:57

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Wait, how can you tell the senior fuckups now? If a guy has made first class three times why does he get gold stripes?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 03/26/2019 at 14:58

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The little things mean a lot when retention is at stake.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > lone_liberal 03/26/2019 at 15:00

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Like I just told Ttyymmnn: the little things mean a lot when retention is at stake.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 03/26/2019 at 15:11

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See, I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn’t the better way to go have been to create some mechanism for a sailor to work his way out of the scarlet letter status? That would preserve the reward for the gold stripe earners and incentivize the others.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 03/26/2019 at 15:18

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In my line of work, and I imagine you see it too, there are so many young students who come up with pats on the back and gold stars that, not only is it hard to find the wheat amongst the chaff, the chaff also believes that they are wheat. It is possible to tell people that they aren’t up to standards without demoralizing them and,  if a student gets demoralized when they see the what the standard is, perhaps they are in the wrong field . I see no problem with saying, “The bar is here, and you aren’t there. Yet.”

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 03/26/2019 at 15:29

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Agreed.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:33

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BUUULLLLLLLSSSSSHHHHHHIIIIIITTTTTT!

Also, the little things mean a lot when retention professionalism is at stake. This is the Navy equivalent of not awarding first place and everyone gets a participation trophy.  

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > MonkeePuzzle 03/26/2019 at 15:37

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https://www.independent.ie/ca/sport/german-football-club-photoshop-team-picture-to-blackface-in-support-of-racially-abused-players-34588218.html

lol.  Christ...this world

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/26/2019 at 15:38

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Tell us how you really feel. I can see both sides of it. People make mistakes and are branded for life is how I see it. Then again, it’s the Navy and mistakes are how you don’t get you or your ship mate killed.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:43

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Squids

MonkeePuzzle > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/26/2019 at 15:43

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oh my!

the blondness of one could not be overridden! 

MonkeePuzzle > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:44

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it was both a bad idea AND topical!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/26/2019 at 15:45

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REMF

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:47

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Thanks for the ride! 

Radarjeremy > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:49

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I just retired out of the Navy 2 years ago. I had previously served in the Army. At one point in my career I had over 12 years of service and was still wearing red stripes due to the"continuous Naval service" clause in the regs. Every time I wore dress blues I had to explain why I was a second class with that many service stripes and no NJPs on my record. Having two different types of good conduct medals was always an interesting conversation as well, if anyone ever noticed.

Sovande > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/26/2019 at 15:55

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There's plenty of diversity. One of those whitebread midwesterners is wearing glasses. 

benn454 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/26/2019 at 16:02

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Oof. The Germans should know better given their...unsavory history. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > benn454 03/26/2019 at 16:04

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Crimes against humanity like this:

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Radarjeremy 03/26/2019 at 16:05

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That kind of stuff matters. A lot. I knew a guy in the Army who had a Navy Good Conduct ribbon and he kept a copy of the orders in his pocket at every inspection to show the inspecting officer if he or she asked.

benn454 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 03/26/2019 at 16:09

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“Hey, Klaus?”

“Ja, Hans?”

“I feel a Reich coming on. Let’s invade Poland!”

“Wunderbar! I'll bring the schnitzel!"

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ttyymmnn 03/26/2019 at 22:59

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I’m reminded this on Marshall. I think as a society we do a really poor job in focusing on the upward projection, with any leveling or demerit decimating.

ttyymmnn > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 03/26/2019 at 23:33

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That was fascinating, thanks. I watched from your time stamp to the end, and I’m going to watch the first half tomorrow. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/27/2019 at 09:51

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One of the best pieces of advice I got before I went into the Navy was there are 3 keys to military success: be on time, keep your uniform neat and hair cut, and don’t get a DUI. If you can do those 3 things you’re already ahead of at least half the people. So I think there’s a sound argument that “gold” is a bit of a farce in the first place, you’re essentially getting something special for just doing your job. You can be a moron mouth breather, mediocre sailor, even a shit sandwich, but as long as you follow the 3 rules above, don’t go to mast, and can get promoted out past 12 years, you’re on track to wear gold. So what does that actually say about the character and ability of someone with gold ? Not too much.

Conversely, many people who have gotten in enough trouble to not be able to wear gold and have gone on to successful Naval careers. The joke when I was in was that you HAD to go to Captain’s Mast before you could make Chief. Not wearing gold doesn’t hamper your promotion eligibility (i mean, your screw up might, but not the color of your stripes) , change your pay, or anything else. Again, it’s just for show, there’s no tangible effect.

I’m generally not in favor of stepping on tradition just “ because”, and that’s how I’m viewing this decision. However, in an attempt to be a reasonable person and provide solutions instead of just bitching, I would propose a compromise - you get gold after 12 continuous years of good service, at any given time. So you join the Navy and are a straight arrow? At 12 years you’re wearing gold. Maybe you have a little trouble adjusting and at year 2 you do something dumb and go to mast? Well, as long as you straighten up and fly right after that, boom, you’re getting gold at 14. Now lets say you go to mast at year 10 or something- a t that point in your naval career should have known better... you’re not geting gold. Too bad.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/27/2019 at 11:13

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Good thoughts. You might also factor in a bit of thought on the current generation and how that might play into this decision. I’m not saying that it should, or how it might, but simply that it may.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/27/2019 at 11:45

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Thanks. And I agree, there’s a generational shift happening in the service. And I try hard not to be the “crusty old guy” who’s just constantly going “back in my day, we had it so much worse! you all are a bunch of cry babies now!”. This change, and a ton of others, have happened and are going to continue to happen. In this case I don’t think it’s worth fighting because, even though I disagree with it, I also don’t see it as being hugely significant to the operation of the Navy one way or the other. Part of getting older and wiser is learning to pick and choose your battles.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/27/2019 at 13:28

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Are you still in? When did you serve? What is your age now?

I’m 54.75 and I was active Army from ‘84-90. Got out as a sergeant, E-5. That last year, when I wore NCO stripes, was a great year.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/27/2019 at 13:34

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I was born towards the end of 84, so when you were in boot camp I was probably still in the womb.

I was in from 2004 to 2010. I also got out as a Second Class Petty Officer, also an E-5. I was a submariner - a reactor electrician on a fast attack submarine.

Now I’m back to working for the Navy, doing submarine testing, but as a filthy federal civilian. Twice the pay, half the hours. Life is good.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/27/2019 at 14:43

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Is fast attack the same as hunter/killer? Those are small subs, right? Hot bunks?

I’ve watched a couple of television shows about submarine life and found them greatly fascinating. One thing is certain: if I were in the Navy, I’d get very fat.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/28/2019 at 13:04

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Fast boats are the “hunter/killers”, their job is to seek out enemy subs and ships and torpedo them, though most all the newer boats have a few vertical launch tubes for Tomahawk cruise missiles, giving them some land strike capability. Fast boats are ~350 ft long, 33 ft in diameter, and if you’re a junior crew memeber, you’re hot racking. The ballistic missile subs are much bigger, over 500 ft long and 50 ft in diameter, and everyone gets their own bed.

They are absolutely amazing machines. It’s probably the next craziest thing to being an astronaut - you just worry about being crushed instead of torn apart by vacuum.

if I were in the Navy, I’d get very fat.

Submarine food is the best food in the Navy, by far. And being fat is (sometimes) okay , if you’re in a critically undermanned rating you can get a wavier ! We had reactor chemist onboard who was huge, I mean he was tall, like 6'1, but he had to be pushing 300lbs. But that’s such a hard billet to fill, so they kept giving him waviers.

What did you do in the Army?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Snuze: Needs another Swede 03/28/2019 at 15:11

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What did you do in the Army?

I got fat. And they harassed me about it endlessly. Thing is, I wasn’t really very fat, just had a body type that didn’t do well on their fat scale.

I enlisted as a 52C, utilities equipment repairer . Required high ASVAB scores to get that MOS (billet). I was all set to be an attack helicopter repairer , but whilst I was on delayed entry, I got a DUI, so there went aviation. Probably would have been much more fun. Thing was, both units where I was assigned, there was no work for that MOS. So my first hitch, I was a company clerk and the second hitch I was in charge of petroleum, oil and lubricants for the battalion. That gave me lots of autonomy, but if we’d ever seen combat, very risky. I was in Louisiana from ‘84-87 and in Germany from 88-90.