Just Call Me Augie Farks

DISCLAIMER: PG-13 entry (Sorry Ma and Momma H.)

So much of our job as sailors is preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. It can feel, at times, like Live Action Role Playing (LARP). Drill after drill we drill again. Often running drills into the evening or right away in the morning after a midnight watch. Firefighting, HAZMAT, flooding, live gun shoots, medical emergencies, missile firing scenarios, force protection, man over-board, and engine failures. All of which have little chance of happening, on a scale that would be detrimental, thus making it all too easy to become complacent. However, we are in a situation now, that may make us take on these drills with more motivation.

It's time to re-fuel. Plan A has fallen through and plan B...well, plan B is 4 days away. 4 days... This isn't your run of the mill I got a flat tire-call dad type of scale. This is there is no one to help for multiple days and hundreds of miles, DO NOT fuck this up, someone-will-die type of scale. By no means are we in dyer distress (today), but it opens my eyes to how vast the ocean truly is and, even more pertinent, how important it is that we face causalities with precision and speed. Practicing day in and day out my seem like a game of LARP, but being prepared for anything could mean the difference between going home or meeting Davey Jones.

NavySpeak of the Day:

'Rack'- Our bed; stacked three high like bunk beds, the mattress opens up to storage where we place our belongings. Other related terms: 'Rack out'- a term we use to say we are going to bed. Also, rack ops (operations).