Sunday, July 23, 2017

Warheads on Foreheads


10 hours confined to a chair during a missile scenario today….scarfed a meal, snack for another, potty breaks were limited, watch before, and after….BUT I love my team. We got strike team t-shirts and wore them for the scenario. We took pride in our 88 warheads on foreheads today! We get a long together and we performed well.  Many laughs were had, despite our sore butts and stretched bladders.
Trudging through deployment isn’t half as bad when the sun is shining…Happy Thursday!

NavySlang: Warheads on foreheads; a term we use when dropping bombs and missiles on the enemy.

Chest Candy


As part of being an enlisted sailor we have the opportunity to earn a warfare qualification. I am on a surface vessel so I have earned my Enlisted Surface Warfare Area qualification. I wear a special pin on my dress uniforms indication I have completed the necessary requirements. Essentially, you learn about every part of a surface ship. The weapons, the communications, supply services, damage control procedures, water production, plumbing, how the ship runs, among so many others. I earned mine last deployment and I couldn’t have been more thankful when it was over!!
As some of you know I talk a lot of about the helicopters we have onboard.  We have 2, a flight deck, and 2 hangers. We do a lot of flight operations and it is a large part of our daily activities. Because of this, it was decided that we would get an opportunity to earn our air warfare pin! This is pretty uncommon for destroyers so I jumped the change to earn some more ‘Chest Candy’. So far, I have actually found it more interesting than the surface material. They have given us a very tight schedule to complete, but the air department has been gracious with their dedication to teach us all about their world….totally asking for a ride!
Started a book! A novel about a plaque….shocker, I know. Also, creeping into my anatomy coloring book and flashcards. Establishing a routine with built in ‘me time’ is essential to survival on deployment. I need to keep my mind busy. I have made the mistake of not doing so and it is detrimental to my mental state onboard. Nothing will wear me down faster. Card games or board games with my work center are a new thing to this underway for me too.  Among our favorites are ‘Exploding kittens’ and Telestrations…
Look forward to posts with a brighter attitude. I am really working on not complaining and I think I have done a pretty good job. At least, better than I have in the past.

ZZZZZZZ


We have guests onboard! A group from the Naval Post Graduate School is doing a sleep study and chose the Chafee to conduct a portion of it. Our ship is on various rotations of watch schedules including 12 hour shifts, 3 and 9, 5 and 7, and a handful of others. (These watches are in addition to our normal work days, keep in mind). We are wearing wrist watches that measure level of activity. Somehow, it can tell when we are sleeping, moving about, and resting. They can even measure the quality of sleep. We are to keep a daily log of when we sleep, how often we are working out, what types of caffeinated drinks we consume and things of that nature. We will be studied for 2 weeks now, another 2 weeks mid deployment, and a final 2 weeks towards the end. With the data they collect they hope to construct a friendlier environment for staying vigilant and keeping rested.

I got to see the raw data from the watch after the initial 2 weeks and I felt that it was pretty accurate! Very interesting to put together how I feel I sleep and the science of how well I sleep. So far, so good. Let’s hope it stays that way for as long as possible!

In With a Bang


You’ll be happy to know the first blog post of deployment 2017 is on a positive note! And, packed with goodies. We’ve been very busy and have already done some pretty cool stuff.

I’ve recently started working more closely to our 20mm gatlin gun. Formally known as the closed in weapon system or CIWS pronounced ‘See-whiz’. She’s a beast and requires a lot of attention. I suppose I would too if I had the pressure of being the last line of defense for the ship against air threats. Of course firing at a rate of 3000 rounds a minute doesn’t help her high maintenance personality either. One successful PAC fire, or practice fire, under our belts and high accolades from the captain have brought us closer together.

In addition to the CIWS PAC fire, we’ve also shot our 5” gun successfully. It’s essentially a cannon hurdling a 5” round projectile at surface or air targets up to 9 miles away. If you’re anywhere in the forward part of the ship it will not go unnoticed.

Of course the drills continue. Man over board, firefighting, battle stations, helo crash, medical drills to name a few. I’ve managed to come full circle from ‘launching’ Tomahawks, starting IVs, firing .50 cals and dressing in full firefighting equipment. And will do it all again this week….

A taste of R&R was all we could afford in our 1st port visit. We were in Manzanillo, Mexico for about 24 hours. The luckiest of the bunch got 6 hours of liberty (free time off ship). But a much appreciated 6 hours it was!

Doesn’t quite feel like deployment yet. Maybe because I’m well calloused at this point, maybe because I know what to expect, but mostly, I know, it’s because I have so much support. I have gotten an outpour of little messages and notes and what an encouragement they have been! My mental state couldn’t be better at this point. Zach is also doing well, but you should contact him yourself! He would appreciate it and is always up for visitors…just saying.

Stay tuned!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

For King and Country

I'm sure you all have hard by now that the US launched over 50 tomahawk missiles into Syria a few weeks ago. We heard shortly after I happened; actually we were in the middle of a tomahawk scenario ourselves when we got the news. Sort of brings some scary reality to my job. That could've easily been my ship, my planning, and my finger on the launch. Those lives are forever changed or gone completely.


If tasked with a strike, I will be blind to most of the facts regarding the why, at least right away. I know the expectation there is of me, but trust and believe it will be done with a heavy heart and a lot of prayer.


Also know this. I am called to protect. I will not hesitate to utilize the training and skill God has allowed me to refine, if called upon to do so. My family and my flag will be guarded with a strike of precision and efficiency; a strike that will not require a second. Do not make the mistake of doubting a prayer warrior and a women with a calling to protect.






You can't hate me 'cause my nature's nice
and my heart's for the people of the world tonight
if you got a problem with it take it up with life
'cause if you try to push me it ain't gonna be nice
                    
                                                       -TFK-

The Ultimate Employer


Eval season and Easter season; one of the same as a 2nd class in the Navy. Seemingly unrelated, they both snuck up on me this year. Being underway since the beginning of March will do that.

Evals came first this year. The way the system works there are only a certain amount of top scores given. Being a new 2nd class this year and the pool being naturally larger I was under no illusion to get one of the top score. But, I have proven myself many times over with the quality of my work and my generally good work ethic to expect the next tier down. Like a kick to the chest when I wasn’t looking I get the 3rd tier down. Come again?! That’s for people who merely meet standards. That’s not how I roll and the numbers back that up. I was also meritoriously promoted last summer! How is it that now I am perceived by the command to only meet standards….?! I was genuinely up set and the more I thought about it the angrier I got. Not only did I take a blow to the ego, but I felt unappreciated. Also, on paper, it looks like my performance has degraded severely. This will hurt my chances at advancing and with any special programs I apply for. I felt like my chain of command did a real injustice.

Well today is Easter….kinda put things in perspective. Without God’s mercy and forgiveness we would all be damned. In the grand picture, a bad eval is so petty. My human nature will continue to remind me what a crock my eval was, but then I remember something my mom is always telling us. “We work for Jesus. He is our boss.” I know that I do my best and God knows how hard I work. He knows my true eval score. When I get all hot and bothered about it again I will try to remember that I will be accepted into a special program and/or be promoted with His timing because he is in control. Easier said than done…

Honorary Corpsman


The less I think about home and how tired I am the better I’ve found my moods. I’ve made a couple goals for myself on this underway. There are some work related qualifications I’d like to get. I’ve been slowly working on them during some of my down time has helped. I’ve passed a couple oral boards so far and I have one more in mind. I am also trying to branch out from the normal FC pipeline and get what quals I can in the medical dept. These are more personal goals as no one expects these quals from me.

I’ve been able to participate and contribute to CPR and first aid training on the ship. I have also helped with a couple mass casualty drills. Drills and training are fantastic! It’s a good way to keep my mind fresh and familiar, but I want more! Lol. In my persistence wearing down my chief corpsman and demonstrating I kinda have a clue about what I am doing, I will be starting some basic corpsman quals. This will mean I can actually perform limited medical procedures; administering vaccines, takin vitals, drawing blood ect… I have even been cleared to standby as emergency medical support for certain evolutions and respond to medical emergencies as they may happen on the ship.

I’m not entirely sure of my end goal, but I know I want to be in the health care field. Right now, this is my best option. I only pray that it works out.

Navy Slang: Sweet/sour comms; a term to describe the quality of communication on a channel/frequency. Sweet is a clear comms path vice sour; a path somehow blocked.

Did I Eat Today...?


You’d think that living on a moving vessel, traveling hundreds of miles over the course a few weeks, I’d have plenty to look at; an abundance of scenery and landscapes. Well…I don’t. The ocean, in all its glory, is pretty consistent in the way she looks and this if I remember to go outside. Things get pretty crazy and before I know it 3 days go by without me going outside. Or, maybe the weather is bad.  It was a few days ago. Rocking all about, going outside can be dangerous. In fact, sometimes they prohibit us from even going outside because of the sea state. Sea sickness meds were like candy for a few days!

My ship is relatively small so I see the same people in the same sleeping area, the same work spaces, same mess decks….Today is no different. In fact, in the last 24 hours I’ve spend 20 of them in the same space. The command information center ,or CIC, or even just combat for short. Two back to back exercises sandwiched between watch. Lucky me!

We did very well in the Tomahawk exercise and the other event was a live fire exercise with shore batteries called naval surface fire support (NSFS). We trained with a marine unit on shore who were learning how to spot. We fired a round, and as the spotter, they told us how to adjust to more accurately hit the target. We followed their direction and when the shot was lined up they gave the order to ‘fire for effect’ with a certain amount of rounds.

Our 5” gun, with 70 lbs rounds, is more like a cannon. It takes many people with specific responsibilities to safely and successfully put rounds down range. We haven’t participated in an NSFS event in a long while but I am glad to get the opportunity to practice with the boots on ground. Heaven forbid we actually need to utilize NSFS.

Zach left on a vacation we had planned several months ago today! My ship’s schedule changed and I am on a warship instead of a cruise ship. He has some excellent company though and I know he will have a blast! I cried when he told me about dropping the dogs off at the kennel for boarding. Pearl didn’t seem to care, but I guess Norman got really anxious. My poor baby has been through a lot in his 10 months of life and I hate to think of him being scared to leave us for a while. At least he has Pearl…sure she was a real comfort…(sarcasm). No judging me for crying.  I don’t think I would under normal circumstances, but I’m hardly living my life of normalcy at the moment.

I will say, though this is not my comfortable home, that topside, fresh ocean air and the purity of the forever ocean is some of the best TAG time I ever get. (Time Alone with God…yes an acronym, but I picked this up at summer camp before I knew what an acronym was). Sometimes, this doesn’t necessarily reflect my attitude. I need to work on that. Who doesn’t?

Navy Slang: No joy; A phrase to describe some sort of interference with communications. “Hey, what’s the status of you hearing me on the radio?” “No joy”.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Vector! Vector! Vector!


It’s always fun having inside jokes, or using code words only your sister knows. Mostly, it’s contained to being mean behind your boss’ back or harmless shenanigans as a child, all of which are usually light hearted and meant for fun. There are real life applications, however. To instill a more serious note we military folk call them prowords. Prowords are passed along communication paths to stay anonymous to those outside your circle of friends who may be listening in uninvited. We use established prowords to identify threats, friendly or enemy units, among many other reasons.

For example ship A trying to tell ship B they are taking on enemy missiles and are launching counter attack missiles might say “Ebola, this is Patient Zero, Vector! Vector! Vector! Hot Zone, Vaccine away at time 0023!” If you know me even a little these prowords are mine and made up, but you get the idea.

One of the reasons we are on the water right now is to validate our missile launch sequence…. Yes, you’ve got it we launched a missile today! It wasn’t a tomahawk, so I didn’t have a hand in it, but I saw it and will have a hand in post launch maintenance in and on the launcher itself. Oh, the glory or being in the same  division as the Vertical Launching System Gunner’s Mates, or as we call them VLS GMs because it’s the navy and we like acronyms.

The few minutes leading up to the launch in the combat information center or (CIC cause Navy) was almost eerily quiet. There was communication with the ship launching the drone which acted as our target and that was about it. No hum of voices or hectic movement.

The illuminators from my ship locked onto the drone which acts as a homing device for our missile and it was Vector! Vector! Vector! time. The hatch of the launcher opened up and some smoke billowed for about ½ second, then the tip of the missile came through immediately followed by a wall of fire! After about 2 seconds all there was left was smoke. As it dissipated I could see the launcher caked in soot and other chemicals around the launch area. I couldn’t help but think about having to help clean it up…Play hard, work hard as they say.

NavySlang: Gun deck; to cut corners in performing a task. ‘You could get into trouble if you’re caught gun decking your maintenance.’

It's the Little Things


We continue to press on with no notice drills and scenarios, and other work centers are busy as well ensuring all aspects of the ship run smoothly to prep for a busy year underway. We fight small battles daily with clashing personalities, little free time, lack of sleep, few comforts of home, and just yesterday, no water.

Water production was severely degraded and most bathrooms were shut down, and showers were not an option. When the water production picked up again a day later, my shower was freezing…what a drag!

With the crazy of the ship its important to take time to myself. I've noticed that I could work 20 hour days and still my to do list is never complete. I have to force myself to take 30-60 mins for me to stay sane.
The various committees on the ship take turn coordinating small events to boost morale too. Last night there was a special dinner put on by the  1st classes for birthdays this month. They take orders (what kind of quesadilla you want), what you'd like to drink and so on. There was even cake! It's small, but goes farther than you’d think.

Keep that in mind when sending letters and things. Honestly, its not the content, but knowing someone is thinking of us out here is huge!

NavySlang: Rate or rating; our job title or designation. ‘What rate are you? I am an FC or fire controlman.’

...


So I haven’t written in a while. The phrase “if you can’t think of anything nice to say, don’t say it at all” comes to mind.

NavySlang: The enlisted ranking system:

                E-1; seaman recruit (SR)

                E-2; seaman apprentice (SA)

E-3; seaman (SN) yeah, yeah, get your giggles out now

*E-4; petty officer 3rd class

*E-5; petty officer 2rd class

*E-6; petty officer 1st class

E-7; chief petty officer

E-8; senior chief petty officer

E-9; master chief petty officer

*referred to by their rank and rate. An FC2 is an E-5 fire controlman

Plan of Deception


After spending 4 unexpected day s in San Diego for repairs we are back underway and feels as though we are playing catch up. Not to say San Diego was a vacation. Certification events are in full swing late into the evening, the watch must go on , and the ebb is ceaseless. Some encouragement comes just from knowing we’ve been gone for 2 weeks now so there is some justification in feeling drained.

We joke around about our leadership telling us to be ‘flexible’ which I’ve taken as ‘we pretty much don’t know what’s going on today, but be ready for 'it' anyway.’ There’s a P.O.D or plan of the day that comes out  to help plan our day, but we have nicknamed it the plan of deception as of late. Our strike group, or a group of navy ships sailing together (not to be confused with strike warfare or tomahawk warfare) has a heavy hand in our schedule. Because there are multiple ships permissions have even more channels to go through and coordination to get maintenance done gets more complicated. It is seemingly impossible to get things done when you send requests through 12 of the correct channels for approval and a big last minute denial is thrown in your face. It’s not uncommon for maintenance to be done in the middle of the night because it’s the only tie it doesn’t interfere with other events going on within the strike group.

In addition to planned theater exercises my work center is in the midst of no notice tasking. It’s exactly as it sounds. We get no notice or advanced warning of a training event. It’s their way of better simulating a real event. This is why we stand watch 24 hours a day. The person on watch is notified we are in receipt of tasking, they tell the proper channels and it is announced on the 1 MC (ship’s intercom). Wherever we are at that time we drop everything and respond. Our response is timed and the call for tasking can be done anytime of the day. Today, just before hopping in the shower I hear it…..and when I say just before showering, I mean I had one toe in already. I threw on a sweat shirt, my coveralls (our uniform underway), and ran up scuttles and through p-ways in my shower shoes yelling at people as politely as I could to get out of the way. We don’t train like this often so I received many confused stares until it clicked that I am a tomahawk FC and they called away tasking….it also doesn’t help that the p-ways were dark by this time of night so my awkward shuffle, hair a-mess, and mismatched uniform may have actually been somewhat frightening. I was the butt of all jokes tonight, but I told them it was this or show up in a towel so they are all actually lucky!

So why were the p-ways   (passage ways) dark you ask. At sunset most lights inside the ship are turned from white lights to red lights. The color red is able to travel the least distance of any color, so we turn red lights on. This way if a door or hatch opens to the outside white lights doesn’t seep into the night exposing our position. It’s common with the helos to be doing night operations so we take some risk there, but risk management my friends.

Some of you have asked my address while at sea and if I need anything. Letters and packages are much welcomed! Any info on normal people life and photos I would enjoy. As far as items I may need, I have compiled an amazon list to make it easier.  It is all set up with the ships address. You just click and purchase or use it as a guide for suggestions. Generally speaking,  notebooks, black pens, bobbie pins, hair ties, toiletries, feminine products, chapstick, gum, tea, snacks, tuna, soup, nuts,  books, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, condiments, and seasonings are good care package materials. If you’d like to send to someone other than myself I will make sure it gets there, just let me know. Thank you all for your support! Prayers and mail are excellent fuel.



*Personal email: hamannlily@gmail.com I will not have as much access to this one as my work email.

Work email: lily.hamann@ddg90.navy.mil

Address: FC2 Hamann, Lily

               USS Chafee DDG 90

               Unit 100199 Box 812

               FPO AP 96662

Amazon List: Search hamannlily@gmail.com and the list will be labeled ‘Underway’

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Queue the Mental Fray

     Time! We've been underway for 6 days and the 1st tear has been shed. (Pretty good if you ask me!) Keeping this blog, among a handful of other methods, help me to process and deal with the stress level of life at sea, but sometimes my life strings fray and fall in the forms of tears. I miss everything about home, and the stressors here are too many to name. They wouldn't be so bad on their own., but it's a slow and constant drip over the hours, days, and weeks that etches away at my resilience. After few tears, and a couple deep breaths, a quick convo with my friend Jesus I  can shift my focus to something else for long enough to press on.
     The blue out here is unlike anything I have ever seen. It's the champion of blues. A blue with a Swarovski shimmer when the unfiltered sun gleams off the rolling water. The promise of sounding waves and freshest untouched air and a gentle warmness of Mr. Sunshine on my face; a moment that represents more that a place, but a peace of mind, a  reminder that it is well with my soul. I know the plans I have for you. They are plans to give you hope and a future (or something to that effect. You know the verse or look it up if you don't. Jeremiah 29:11...I think....somebody help me out here...)


Navy Slang: Belay my last; a phrase we use to retract and correct a statement. "She has red, belay my last, blue boots on."

It's a Great Day to be a Destroyerman


     Lord be with the ship as we transit throughout the Pacific. Provide us with safety during high risk evolutions and vigilance with watch standing. Give us rest as we need, clear and concise minds, and perseverance to press on.

    Yesterday evening into the early morning hours proved Chafee at its finest. Not the paper  crap; the things you can record like a score or make a plaque out of; the kind of thing that allows you to stand up with a body bruised and bloody.

     The averagely long day relentlessly bled into a ship wide effort in recovering a piece of failed equipment that was essentially dragging behind the ship. The night drug on with blunderous (if I’m making that work up, which judging by the red line under it I am, I claim it! I’ll just check that off my bucket list) improv on how to get his equipment back on the ship without further damaging it and maintaining crew safety. This was a major equipment failure with a high potential for additional consequences. “All hands on deck” (pun intended) was the command and the crew provided. Though the situation was one with incredible stress and potential for danger, calm, cool, and collected described leadership and that trickled down to the crew creating seamless cooperation and perseverance. The recovery was successful (around 0100 or 1am) and there has been a major schedule change, but I am so very proud to serve with these sailors. They proved we won’t be knocked down and out of the fight.

     My pride dulled with time and exhaustion as I immediately started my 5 hour watch. I was still processing my 20 hour day and busy dreading the next 12 hours when a medical emergency was called away on the 1MC. As part of the medical response team I raced towards the designated space to what I only knew as a ‘a man down’. I arrive to see a fellow shipmate on the ground. He is conscious and a quick assessment revealed no life threatening injury, and having appropriate responses to questions and simple direction. He was escorted to the medical space for further assessment. Not being a designated corpsman my support was no longer needed so back to my watch as scheduled. Needless to say that today has been a battle with fatigue and minor brain farts as yesterday never really ended for me….Blank stares and a lot of snapping of my fingers as if that will help the answer come to my tongue have plagued my conversation. Let’s hope for a less….eventful day tomorrow.

 

Navy slang: Swab; a mop. “Before the inspection, please swab the deck.”

Ground Hog's Day


     The days are starting to run together. I don't even really know, or care, what day of the week it is. It doesn't matter, each day is the same and they seem to drag on and blur together. I emailed Zach, and some other family, the other day and my intro included "I'm finally emailing!" It occurred to me later, though that phrase seemed appropriate at the time, in reality it had only been 2 days into the underway. I still feel like using "finally" and it has been 4 days. Crap, I thought I was doing so well! One day at a time, one day at a time. I'm thankful to be busy and if there's one thing I've learned in the Navy, and generally in life, is that time will go on and this too shall pass...

     Speaking of, I missed the Sunday service this morning because I had watch, and the day we left port I realized I forgot my bible. womp womp... I borrowed one from the library but it's not 'mine' and it smells funky.

     Best actors and actresses was the topic on watch tonight. This is one of the more appropriate topics we've dissected while trying to stay awake and make the time pass. Matt Damon (catch your breath), Jake Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Angelina Jolie were among the top picks,. Along with being a very conservative topic it was surprisingly civil. In fact, I don't even recall and cussing or name calling! Proud or not, the stereotypes about sailors are generally true...pray for us, lol.

 

Navy slang: bulkhead; a wall. "You can hang those flyers on the bulkhead."

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

A Parallel Universe

....just another....(yawn...) 0200 watch in a dark, cold, quiet room trying to stay awake. The ship's operation tempo or optemp as us acronym and abbreviation masters like to call it, has always been a topic of complaint and one of the toughest parts to acclimate to underway. It provides long working hours and little sleep or rest. I will try to paint a picture for you. The way I see it is like two schedules running parallel to each other. You have the normal work center/ship activity like equipment maintenance, underway replenishments (an unrep is how we receive supplies at sea), general training, drills, flight operations, exercises with other ships, and boat operations....the list could be endless. Typically this is from 0700-2200. Running along side this we have a 24 hour watch rotation. Watch is a 4-5 hour time frame in which you are responsible for a certain warfare area. You may be monitoring alarms, radar, equipment, cameras...ect. The 24 hour watch rotation couldn't care less if you just spent 12 hours doing maintenance and the 4 hours before that on watch. If you have the next watch you stand it. This is why I complain that I am so tired all the time. On average we might sleep 5 hours a day (I should mention this may not be all at one time also). Good news though! Since being underway the rotation has changed a bit. We are now on what is known as circadian rhythm. It's a rotation that studies have shown to be the most effective in vigilant watch standing. Instead of 5 hour time blocks that may move throughout your days, we have 3 hour set watches 2x per day. On top of that, we muster daily at 0900 instead of 0700. This has been a huge relief. It is now easier to schedule regular maintenance and daily work center tasks and for those who need it, we get an extra couple hours rest or time to work out or study. Most of the ship participates in this, however there are a few watch stations that do not have enough qualified people so they  miss out on this (my watch being one of them....boooo!!!)
     Now, if we can just get rid of all the bells and whistles life would be grand! Yes, those pesky Bluetooth stations, wife hotspots, hot tubs....oh wait, that's not what I mean when I say bells and whistles. I mean literal bells and whistles. Bells are rung on the hour and half hour over the ship's intercom system (1MC). The number of bells reflects the time of day. Those aren't the worst thing passed on the 1MC. The whistle blasts.....the whistles blasts are the worst! Piercing screech of whistles at the beginning of ever major evolution and meal time. Thank the Lord they stopped doing it in the morning for wake up (reveille). Think of the worst alarm ever and never being able to turn it off or hit snooze.
     Overall, the changes we've made have been really good and we are off to a great start this underway.
     Thank you, as always, for your extra prayers and thoughts. Please keep Zach in mind also. He is still in HI taking care of the pups and coping with becoming a bachelor for a while.


Navy slang: Hamsters; chicken cordon bleu, processed and frozen from a bag. " What's for dinner? Hamsters and rice."

Sea Legs or Bust

     Well. it's that time in a sailor's career to get back underway; to get back on the saddle, back to the grind, or whatever euphemism your heart desires. Point is, we're back at sea for an extended amount of time and I'm trying to get my sea legs back. So far, I have only felt sick for a few hours. It's strange because last year the entire deployment I only felt sick a handful of times. So this is a pleasant surprise (eye roll). I'm not talkin' hunched over and straight up green, but enough dizziness, headache, and sour stomach to dread the beginning of long hours, bland food, tight quarters, and family deprivation that is my reality for the next several weeks.
     Other than feeling a bit queasy, getting underway was somewhat underwhelming. Typically, I play an active role in the detail responsible for detaching the boat from the pier and getting us out of the harbor, but not today. My work center had a strike scenario today. We were graded on a theatrical Tomahawk missile strike. It involves many other ships and an off ship entity simulating a missile campaign. We do several per year and numerous 'in house' practice scenarios, but this one took all our man power and we were unable to help with other evolutions. It went fairly well and we will get out results in a few weeks.
     For now, I just keep chuggin' along getting back into the swing of that life at sea.


Navy slang: Brownies; paper towel that are the color brown used to dry your hands in the bathroom. "Please throw your brownies in the trash , do not flush them."