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.”