May 20, 2006

• BTW, Charles called yesterday, right after he graduated from basic sub school (the boat, not the sandwich).  He had the rest of the day off, was looking forward to getting his "blue card", which gives him increased freedoms, such as when civvies can be worn, and when he needs to be back on base after leave.

  His basic machinist school begins Monday, so he'd have only had a very short time here this weekend.  Add to that the fact Don's about to leave for Oklahoma to help install a job he sold (the eldest son of the tech who'd normally do this died last weekend) and won't return until Tuesday, and it's clear Charles made the right decision, i.e. to delay coming home till next month.

  One sad element of this training period is seeing your new-best-friends leave, who are taking a different route than you.  Charles made a good friend, Hamby (don't recall his first name) at boot camp who has roomed with him during sub school, who either left yesterday for Georgia, or is leaving today.  This is undoubtedly one of the negatives of life in the military....waving friends off as they are posted elsewhere. 

  The basic machinist school is only three weeks long, and while he's in it he'll find out whether he'll receive his request to train to maintain weapons systems, or will train for the sub's auxiliary systems (the one's that make the sub actually work....not as glamorous, but then no one is more welcome than the plumber or the a/c repairman when those systems go on the fritz).  His reason for selecting weapons systems?  Well, besides how cool it'd be to have top secret clearance (19 year old guys are all about cool), if someone is assigned to mind the torpedos, he learned, there is greater-than-usual opportunity for sleep (Charles is definitely all about sleeping!).

  Being either cool or unconscious.....the qualities that made this nation what it is today. 

  • 9:57 am
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