Explanation of My Thoughts...

My Navy Time...

I grew up in the Navy. I was 18 years old when I enlisted and I readily accepted any assignment or training that the Navy offered me. I also accepted almost all of the Navymen that I came in contact with. They were much like me, country boys that only wanted to do what their country asked them to do. It was not like chasing cattle, riding fence, raking hay, binding oats or wheat, thrashing grain or plowing, digging or cleaning ditches, or milking cows twice a day. But the demanding routine that country boys had lived with for as far back as they could remember made them good Navymen. They typically adjusted to the Navy routine and the demands of that routine. They thrived on it in general, and that is part of what made them good Navymen.

When anyone talks to an old Navyman they soon realize that many of this persons thoughts are linked to the Navy in one way or another. The Navyman will readily talk about conditions of the seas that he has seen and experienced. If the Navyman had been on Destroyers or other relatively small ships he will talk about taking green water over the bridge on occasion and the ship rolling so heavily that it was nearly impossible to stay in his bunk to sleep, or the pounding of the tremendous swells against the bow and the slap of the screw as it came out of the sea in those same swells. He will also speak of tranquil seas that will lull one to sleep in very short order. The sea conditions were one of the big factors in the life of a Navyman who was stationed on one of the "little boys", Destroyers, Destroyer Escorts, Mine Sweepers, Mine Layers and the many Auxiliary craft of the Navy. The Navymen on larger ships such as Battleships or Aircraft Carriers were not punished by moderate or even heavy seas like the Small Boy Sailors were. Regardless of the sea state almost all Navymen that I am aware of would observe the sea routinely and allow that to become their period of meditation and thought. Creeping into those thoughts was always a couple of things, the smell of hot coffee from the mess decks and other coffee messes throughout the ship was always present, and the smell of fresh paint, which that Navyman probably helped to apply that day was also always present. There were many days in a Navyman's life that it must have seemed to him that there was nothing but chipping paint and applying paint, standing watch and waiting for that next cup of coffee. The Shipmates that a Navyman encountered during his time in the Navy was probably the most impressive part of his Navy experience, some of the names may slip away over the years but the events are there forever. That is what "Once I was A Navyman" all is about.

One of the best experiences of my life was to have served in the Navy for over 24 years. I still think of Ships that I served on and Navymen that I have known trusted and admired. They were a very large part of my life and I feel that these Navymen molded me to be what I am today. If I was suddenly a young lad I would do the same thing again, I would become a Navyman. Nearly every time I meet a new person in any circumstance that may present itself and this person turns out to have been a Navyman, this fact will generally come to light and he will usually say with truthfulness and pride that he was proud to have been a Navyman. It makes me feel worthy when I talk to such folks and can say to them "Once I Was A Navyman!"

Image sources:
Navsource (Various)
Wikipedia (Various)
Ed Hughes
US Navy BUPERS
Jim Adams
LoneSailor.org

Editors Note…

I too was a Navyman. My time was cut short in the service of my country, but I often think of my time with pride. As I read through Ed’s essay the first time I found myself thinking of my own shipmates and the time I had spent in the Navy. So much of what he says is true. Sailors and the sea are drawn together in an inexplicable manner.

It has been 16 years since I was discharged from the Navy. I miss it every day and wish I could return. During my recent cruise I wanted to just spend time looking at the ocean, my wife thought I was nuts. One night while she was sleeping I did go out on deck, the wind, the smells, and the rocking of the ship. For a brief fleeting moment I was back standing on the rail of the USS Scott taking on fuel, and then some drunken passenger spoiled the scene.

So, to Ed, I say thank you for taking all of us old sailors back in time and to allowing those land lubbers a look into a world that is truly unique.