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| OAFS Photo |
That's Narragansett Bay, for those unfamiliar with this area. Across the water is the town of Warwick, about four miles away, as the seagull flies. To go by car, it's about 27 miles, roughly 35 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
But I don't need to go there, I can see it from the beach above.
I didn't grow up on the ocean, but as kids my parents took us there every summer. Sometimes for a day, sometimes for a few days. But every summer. (Maine was where we'd go, my Dad loved that place. As do I.)
Many times people will ask, "Why didn't you join the Navy?"
Good question, best answer is, "I don't know."
I wanted to go into armor, the Army kept messing around with me, trying to make me a technician of sorts. All I wanted was to drive a damn tank. They didn't get it.
I also like aircraft, so I talked to the Air Force recruiter. He told me no stories, told me no bullshit, just gave me the straight dope.
The recruiters for the four services all sat in the same office area. The Marine recruiter at least asked if I had considered the Marine Corps. I believe I answered, "I've never been that drunk, Gunny, but thanks for asking."
The Navy recruiter never left his office. Didn't impress me much, in fact, not at all.
One thing I liked about Air Force bases, they don't move.
Want a family? Join the Air Force a friend of mine told me. Sounded good, so yeah, I wore Air Force blue for 24 years.
Would I do it again? Knowing what I know now? Probably.
If I was a young fellow today?
It wouldn't be the Air Force, that's for sure. Probably the Navy this time around.
Anyhoo, I've lived in lots of places, the ones I liked best?
Near the sea.¹
Yeah, I need it.
¹The mountains of Colorado were a close second.
Lived near Lake Superior for the first twenty-four years of life then near Lake Michigan (boo! Chicago) then near the Mississippi River (yea Northland!) and for the last thirty-four years within spitting distance of a local lake (two blocks to largemouth and northern pursuit). Lots of rust on those Navy ships now Sarge.
ReplyDeleteThose still afloat. I think the only ship in commission then and now is USS Constitution. Been a LONGGGGGG time.
DeleteWith the exception of the USS Carl Vinson, all of the ships that I was on are gone. With the exception of the C-130 and C-5 all of the aircraft I worked on are gone.
DeleteTime marches on, aircraft in service with the USAF when I went in, most are gone, C-141, my F-4D. Heck, I still think of the F-16 and F-15 as "new" aircraft!
DeleteI am reasonably confident that some of the G model Buffs I was in are still in the desert.
DeleteOf that I have no doubt.
DeleteSarge, I attended the latter half of my undergraduate degree in view of the Pacific Ocean. It was an amazing view, although somewhat oddly enough I hardly ever went down to the water. Just seeing and hearing it was enough.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I need mountains (not hills) and soaring trees.
Of the ten companies I have worked for in the course of my industry career, 8 of them have either been purchased or went out of business. I am willing to bet every product I worked on is no longer on the market.
Sometimes I go down to the sea (the Atlantic, not the Bay) to hear the waves crash upon the rocks, to feel the spray on my face. I would miss that terribly.
DeleteThe company I worked for before going into the USAF is long gone, when I visit my old home town the building is a deserted shell. Kinda sad.
I grew up on the plains. Same views as the ocean. You can't turn your back on the water. The prairie usually gives you some warning before it tries to murder you. And if my boat has a flat, I can walk home. More water than a bath tub is spooky. I'm glad you found your spot. I'm still looking for my place to go to seed.
ReplyDeleteWhen I talked to the AF recruiter, I got the facts. He didn't sugar coat or guild the lily. He actually gave me a compliment. I was a lucky kid. Almost all the prior service folks I met were decent. Only a few FUBARs crossed my path.
My recruiter was a straight shooter, he was the Number One reason I chose the Air Force.
DeleteMom wanted me in the Navy, Dad in the Air Force. I was in AFROTC for two years, became too tall to be a pilot, left. Told I'd be drafted, I looked; the USMC would still let me be a combat pilot, I enlisted. Grew two inches in the first six months in Boot Camp and became too too tall. Bad fall on the obstacle course gave me epilepsy and I was gone. Potential and recommended careers as Corpsman, transfer to Navy to become an MD, USMC Rifle Team, ..., all gone. Hello, beach.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
DeleteWhen I knew I was dropping out of college and joining the military, Dad said no Marine Corps because they would like to have a living son, and said the Navy had rejected him in the thirties because he wore glasses. I'd already said no to the Army because I didn't want to carry a rifle in Nam.
ReplyDeleteEight years active and seventeen years of active reserves Navy worked great for me, but when time travel becomes everyday I'm going to do the Air Force instead.
All three of my active duty ships are gone, the only ship left that I drilled on as a reservist is the Emory S. Land, (AS-39) and I haven't checked recently but I think every single ship I worked on in the Philly shipyard is gone, or a museum.
I was on Forrestal when the Tomcat was new and shiny.
The shipyard closed in '95. I would have thought that a place that was open since around the Revolutionary war would have been a safe bet for longevity. I was wrong.
I had mentioned my civilian jobs career to someone and he paused and said, "You have a knack for moving from one dying industry to another." He wasn't wrong.
As both STxAR and Sarge said, no lies from my recruiter.
Ah Forrestal ...
DeleteShe and Sara were tied up down at NAS Newport when I first got here, alongside USS Iowa. They're all gone now.
It was sad watching those old carriers sit and rust over the years. I guess they've both gone to the breakers.
Yup, good to enlist without being lied to!
I was born within spitting distance of the sea and 75 years later live a few yards from a medieval bridge over a river mouth.
ReplyDeleteMedieval bridge by a river mouth? That's pretty awesome.
DeleteSarge,
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike. I was sitting at my desk yesterday looking at my "I love me" wall and specifically the miniature F-15 tail with my name on it hanging there. Brought back the "Dam, Wish I was still doing that" thoughts. I had an epiphany much like you mentioned. I still think of the F-15 as "New" because it was when I transitioned from the Phantom to the Eagle. Then I looked at the tail number. "MY" F-15D tail number is 78-564. It's now 45 years old, which, while quite a bit younger than me is very old for a fighter. However, last I heard it was still flying for NASA.
Wish I could take her up once more.
As to the sea and closeness thereto. Please don't go and check on Lee, the ocean might not take kindly to that.
juvat
I recall you posted a picture of your old ride in her NASA livery. The only jet I can definitely recall working on is now at the Air Force Academy as a static display. Tail number 7463, Ritchie's and DeBellevue's ride in Vietnam. Worked on her at Kadena AND at Kunsan.
DeleteYou need to live somewhere that soothes your soul. In my case, mountains. Other than my time in the Army I've always lived where I could see mountains.
ReplyDeleteI get the mountain thing. There are days I seriously miss the Rockies.
DeleteI miss the Rockies. As a child, I lived in a valley in the Bitterroots, we'd drive to YNP for fishing.
Delete👍
DeleteRockies themselves are good but the state (CO) is unliveable now. Tetons work just as well and the commies are not in charge.
DeleteEnlisting/commissioning were good for me then; wouldn't do it today, will continue to actively dissuade young folks IF they ask
Boat Guy
Yup, too many dumbass Californians.
DeletePlenty of leftists from everywhere. CO is completely dominated by about five counties now, all leftists. Elections are completely in the hands of the left since mail-in ballots; last free and fair (sorta) election was 08. Place is gone.
DeleteBG
That sucks.
DeleteIt's one of the things our generation has had to witness, watching greatness in ships, bases and companies disappear, like... tears in the rain.
ReplyDeleteSo far none of the bases I've lived on or near have gone away. Yet. Don't trust those feckless jerks in Malaria Swamp, DC to not kill them given half a chance. Holloman AFB, Vandenberg SFB, Kwajalein Army Garrison (used to be a base) and Patrick SFB. Sure hope they stay. Good memories of three of them.
As to water? Yeah, I get it. I, too, grew up around water (except for Holloman AFB, sand, lots of sand, too much sand from what my parents told me) and still hear the siren call of waves and wind. But I like living somewhere that has seasons, doesn't actively rust out cars, isn't subject to potential storm surge (seriously, if we get storm surge in Gainesville tall enough to hit me, the rest of the state and all those low lying beach-dwelling politicians across the country will be dead, so there's a possible good point at least to my drowning death...,) and also not subject to as severe swirly storms (like coastal Florida is subject to) and is only periodically subject to frozen water falling from the sky in one form or another (snow and ice suck, you can keep that carp north of the Mason-Dixon line, thank you.)
In other words, one must find contentment in location as much as contentment in job and in family. You (OAFS) seem to have found all three.
Can you see the water from your house? Maybe put a widow's walk up on it if you can't?
Can't even see the water from my 2nd story roof. It's okay, I'm near enough that I see it everyday on my way to work.
DeleteHolloman will never be closed, in my old career field it was the place no one wanted to go.
Having a base out in the middle of no-where to do fighter training is just too good of an idea.
DeletePatrick would have been shut down long ago if the Cape ever shut down. There were discussions of doing it after the slowdown after both the Saturn program and late in the Shuttle program. Pretty good for a trumped-up old seaplane base. Saw many a U-2 launch and land there.
Vandenberg is also pretty safe, being the West Coast launch complex for military and civilian rockets. Just too handy of a location.
Kwaj? If the Marshallese ever accept China coin and we have a leftwing dingbat administration, it'd be gone in a heartbeat. So far the two conditions haven't existed at the same time. Yet.
Yup, that's Holloman's raison d'etre. Kwaj to the Chinese? That would suck.
DeleteI heard an ad on the radio for the Coast Guard at 0230 one morning in November while driving up to southern Oregon, I raised my hand the next March. As a kid I was around the CG from time to time thru Scouts & my dad (Standard oil) so the USCG seemed natural. I enjoyed most of the 21 years I spent there and as it turned out the medical was a huge benefit!
ReplyDeleteAll my life has been around the Pacific Ocean other than a 13 year trip to the upper mid-west. And for what it's worth I wish I'd seen Maine before I saw the northern lights in Minnesota (the last 6 years of my mid-west time)!
As I knew that I didn't have what it takes to be a Marine, even more so for the Coast Guard. Whereas the Army, Air Force, Navy, and the Marine Corps might have to someday do some dangerous stuff, I figured the Coast Guard did that as a matter of course. I remember the phrase, "You have to go out, you don't have to come back." They don't pay the Coasties enough!
DeleteThe advantage of living where I am is that it's a relatively short drive to either the mountains (Sierra Nevada) or the Pacific Ocean. Prior to moving here from up north, it took a little longer to reach the ocean, but there was less traffic and the drive was through the mountains of the northern Coast Range.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are parts of California where you're near both. I like that.
DeleteSame, but with mountains. Put me out on the great high plains and I'm literally lost until I can ascertain the direction the sun is traveling. No, I don't EDC a compass, that's what the mountains are for. :)
ReplyDeleteI hear ya!
DeleteI never even saw an ocean until after I joined the Navy, at 23. Now, I vacation in Florida at least once every couple of years, just to see it. I like to sit on the beach near a port, and watch the ships go in & out, especially outbound. Remembering. Maybe wishing a little.
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd
I know that feeling well. And share it in some ways.
DeleteWhile I grew up on a ridge in the southern Adirondacks, not too far from the VT border, we always spent time every summer at the CT seashore. There are a large number of sailor types in my ancestry, lot of Swedes and Scots. My mom's mother loved the ocean, and took the kids there as soon as school got out every summer. My parents continued the tradition by taking us daughters there for a couple of weeks annually. I love walking on the sandbars there when the tide goes out. That marshy/salty smell is the best one in the world.
ReplyDeleteBut I do miss the mountains/hills when I am gone too long from them as well.
I wanted to join the Navy and be a nurse, but my Dad put a ka-bosh on that idea. He had served in the Army in Korea and was glad to get out as soon as he could. He was glad to have the help finishing up his doctoral degree, and the financial help with the mortgage when they bought the house though.
I do love the sea breeze.
Suz
Delete"That marshy/salty smell is the best one in the world."
DeleteYes, it is.
Hi Suz.
Delete