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Submarine steam plants, even on the very newest submarines, have leaky steam valves. They're unavoidable. The trouble with steam is that when it's leaking from a valve, it's virtually invisible. As an engineering officer of the watch and as an engineering duty officer, your first engineering qualifications, you will be expected to tour the engine room of your boat, and one of the things you'll be doing is finding these leaky valves. The most common place for leaks to develop is in the packing around valve stems. More
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The Special Warfare Combatant Craft qualification is back in numbers for the first time since Vietnam. Although it's a rare qualification, today nearly 600 qualified crew proudly wear the SWCC pin—which is not easy to get. Although recently gaining some much deserved recognition, the SWCC qualification symbolizes a long and distinguished history.
One bitter night in December 1776, special crews ferried General George Washington and his men across the Delaware River so they could raid the Hessian Garrison at Trenton, New Jersey, in what was called the Battle of Trenton. Some say that was the unofficial birth of SWCC. More
"Raider 21 this is Bulldog 42, requesting a hot extract at grid 8045 0285. Taking heavy fire from the 9 o'clock position, 150 meters, troops in the treeline."
You could hear the roar of gunfire in the background as the platoon commander was making the call. His men had been ambushed by a large group of insurgents as they made their way back to the riverbank. The platoon was returning fire with coordinated fire, while moving into position for extract. More
The full moon illuminates the river like a streetlight, casting shadows over the opposite bank as the Patrol Boat Lights make their way down the Salt River. No words are passed, no light visible, just the low hum of the engines as the boats move down the slowly flowing river. Forward gunners nervously scan the river, looking for any sign of the enemy. Boat captains are carefully navigating, trying to stay in the shadows as much as possible.
The night erupts with explosions and tracer fire lacing the river in search of boats that just patrolled into the Kill Zone. More
"Two minutes out," calls the boat captain, as the boats ease through the murky water. The crewmen are manning their weapons, scanning the riverbanks for any sign of the enemy. As the boats near the point of no return, their "special packages" prepare to debark the second they touch down on the slippery bank.
"Thirty seconds," the lead boat takes up a cover position as the second and third ease into the riverbank. The fourth boat in the patrol holds rear security. Silently the packages are delivered onto the bank, one boatload at a time. More
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Thanks to generations of parents dutifully reminding their children to "keep your elbows off the table," "don't talk with your mouth full" and "ask to be excused," most Americans have at least a rudimentary knowledge of dining etiquette. But when you're all grown up and your social calendar involves eating in settings that don't have plastic playgrounds outside, you need to know more than just the basics. The rules of etiquette exist so that everyone can adhere to the same guidelines, which helps everyone feel confident and comfortable in any setting.
Chances are, if you're eating in a formal setting, you're probably trying to impress someone, whether it's your boss, your sweetie or your in-laws, so it pays to know how to act and what not to do. More
Diplomacy is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as "the art of conducting relationships for gain without conflict. It is the chief instrument of foreign policy." Diplomacy comes in many shapes and sizes: cultural diplomacy, public diplomacy, gunboat diplomacy, medical diplomacy, youth diplomacy and education diplomacy, to name just a few. A new form of diplomacy I would like to take the opportunity to coin is "Coast Guard diplomacy."
Each Coastie (active, reserve, civilian, auxiliary) had better get used to being a quasi-diplomat. There will be times in your career when you and you alone will represent the United States. You could be rescuing a foreign mariner in distress or coming to the aid of a tourist on board a cruise ship. You could be in exercises or deployments with our Coalition partners on the maritime front lines of the Global War on Terror. More
I resigned my commission after serving four years as a SWO. I had started counting down the days I had left in the Navy at the two-year point, and it is safe to say I had a bad case of "the grass is greener" syndrome. At the time of my resignation in 1999, the MILPERSMAN said I could submit my letter of resignation anytime up to a year from the date of resignation, and I submitted mine one year to the day. My letter specifically said I was looking for a better quality of life outside the Navy.
During my last year I focused hard on being a good SWO, striving to be the best junior OOD on the ship. I also focused hard on how great life was going to be once I became a civilian. More
In March 2006 a great roar was heard coming from all the "Boat Guys" around the Naval Special Warfare community. The CNO had announced that as of 2 October 2006, the rating Naval Special Warfare Combatant Crewman was being converted to Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB). No longer will candidates have to change rates to a source rate specific to the Special Boat teams—BM (Boatswain Mates), GM (Gunners Mates), EN (Engineman), OS ( Operations Specialists), or EM (Electrician's Mates). Achieving our own rate was the goal of a project that had been in place for many years. Now it has come true. More
Are you in the window for reassignment? Are you losing sleep wondering what to do or where to go next? Do you have a spouse breathing down your neck at every phone call or e-mail from your detailer? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, the following gouge may be beneficial to your decision-making. More
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