which is why I have never turned my nose up at the Democrats
:)
I to served on both, 3 Deterrent Patrols aboard the venerable James K Polk SSBN 645.
Which is why I know of what I speak. If I had it to do over again I would not have wasted 19 months of my Navy career on a 'Boomer".
I learned absolutely nothing from that experience, other than it was a blight on an otherwise wonderful 20 years.
Nothing is more demoralising, to a thinking person, then spending 2 1/2 months, at a time, boring holes in the ocean and then coming home to pretend you accomplished something.
:)
I brought the James Madison, SSBN 627 out of the yards and made 7 patrols. After that, I spent a year and a half on the Narwhal, SSN 671. Made electricity and answered bells on both, and got paid the same.
Can't think of a thing I would have changed about my Navy career, including the decision to end it before I had to add to the aforementioned list.
Well, I was one of those fast attack bubbleheads (insert snotty primadonna comment knocking boomers here), and as far as I'm concerned, boomer patrols are some of the most important work a sailor can do.
We can only take strategic nuclear deterrence for granted because we already have it. If we didn't, the world would be a very different place indeed, comrade.
So for what it's worth, thanks for doing what you had to do.
The truth is that duty on a fast attack boat is pretty damn boring, too. For the guys who work in the back, it's all basically a matter of depth, speed and plant parameters. Watching steam demand. Oooh, pinch my arm. Doesn't really matter what you're pushing or where, the view in the back is always the same.
Now if you're a coner on the otherhand, then maybe it's more fun and yeah boomer patrols would suck by comparison. At least the ops guys get to plot courses and fiddle around with the periscopes and masts. For the guys in the back, on the other hand, it's "Oh hey, rig for ventilation. Whoop de freakin' do."
Sorry your tour sucked, mine basically did, too. But that's life aboard submarines for you, in all its unglamorous splendor. If it was really all that much fun, a lot more people would be doing it. 8^)