On Wednesday night, at the end of our nightly company meeting, we received our challenge coins. It was so funny since we are all sitting in the main passageway and cheering as each member of our company went up to shake hands and receive their coin. Challenge coins are part of a Navy tradition. You are supposed to carry it in your pocket and basically another sailor can whip their coin out and challenge you. You have four paces to whip your coin out and match theirs. The challenge is for who is buying the drinks. You have to be specific when you challenge because it can be for a round of drinks or just one drink. Challenge coins also can be beat by a higher coin. Whoever loses buys the drinks. If you do not have a coin, then you buy. If you are challenged and produce a coin that is of equal or greater value at the challenger’s, then he/she has to buy. It is rather complicated…but I have mine safely in my pocket…just in case!
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On Thursday…we had to move out of our rooms and down and over to another floor and wing. I should say another deck since that is proper Naval terminology. I have learned so many new words. Some of them still confuse me. We had to move in a big hurry since I had duty that night and my roommate had pictures. I threw most of my stuff into my bags and trudged downstairs…and threw it all in my new room. It’s amazing because within 1½ hours, we had packed, moved, unpacked, made our racks, cleaned the whole room, changed into/out of/and back into our khakis, and were ready to go! It was a whirlwind move, but went fairly well…although I am all turned around now since I’m in a totally different spot than before. I had my second and last duty shift last night. I was one of the Rovers…and basically that means that we walk the halls, the training command area (several buildings), check the gauges (not entirely sure what they are all for), lock doors for the night, etc. I was paired up with one of my shipmates from November Company. We were talking about it…and it is so weird, because we get paired up for everything. We are on the same squad, on the same team within the squad, were paired up on both duty shifts, and stand next to each other in the height line. It’s unreal! We work well together I believe…so that makes it fun. I hope I'm not talking his ear off! Doing the shift was hilarious because the other rover and the officer of the deck kept up this banter and it made me laugh so much. I’m so sleep-deprived…that may be the reason I find everything funny! Anyway, I really enjoyed working with them. Basically…our job as rovers is to make sure everything is okay. It’s funny too, since each time we leave the quarterdeck (aka lobby), we have to sign the log book in a very specific way…and when we are coming on or going off the shift, we have to say this little thing…and I thought it was hilarious. This is what we say...the on-coming officer says “I am ready to relieve you.” The off-going officer says “I am ready to be relieved.” The on-coming says “I relieve you.” The off-going says “I stand relieved.” It feels absolutely ridiculous to say! My partner was joking about how creepy it sounds when you whisper it…and it does sound creepy! Got to love the Navy and all their rules! I am in our company’s choir and I love it! We have sung several patriotic songs. It’s so cool because we sang first at the Chief’s request…and sang a song we hadn’t prepared, but it turned out well. I think I really started to love being in the choir when we sang “God Bless the USA.” The reason I will always remember and love that song is because when we sang…our Chief and the Senior Chief from the other company had some gear drift—wet eyes. It is interesting, because I have heard that song so many times, but this time was very different because it really meant something. These Chiefs are truly amazing people who have made great sacrifices and I love that even though they have been through so much and seen so much, they still believe in what we are fighting for. After that…I am more inclined to pay closer attention to the lyrics and truly mean every word. It was a very powerful experience…we’ll be singing for the graduation reception (next week) and I’ll see if someone can film us. I’m loving choir, but more importantly, I love that I choose to be in the Navy!!! Well…another week is done. I am so glad this one is over…after a taste of liberty last weekend, it was harder for me to keep sharp with life at ODS. Overall, it was pretty good. Most of our time was filled with Division Officer classes…learning how to be leaders. Beyond that, we have been practicing for graduation. I got my pictures done this week…I only had to wear the top half of my dress whites plus cover of my uniform and when I went downstairs, people gave me the strangest looks! I also ordered my dress blues (jacket and skirt)…$600 later I was feeling a bit broke! Wow…that is the most expensive outfit I have ever bought. Altogether with the rest of the uniform…it probably costs about $1000. I’m excited to wear it since it is my favorite uniform. It looks really sharp and even feels pretty good. I intend to wear it home for Christmas…if I get the time off. Oh…on Sunday, I went kayaking with some friends down by the harbor on base. It was so pretty! We got there very early, so we sat on the dock and put our feet in the water…and just talked. That was a highlight for me! We were talking and I mentioned that it’s so weird that we are talking like old friends, but have only known each other for about three weeks. I feel like I’ve been here way longer than just four weeks at this point! Good Morning! My goodness...I had so much to say and still haven't covered everything! Read whatever you like and post back if you have a chance. I like seeing your comments too! I'll post again next week! I have
Today when we went out on the town in our summer whites, I felt like a tourist attraction! People kept wanting their picture with us…and people were even trying to sneak pictures of us too! That was an entirely different experience. I guess we are more unusually anyway since people do not generally see female officers. There are not that many of us I suppose. A lot of people in Newport are tourists, so people are not as used to seeing military personnel as I thought they would be. I didn’t realize what a tourist destination this was. For the most part people were super friendly…though we did have a few civilians trying to salute us. That was a little odd since we can’t salute back. It was pretty interesting being on this side of things since usually, I am the one trying not to stare at those in uniform. I’m always so curious about them…and now I’m one of them. I didn’t really mind the interest…just was not expecting it. I felt so official! Oh…and last night, I had dessert! I was so excited when we got dessert privileges back this week! I miss my dessert. It’s weird though, I’ve lost six pounds since being here. I didn’t think I had lost weight since I eat so much at each meal. I guess having no fried food, dessert, or snacks make a difference. We’ve done some physical training too, but no more than I do at home. Well…my plans for this Saturday night include preparing my uniform for tomorrow. I need to press and redecorate it! I’ll probably straighten up my war locker and just get set up for tomorrow. I’m hoping to spend tomorrow on the water (perhaps kayaking)…and polishing my shoes! Good night…more updates coming next weekend! It’s funny, because we are being taught how to be leaders and there’s no better way to learn than being thrown right into things. For example, I was standing at morning quarters this week when I heard “Ensign Stevens, step forward.” My heart sank…I was either in trouble or he was going to ask me a question I didn’t know. Turns out that myself and one of my shipmates were being put in charge of the whole 83-person November Company for the day. Wow…that’s one heck of a job! I was glad when the day was over because it is exhausting to keeps up with all the comings and goings of that many people. I think the hard part was having absolutely no warning whatsoever! There’s nothing quite like spontaneous leadership!
Onto this weekend…I’m having so much fun!!! I think one of the most interesting parts is that three weeks ago, I didn’t know anyone of these people. I didn’t know that we would be hanging out and talking like we’ve known each other for a long time…perhaps that is one thing I love about the Navy. Last night I went out with some shipmates and we first stopped at a coffee shop and talked for a bit! What a treat when we are never supposed to talk during meals…or really at any time aside from when we have been secured for the night. After one of my friends split off to spend time with her husband, my other friend and I walked around downtown Newport…what a lovely place. It is such a nice city…with quaint shops, lots of twinkle lights in the trees, sailboats in the harbor, etc. I loved it and kept thinking to myself that “I could live here.” We went out to dinner at this tiny little restaurant…had a very European feel to it. I tried fried green tomatoes for the first time and they were delicious! We got thanked for our service…and also asked if we were in the Canadian Navy! Haha…we straightened out that misunderstanding! One thing is for sure…we really attract a lot of attention in uniform! Chief always is telling/yelling at us to be faster and better and “vicious and expeditious” is one of his favorite catch phrases. These are some of the other things he says all the time…”You’re killing my universe right now,” “unbelievable,” “Are you serious?,” “If I had tear ducts, I’d cry right now, but I don’t,” “I was born marching,” and “It’s just one of those things…just one of those things.” Amidst the yelling and straightening us out (which is a very big job when one considers the demographic), Chief is a really amazing person. I think the reason I respect him so much is that he truly cares about the kind of officers we become. His main goal is to get us thinking in the right way. Push ups are okay, but they only change behavior for the time. His goal is to change the way we think…so that we care about more than just ourselves. He wants us to be the kind of officers who set the bar high, who don’t cut corners, who look and carry ourselves in a professional manner, and who give 100% all the time. He keeps driving the point that what we do matters because it affects so many other people. The Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment are exactly what he is trying to instill in us. Since being here, my whole attitude about what it means to be an officer has changed…because we really can make a difference. I realize that life outside of here will not be as “perfect” as here…in that people probably don’t follow all the rules, but I like the fact that he doesn't cut corners or make excuses. It reminds me of the words of William Wordsworth “What good amide these, Oh me oh life. That you are here…and identity. That the powerful play goes on and you will contribute a verse.” I think that is more or less how it goes, but the point is that we all will contribute something…what will that be? Taking it one step further…that applies to all of life. Chief is teaching us how to be leaders and how to take responsibility. His job is to teach us what we need to know and then give the company back to us so that we operate it in a smooth and effective manner on our own. Other than duty, this past week has been filled with so many things…lectures, our exam, another PRT (physical readiness test), our room and summer whites inspection, etc. It was so full and by the time we got to the end of it, I was so tired. I even was asked to cut my shipmate’s hair! I’ve never cut anyone’s hair aside from my own, but it didn’t turn out so bad if I do say so myself! She liked it and that’s all that matters! What else?...Oh…last Sunday I went to the internet café where I wrote last week’s blog post and caught up on emails. I also went to the Sunday service with some of my shipmates and that was so nice. I really liked the quaint, little chapel and it just felt so good to sit in a service and hear about God again. It made me feel more like I was home. I am really hoping to find a good church once I get to Virginia…hoping that it doesn’t take too long! My mom has found a great connection through Cadence Ministries and I’m hoping that they can help me find a good place to plug in once I get to my new home. Onto this weekend…we had our liberty brief on Friday and were given makeup privileges back! You should have heard the excited/relieved expressions of my classmates…so funny! I was so relieved because for the first time in three weeks, I feel more like myself! Though…I still probably won’t wear any makeup during the week because there is just no time to be “vicious and expeditious” with makeup on! November Company has finally made it to the end of week three! It feels so good to have this week behind us since we had our exam and our summer dress whites inspection. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself since there is still so much to tell you all about.
Let me begin with last weekend when I was on duty as the navigator for the duty driver. Myself and a fellow officer were slated to take that duty from 0700-0700 the next day. I didn’t think it would be that busy since the others who had been doing it before us almost never got calls. We are required to take the cell phone with us at all times and respond to the orders of the Command and Assistant Command Duty Officers. Basically, we are a taxi service. Before we had even gotten report from the off-going shift, we had our first customer! We took many trips off base to a clinic for those trainees in need of medical care. It seems that quite a few people have become sick this week. Anyway, we did lots and lots of those trips. That wasn’t so bad and we thought that after our morning was done with those things may quiet down…how wrong we were. We had only a few short hours of down time during the whole 24-hour shift. I think we decided that we had been driving for about 7-8 hours that day. A good amount of time was spent waiting for calls, but we would finish one thing and get a call 20-30 minutes later. It was pretty steady for most of the day. It may sounds like a bummer duty to pull, but I had so much fun. We mostly transported Officer Candidates…and I really enjoyed talking with them. It is so funny because we see the OCS students all the time, but can never really interact with them. In fact, we are not allowed to say one word to them until they have completed their ninth week of training…so for the most part, we are in the dark about what they are doing and vice versa. It was funny though, because every time we see them and when we would drive up to pick them up, they are standing at attention…not allowed to move or talk or look at anything. Once they would get in the van, they would start smiling and wouldn’t stop talking. I enjoyed hearing about their experiences—both the ups and downs. I met a bunch of them…mostly from engineering, aviation, and intel schools. I even met someone who went to Letourneau University (about ½ hour from ETBU!). We took many groups here and there all day long. At one point, it was funny because as they were getting out of the van after a boisterous ride, one of them said “smiles stowed” as he got out…since they have to maintain military bearing all the time. I must say that I really respect what they do since it doesn’t look fun. Sometimes, during physical training, they have to roll around in the sand while they PT and then have to go to breakfast. They have Marine drill instructors and it just doesn’t look fun. They have to earn everything…forks and knifes, salt, pepper, etc. Anyway, we didn’t finish our duty driving till around 2am. We met a bunch of the new candidates because they arrived a day early for training and we had to transport them off base to hotels. Those poor students have no idea what they are in for. I tried to give them some tips from what I had heard via the grapevine, but I don’t know if anything can really prepare you at all. |
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That I grow in my role as a nurse and always do my best. That I would follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Friendships AuthorI'm Carolyn...am so excited to be starting my nursing career in the Navy. Who knows where this all will take me?! Archives
July 2015
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