Hello, or 'Ahoy' as the case may be. Welcome to the blog. Here's where I plan to wow you with tales of the sea and the Dark Continent. Or, if that fails, make you laugh at someone who would willingly lock themselves up on a floating steel box for ~6 months. Translation, Ken's being deployed with the US Navy.
I plan to post to it as much as possible, but it may be days or weeks between stories.
Sooo, I'm just about ready. I've dug the Seabag (that's a 'duffle bag' or 'big green bag' depending if you're Army or civilian) out of the attic and with Shawna's help restored it to it's former glory from the first time I was deployed (in 1988!). You can't take regular luggage on a warship, so you pack everything you think you'll need for the next 6 months in one or two bags. Uniforms, shoes, toothbrush, civilian clothes, fingernail clippers, socks, towels, etc. Sounds fun eh? Dave hooked me up with a couple of the bags he used in Iraq (from the size I think he could have smuggled home a camel in them), so I have a matching set of the finest Milspec luggage.
I either leave in 7 days or 9 days, depending on which version of orders the Navy gives me. And I either go to Tennessee or Italy initially for processing. You would think those two places are not interchangeable (ha! you're obviously not a Navy personnel processing type)...but those of you who are/were military...or that work for any government agency will probably understand. Then it's back to Virginia to hop a slow boat to Europe, and then turn 'ta the starboard' for Africa. Can't wait!
I plan to post to it as much as possible, but it may be days or weeks between stories.
Sooo, I'm just about ready. I've dug the Seabag (that's a 'duffle bag' or 'big green bag' depending if you're Army or civilian) out of the attic and with Shawna's help restored it to it's former glory from the first time I was deployed (in 1988!). You can't take regular luggage on a warship, so you pack everything you think you'll need for the next 6 months in one or two bags. Uniforms, shoes, toothbrush, civilian clothes, fingernail clippers, socks, towels, etc. Sounds fun eh? Dave hooked me up with a couple of the bags he used in Iraq (from the size I think he could have smuggled home a camel in them), so I have a matching set of the finest Milspec luggage.
I either leave in 7 days or 9 days, depending on which version of orders the Navy gives me. And I either go to Tennessee or Italy initially for processing. You would think those two places are not interchangeable (ha! you're obviously not a Navy personnel processing type)...but those of you who are/were military...or that work for any government agency will probably understand. Then it's back to Virginia to hop a slow boat to Europe, and then turn 'ta the starboard' for Africa. Can't wait!
