After almost 30 years active duty, and now just an old retired guy, I seem to remember a requirement for “Code of Conduct” training. I recall something about the enemy and a soldier, sailor, airman, (Ooops Read: Air person) and Marine’s required behavior. Maybe these sailors just missed that block of instruction.
> ... “Code of Conduct” training
These 2 boats were SWCC boats.
SWCC boats are manned by sailors who have gone through intense training that includes SERE. These sailors had the training in “Code of Conduct” and much more. Their mission was obviously high risk and under orders from a very high.
My battery was a composite Chaparral/Towed Vulcan battery, air base defense. We would support the nearby Nike/Herc battery during their inspections with a 40 man augmentation force. Lucky me, that was one of my "extra duties", ARF Cdr of 40 men who had not had any infantry tactics since Boot Camp.
My men performed their mission well, and we beat our mission time by 30 minutes. Still, that wasn't good enough for the team chief, and he remarked on that during the outbriefing.
After they left the Deputy CG of 32nd AADCOM addressed us, to congratulate the battery on a job well done. He also pointed his finger at me, and said, "LT, I'll take that hit for you. You've got my permission to give your soldiers extra training anytime you want to."
A few months later, I was an XO of a support group cobbled together from 20+ units. One soldier hadn't been paid for six weeks, after calls were made to his immediate chain of command. I told my clerk, "I will only speak to his Group Commander", knowing that he commanded the Nike/Herc units in Germany.
The conversation was stilted, until I said, "Colonel, I had the pleasure of briefly meeting you at the outbriefing a few months back. I was the ARF Cdr that supported your battery."
The tone changed immediately...lol. "LT, how are you doing? Great to hear from you!" Within 10 minutes, a jeep was put on the road with our soldier's paychecks, from home base over 400 miles away.
Such was the gravity of a nuclear surety inspection.
I doubt the Nav teaches young recruits that block anymore - it's not safe to require a FREAKING NAVAL COMMAND TO NEVER, EVER GIVE UP THE SHIP
I cannot even comprehend the thought of anyone ever stepping foot on our deck unless they were filled with lead first. What a world, what a world.
BTW, does anyone think it's kind of curious that nothing with this "administration" ever really adds up?
Retired here too. No effort to throw sensitive items over board, no effort to retrieve the broken boat. However, no money for training, for spare parts, for training or anything other than left wing social experiments with readiness.
The whole think stunk to me.
Why were the boats there to begin with? What were they doing?
With all the advanced navigation equipment available, how is it possible for two vessels to accidently wander into Iranian waters?
Why didn’t the undamaged vessel tow the other one to safety? They had to have had mooring lines or they could have improvised something.
These guys were confessing to international crimes and crying within a day. I know pilots where were in solitary confinement in the Hanoi Hilton for years and tortured and still refused to make statements like that.
The earthquakes we’ve been feeling are probably all the Navy vets rolling over in their graves.