We carried 400 - 600 marines .. not a single weapon amongst them let alone on their person. They stood in chow lines and kept the ship on water hours. PT’d during the day ate, showered, ate and showered, ate and showered, ate and showered some more at night. Hollywood showers ...
Water .. the most precious commodity on board ship ... that and the duty roll (butt wipe)
Gator Freighters forever....
My son was a plane captain on an Air Craft Carrier...He said you could always tell the ones that worked in the bowels of the ship...They stuck their heads topside once in a while...and there was nothing like green scrambled eggs, and getting in line for chow with 5000 other guys......(maybe a little hyperbole)
Did a couple of 6 month tours in the Med. playing games with the soviets during the cold war..
Being a proud mother, I got a lovely letter from the navy when they had a plane crash on deck and my son was one of the first to man the hoses..
I asked him what he thought at the time (a 20 year old) and he said "I thought what the fuc* am I doing here, I'm going to die" They fished one of the guys out of the drink and the other one's shoot landed him in the middle of the crash scene...Both survived to talk about it....