Posted on 04/30/2008 5:59:33 AM PDT by paterfamilias
I have been enjoying this series a great deal. How about you?
I have seen it and lived it. It is a good series.
I’ve been watching.
There’s been some discussion over here
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2004564/posts
I’ve been watching- it’s pretty good. But you have to have your PBS filters on. It seems the slant is that most of the sailors are ignorant hicks who don’t know why they are there and are “just doing their job”. Some of the chick sailors are annoying the heck out of me with their clueless whining.
I come from a Navy family and this young crop of swabbies portrayed in this series are different from the Navy I knew.
I’ve seen it too.
Overall it is a good series.
One of negatives I saw was they seem to highlight that a lot of enlisted personnel were on the lower side of society.
Some are from broken homes with abuse, drugs, etc. They push the myth that they are in the Navy because there were no jobs available where they came from. I’m sure that the case in some circumstances but they leave the viewer with the impression that it is the case with most enlisted personnel.
It’s worth watching.
One scene that made my jaw drop was the film of the FA-18 Hornet snapping the capture wire and going off the end of the deck. The pilot had 1/2 a second to react and ejected.
What made my jaw drop was the Yellow Shirt who had about a 1/2 second more and the where-with-all to realize what happened and jumped to avoid the recoiling capture wire. Not once...BUT TWICE! That is some serious focus.
Seven others weren't so lucky and were seriously injured by the wire.
Having spent many years in the Navy I can say that for a large percentage of enlisted it is true. Especially for the enlisted they seem to be concentrating on - E-3 and below who either didn't go to A school or who went with one of the less technical specialties. They haven't had any electronics techs. No reactor engineers. No operations specialists or intelligence specialists. None of the ratings that the better educated recruits would gravitate towards. The background for a lot of these would be a whole lot different than the flight deck folks.
I had to cut my viewing short last night. Did they find that guy who went overboard off the Princeton?
So far, I think they have done a very good job in pointing out the the Navy (and the military in general) has to take kids who come from very different backgrounds, some from broken homes, and then give them structure and order that they may never have had in their lives. In many ways, things may not have changed much from the days of Admiral Nelson’s navy.
Some of them don’t quite get it (yet?), but I believe that they will be personally benefit from the experience.
The ones that do “get it” take advantage of the opportunity, and move up the promotion ladder.
I am extremely impressed with the senior enlisted that have been highlighted so far, especially the USMC S Sgt (aircraft maintenance crew) and the CMC.
Sadly, no.
(jinx!) ; )
I lived it...I have no desire to watch it on tv, as I doubt they show what it is really like for lower enlisted.
I tried to watch it last night, but the Stars and Sharks were playing last night. That took most of my attention. But what I did see of Carrier was very good.
I liked the Marine Sgt., too. Dealt a crappy hand to play in life and his biggest concern is not screwing up his kid like he perceives his parents screwed him up.
“I liked the Marine Sgt., too. Dealt a crappy hand to play in life and his biggest concern is not screwing up his kid like he perceives his parents screwed him up.”
You know, that was the most poignant part of his story. I’m willing to bet that, based on the way he looks out for his Marines, he’s going to be a great father.
In pieces, yes. The Reagan navy was a better navy; what you see now is the legacy of Pat Schroeder and Bill Clinton. Thankfully GEN Krulak had none of it for his Marine Corps.
Many of them are. Young people from the upper side of society go to college and serve as officers.
Nimitz bump
...just imagine what would happen in a prolonged war involving the Navy and active surface combatants.
On the guy off of the Prinston, NO.
I understand the program is about the carrier and its personnel. But that boat does not run by itself. Very little mention of the support ships.
I retired from MSC-PAC a few years ago and have played with those big boys more then a few times.
I don’t remember a carries being the Persian Gulf, not enough water depth, only one way in/out. All of the big boys stayed in the Arabian Sea. Big boys=carriers,AOE supply ships, cruisers.
Other wise the program is good for those folks that have no idea as to what goes on in those ships.
just my thoughts
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