Posted on 04/30/2008 5:59:33 AM PDT by paterfamilias
“Thankfully GEN Krulak had none of it for his Marine Corps.”
“Excellence doesn’t just happen. It must be forged, tested and used. It must be passed down and woven into the very fabric of our soul until it becomes our nature.”
-General Charles C. Krulak 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps
Ha! Missed me by this much....
And what's wrong with what you're seeing? Are you suggesting they're less capable than under the Reagan days? Less dedicated? Less intelligent? Incapable of protecting the country? What?
I'm watching as much as I can. My job in a carrier-based helicopter squadron requires me to be at work too early in the morning to stay up until 11:00pm watching a show about life on an aircraft carrier. I've been able to see about 2/3 of it so far.
At any rate, I've lived the life having completed two gulf deployments and from what I've seen, this program pretty much nails it, the good and the bad. I plan on buying the series so I can watch it in its entirety.
I'll tell you what I really LOVE about the show. The soundtrack!
Don't anyone bother to flame me, I glow with asbestos.
It’s like a soap opera, only on deck. Or a carrier version of the PBS series Upstairs, Downstairs (Above Deck, Below Deck). Real life action. Part of the reason I believe they concentrate on the “lower class” of sailors is because there is more “drama” in their lives; broken homes, drunks, racists, out of wedlock pregnancy, rape, poor, undereducated, etc. etc. etc. It fits the PBS stereotype of who goes into the service and pays off more in dramatic effect.
However, I like the series in spite of this. It gives a good look into life on a carrier, a floating city, and how the Navy keeps the whole city in working order while accomplishing their mission. And how a ship works, its component parts. Fascinating actually. My friend turned me onto the fact the series was on, and I really didn’t think I would be interested, but it was on when she called me, so I switched to the carrier series and got hooked. Looking forward to the rest of the episodes. I’m so sick of Obama/Wright, Obama/Hillary, McCain/Obama/Hillary, I could regurgitate, so it is welcome relief from the political drama. I’d rather watch the soap opera drama on the high seas.
They're out there on the front lines protecting you and your's. Sorry that you find them annoying.
Have not been watching, my folks have been enjoying it. Through a combination of circumstances I was lucky enough to get a tour of the John C. Stennis while it was docked in San Diego. Small group, 6-7 people. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
Absolutely. I really liked the way he publicly stuck up for the lCpl. on his team that signed off on a plane that turned out had a hydraulic leak. And then later, he reamed the lance in private and let him know clearly that it had better not happen again.
"If it happens agains, that'll be unpleasant for me and I'll make sure it is terrible for you."
Classic.
I couldn’t watch it. Too much focus on “wrong war, dont know what we are here for, bored , bored, bored, etc etc”
just another low level slam/undermining of the US military by PBS
this time in a more stealth mode
“I’ll tell you what I really LOVE about the show. The soundtrack!”
You got that right. Great soundtrack. My friend who turned me onto the series and I both wish we could get a CD of the soundtrack. Did you notice that Mel Gibson is one of the producers of the series? I’ll bet he had a hand in choosing the music for the program. You can see his name in the initial scrolls.
Does that include whining about people whining? Until you do what they do - pick up and leave your family for 6 or 7 months at a crack; work 12 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks at a time in 130 degree heat; live in a room with 45 other people while airplanes land on your head - then don't pass judgement on them. Maybe they've earned the right, both male and female, to complain a bit?
I’m suggesting the standards are down, I’m suggesting nobody aboard the Yorktown needed to be evacuated for pregnancy, I’m suggesting sexual harassment wasn’t a problem, etc.
I’ve been watching it and it is a very good series. I don’t like the heavy doses of liberal propaganda in it though. Homosexuality is emphasized. Women sailors are shown whining and complaining a lot. The Mission to Iraq is questioned. The sailors are often portrayed as ignorant misfits and losers. But despite this, the stories of teamwork and achievement and the profiles of the individuals are excellent.
It's their job!
Bitching is what every sailor, soldier, airman,gaurdsman, Marine does. That’s how they know they’re aive.
I've been watching this from the start. So far I haven't seen anyone evacuated off the Nimitz for pregnancy, and they clearly take steps to discourage the possibility. They sure seem to be taking steps to ensure sexual harassment isn't a problem. And the quality of the enlisted don't seem to be a whole lot different than when I was on active duty - during the Reagan years. At the end of the day it all boils down to can the ship and crew carry out their mission? From what I've seen so far the answer to that seems to be yes.
Homosexuality was mentioned once, for about 3 minutes. Assuming it doesn't come up again that means that one half of one percent of the show discussed homosexuality. That's emphasized?
“I couldn’t watch it. Too much focus on “wrong war, dont know what we are here for, bored , bored, bored, etc etc”
just another low level slam/undermining of the US military by PBS”
You know, I don’t like the whining or the second-guessing either, but in spite of their misgivings, they do their duty. And I think that shows the strength of those who take an oath and honor it.
The female Navy pilot said as much when she mentioned that the thought of dropping bombs on people was not her favorite thing, but when it came down to dropping bombs on the enemy to support our ground troops, she would do it every time without hesitation.
I don’t think it is a negative that our fighting men and women question their own motives and are analytical about the their particular situation. In fact, I have had this discussion with my son (a Marine 2ndLt now in flight school): anybody who is in the position to pull a trigger, bayonet at adversary, or drop a bomb must think about the consequences of their actions because, ultimately, they must live with their decision.
In fact, I think this is both the burden and the glory of having a well-trained, professional military.
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