I was planning on making the Navy a career when I joined in 1977, but the Jimmy Carter Navy was not the same Navy my Dad was so proud of. I have never seen so much vermin, dope heads, drop outs, thieves, and slackers in my entire life. And then cram all of them into rooms of 60 or so in the innards of a big gray boat. FTN was common graffiti found written on walls and on letters home.
It was improving once Reagan took over, but at that time I already made planes for my life after my hitch. I expect the same thing is happening with our Military today, and stories like this must frustrate the Hell out of the good people in the Military.
I joined the national guard in 1972 as Nam was dying down. I had a high draft number so got into the TX NG, and will retire at the end of this year. I remember going to the cann point to get bolts, nuts, washers and cotter pins during the cattah years.
There wasn’t enough money to buy gas for mowers, so we had to use those “idiot sticks” to cut the grass. We had a few dope heads back then too, but once the drug testing came on board, they all got out.