(Vanity) Navy Nuclear Power School Graduation

justshutupandtakeit | 3/28/2005 | vanity

[justshutupandtakeit]

Friday March 18 was a bitterly cold day in Charleston whence I had traveled to the ceremonies attending the graduation of almost 300 new Navy Nuclear Engineers from the Navy Nuclear Power Command Training school. This event was held out doors where a crowd of parents, family and friends watched our sons and daughters received their certificates marking the end of a grueling and intellectually challenging course of study which will enable the men to be assigned to the Submarines and Carriers defending our freedom across the globe. Female graduates will be performing their duties upon the air craft carriers and surface ships.

One of the graduates was my son, Arlen, who also sang in a quartet our National Anthem. His mother would have been brimming with pride as well.

These young sailors raised a great flame of pride, love and hope for the future in my heart and those of others there. Our Navy will be in good hands while our nation produces young citizens like these.

After graduation most transferred to Ballston Spa in New York's beautiful Hudson River Valley where they will be assigned to prototype training working on actual reactors.

Hats off to these sailors.

[Doohickey]

I learned from a TMC - he was old school, complete with callouses on his knuckles.

[bmwcyle]

Card swapper HA! Wrench tapper.

[IonImplantGuru]

A pat on the back to you, Justy, and congrats to your son Arlen (after all, he's the one who did work for this achievement - you just put together the clay, so to speak)! As an ex- US Navy nuclear reactor operator and submariner (1962 - 1973) I can appreciate what he's accomplished so far.

Now he goes on to put that book knowledge to work at a prototype plant to get the hands-on nuts and bolts knowledge for running and maintaining a nuclear reactor plant - and finish the creation of one of the newest members of one of the most successful and elite engineering organizations in the world.

My best to both of you!

- IIG

[IonImplantGuru]

Nukes are used to drive us around to shoot our weapons. STS2/SS

And provide hot water for your too-long showers, and electricity for your hairdryers, too. Of course my understanding is that an ST's only weapon is her nail file, so...

(((PING!!!)))

[tacticalogic]

Congrats. Ian finished Prototype School in Feb., and got picked up for the STA-21 program. He's in OCS at Newport right now, then off to college. He and Arlen may well cross paths in the coming years.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Indeed they may he is also considering OCS but they will probably want him to do a tour of duty aboard a boat before.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Thanks and thank you for your service to our country.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Have a look.

[zkbeta51]

Congratulations to your son. My Nuke school gaduation in DEC of 2000 was freezing as well. I moved up to Ballston Spa, NY after that so it got colder. Where is he going to prototype?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

ping

[RightWhale]

He's on his way to submariners school in Connecticut

Remember that if the speed limit on post is 20, it means 20, not 21.

[I Luv Bush]

I went through a few years before you did, in Orlando. Sounds like it didn't change a bit--I hated the b#st@rds that could do it in just a few extra hours a week, too!!

[justshutupandtakeit]

He will be at Ballston Spa too but the weather will be much nicer. Thanks and thank you for your service to our country.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Unfortunately, that's government decisions: Thou shalt wear a specific uniform, think a specific way, and do a specific thing because "That's what the rules are ..."

(On the other hand, I can snicker a bit (but with unconcealed with pride in his work and his future!) because I wrangled my way to be in sub school in New England in the summer, Nuclear power school in Orlando FL over the winter (Sept-March, Disney was fun at Christmas!) and Prototype at S1W up near Yellowstone/Grand Tetons from April-December. (Thanks to a little babyhold there at the end....)

Great weather all around.

My brother also had NPS at Orlando, Balston Spa prototype, Charleston for sub duty.

Good luck to him

[Robert A Cook PE]

My sister was recruit chief at Great Lakes for several years - She remembers the cold days more than the hot days!

[Robert A Cook PE]

The Navy power reactors really are pretty small - compared to what a commercial power plant puts out:

The number of people, support services, and small amounts of power coming out (the bigger turbines are set to drive the propeller at slow speeds, not the electric generators at high speeds anyway) so the enginerooms and all electric systems would need to be rebuilt.

Existing generators are the wrong voltage for commercial power service: but are oversized for simple service needs.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Thank you for your thoughts and your service.

[bmwcyle]

STs are homos. STSs are real men.

[CenturionM]

Arlen scored 4th of 120 for Officer training too. Thanks for your thoughts.

and he calls the OTHER guys "scary smart"? LOL (but I knew a few like that, too)

Congratulations to you and your son!

Class 8602 bump!

[Smartass]

I've always been an advocate of nuclear power. Your ideas parallel mine. Reactors could be placed on ships the size of freighters. There would be enough, safe power made to easily faze out oil and coal burning powerhouses.

When nuclear power was in it's infancy, there were a few problems. The anti-this and that folks jumped all over it and scared everyone to death. Those same fools go home and cook, watch television, use heat and AC or what ever requires power. They have no idea or care where it comes from.

If maybe, about thirty ships were fitted to produce about 500 Mega Watts each, plus upgrade existing nuclear plants, we would be totally power independent. Fuel prices would come down to $1.00 a gallon!!!/p>