card sharks Department: Ops Author: Ron Eureka Era: 1985 Date: 08/08/06 I had my butt handed to me quite a few times playing poker with the old salts. Not to mention a much lighter wallet ... ;-) Any sea stories on gambling / card playing ?

Jimmy Stewart Department: Rx Author: Brian Teifer Era: 1982 Date: 08/09/06 John, Any idea how Jimmy died? I will always remember this giant of a man. Great guy. Was on both Ike and TR with him. RIP Jimmy

hey David Toombs Department: Ops Author: Ron Eureka Era: 1984 Date: 08/09/06 Feel free to throw up a web site called www.IkeWasAwesome.com and start waiting for the posts to come ;-) Yes, there were positive aspects: - a sailor gets world-wiser much faster than someone hiding in college for 4 years. - world travel. - the college money, if applicable (I had a program called VEAP, not either GI Bill. VEAP sucked - whopping $2700 at my EAOS). But I did do about 1 year of college on active duty, part time, using Tuition Assistance. - the Navy credit union was my first credit card. - I bought my house with a VA loan. - The wife and I have guaranteed VA burial plots about an hour from my house. ;-) The bottom line, though, is that the military is a unilateral contract, and THAT by design is NOT to benefit the service member. btw, David ... I'm a Database Analyst, been in IT myself for 22 years. I was a DP2 at discharge, and had a good job just 3 weeks after separating (another benny). Still with the same company 17 years later.

hey Wags and Flounder Department: Ops Author: Ron Eureka Era: 2006 Date: 08/09/06 I live in Northeast Ohio, in Shalersville Township (just outside Aurora / Streetsboro). Work in Beachwood (yes, that is the correct spelling) and company HQ is downtown Cleveland. Lost Sheep Band, huh ? Guess I don't get out much. A guy I work with is in Stone Pony, a local Bruce Springsteen tribute band. I play guitar myself, have for a long long time, but haven't been pickin' much as of late. Just swimming, drinking beer, and computer gaming. GO BROWNS !!!

It's what you make of it Department: Rx Author: Mike Era: 1988 Date: 08/11/06 Regarding the "no whining" comment... No offense is intended and I am sure that you worked hard on your 12 hours "on". I'll bet you worked the same 12 on and had the same 12 off everyday too, huh? A 12 on and 12 off would have been a vacation for the guys in Reactor Department. We stood watches every day in rotating shifts...from day to day we never had the same time "off". Not only that, but after you stood watch and did your work day, if they ran casualty drills in the plant you were expected to respond to them. We didn't have time to take college classes or martial arts. When we pulled into a port overseas, one of the plants had to stay up to provide electricity, water, and steam so everyone else could do their jobs. (continued)

It's what you make it Pt. 2 Department: Rx Author: Mike Era: 1988 Date: 08/11/06 When Ike was getting ready to get underway, the guys in Reactor and Engineering were onboard at least a day or two before everyone else to start up the plant. We were already in our watch rotation when the rest of the crew was kissing their wives good bye. Yeah...I guess if I had a twelve on/twelve off schedule I wouldn't find much to whine about either. Hell...8 hours of sleep every night? College classes? Exercise? What's not to like? I enjoyed your post until your "quit whining" comment; it obviously rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe you should learn a little bit about the people and their jobs on board Ike before you make a comment like that. You obviously have no idea what goes on in Reactor and Engineering because if you did, you would not have made such a comment.

Watches, watches, watches. Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 08/13/06 Mike, I have to agree with you. We had an 8-12 hour workday then a 4-6 hour night watch. I asked my division about college classes once and was laughed out of the office. I always wondered what kind of jobs the guys that were always in the gym had and how they could possibly have the time to do tye-bo in the hangar bay. I do remember the OS's would wax the same P-way on the 03-level everyday. I had a friend that was an OS and I asked him how they had time for that. He said that they had 12 hour shifts, and that sometimes they would have too many people on a shift so they would have to "invent" things to do as only so many people could sit there and watch a radar screen. I felt RX dept's pain with the startup watches and inport steaming watches. As a Catapult Supervisor in the ENG dept(a haven for us EX-Nukes) if you were lit off so were we. The bottom line is that some jobs had more time off than others. I have no ill will or bitches against them, I am glad that someone had time off.

helping out the power company Department: Rx Author: Joe Brown Era: 1989 Date: 08/14/06 I was a LD in '89. I now work for the power co in Va as a system operator. I recall in the summer of '89 Vepco, as they were known then, had about 3 out of 4 nuke units off-line with various problems and they were hurting. They asked us to self-supply. On several days we cranked up all 4 diesels x-ferred load and opened shore power. Not likely to see than again but can't say never.

I agree Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 1981 Date: 08/14/06 I have to agree with Mike And Sol on this,even though I was In AIMD I was still ships company and along with that came not only the 12 on and 12 off all the other bullshit too! I am not sure about this but does anyone know if any of the airwing had to report to a repair locker for GQ ? I spent almost 3 years assigned to 1 Fox up in hangar bay one and remember seeing alot of airwing guys crashed out in jet intakes and cockpits while we're at GQ,what really pissed me off was the Gitmo's when your sweating your ass off in one of those NBC suits they use to store in some kind of powdered bleach, and these guys are in some shop or berthing space playing cards or whatever. I will say this I took great satisfaction of dropping the hatches no matter who was coming up when they said time plus 4 I know I pissed off more than a few people but too bad after 4 minutes mostly everybody should've been where they were supposed to be anyway.

Ty bo In the hangar bay? Department: AIMD Author: Jake Era: 2006 Date: 08/14/06 Hey Sol Ty Bo In the hangar bay? Are you kidding me, man times sure have changed