Blind

I suppose we all go about our daily lives blind to the things around us, me included, but sometimes I really get annoyed.

People need to realize that just because they have something doesnt mean that everybody else has it to. Or just because they dont have something doesnt mean that nobody else has it either. Or just because they know something or believe something....so on and so forth.

The fact of the matter is, everyone is different. We come from different backgrounds, we have different strengths and weaknesses, so on and so forth. So don't go around assuming that everybody has life just as good or as bad as you. And don't go around thinking that nobody has it better or worse than you either, because there is always someone in better circumstances, and there is always someone in better circumstances.

And as far as religion goes, don't assume that Heavenly Father just has one standard by which he judges the world. I'm not going to pretend to know the standards He will use or anything of that nature. I know only what the gospel teaches me. However what I do know is that all kinds of different people will be in the celestial kingdom of God. People from all walks of life will be there, so if you don't like getting used to other people, get used to it now, because you might just spend eternity with those "other people" that you don't like to think about.

Enlisted to Officer

So in the military you have officers and you have enlisted personnel. There is much debate within the ranks of the military (in my case I will focus just on the Navy) as to whether it is better to be an enlisted person or an officer. Before I entered the Navy I always thought that the only people who thought enlisted life was better were those who were incapable of becoming officers. However since I joined I have met several enlisted persons that had actually chosen to stay enlisted even though they could have gone officer if they wanted to. They all had their own reasons, but they were pretty close to the same thing.

First lets look at the facts.

The first fact is that officers get paid more. That cannot get disputed. The most senior enlisted personnel barely make more than the most junior of officers. So if you seek pay, officer is the way to go.

Officers carry more authority and according to customs and courtesies are entitled to more respect. Personally I don't understand why a 25 year Master Chief has to salute a 2 or 3 month Ensign, but that is just how it goes.

So why then would someone choose to stay enlisted once they get a college degree (the degree is pretty much the only thing you need to get a commission)?

Enlisted personnel are the backbone of America's military. They are the specialists. An officer is just a supervisor. In the Navy, officers have to come to the blue-shirts if they want to know anything about a specific job that is being performed on their ship. They are not rated, and therefore they are not trained towards a specific field. So if you want to actually get something done, your best route is to stay enlisted.

The next benefit is that enlisted personnel tend to get more respect from the public at large. Generally, when someone is thanked for their service it is because they are enlisted. Officers are viewed in a different light by society at large because naturally their job does not carry as much harm with it as does the job of an enlisted person.

And the last benefit to being enlisted is that you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are the backbone of the military. Without the blue jackets in the fleet we would have no Navy. Without the officers, we could still get the job done, it just might not be as efficient because of the lack of supervision.

Now mind you, none of this applies to me because I am not going to stay in long enough for it to matter. Once I get my 5 years I am done. However if I were going to make a career out of the Navy I think I would choose to stay enlisted. I am not trying to say that officers have no honor, I am just saying that I believer most of the honor courage and commitment lies within the ranks of enlisted personnel.

Basic Training

So I made it through fine fine navy boot camp, and I am still alive and kicking. Go me!!! All in all it wasn't all that bad. I had great RDC's, especially compared to some of the other ones in my ship (barracks).

I learned a lot about the navy and what have you, and I think that it was a great experience. The main thing that it helped me with was appreciating the basic freedoms that we as Americans take advantage of on a daily basis, such as the freedom to make a phone call whenever you please.

I also learned that the navy is just the best branch of the military period end of story. I love all of the men and women who serve in all branches, but the navy is just the best. Hey, there has to be one at the top right?

Everywhere we go
People want to know
Who we are
So we tell them
We're not the Coast Guard
They don't even work hard
We're not the Air Force
The low flying Air Force
We're not the Army
The rat-packing Army
We're not Marines
They don't even look mean
We are the NAVY
The world's finest NAVY
We are the NAVY
The mighty US NAVY

So now I'm in rotten Groton, Connecticut. It's not so bad here, and in about a year I will be fully trained to go to the fleet as a submariner.

People have been asking me if I have any regrets about my decision to join the military. My answer is most defiantly no. I am very satisfied with my decision, because where else can you server your country and get as much for it as I am getting from the navy. We truly do have the greatest military in the world, and I am glad that for the rest of my life I will be able to say that I served.