Whiny Sailors


I think that all of those whiny sailors who were complaining about their 6 months at sea, with liberty calls in both Hong Kong and Australia, plus that 5 day "Tiger Cruise" where their families could come aboard need to shut the *beep* up. I was in the Marine Corps for 6 years as an infantryman. I went to Afghanistan in 2001-2002, and Kuwait/Iraq in 2003. Both deployments were over 6 months, and I don't recall a single liberty call. I also remember lots of dirt/sand, and quite a few *beep* shooting at me. My wife is in the Army, and has been in Iraq since last May, and won't be home until August. She got a whole 18 days of leave. I don't feel bad for the kids on that ship at all.

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I agree with Joby's comments, wholeheartedly. I haven't ever seen such a miserable collection of whiners and careerists.

Political correctness has taken full root, and it's easy to see.

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Everyone complains from time to time. It is nothing to feel sorry for someone about, it is just the human condition.

There is a saying that bitching sailor is a happy sailor. Sailors try very hard to stay happy... that is all.

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[deleted]

Let me guess, you never heard an E-3 marine complain while being deployed? Come on now, you know a bitching sailor/soldier/marine is a happy one.

everyone whines

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No, I heard them complain a lot. However, I think that the people that were filming this overdid it, and, if they were complaining that much, they need to grow up. They were gone for only 6 months, less than 3 of which were in the actual war zone, they got two very nice liberty calls, and had a chance to have their families along for almost a week of the cruise. I NEVER liked listening to sailors piss and moan about how hard their time at sea is.

I think that the people who made the video were trying to get people to feel sorry for them for being deployed and I just think they came off as whiny, particularly to those of us who have had far worse deployments.

My wife is in Iraq now, and she said that someone in her unit got sent a DVD of the show, and everyone over there is pretty much in agreement that the sailors should be greatful as to how lucky they are, not pissing and moaning.

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It sounds as if the your wife and the people who she showed the dvd to were pissing and moaning about their situation in comparison to the sailors, maybe she and her fellow service personal should stop complaining for the they could be in afaganstan , I would bet a far worse deployment.

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--"It sounds as if the your wife and the people who she showed the dvd to were pissing and moaning about their situation in comparison to the sailors, maybe she and her fellow service personal should stop complaining for the they could be in afaganstan , I would bet a far worse deployment."--

Coalition forces are taking far more casualties in Iraq than Afghanistan last time I looked. Last month U.S. forces in Iraq had over 50 men killed in action or died in non-combat related activities.

Unless you are currently serving in Afghanistan or Iraq, I would suggest that you just put a sock in it. Duty in Iraq is far worse than on ANY U.S. Navy carrier.

Those sailors that were complaining is as old as the Navy. Sailors have always complained. But in this current war the vast majority of Naval personnel are having a luxury vacation compared to the men and women serving in the Army and Marines.

My brother-in-law is an officer in the Navy and will be deploying to the Middle-East soon. He was on board the Ranger during Desert Storm. In that war the ship was gone for almost one year. And in those days they didn't have phones or email.

But you still have to give a lot of credit to the kids who crew all of our ships today. They are doing their jobs just like sailors of past generations. So I say, let them complain.

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>Coalition forces are taking far more casualties in Iraq than Afghanistan last time I looked.<

Raw numbers or per capita?

>But in this current war the vast majority of Naval personnel are having a luxury vacation compared to the men and women serving in the Army and Marines.<

That's true enough. At least those deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan.

>But you still have to give a lot of credit to the kids who crew all of our ships today.<

So is that.

- \"/

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(quote) - (credit)
~~~

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exactly. People should not compare their service and say "They had it too easy"

Its all relative to each servicemen and women's perspective. The sailor's are saying "Thank god we're not out there with IEDs and being shot at".. and the ground forces are saying "this sailors have it too easy"...

They know.

But its still hard for them. Again everyone makes a sacrifice. It's not a competition as to who has it worse. I think if you're complaining about who has it worse... you might be right in that you have it worse... but I think anyone complaining about "Whiners" is simply looking for the appreciation of their own sacrifice which may very well be even harder on them.

So in a sense.. we get it. We love you guys out there. Its all hard. Stay safe.

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I hope your wife comes home safe.

As far as junior sailors bitchin, well that's all they know, that's their world. In the beginning they don't know where they're going, how long they're gone for etc. They only care about what they're going through, not what marines and soldiers are going through. The reality is limited to the ship pretty much. I say this cause I was once one of those bitchin junior sailors, i probably pissed some people off, but blowing off steam is a good way of staying mentally healthy out in the ocean with no return date.

I don't think the makers of the documentary showed too much complaining on purpose, they probably showed less than what they heard around them. All and all, a bitching ____ is a happy _____

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my point is that his wife and fellow service personal seem to be"whining" them selfves , while critzing others for whining . Secondly I don't expect soldiers or sailors to be happy while they do their job , I just expect that it gets done , Lastly I agree 50 people killed last month in iraq , Im sure glad that surge is working , lets bring them home .

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You fail to see how its all relevant. While your service may be very hard, perhaps harder in your perspective... they too have their own perspective. Its relative. Their hardships are theirs, as yours are yours. Its not a game, or a comparison. Yes if you look at it rationally from a far, or even from perhaps your situation where you feel its harder than just being on a ship... It's still personal to each persons perspective.

In other words, being on a carrier maybe a lot "easier" than crawling around in the sand of some desert... it is still challenging from each persons perspective. Again it's not a us vs them, who has it worse type thing. They dont know your experience personally but i'm sure they have deep respect for it. I would recommend that you respect theirs.

Again while they may look to have it better, or easier than some in service... Its still hard for them. Everyone makes a sacrifice. You know that. We all love our servicemen and women for that.

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Bitching and moaning are integral and necessary parts of the mix that fuels the military. You can't compare one branch's flavor of bitching to another's because the expectations are different in each branch. If you're a soldier on the ground you have unique things to bitch about, just as a sailor on a ship has a particular range of topics to bitch about.

Edit: I should also point out that with reference to bitching in the military and this thread, you even have one branch bitching about another.

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My son is being deployed to Iraq as we speak. I have talked to him about the job he is training for it is dangerous and dirty and since he is a sgt h e will not even be getting his mid deployment leave since they have shortened the deployments. These junior sailors are grunts, do grunt work and sleep in a bed everynight and eat real food....and then get oiberties in exotic places. In Iraq the DOD contractors get the high profile jobs and get big money (Blackhawk Security, etc) and our GI's do the dirty work and make peanuts....thats the difference in this war run by chicken hawks.

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Life aboard a carrier seems to range from mind-numbingly boring all the way to super crazy. Plus, those brave souls who work the deck are basically risking their lives every time they step up there.

Many of my friends are retired military and I'd have to say they generally bitch the most out of all the people I know, but that's what I love about 'em. In fact, if someone says they're retired military and they don't bitch all the time, I start viewing them as suspect. :D

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What's with all the Nazi Germany military references? I feel I must tell you that your point was clouded with all those.

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[deleted]

So I could reference the brutality of the IDF during the Six Days War to illustrate just how much Sonny the Cookoo Bird loves Coco Puffs(they are, after all, the chocolatey taste you go Cookoo for). Because that makes as much sense as referencing the 3rd Reich all those times you did.

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[deleted]

This is on PBS, after all. They can SAY they're not about raitings, but lets face it, ratings matter. Whiny/dramatic sailors make for high ratings. Retarded racist aššhole sailors who didn't make it past the 8th grade, too.

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Actually, ratings do not matter at all in PBS.

PBS's "ratings" generally come from viewer response in terms of donations.

Ratings are used in the industry for pricing of commercial spots, more so than the success of a show.

For example, if American Idol has 30 million viewers... they can say to their advertisers, "We have 30 million viewers that are locked in for one hour... we have limited commercial time... and we're going to charge you based on that"

There is a reason why TV shows have limited commercial time. That plus a high ratings, equals very high commercial prices.

TV ratings are all about proving how valuable your limited commercial slots are, and for justifying the high prices you wish to charge your advertisers.

PBS does not at this problem. PBS does not have commercials. They do not exist for ratings because they have no commercial spots to fill.

What PBS is interested in is viewership response so that they know what is worth funding with the limited funds that they have. That is very different than what you suggested though. PBS knows their audience is looking for depth, and something different. The question remains "what do we fund that will meet the interest of our viewers with the quality they expect?"

PBS has been far better at "reality tv" long before there ever was a term "reality tv". PBS has always delivered documentary peices, in depth journalism, etc.

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I take it you never heard the old adage; A Sailor isn't happy unless he is Bitchin about something.

Same goes for Soldiers and Airmen as well. In fact, ANY military service.

So soldier, how about you quit your whining?


I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

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[deleted]

Absolutely Boats.

Thats exactly what I have said in another forum and thread.

While Sailors may not be running around on land with a gun with the enemy trying to kill you personally... the day to day dangers of the Navy are the same regardless of war. Actually I think it was on Yahoo Answers that I spoke of it. Some kid wanting to know what the SAFEST Branch of service to join was.

I told him that during wartime, The Navy was probably safer than the others mearly because they are at sea. But that is by no means safe. And during peacetime, the other branches danger level tends to drop to less than the navy. During Peace, the navy is probably the more dangerous service because we act and train exactly the same regardless of peace/war. Storm, Hurricanes, Typhoons dont give a damn whether it is peace or war.

Neither does a parting arrestor cable on a flight deck. Or a snapped mooring hawser.
Getting swept over the side of a carrier by jet blasts dont give a rats behind whether the jet was taking off for war or exercise.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year. the Navy does the same thing the same way. with the same danger.

During war, granted, a soldier or marine's life is in greater danger due to the very nature of the type of combat he is engaged in. But during peace, it becomes more like an extended camping trip with paintball thrown in for fun.

A Sailor's life is always the same, with the same dangers.

My deployment during Desert Storm held the same dangers and routines and length of deployment as it did during my deployments AFTER Desert Storm.

THE SNIPES LAMENT
Now each of us from time to time, has gazed upon the sea,
and watched the warships pulling out, to keep this country free.
And most of us have read a book; or heard a lusty tale,
about the men who sail these ships, through lightin', wind and hail.

But there's a place within each ship, that legend fails to teach,
it's down below the water line; and takes a living toll;
a heated metal living hell,
that sailors call 'the hole".

It houses engines, ran by steam; that makes the shaft go 'round.
A place of fire, noise and heat, that beats your spirits down.
Where boilers are the hellish heart, with blood of angry steam,
are molded gods without remorse, and nightmares in a dream.

The roaring fires pose a threat, like living life in doubt,
for any minute without scorn, could escape and crush you out.
Where turbines scream like tortured souls, alone and lost in hell,
with orders from somewhere above, they answer every bell.

The men who keep these fires lit, and make the engines run,
are strangers to the world of light, and rarely see the sun.
They have no time for man or God, no tolerance for fear;
their aspect pays no living thing, the tribute of a tear.

There is little that men can do, that these men haven't done,
beneath the decks, deep in the hole, to make the engines run.
And every hour of every day, they keep their watch in hell,
for if the fires ever fail, their ships' a useless shell.

When ships converge, to have a war, upon an angry sea,
the men below just grimly smile, at what their fate might be.
They're locked below, like men 'for doomed, who hear no battle cry.
It's well assumed that if they're hit, the men below will die.

For every day's a war down there, when the gages all read red
twelve-hundred pounds of heated steam can kill you mighty dead.
So if you ever write their son's, or even try to tell their tale,
the very words will make you hear, the fired furnace wail.

These "Men of steel" they are the best, though the public never gets to know.
So little's known about the place that sailors call the hole.
But I can sing about this place, and try and make you see,
the hardened life of men down there, 'cause one of them is me.

I've seen those sweat soaked heroes fight, in superheated air,
to keep the ship alive and right, though no one knows they're there.
And thus they'll fight for ages on, 'till steamships sail no more,
amid the boilers mighty heat and the turbines hellish roar.

So when you see a ship pull out, to meet a warlike foe,
remember faintly, if you can, the men who sail below.

Author Unknown



I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

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[deleted]

Josh,

You are mistaking whining for griping about others whining when they dont have anything to whine about.

your own post can be seen as whining about Boats.
So stop yer whining.

I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

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Amen to that, Boats.

I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

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[deleted]

Well if you understood that one green shirts job..then you would understand is whining...ABE is tough work....and also the Marines who are attached to the Carriers whine after being on the boat for 2 weeks.

Im sure you'd whine too after dealing with the way the NAVY works.


--
"I Exhale the yellow smoke of BUDDHA through righteous steps.."

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[deleted]

with all do respect joby, i'm sure some of those navy and marine pilots who were supported by those "whiny" sailors probably helped you're marine infantry plenty of times in afghanistan and iraq through air strikes, deterrence, aerial pictures, gathering info, protecting the sea lanes, prowlers jamming IED's etc. in fact, some of those "whiny" people on that carrier were your fellow MARINES such as VMFA 232 who did fly missions in Iraq in Iraqi freedom, maybe even some provided air support for your unit. regardless of how "whiny" those guys are, they're doing their jobs and getting things done, just like those other "whiny" sailors who are working on ships that are bringing your fellow marines and your army wife various supplies and such. they are your brothers and sisters after all.

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