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You can tell a sailor by the shoe that they wear (And that’s a fact, Jack!)

Lately I have enjoyed some of the posts on a Facebook page for Navy members that I joined awhile back. The page certainly reminded me of how firmly my feet are planted in the “black shoe” Navy, one of the monikers for those whose naval service was primarily rooted in the Surface Warfare community.

It might surprise those with little or no knowledge of the service, that “the Navy” is not a homogenous branch of what is now the Department of Defense. Oh, and “homogenous” has nothing to do with the gay and lesbian communities of the armed forces.

The Navy is certainly more than ships even though the surface Navy has its own sub-groups. For instance, the “Gator Navy,” uses vessels such as Dock Landing Ships, or LSDs, that can launch smaller craft inside a well dock. The LHAs, or amphibious assault ships are what many would have years ago referred to as a “helicopter carrier” but these behemoths are much more than a place to land a whirly-bird. The name gator refers to landing ships that have either giant stern gates or small gates on the bow, depending on how you look at it. In any event these gates can literally hit the beach, so the reference to amphibious. These ships are the most likely to have contingents of Marines on board, which is always good for a little culture clash.

I have known and even have friends who are “jarheads” who served on these amphibious ships. But I know few swab-jockeys from the Gator Navy. But I’ve been told these are a wholly different bunch of sailors than say those of the tin-can, or destroyer groups.

Tin-can sailors these dayx are most identified with what are now guided missile destroyers and guided missile frigates. Most destroyer squadrons are usually groups of destroyers, cruisers and frigates, all of which today have a “G” in the ships’ hull names to indicate they are guided missile type ships as opposed to the old “gun ships” of my day. Although, an entire class of “DD ships” have come and gone since I last sailed. But, I was on the last active-duty, World War II-era gun destroyer, the USS Agerholm (DD-826.) She was decommissioned in December 1978, seven months after I left it to separate (honorably) from the Navy. The ship was sunk in 1982 off the Pacific coast of San Diego in a Tomahawk missile test.

The tin-can sailor, at least of my day, were certainly a whole different breed. Why some folks even wondered if some of us were even of the human race.

Other groups of sailors who sail on the water are those on carriers, or “bird farms,” as we called them. Although the regular crew are surface sailors, they are most often affiliated with the “brown shoe” Navy. These are the people associated with aviation, known for their officers and chiefs wearing brown shoes with their khakis instead of black ones. The true “airdales,” another term for aviation folks are those assigned to the various type of aircraft squadrons which rotate on and off the carriers.

Then, there are submariners. They are certainly a breed apart. One of my Yeoman “A” School instructors was a submariner who put it succinctly: “When we are up here (on land), the world stinks. Life is only good down there.” Okey, dokey, Pal!

Of course, there are the special forces types, SEALs and those who operate the Special Ops boats, all of which have grown quite a bit population-wise in just the last decade. I don’t know very many true SEALs. I met way more people who said they were SEALs than who really were in that elite bunch. The one guy I knew who I believe really was a SEAL was a pretty strange dude. However, one didn’t have to be a SEAL to fit that description in the Navy.

Last but surely not least are the Seabees. These are the construction types who also are trained in mostly defensive military combat training. “We Build. We Fight,” their motto, although, “We Drink” could be added to the slogan for most Bees I knew.

The majority of my Navy time was spent with the Seabees, the name comes from “CB” meaning Construction Battalion, which is how most Seabees are organized. I wasn’t in a battalion. I served 2 1/2 years at the Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport, Miss., one of two homeports for the Bees. These are the Atlantic Fleet Seabees. The Pacific Fleet Bees are based at Port Hueneme, Calif., located in Ventura County  near Oxnard.

I thought I might reside on the Mississippi Coast after I finished my tour in the Navy. I didn’t, I moved to Texas. But because the thought crossed my mind, I transferred to the 20th Naval Construction Regiment in Gulfport to finish my time of about three weeks after saying good-byes on my tin-can. I really didn’t do much militarily there during my very short time except getting my last Navy regulation haircut some scum-sucking lifer forced me to acquire. (Note: Not all lifers are scum-sucking, though I thought that at times of some career Navy back then.)

The Seabees wear mostly combat boots, by the way. The Gator Navy? I don’t have a clue. SEALs? They can wear any damn kind of shoe they want! And that is my point, if there is one to be made. There are a bunch of different types of Navy folks. If you want to know a little bit more about what kind of sailor a sailor is, try looking at his or her shoes.

 

 

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Fishing tale: The one that got away didn’t

Some fisherman ply the waters for sustenance while others fish for sport. It has been awhile since I have fished. But I generally find it a relaxing exercise and one in which I care little whether I catch a fish or not. I say “generally.” I suppose if I was paying for a deep sea trip or booked a fly fishing journey in the Rockies I would definitely want some return for my dollar. Some fish freshly caught for grilling would certainly be one return to enjoy. Still, going fishing is many times more than wetting a hook. And sometimes the hunt is better than the capture. For instance, every fisherman worth his or her tackle box has a story about “the one that got away.”

Anthony Wichman may truly have been better off if the fish he hooked had escaped.

A Navy Times story reports that Wichman, 54, hooked a 230-pound Ahi tuna while fishing last week off Kauai island, Hawaii. While reeling in the monster tuna it capsized his 14-foot boat and pulled the man under the water. As if that wasn’t enough, Wichman also managed to entangle his leg in his fishing line.

He managed though to hang on to the overturned hull and used his cell phone to call his wife, who in turn, notified authorities. A Coast Guard helicopter found the capsized vessel and plucked Wichman out of the water. A couple of his friends also showed up to help tow his boat to shore.

A Honululu Coast Guard spokeswoman said Wichman sustained minor injuries. But one important answer was difficult to find out in the otherwise entertaining story.

What happened to the fish?

Well, a picture accompanying the story shows the angler and his friends holding up the giant tuna. The cutline beneath the story explains that Wichman and friends were able to save the Ahi as well as the boat.

What other details that transpired is hard to say: Like whether the giant tuna was worth the ordeal and whether Wichman might have wished he had not even hooked the fish in the first place.

One has to admit though, it is one hell of a fishing story.

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Missing crabber found

UPDATE: The body of a missing Southeast Texas crab fisherman was found Monday night, the Beaumont Enterprise reports.

Crabbers fishing near Stewts Island found 57-year-old John Tran of Bridge City about 30 hours after his boat collided with a tug and barge. Stewts Island is west of where Tran’s boat collided with a tug and barge transiting through the Intracoastal Canal and Sabine Lake.

Due to ongoing problems with my blog provider WordPress, I was unable to publish this yesterday. Stay patient!

 

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Dealiest Catch not just in Bering Sea

Millions of viewers watch the adventure-soap “Deadliest Catch” each week pitting Alaskan crab fishermen against the cruel Bering Sea.

The drama of grown men gets as old as quick, maybe quicker, than that of women young and old. But I do like the dramatic quality of the photography. Those of you who have sailed in harrowing gale or tropical storm waters should appreciate the pounding and rodeo-ride the crabbers must get from those serious waves.

Danger is no stranger to those who trap crabs. For many years it was the most dangerous job in the country. Stricter regulations have made the fishing safer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, the job is not a cakewalk. And that is true whether you fish the crazy waters of the Bering Sea or the mostly calm back bays of the Gulf Coast.

A case in point is the search taking place about 20 miles southeast of where I sit.

The Coast Guard and local authorities from Port Arthur, Texas, and Jefferson County began searching the Sabine Lake area Sunday afternoon for a 56-year-old Bridge City man. A Coast Guard news release said the “pleasure craft” in which Tran was boating collided with the tug and barge Father Seelos. Authorities found the submerged boat. Although the Coasties dubbed the smaller vessel as a pleasure craft, local media have reported that the boat was used for crabbing. Most crabbers — if not most in seafood — in Tran’s area are Vietnamese who first settled in Port Arthur after being plucked from flotillas trying to escape after the 1975 fall of Saigon.

 

Coast Guard and local authorities found this boat belonging to John Tran, who is missing in Sabine Lake. Photo by Petty Officer Manda Emery
Coast Guard and local authorities found this boat belonging to John Tran, who is missing in Sabine Lake. Photo by Petty Officer Manda Emery

One time about 15 years ago I traveled in the early but humid Southeast Texas morning to catch a crab boat with a man whose name, if I am not mistaken, was Tran. I don’t know if this was the same man because he used his given name. My photographer buddy Bullet Bob and I sailed from Bridge City through the bayous and into Sabine Lake to do a feature on this hard-working man whose waters were much calmer than those found in the Bering. But the sea wasn’t our Mr. Tran’s most pressing concern.

Sabine Lake is a 90,000-acre estuary in which the Sabine and Neches Rivers empty. It likewise forms the boundary between Texas and Louisiana. Like other seafood fished from Sabine Lake, anglers, shrimpers, crabbers and all the rest search for finite resources. Pressure is exerted on crabs and fish by fellow marine harvesters — commercial and sport — plus the waterways serve busy ports hauling petrochemicals as well as the Intracoastal Canal and its Southern State barge traffic. The 75-foot x 33-foot Father Seeros was en route to Baton Rouge, according to maritimetraffic.com.

A culture clash was also an inevitable outcome when Vietnamese fishermen met Southeast Texas rednecks. Not all of us are. But I can recall hearing some ya-hoo telling our crabber and his home folks to whom he was speaking in his native language on the CB to “get the shit out of your mouth.” Not very nice indeed.

Our crabber’s take that day was just a few but it was worth the trip that morning, he said. If the sea doesn’t get you something else is always there it seems. Mr. Tran has not been seen in more than 24 hours but authorities are still looking.

“We’re utilizing all efforts possible to locate the missing person,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Joshua Tidey, a Coast Guard spokesman for the Houston-Galveston area.

 

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Congress to military: Stop the camo madness!

Congressional member bother themselves with all sorts of wacky issues. Although, sometimes our esteemed congressional members do hit the mark or at least come close.

Navy Times.com reported today that the Senate Armed Services Committee has agreed with their House colleagues that the military is spending way too much on unique-styled camouflage uniforms. I think I might add that the service is also spending too much time in spreading a trend that could hurt the military down the road.

It is ridiculous the number of camo combat uniforms the separate armed services has developed. Once the camouflage was jungle green. Then the desert patterns were added for Middle East service. At times you could see both patterns in the same combat zone which really didn’t make a lot of sense.

Then came a trend under the Donald Rumsfeld era of the Defense Department that “uniforms” should be uniform. First the Marine Corps developed an odd “digital” camo pattern. The Navy followed suit with a blue and gray mix that supposedly would hide some one on a ship, I suppose. That is not to mention they ditched the traditional chambray-dungaree bell bottom working uniform for a “Navy Working Uniform ” that is the style of the Army’s Battle Dress Uniform, (BDU). The Air Force has its own battle dress as well. Eventually, 22 camouflage separate patterns were designed for 45 terrains, according to Navy Times.

Of course, Congress looks here at the bottom line and all the money being spent. But what seems to be missing in such examining is that an “Army of One,” as the recruiting slogan goes, is quickly becoming an Armed Forces of One. The Navy has working uniforms which look as if they were hand-me-downs from the Marines. Give the Congressional staffers and military bureaucrats enough time and money and they are likely to come up with a 3-piece, pin-striped business suit to replace the traditional blue dress of the Marine Corps.

I served during a time of change with Navy uniforms. Although the blue dungaree, chambray working uniforms were still allowed, I was issued a blue jumper and dark blue work pants in boot camp. Our dress uniforms were like a traditional business suit one that was indistinguishable from the chief and officers’ dress along with that round hat with a bill you see in most uniforms, we still were allowed the dress whites and a cool-looking black undress working uniform with black shirt and black pants. Most sailors also didn’t like the dress blues because they saw the Navy sailor traditionally dressed like the sailor on the Crackerjacks box. The noise was heard and that uniform  was brought back in considerably short order.

Hopefully, the military men will have the ability and the foresight to keep tradition in uniforms. One might think it silly that someone would not join a military service because of a uniform. It might not be the only reason, but it does make a difference.

Congress is right to stop the craziness with the camos. Let’s just hope they don’t micromanage uniforms and still give the men and women who wear them the necessary input for which clothes the sailors, soldiers, Marines, airmen and coasties will wear.