Navy Uniforms (aka "What Not To Wear")

TECHNICAL DISCLAIMER:
I really need to learn how to insert pictures in the middle of a blog entry, because having the pictures always appear at the top of the page is killing my attempts to weave images into my rambling paragraphs. First of all, the title of this entry pertains to uniform regulations, not to the wonderful outfit my lovely wife is wearing in the first picture.

Furthermore, I will never be able to say it enough this year, but my better half is a phenomenal person. Her ability to manage our chaotic lifestyle (for which I am the major contributor), hold a job, and volunteer in our kids activities is truly remarkable. And she does it all with skill, grace and a wonderful sense of humor. I am totally in love with her, and miss her terribly, even though I have only been gone for five days, nine hours and 12 minutes.

BACK TO THE STORY ...

I always thought the Navy spent too much time worrying about what uniform was to be worn for specific events or job functions - flight suits look great 24/7 in my humble opinion but that's not really relevant to this discussion because I am not flying this time around.

What does perplex me is the Navy's requirement that I report for duty in San Diego in the Uniform of the Day polyester khakis. Forty eight hours after I arrive in San Diego, I receive my desert camouflage utilities (DCUs) which I will be wearing each and every day for the next 12 months except when I am sleeping or exercising.

Because of the plethora of gear I am now carrying, I promptly shipped home the two sets of khakis, the oxford style shoes, the white undershirts, the hat, the belt, the khaki socks, and the 3 days worth of civilian clothing I needed if I had planned on having a meal off base in San Diego, because these items were no longer useful. At least this made one of my suitcases lighter for the time being.

Thursday April 24th I take a quick flight up to Seattle, WA and catch a shuttle bus to Fort Lewis, the home of 1st Army, and my new home for the near future. In these pictures, you can see the fashion evolution that has taken place in the last 7 days, from civilian, to typical naval officer, to a navy individual augmentee to the middle east.

End of Week #1

Here is a picture I took of the courtyard located within the Navy berthing area.

Ding Ding, Ding Ding ... Colorado Sailor, arriving. And with the tick of the clock, I was back on active duty. (You have to pretend you are hearing a boatswain's whistle and a bell ringing for the tradition of being piped aboard ship to make sense.)

The first week back on active duty went as advertised. I reported to the local reserve center, completed my paperwork and departed for San Diego, CA and the mobilization in-processing center. There were a couple of immediate adjustments that I went through.

First, as an airline employee I forgot what a hassle it can be to navigate through an airport as a generic passenger. Especially because I am carrying all of my gear and equipment in sea bags and duffle bags. I never imagined I would be missing my airline roller suitcase as much as I did over the last seven days. I anticipate that this longing for luggage will only continue as I will receive another 50 pounds of equipment to go with the 100 pounds of gear I am already schlepping around the nation. Mind you, the only "personal items" I have are two civilian shirts and two civilian pants, my trusty laptop, ipod and cellphone. The remainder of this 150 pounds of materials is required equipment.

Second, I had to abandon the "time is money" approach to the workday that was so important while working in the private sector. The Navy is a big organization; the Army is even bigger; the DoD/Federal government obviously dwarfs them both. Which explains why my "time is money" mindset is quickly being replaced with the "big wheels turn slowly" mindset. When the Navy or the Army is ready for little ole me to jump, then I jump. Until then, I should just "shut up and color."

Despite all of this minor whining, I could not overstate how impressed I have been with the mobilization staff in San Diego, and the Navy's current personnel in general. The sailors I have encountered this week are superb and are even more talented and professional than the hard-charging superstars I was lucky to serve with back in Japan in the early 1990s.

The weather was great and the sky was blue all week. Typical southern California weather. The weather easily mitigated the hassle of getting all of the "exciting" vaccinations required to deploy to the middle east.

The only surprise of the week was that the Army decided my group needed to start training earlier than planned, so I raced through the rest of Navy in-processing and left for the pacific northwest yesterday morning - still cursing the fact that I didn't have suitcase with wheels.

One Week Remaining

Greetings, and welcome to the beginning of my field trip to the Middle East.

Back in October of 2007, it seemed that all of the post 9/11 chaos was about to settle down. My family had gone through the United Airlines bankruptcy, I graduated from law school while working full-time and was still happily married with children who don't mind speaking to me. I passed the Colorado Bar Exam, resigned from United Airlines, and was getting settled into the routine of a new associate at my law firm. I should have known better, because today was my last day in my "new job," for the time being at least.

The month before I was eligible to submit my Navy retirement papers, I learned that I had been mobilized for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq to support coalition forces. Needless to say, having spent all of my adult life as a Naval Aviator and airline pilot, the idea of returning to active duty to perform a mission on the ground, and in the desert is somewhat daunting.

At the moment, the entire concept of being mobilized, training with another service, and spending 10 months away from home is quite surreal. Nevetheless, the next few weeks of paperwork and training will be a drop in the bucket compared to the changes I will encounter later this summer.

I will be spending the next 6 days with my family before I report back onto active duty next Friday.