Musings of a Madman

Day 2 of Sea Trials:  Good times today.  We went into our high sped runs and tuns.  One doesn’t get a to fully appreciate the awesome power of this huge ship until you see it pressing at top speed and listing into a turn at 10-14 degrees port and then starboard. 

Simply beautiful…simply beautiful.

After 4 years and a couple  billion dollars, the USS Carl Vinson is on her way back to sea and I am writing this post from inside her belly.

It really feels great to be part of something this big.

Time and time again I have wondered what it would feel like, what would I be thinking at this moment, after spending 2 years working to get her back to sea.

Well, I have waited long for this moment to be part of the second history, so to speak, of this great national asset. I wondered how I would feel about it as it happen; I thought I would be a bit sad, happy, nervous….well, I am feeling none of that right now. Instead, I am feeling rather pensive….honored even.

When is a great warrior at her most vulnerable?…while she is at rest without her shield. At this moment she is revealed…she is powerless. Once she rises, however, puts on her armor and stands again, she regains strength…she regains invincibility.

I feel in many ways that I have been privileged to have seen this great ship in its vulnerable moment without armor, I have seen her bones…I have seen her frailty. And time hence, when I am closer to the soil,  I will be able to say – “O that might ship Invincible Vinson, I knew well…I knew her when…I knew her then; and I and a few others of my friends, stitched her armor and gave her strength.”

Well we (my family and I) have been discussing going to Bahrain pretty much for the last year or so. That was until quite recently, we started to reconsider. Reason: I think that I am nearing my end…ready to call this life on the run quits after this assignment. And so instead of taking the family overseas for 2 years and then making the leap then, we agreed it would be best to have them settle back down in Florida now, I do a one year stint and then come back. We will have lots of time to do the world travel thingy afterwards…hopefully. Now don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy what I do, but the realities of the profession and the emotional needs of my family are proving quite the challenge.

Now, there still remains a possibility that I might hang in a bit longer, but that will depend on the selection board next year. If selected, I think…I would probably opt for the war college followed by 6th Fleet in Italy…(not sure if I want to be a ship’s IO)…that would require a bit of brain time.

At any rate I spoke to my detailer and switch back from 2 years with my family to 1 year by myself this week and he gave the ok. I think that’s the best move for my family because financial, we can put some other things in play before I jump ship; furthermore wife’s mother is not doing too well and I would hate to have her fretting about her from so far away.

I am pretty familiar with the area and since I am a bit more senior I am hoping that I will get a few more perks than the last time.

In a few months when I am re-reading this from there, I might think then it was a bit naive to redo this again, but for now, I am pretty optimistic. I don’t have the heavy stiffling cloud of career doom hanging over my head anymore and my family is relatively set. I have a few more promises that I have to carry out and then I will be complete. More about that later.

Links to line up expenses:
- DOD Rate Lookups – Find official rates for oversea living, BAH, etc…
- Florida Zip Code Lookup
- Lifelines – Awesome resource for information specific to Navy.