(Ex-)RMC Navy Guy

Rememberance Day

2011-11-11T08:27:00.002-04:00

So this year I'm in Newfoundland for Rememberance Day. Hopefully the weather will hold for the ceremony. VDQ has a marching contingent but a lot of us are only going to be watching with the rest of the crowd.

Unfortunately, with each passing Rememberance Day more of our WW2 veterans disappear and, with them, all their memories and lessons. We need to make sure those guys get the attention they deserve while it's still relevant. If it wasn't for them, we'd all be speaking German right now. Of course, between WW2 vets and the newer Afghanistan vets, we mustn't forget about the other wars, like Korea.

Words fail me, as they often do, in events like this. So please, go out to a ceremony today and thank a vet. Those old gentlemen wearing berets and blazers with patches and medals? Walk up to them, talk to them, thank them.

Remember

Rescuing the Barracuda

2011-10-07T21:10:00.004-03:00

So, RENARD 58 was just driving along, doing some navigation training in Sansum Narrows (between Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island), enjoying the (almost) total lack of contacts. It wasn't a particularly nice day, but it wasn't too bad. Then, all of a sudden,

"PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, this is Barracuda..."

Not a big deal, panpans go out all the time, and most of the time they're hours away at best speed. So we just keep on going though I (as OOW), the OIC, and some others on the bridge keep on listening. Victoria Coast Guard got on 16 and asked them what the issue was, and if they had a GPS onboard, which they did, and what their boat looked like. Red sloop, coordinates whatever, stalled engine refusing to start again, in calm winds, 2 souls on board. Now that sounded kind of familiar.

Oh, right, that's because we'd just passed a red sloop with two people on board, the winds were light, and the coordinates were for about 500 yards behind us.

Now, the rules are pretty straightforward, at least as far as what the OOW needs to do. Which is nothing. Or as close to it as possible. Only the Captain can decide whether or not to respond to an emergency, and until he does, the OOW is not to do a single thing. Even turning back towards the stricken vessel (where relevant--like in open ocean or when it's 500 yards away) can be considered as responding, and the ship then is obligated to keep responding until relieved by another more capable asset. The OIC listened in on the conversation between Barracuda and the Coast Guard, and when the CCG said they would put out a broadcast for assistance, he called them up and said we had them visual and would respond. At this point, the sailboat was close to the rocks and, if we left them to their fate, they would surely run aground. Besides, one of the recent Canadian Forces recruiting campaigns calls for us to...

Actual image from a CF recruiting video

...so we did.

We launched the zodiac with a small ~~prize crew~~ team, which included our only engineer, to assess what the problem was with the engine, and hopefully get it started. They tied up to the Barracuda to stop its slow drift aground, and then fiddled for a few minutes. The engineer reported that it was unlikely he could fix the engine at sea, and they would need to put in somewhere. The Barracuda was adamant about waiting for a friend to come give them a tow but, of course, we couldn't very well just leave them in the middle of the narrows so they could run aground, so we offered to tow them to safety.

RENARD's zodiac towing the BARRACUDA alongside

All's well that ends well, we got them onto a public wharf at a small marina, made sure they were ok and would be getting a tow from their friend, did a bit of necessary admin, and went back to our navigation training.

But not before our downright heroic prize crew had gotten their recognition.

LS Pope (Engineer), Lt(N) Laplante (XO), and A/SLt McGowan (JOUT)

with their latest medal and a well-deserved cup of tea

Still alive

2011-10-02T03:58:00.004-03:00

So... even though I started a lot of posts in the past year, I haven't finished or posted any. I don't really have any reason for it, other than maybe I keep thinking that they might be a little boring or uninteresting.

Well, I've been in the fleet for almost a year. I've been sick on three different classes of ships, and learned a lot. There have been good times, sucky times, and downright shitty times. And, no, not all the shitty times have involved red hats. I had a chance to try my hand at actually being a leader, not with peers but with actual subordinates. I've even managed to get a bit of warfare stuff in. Those of you who don't know me personally probably don't care about what exactly I've been up to--and those who do know me either know already or don't care--so I'll skip that.

When I started this blog, one fall afternoon all those years ago in my room in Fort Sauvé, I intended to "chronicle my life as a Naval Cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada (and) also chronicle my training." I think I didn't do that very well and, in any case, my experience was anything but usual, and doesn't paint a good picture of life at RMC. Besides, I'm now a Sub-Lieutenant in the fleet, and I'm sure there are other subbies out there, on both coasts, who get bored occasionally and start writing about their lives. Mine is particularly bland.

Since blogging about my life is probably not interesting to most people out there, and isn't terribly relevant. Instead, I intend to realign--and restart--my blogging in a new direction. Though I'm not gifted in prose, brains, knowledge or experience like Lex and Cdr Salamander, I like their style of blogging, and if I'm going to keep writing, I think I should try to emulate their style.

In any case, it's high time I start this thing again.

Getting there

2010-10-11T14:01:00.003-03:00

So here I am at "home" again--and by home I mean my mom's house. I spent a few days in sucky Toronto hanging out with the most awesome girlfriend ever (seriously, she bought me a remote controlled helicopter for my birthday, AND didn't get mad at me for wanting to fly it right away... or all the time.) and now I'm getting to spend a day at home enjoying home cooked food.

And in a few hours, I get to start driving again to make my way to Halifax, where I need to find an apartment within a few days. It should be all right. I found apartments in Victoria, twice, within a day or two of starting to look, so I'm not too worried. I actually have a few places I want to look at already.

In any case, I'm glad to be "off" and moving around, but at the same time I'm looking forward to sitting down in my new place, start work, and go back to a regular workout schedule and such.

And now I go on the road again, yeehaw!

Don de Dieu feray valoir

2010-09-25T20:02:00.004-03:00

So, it's all over.

In a few weeks, I will be reporting in to my new assignment aboard HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC (actually "aboard" the shore office, as the ship is still in drydock). It's a whole new challenge and I'm definitely looking forward to it, despite the 130-odd reqs I'll need to start working on. In addition to being posted to a fine ship, I was also promoted to Sub-Lieutenant.

It's been a long and sometimes treacherous road to get here, and I still have a long way ahead, but it feels good to have gotten this far. I've learned a lot about myself through both the good and the bad, and hopefully that will enable me to be a better leader in the future.

It feels weird thinking that for the first time in over five years, I will be out of a training establishment and into an operational unit. It also feels pretty damn good.

For now, that's all I have. See you around the fleet!

Almost there

2010-09-05T18:57:00.003-03:00

So, with one week to go, I have passed all four assessed watches and the pre-board, and only need to avoid doing anything blatantly unsafe during my watches (two dogs, an afternoon, and Friday morning...) which shouldn't be too hard. Oh, and the board. Which, I'm sure, is nowhere near as hard as the NOPQ board will be, but that one's way down the road. I'm not taking this board likely, though. It would be embarrassing to get this far with nary a snag only to fall flat on my face on the last step.

The best part? This is a long weekend, so I get to chill out in Vancouver for another day before we go to sea again. Apparently this will be a cool week, too--those of us who haven't gotten all our watches will probably be done by Tuesday night, so the Captain said we'll do "cool things."

In other news, in case I haven't mentioned it, I am posted to the VILLE DE QUEBEC after this is over. From what I understand we won't be sailing for a while, but I guess it'll give me time to get settled in Halifax, and get the OOD stuff out of the way. Should be good. (By the way, if anyone has suggestions for good places to live in Halifax, I'm all ears. I've never been and would rather avoid living in a sketchy part of town.)

Anyways, I'm glad to be almost done. MARS IV was fun, but it's time to move on. Still, now is not the time to celebrate--I'll have all next weekend for that. Ah well, I'll still play videogames all day today and study tomorrow.

Halfway through

2010-08-22T20:36:00.002-03:00

Three weeks down, three to go. And a long weekend.

So, it's going a lot better than last time, and I feel a whole lot more confident. We have a little more navigation to do, and then we'll be finishing up OOW training and, eventually, this course will be over and I'll head off into the wild.

Also, I have received my posting: HMCS Ville de Quebec, on the East Coast. Well, at least it's better than a tanker! Seriously though I don't really care which ship I go to, as long as I get to do something.

I don't have much else to say. We're going down to 1 in 6 this week so hopefully I'll get slightly more sleep. Even if I don't, that's cool, too. I think I'm getting used to sleep deprivation.

Anyways, I'll try to write something more when we pull into Esquimalt next weekend. For now, I should grab some dinner and head back to the ship to plan for tomorrow. Being duty nav FTW!

2010-07-23T22:55:00.001-03:00

This is grossly overdue. In my defence, it’s a bit hard to talk about such things. And I actually thought—until a few weeks ago when an anonymous commenter posted something—that I’d posted something already.

So, I failed on the sea phase. I was just about there, but not quite. So, I didn’t pass go, and didn’t collect 200$, and I didn’t get posted. I sat around as a PAT and tried to build my confidence back up.

I got a good chance to build it up when I found myself used as a helmsman for a reserve MARS IV’s OOW manoeuvres training. At one point, the group had to do one more run, but the cubicle I was in had all gone through, so their instructor asked me how far I’d gone in training, and gave me a chance to do a run. Not surprisingly (I passed the manoeuvres at sea doing both assessed runs on the same day) I did well, and I was on my way back to being confident on the bridge.

I found out at the last minute or, more accurately, a few hours late, that I was put on another sea phase, and that I needed to go to the NABS to join the group and shake the rust off. The mentors (retired former COs types) remembered me and were really nice in helping me focus on what I had trouble with before so I can not only get back on the curve, but blast through it.

I feel a lot more confident, especially as I’ve solved some of the issues that were weighing heavily on my mind the first time around. I have experience, I know what I’m going into, and from the way things have gone in the NABS, I think I’m starting a few rungs higher than where I started last time, despite the long time without doing anything navy-like for a while.

We have four more days in the NABS, then we sail on August 3rd for six weeks. I can’t wait.

I’ll try and post more about MARS IV this time around, and maybe after a few more issues, but no promises.

Oh, and I have an announcement to make:

I asked for the East Coast and, considering how more than two-thirds of the class wants to stay West, I’m probably going to get it. As much as I like BC, it makes more sense for me to move to Halifax at this time. I’m sure I’ll end up being sent on the FNO course and coming back to Venture at some point. (If you’re my career manager and you’re reading this: please don’t consider this an invitation to slot me on an FNO course—but feel free to pencil me in for subs!)

A breather

2010-04-10T19:02:00.002-03:00

Whew, MARS IV sea phase is awesome, but exhausting. I'm having a great time overall, though it's tough sometimes and I have the odd crappy watch where everything seems to go wrong... As they say, a day at sea is better than any day on land.

Reqs are getting done, slowly but surely, I'm getting my bridge presence back up to where it was on MARS III, I'm getting more confident out there... it's progressing. I'm not a rock star, but I'm doing all right.

One sad part of this weekend is tht we're losing our captain, Lt(N) Underhill, who will be off fighting pirates with the Koreans. Replacing him is the CO of HMCS Nanaimo, LCdr Laplante. We are also switching Navigators, from Lt(N) Wills to Lt(N) Turner. For both Lt(N) Underhill and Wills, I am glad to have had a chance to work under them, and I look forward to working with them again in the future.

I wish I had more to say but really there's not that much interesting stuff going on right now. That said, I'm just typing up a quick update, so I'm sure I'll put together something bigger later today.

Where a naval officer ought to be...

2010-03-29T00:49:00.003-03:00

So, we sail tomorrow. It'd sound really cool to say we sail at dawn, but we won't. Still, we're heading out. Awesome. After almost two years of terra firma, I'm ready to have steel and water under my boots once again.

It won't be easy, with reqs and passage planning and watches and drills and briefs and whatever else they throw our way. Luckily we get 4 days at sea, 4 days off for Easter, then another 4 days at sea, so nobody should die of sleep deprivation. The OIC (CO) doesn't want anyone to go without sleep anyway, so if people start taking too long on navigation planning he'll just put a cap on it. As someone smart once said and less-smart people keep repeating, planning will take as long as you have. My goal is to go down to two hours per passage, but that might be a bit extreme--I'll be happy as long as I stay under 3 hours per 10Nm.

I'm pretty sure I'm ready. I've got the theory part down, I got an almost constant stream of positive comments in the NABS, and the Navy has decided that at this point we're ready, anyway.

Our OIC has told us that it's possible, after our reqs are done and we're almost done with the sea phase, that some of us might get to act as full-blown OOW, instead of 2OOW as we'll be for most of the course. (The idea being we're 2OOW so if we screw up the OOW will step in and keep the boat safe.) It's pretty cool, because it means we might be in charge of a ship, for a watch or two, in just over a month. It's far away, considering how much we have to do before then, but it's an exciting idea.

The only cloud over our departure--literally and figurativelly--is that the forecast for tomorrow shows a thunderstorm in the afternoon/evening. And it should rain practically all week. I guess it's not too bad; we'll be in a nice enclosed bridge and everything. It's just that I don't really like restricted visibility all that much, and if it rains hard or there's fog because of the rain, we'll be in textbook ResVis. Not looking forward to that part.

In any case, I'm excited, I'm ready, and I can't wait to get moving.

I always get the shakes before a drop... The Ship's psychiatrist has checked my brain waves and asked me silly questions while I was asleep and he tells me that it isn't fear, it isn't anything important - it's just like the trembling of an eager race horse in the starting gate. I couldn't say about that; I've never been a race horse.
-Starship Trooper

Game over, man! Game over!

2010-03-24T01:09:00.002-03:00

So, after nine straight days in the NABS, we are officially done. Well, done with the simulators, in any case. The next time I step in them, if ever, is if I come back to NOTC as a CTO or if I get sent here to do the FNO course. (I actually wouldn't mind that too much.)

It's been fun, though intense, and I'm definitely looking forward to two days off and then to sea phase. I don't expect it to be easy, but it should be an adventure. I'm sure I'll get really trippy dreams after a couple days of minimum sleep.

In any case, I don't have much more to say for tonight. I just want to do a brain dump and not think about mental math, rules of the road, navigation or anything of the sort for 24 hours.

Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning

2010-03-23T05:11:00.003-03:00

So, we've done NAV passages (on SDM! no more paper charts! BOOOOOOOOOO!), and have now moved on to OOW tracks, in unlimited daytime visibility, restricted visibility, and now at night. It's a bit of a challenge to move on to both unknown ways to operate (having never done OOW tracks) and an unknown environment (ResVis/Night), but it's also fun.

I'm on duty tomorrow and will have plenty of time to sit around with a big pre-sea-phase update for all three of you that still read my blog, but for now, I wanted to post about one of the numerous websites that let you get AIS data for our area of operations. I'm not going to post where we're going in advance (I'll post about where we've been, most likely) but if you want to follow my wonderful adventures on MOOSE 62, head on over to http://ais3.siitech.com/VTSLite/AView.aspx and select MOOSE 62 from the list on the left side of your screen. To check out what our consorts are doing, look at RAVEN, RENARD and COUGAR. I don't know if the other Orcas are going to be out while we're at sea, but you can check them out (ORCA, GRIZZLY and WOLF are shown on the map right now).

I can't wait, even if it means sleep deprivation.

EMERGENCY STATIONS, EMERGENCY STATIONS

2010-03-09T22:45:00.002-04:00

Wow, has it been a month already?

So, Cliff's Notes of what happened since my last post:

I pwned assessed runs for formation manoeuvering, and had mentors and CTOs tell me that I'm a really good ship driver, and one mentor actually said I was "a machine."
We've been in Damage Control School since last Monday, doing fire attack team leader and OOD training. It's fun but tiring, especially when you're getting in and out of bunker gear and going on Dräger or CHEMOX every hour. Actually, CHEMOX kills you.

We're starting simulator runs for navigation and OOW watches next week, going from next Monday to the Tuesday of the following week without a break, getting a few days off, some sea prep time, then sailing for a few weeks. We've been told to expect hell and sleep deprivation for the first few weeks. Maybe it's like Hell Week for SEALs? In their case, though, they get fairly simple physical evolutions and only really risk injury to themselves; we have to do complicated mental operations and if we screw up, we risk injuring or killing dozens of people.

Also, I'm getting a taste of that whole officer/mentor gig I signed up for. I won't go into details because it's personal and confidential, but it's weird to be the one who's older, more experienced, and higher-ranked, and giving advice/help/input to someone. I know it's my job, but I've been in the training circuit for almost five years without really having to be in this position. Hopefully the people who have tried to mentor me and who saw that flicker of potential in me won't be disappointed.

I don't know how much I'll update before sea phase, but I'll definitely do my best to put together a "log" while I'm at sea and post it once a week, even if it's in a limited form through e-mail.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

STATION JULIET

2010-02-07T06:13:00.004-04:00

So, week one of formation manoeuvering is over. One more week of developmental runs, then we go in for assessed.

For those not in the know, formation manoeuvering is... well, it's fairly straightforward, really. Ships manoeuver in formation. There is a guide ship (creatively named The Guide) and other ships form up around it--then move around to different positions. During manoeuvres, it looks a bit like this:

We're using the PCT (Orca) model in the simulators, which is a little weird since last time I was in the sims we were using Frigates. That said, we'll sail on Orcas for six weeks, so it's just as well that we're using them to practice.

Manoeuvres are fun. Well, I think so, anyway, but that's probably just because I got the hang of it really quickly and I'm good at it. It probably also helps that the Mentors (retired Captains and above who act as Captains of the simulated ships, and provide feedback on whatever we happen to do in the NABS) are a lot more mellow on MARS IV than they were on MARS III. This time around, they coach you and provide pointers, rather than make you feel like a complete retard. Or maybe it's just because I'm doing pretty well and quickly heading to the level needed for assessments.

This week, and for a few more training days, we get to have six minutes between each "EXECUTE", but for the last days and the assessment phase, we only get five minutes. Luckily, my Friday run got to that standard, and the run before that was pretty much there, too.

I'm not going to count chickens before they hatch, or however that goes, but I think I'm on track to fly through manoeuvres assessments, and move on to DC school--which I'm sortof dreading, especially if we still use CHEMOX--and, finally, sea phase.

I thought I'd be updating my blog a lot more, now that I don't really have to study or, really, do anything at night, but it seems boring to tell people about sitting around a simulator bridge all day.

In other news, I've put in my posting preferences. The top three students are "guaranteed" their preferred posting, or so I'm told, but after that it's up in the air. I asked for the West Coast all the way, Destroyer, Frigate, Tanker. I'd rather avoid the Tanker because, well, it's a big, fat, lumbering target. And it doesn't really have any weapons. And it's ugly. The list goes on and on, but being on the West Coast is more important than not being on a Tanker, so I'll go for it if I have to.

I'd much rather get the Destroyer, though. In no small part because it just sounds cool. I'm also told it'll be sailing a lot in the near future, which means sea time, which in turn means, hopefully, getting my ticket earlier. Even if it doesn't, I feel like it's a bit like YAG time--it's just extra street cred.

Also, BZ to the Danish Navy for their anti-pirate actions this week, (they might be trying to steal our islands, but we're on the same side) and to the FBI for arresting BG McSoulpatch.

Finally, pearl of wisdom of the week, courtesy of Lt(N) Dallin:

Never trust a Lieutenant with a CD, or a Lieutenant-Commander without one.

(Note: a CD is the Canadian Forces Decoration, "awarded to officers, and to the men and women of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of service" with "a good record of conduct during the final eight years of claimed service." Your humble servant will be eligible for one in 2017, hopefully after I get to two-and-a-half.)

Well, that's about all I have to say for tonight... Keep your stick on the ice!

EX3-4

2010-01-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

Or: Academics Phase is DONE.

So, I haven't posted as much as I thought. It's been fairly busy and, really, rehashing days and days of sitting in the classroom enjoying death by powerpoint doesn't sound like anything anyone would willingly read.

But, I have to wait for the weekend duty brief in a few hours and we secured early, so I might as well do a little revision of what happened over the last 5 weeks of the course.

It's been hard, fun, and fast-paced, just like it should be. I learned a lot, though I'm sure my retention is hardly 100%. However, I've done well on everything, got a 90% average overall in academics (wish I'd done that well at RMC!), and other than a few admin problems that are still nagging at me and my girlfriend still living in Ontario, I'm enjoying life a lot more now. I did really well on everything and, except for the Meteorology exam, I was within a few percentage points of the top mark... and for Formation Manoeuvering, I got top mark by 1%. I'd say I'm doing pretty well.

We have "pause" week next week, which is really a misnomer because we have to show up, some people have re-tests for exams they've failed, and some of us who haven't used SDM (electronic vice paper charts) before have a "refresher"/tutorial and will need to practice planning on the computer. After that, a few weeks of the Navy's very own MMORPG, the NABS (full-blown bridge simulators), where we will practice manoeuvres, be assessed, and, from what I understand, conduct some simulation navigation passages during the day and at night.

After that, DC school and then we go to sea for six weeks. Well, not six weeks of 24/7 sailing, but six week-long voyages. I'm not sure where we're going or anything, but we'll find out soon enough.

After sea phase, we have a week or two before graduation and then we'll be posted to the Fleet and truly start our careers as junior officers onboard Her Majesty's Canadian Ships.

Can't wait.

So far so good

2009-12-15T00:56:00.002-04:00

So, I got 99% on the retention test (which doesn't count, but is noted in divisional notes), which is pretty impressive considering I finished MARS III in August 08, and most of the class got less than 80%.

In the first exam that counted, Engineering & Stability, I achieved 94%; the second-highest mark in the class. I wouldn't say it was an easy exam, but I thought the information was good and interesting, so it probably helped a lot. And nothing in the exam or the classes was particularly in-depth; just a diagram of the power generation and distribution on a CPF, and the propulsion for the same. I hope the MARS IV board is that easy!

Other than that, we have the Meteorology exam tomorrow morning. I feel a lot less confident, though I'm told it's mostly definitions, rather than in-depth understanding. Still, I didn't feel the classes were taught in a way that enabled me, personally, to learn very well. I looked at the review sheet and it looks like I'll be able to pull through, but I doubt I'll get above 90 on this one.

In any case, one more exam and three more days and I'm flying home for Christmas. Can't wait.

Let mortal kombat begin!

2009-11-30T22:05:00.002-04:00

So, MARS IV started today. Whew, what a day!

Actually it wasn't too eventful--mostly briefs about what we'll learn, how they expect us to perform, what to look for during sea phase (small ships, no cool ports, possibly nasty seas... fun!), etc.

We did have a "retention test", which is supposed to assess what we learned/remembered from MARS III. For most of the class, that should've been a piece of cake; they finished MARS III a week ago! Somehow, a lot of them had trouble, some with concepts I hadn't reviewed and just remembered from MARS III. Fortunately for me, I had reviewed most of the material, though not in great detail. There were some things I didn't remember or even know, but I managed to put something down for every question, and I felt pretty confident about most of my answers.

I need to review some things, and relearn the COLREGS as much as possible (I remember what they say, but not what they say verbatim), as well as review the flags... but this can probably wait until Xmas break. For now, I need to learn engineering, meteorology, and some other stuff.

I have a pretty good group from what I've seen, and everyone's pretty nice.

Tomorrow we start learning stuff. I can't wait.

I love my life.

MARS IV

2009-11-28T23:24:00.002-04:00

So, I'm starting MARS IV on Monday. The last stop before The Fleet. In May, once I'm done, I'll have gone through two weeks of DC school learning to be an attack team leader and some other things, several weeks of simulator time, and six weeks of round-the-clock sailing. The academic phase is much shorter than it was on MARS III, and it's mostly a more advanced version of it.

I'm not quite sure I'm ready for it--I haven't done anything Navy-related in about a year and a half, and for the most part MARS IV doesn't re-teach you the skills you need. That said, I've spent the week reading the good ol' MARS III handbook over again and for the most part I remember what I learned back then.. my speed might be a little down, but that's normal, right?

The only part I'm actually scared for, is having to learn the electronic navigation system on the go. In the old days, we learned paper chart navigation, and we had a day on the SDM (electronic charts) to familiarize ourselves with it. Now, it's apparently 80% electronic and 20% paper. This is quite problematic, but I've had several people offer to help me out with it and give me tips, and my CTO (Course Training Officer, or something such) said she'll arrange for a "refresher" during pause week. I'd rather use pause week for R&R (maybe a trip to Tofino?) but, like Capt. Aubrey said, "we do not have time for your damned hobbies, sir!"

I'm a little scared, but considering how confident I felt over MARS III, I shouldn't run into too much trouble on MARS IV.

I'm still without the internet, but I'll endeavour to keep at least a weekly log of what happens on MARS IV.

Also, an "admin" note: if you came here looking for Christmas Ball information... seriously?! What were you hoping to find?!

Fort Hood Shooting

2009-11-06T12:04:00.002-04:00

My thoughts go out to the victims of the Fort Hood shooting.

From the pieces of the puzzle that are slowly coming together, it appears not the act of a soldier who, after too many deployments, blew a gasket, but rather a calculated act of terrorism by a fanatic. This is a frightening idea.

I suggest heading over to Bubbleheads', CDR Salamander's, or Neptunus Lex's blogs for more discussion.

HHT Redux

2009-10-19T06:32:00.002-03:00

So, I'm flying out to Victoria to find an apartment. Again.

Last time didn't turn out so well, as some of you might remember. This time, however, short of the outbreak of WW3 there should be no major issue.

Flying out at 6am did mean I had to be up at around 4, which is a hassle, but what can you do? Hopefully the flying will go smoothly--I'm not a huge fan of it, and I think I caught whatever's going around, so I'm not feeling terribly awesome right now.

Ah well, I'm still looking forward to being in Victoria; the hotel I booked even has free valet parking!

The only bad thing is that I thought I was going to trade in cold Kingston weather for rainy but warm-ish Victoria weather... but it turns out Kingston weather will get progressively warmer until it almost hits 20C at the end of the week. With my luck, however, by the time I get back there will be a snow storm.

So, if any of you readers are in Victoria and want to go for lunch/supper this week, let me know on my RMC address at: s 24318 at rmc dot ca. (I'll edit this post to remove my e-mail address mid-week.)

See you on BC time!

Novelty

2009-10-15T13:12:00.002-03:00

So I finally got officially and formally promoted yesterday. Finally.

And it took about 24 hours to get over the novelty of getting saluted. Although some *coughmanycough* people at RMC seem to have forgotten that you have to salute all commissionned officers, and not just Captains/Lt(N) (Squadron Commanders), I still have to work in an environment where I outrank about 95% of people I run into, which means I still get saluted a lot. Now I know why Squadron Commanders disappear for about half an hour after parades: too hard to get around without having to constantly keep your arm raised to return salutes.

Now if they could only fix my pay...

Queen is our head of state, Prime Minister reminds G-G

2009-10-09T22:41:00.002-03:00

From the National Post.

Stephen Harper has sent a clear message to Michaelle Jean, the Governor-General, that she should not call herself head of state.

"Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada and Head of State," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement issued to Canwest News Service yesterday. "The Governor-General represents the Crown in Canada."

The extraordinary reminder from the country's head of government to its top viceregal representative follows an uproar over Ms. Jean's use of the phrase "head of state" when referring to herself during a speech in Paris on Monday.

Twice during the Governor-General's address at an executive meeting of UNESCO she called herself Canada's head of state. Her speech focused on promoting cultural diversity to help achieve international harmony:

"I, a francophone from the Americas, born in Haiti, who carries in her the history of the slave trade and the emancipation of blacks, at once Quebecoise and Canadian, and today before you, Canada's head of state, proudly represents the promises and possibilities of that ideal of society."

Later in the speech, discussing the importance of education, Ms. Jean described meeting "remarkable young people" in the many places "that I have travelled as head of state."

But the "head of state" position -- as surprised constitutional experts and perturbed officials with the Monarchist League of Canada quickly Pointed Out To Canwest News Service --is held exclusively by the Queen.

The PMO statement struck one expert -- constitutional expert and University of Saskatchewan emeritus professor David Smith -- as history-making.

"I can't recall that ever happening before," said Prof. Smith, now at the University of Regina and co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Canadian Politics.

He said it was a welcome move by the PMO because "there seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of Rideau Hall as to the constitutional position of the Governor-General under our system."

Monarchist League chairman Robert Finch also applauded Mr. Harper for promptly and directly addressing the issue. " It is refreshing to see the Prime Minister of Canada, the Governor-General's principal advisor, make such a clear statement," Mr. Finch said.

Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T10:49:00.002-03:00

...wait, what? Seriously?

I guess they're now giving the Nobel for attempted chemistry, too.

Not saying Obama's not a good guy; he just has done absolutely nothing worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize so far.

Would he have gotten there at some point? Maybe. Probably.

Is he there now? No way.

As if he needed a bigger ego...

Pirates hit Navy ship 'in error'

2009-10-07T21:27:00.004-03:00

From the BBC

A group of Somali pirates has been captured after attacking a French navy ship by mistake, apparently thinking it was a harmless cargo vessel.
French military spokesman Admiral Christophe Prazuck said the pirates attacked in skiffs late at night some 500km (310 miles) off the Somali coast.
But the command and supply ship, the Somme, repelled the attack and chased the pirates, capturing five of them.
Dozens of international warships fight piracy in Somalia's lawless waters.
Admiral Prazuck told French TV station La Chaine Info the pirates seemed to be surprised that the navy ship fought back.The country has had no effective central government since 1991, leading to a complete breakdown of law and order, and pirates operate off the coast almost with impunity.
"Once they realised they were facing a ship that was responding and was heading towards them, they stopped shooting and attempted to flee," he said.

About two dozen ships from European Union nations, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, patrol the waters off Somalia - an area of about two million square miles."The Somme gave chase and intercepted one of the pirates' boats. All the weapons had apparently been tossed into the sea and the suspected pirates are now being held on board the Somme."
Although the international naval forces have stepped up patrols in the Gulf of Aden this year, relatively few of the pirates detained have faced trial because of the legal complexities involved.

Sounds like it should be on Mr. Kennedy's blog, The Stupid Shall Be Punished...

Also makes me wish I was on patrol out there. It sure sounds like fun!

The real importance of Junior Officers

2009-10-06T11:29:00.002-03:00

True story.

"Do you have a pen?
-Uh, let me check... no.
-An officer without a pen?!
-Well, uh... you don't have one, either.
-That's why we have junior officers as staff!"

Levelling Up

2009-09-24T16:02:00.004-03:00

I received my posting message this morning. I am officially on my way to BC, and I am being loaded on the next available MARS IV course. I am also an Acting Sub-Lieutenant as of 17 September but I don't know when the actual promotion parade (or something like that, I forget what it's called) is going to be so I'm still stuck wearing my NCdt rank for the time being. I am moving sometime in mid-to-late-october, I'm not sure yet when as I need to arrange things here, as well as figure out when my course actually is. I'll try and find a place to rent, but I think I'll have to live on base for a while. No big deal.

In the Navy...

2009-09-21T15:38:00.002-03:00

So,

I've been accepted into CEOTP. Hopefully, I'll be getting my new rank (Acting Sub Lieutenant... doesn't sound very imposing, does it?) with my posting message, which will likely come later today.

I'm assuming I'm being posted to some MARPAC unit (probably a shore duty) until my next course starts--hopefully the next MARS IV, in November.

This is both exciting and terrifying. On one hand, I'm extremely happy I'm getting a commission and being posted to the Fleet, instead of sitting around ArmyTown doing random jobs, but on the other hand I'm flying a few thousand miles away from the woman of my dreams, and my friends and family, and into the unknown... and the not-really-remembered (ie the actual MARS stuff I learned over a year ago). I'll get leave for Xmas and, assuming I go on course in November, some leave in May/June... but that's kinda far. It is what I expected to happen this year when I thought I'd graduate last May, but things were different then. And I didn't have a few days' warning to ship out.

I guess I should wrap up the day's work and head home so I can find the stuff I need to return to supply, and start packing...

Thus, dear readers (all none of you), starts another chapter in my career.

What's past is prologue; what to come,
In my discharge.

Name Change

2009-08-31T12:13:00.002-03:00

So, as I'm not longer an RMC student (I'll post details once I have a confirmation of, well, details), it doesn't make much sense to keep my blog name as it is. I'll likely keep the URL if only because I gave it to people before and although it's unlikely, I want them to be able to find it if they look for it, but I need a new name...

And I have no idea for one.

Anyone?

STRATFOR: Geopolitical Weekly : Ten Years of Putin

2009-08-04T17:21:00.001-03:00

TEN YEARS OF PUTIN

By Peter Zeihan

This coming weekend marks the 10th anniversary of Vladimir Putin's assumption of a leadership position at the Kremlin. Much has happened since Putin's appointment as first vice prime minister in August 1999, but Russia's most definitive evolution was from the unstable but semidemocratic days of the 1990s to the statist, authoritarian structure of today.

While it has hardly been clear to STRATFOR that Putin would survive Russia's transition from tentative democracy to near-police state, the transformation of Russia itself has always fit with our predictions. Authoritarian government is a geographically hardwired feature of Russia.

Russia's authoritarian structure has its roots in two interlinking features: its size and its lack of geographically defined borders.

The Matter of Size

Russia is huge. Mind-numbingly huge. Even Americans, whose country is large in its own right, have difficulty absorbing just how large Russia is. Russia spans 11 time zones. Traveling from one end to the other via rail is a seven-day, seven-night journey. Commercial jets needed to refuel when flying the country's length until relatively recently. The country's first transcontinental road became operational only a few years ago. In sum, Russia -- to say nothing of the substantially larger Soviet Union -- is roughly double the size of all 50 U.S. states combined.

In being so huge, Russia is condemned to being hugely poor. With the notable exception of the Volga, Russia has no useful rivers that can be used to transport goods -- and the Volga, which is frozen most of the year, empties into the commercial dead end of the Caspian Sea. Whereas the Americans and Europeans always could shuttle goods and people cheaply up and down their rivers and use the money this allowed them to save to build armies, purchase goods and/or train workers -- and thus become richer still -- the Russians had to apply their scarce capital to build the transportation systems necessary to feed their population.

Most Western cities grew on natural transportation nodes, but many Russian cities are purely the result of state planning. St. Petersburg, for example, was built exclusively to serve as a forward position from which to battle Sweden and control the Baltic Sea. Basic industrialization, which swept across Europe and the United States in the 19th century, required rapid, inexpensive transit to make the process economical and dense population centers to serve as cheap pools of labor and concentrated markets.

Russia had neither transit nor population going for it. Large cities require abundant, cheap food. Without efficient transport options, farmers' output will rot before reaching market, preventing them from earning much. State efforts to confiscate farmers' production led to rebellions. Early Russian governments consistently found themselves stuck having to choose between drawing upon already-meager finances to purchase food and subsidize city growth, or spending that money on a security force to terrorize farmers so the food could be confiscated outright. It wasn't until the development of railroads -- and the rise of the Soviet Union's iron grip -- that the countryside could be both harnessed economically and crushed spiritually with enough regularity to grow and industrialize Russia's cities. But even then, cities were built based on a strategic -- not economic -- rationale. Magnitogorsk, one of Russia's vast industrial centers, was built east of the Ural Mountains to shield it from German attack.

Russia's obstacles to economic development could be overcome only through state planning and institutional terror. Unsurprisingly, Russia's first real wave of development and industrialization did not occur until Stalin rose to power. The discovery of ample energy reserves in the years since has helped somewhat. But since most of them are literally thousands of miles from any market, the need to construct mammoth infrastructure simply to reach the deposits puts pressure on the country's bottom line.

The Best Defense

Russia's size lends itself to an authoritarian system, but the deeper cause for this system is rooted in Russia's lack of geographically defined borders. The best illustration of this requires a brief review of the lessons of the Mongol occupation.

The strength of the Mongols -- who once ruled the steppes of Asia, and in time most of what is now Russia (among other vast territories) -- lay in their military acumen on horseback. Where the land was open and flat, the Mongol horsemen knew no peer. Russia's populated chunks are as flat as they are large. It possesses no physical barriers that could stop, or even particularly slow, the Mongol's approach and inevitable victory. The forests north of Moscow served as Russia's best defense.

When the Mongol horde arrived at the forests' edge, the cavalrymen were forced to dismount if they were to offer combat. Once deprived of their mounts, the Mongol warrior's advantage over the Russian peasant soldier shrank precipitously. And so it was only in Russia's northern forests where some semblance of Russian independence managed to survive during the three centuries of Mongol rule.

The Mongols taught Russians just how horrible invasions -- especially successful invasions persisting for generations -- could be. The Mongol occupation became indelibly seared into the Russian collective memory, leaving Russians obsessed with national security. Echoes of that terrible memory have surfaced again and again in Russian history, with Napoleon's and Hitler's invasions only serving as two of the most recent. Many Russians view today's steady NATO and EU expansions into the former Soviet territories through this prism, as simply the most recent incarnation of the Mongol terror.

After the Mongol period ended, Russian strategy could be summed up in a single word: expansion. The only recourse to the challenge of size and the lack of internal transportation options -- and the lack whatsoever of any meaningful barriers to invasion -- was establishing as large a buffer as possible. To this end, massive and poor Russia dedicated its scarce resources to building an army that could push its borders out from its core territory in the search for security.

The complications flowing from such an expansion -- like the one achieved during Soviet times -- are threefold:

Click image to enlarge

First, the security is incomplete. While many countries have some sort of geographic barrier that grants a degree of safety -- Chile has the Andes and the Atacama Desert, the United Kingdom has the English Channel, Italy has the Alps -- potential barriers to invasion for Russia are far-flung and incomplete. Russia can advance westward to the Carpathian Mountains, but it remains exposed on the North European Plain and the Bessarabian gap. It can reach the Tien Shan Mountains of Central Asia and the marshes of Siberia, but between mountain and marsh lies an extension of the steppe into China and Mongolia. Short of conquering nearly all Eurasia, there is no way to secure Russia's borders.

Second, the cost of trying to secure its borders is enormously expensive -- more massive than any state can sustain in perpetuity. Trying to do so means Russia's already-stressed economic system must support an even longer border, which requires an even larger military. The bigger Russia gets, the poorer it gets, and the more critical it becomes for its scarce resources to be funneled toward state needs -- meaning central control becomes more essential.

Third, any buffers Russia conquers are not empty, they are home to non-Russians. And these non-Russians rarely take a shine to the idea of serving as Russia's buffer regions. Keeping these conquered populations quiescent is not a task for the faint of heart. It requires a security force that isn't just large but also able to excel at penetrating resistance groups, gathering information and policing. It thus requires an internal intelligence service with the primary purpose of keeping multiple conquered peoples in line -- whether those people are Latvian or Ukrainian or Chechen or Uzbek -- and this intelligence service's size and omnipresence tends to be matched only by its brutality.

The Kremlin Crucible

Russia is a tough place to rule, and as we've implied, STRATFOR is mildly surprised Putin has lasted. We don't think him incompetent, it's just that life in Russia is dreadfully hard and the Kremlin is a crucible, and leaders often are crushed swiftly. Before Putin took Russia's No. 2 job, former President Boris Yeltsin had gone through no fewer than 10 men -- one of them twice -- in the position.

But Putin boasted one characteristic that STRATFOR identified 10 long years ago that set him apart. Putin was no bureaucrat or technocrat or politico; he was a KGB agent. And as Putin himself has famously proclaimed, there is no such thing as a former intelligence officer. This allowed him to harness the modern incarnation of the institutions that made Russia not just possible but also stable -- the intelligence divisions -- and to fuse them into the core of the new regime. Most of the Kremlin's current senior staff, and nearly all Putin's inner circle, were deeply enmeshed in the Soviet security apparatus.

This is hardly a unique coalition of forces in Russian history. Andropov ran the KGB before taking the reins of the Soviet empire. Stalin was (in)famous for his use of the intelligence apparatus. Lenin almost ran Russia into the ground before his deployment of the Cheka in force arrested the free fall. And the tsars before the Soviet leaders were hardly strangers to the role such services played.

Between economic inefficiency -- which has only gotten worse since Soviet times -- and wretched demographics, Russia faces a future that if anything is bleaker than its past. It sees itself as a country besieged by enemies without: the West, the Muslim world and China. It also sees itself as a country besieged by enemies within: only about three in four citizens are ethnic Russians, who are much older than the average citizen -- and non-Russian birthrates are approximately double that of Russians. Only one institution in Russian history ever has proved capable of resisting such forces, and it is the institution that once again rules the country.

Russia may well stand on the brink of its twilight years. If there is a force that can preserve some version of Russia, it might not be identical to Putin, but it will need to look a great deal like what Putin represents.

This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to www.stratfor.com.

Leadership: A USNA grad asks: Where's the leadership?

2009-07-27T17:19:00.002-03:00

Found here.

This is not mine, but I think certain aspects are relevant to RMC.

I am a Naval Academy graduate and Marine Infantry officer with two Iraq deployments and four years' time in service. . . .

With regard to the quality of the education, I found the Naval Academy quite demanding academically, and I have heard anecdotally from exchange cadets that it is quite a bit different in that regard from West Point. Most of the military officers with master's degrees teach the introductory level and professional courses while the civilian and military PhD's teach the higher level stuff. Grade inflation does not exist. Anything over a 3.0 requires a major amount of work and many bright people struggle just to pass. I found the higher level history courses I took to be outstanding, although I admittedly didn't take civilian courses I could compare them with. I never experienced any of the problems posters cited at West Point involving instructors not knowing material.

The problems I had were with the leadership training or lack thereof. The actual formal leadership training I got was not helpful at all, ranging from completely irrelevant academic "leadership" classes that seemed pulled from corporate boardrooms to ballroom dancing lessons (yes, those really happened). Midshipmen are given less actual responsibility and freedom than a private right out of boot camp and are forced to comply with a byzantine and illogical set of rules, known as midregs. Midregs often violate the spirit and sometimes even the letter of the UCMJ and also occasionally contradict each other, generating a destructive contempt for "stupid rules" among midshipmen that did not serve me well in the Marine Corps.

The end result of this "training" is graduates who have little experience in actually leading people when their actions have consequences and a misperception about the importance (and effectiveness) of working within the system and its rules. The system of student government that exists is ineffective at teaching leadership skills because the elaborate midshipman rank structure provides no actual power or responsibility.... As a result, Naval Academy graduates don't know what it's like to make decisions that will cost the government money, make a real difference in the status quo or determine whether people live or die anymore than ROTC graduates do. In reality, Academy graduates probably have less experience because they're so much more sheltered. The real problem is that there is absolutely no effort made to evaluate whether what the Naval Academy does makes better officers. It is simply assumed that because the Naval Academy does it, it must work. The reasons given for some of the training we had were literally laugh out loud ridiculous, but no one has ever checked with graduates, after some years in the fleet, to get feedback on what training methods helped us and what did not. . . .

I believe the fundamental problem lies with the leadership of the service academies and how they are held accountable. The mission of the Naval Academy is supposed to be to develop midshipmen morally mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty et cetera, but in reality, the overriding goal of the Academy's leadership is to avoid getting in trouble. I should qualify this by saying that my observations are four years old, but I really doubt much has changed. When I was there, it was absolutely clear that the thing that mattered most to the Superintendent, more than Beating Army and certainly more than preparing midshipman for war, was staying off the front page of the Washington Post. Every time he talked to us, it was invariably 60-70% sexual harassment and/or alcohol, 20-30% Beating Army and whatever was left over for anything really relevant. The way that the Naval Academy handles midshipman is designed primarily to reduce to an absolute minimum the chance that they will do something to embarrass the academy, not to give them experience that will be useful as combat leaders. . . . During my first deployment, we spent a good three months fuming because we couldn't figure out how to get to island caches in the Euphrates. Pretty pathetic for the Marine Corps, yes. Eventually, we either waded or borrowed/rented Iraqi fishing boats and made our way over. These operations were conducted in complete ignorance of any small boat doctrine and could easily have resulted in disaster. The importance of controlling aircraft effectively is obvious to any infantry officer or pilot that has been in Iraq or Afghanistan. The Naval Academy has ample time and resources to accomplish these tasks. They could be taught quite easily by eliminating the bullshit filler/time wasting stuff that took up a good 20 hours of my week when I was there. Eliminating noon meal formation and inspections alone would save a good 4 hours a week spent standing outside having the shine of your shoes inspected (not a skill that helped me as a platoon commander).

One thing I don't understand is why West Point isn't better at this. It has a much narrower skill set to train to and it seems to me it could easily make all its graduates into very proficient infantrymen, a skill set applicable to every career path in the Army (witness the 507th Maintenance Company) by graduation. Apparently, however, this is not the case.

If West Point is anything like the Naval Academy, and I suspect in this case it is, the reason academy training isn't superior is due to the military's system of ruthlessly stamping out any incentive for risk-taking. We are taught over and over that, in a tactical situation, any decision is better than no decision and "he who will not risk, cannot win". When it comes to training, equipment acquisition or doing pretty much anything that isn't a tactical decision, however, senior officers can be relied on to chose the course of action least likely to result in a substandard fitrep with the precision of a metronome. It seems more than a little ironic that we are taught to take calculated risks with Marine's lives, but to avoid at all costs risks to our promotion chances. This mentality does affect tactical things, for examples, the Marine Corps' insistence that Marines in Iraq wear their full flak, including neck, throat, eye, hand, groin protection and front rear and side SAPI plates. . . .

Back to the service academies. I don't really think there is much chance of them actually going away. While I agree that, at this particular moment in time, there is little difference between ROTC and academy graduates, this may not always be the case. . . . The service academies give the military a guaranteed source of qualified officers. For example, since the war started, the number of officers the Marine Corps has been able to recruit from PLC and ROTC has steadily dropped while the number of 2nd Lieutenants commissioned from the Naval Academy has almost doubled, from roughly 160 a year to about 270. The number of ROTC officers followed public opinion, declining as the war got less popular.

.... Do our service academies need to be improved? Yes, they do. Would we lose much more than just a source of officers by closing them? Absolutely. I feel strongly that making the purely financial decision to close the service academies, based on the assumption that civilian colleges will continue to indefinitely provide the number and quality of ROTC graduates they do now, would be a mistake. Nevertheless I am glad you brought the topic up. I hope the discussion it generates will force the service academies to seriously defend why it is they exist and improve their training to justify themselves. There is no doubt they have been sitting in a big, fat comfort zone for at least the last several decades, telling themselves over and over how great they are and they could stand to be held accountable for how well they accomplish their stated mission.

Nathan Cox
1st Lieutenant, USMC

Navy's in charge, now

2009-07-17T13:57:00.003-03:00

So, after the official change of command parade, Commodore Truelove is now the RMC Commandant.

As MGen Gosselin said, it's a bittersweet moment. BGen Lawson was a great commandant and a great leader, but I'm sure Cmdre Truelove will be just as great, only different. After all, we're going from a fighter pilot, which is pretty cool, to a MARS officer, which is awesome. I look forward to having him as Commandant.

The Story

2009-07-14T15:52:00.002-03:00

So.

I disappeared for a while.

Unfortunately, I am not writing this from beautiful British Columbia or from the quarterdeck of a ship.

I am still at RMC.

I had a steering gear breakdown on the way to graduation and, though I did my best, I was so far off-track by the time I could maneuver that I crossed the reduced clearing bearing. I am thus showing three red lights and sounding three separate and distinct strokes on the bell immediately before and after the rapid ringing of the bell. (In non-MARS terms: I screwed up.)

I am trying to convince the chain of command that although I messed up, I am still worth keeping around for another semester to finish my degree, and then go on with MARS IV and actually be a junior, qualified, MARS officer. The academic side has, so far, supported me--as the head of the history department said, an extra semester of university really isn't that big a deal--but the military side has, understandably, been less accommodating.

In any case, I am still alive, still not an A/Slt, and still not where I belong, but I'm doing my best to get there somehow, and I'll attempt to go back to writing about naval and leadership issues.

Excerpt from a letter to the editor by Col. J.H. Allan

2009-04-01T19:20:00.002-03:00

I (...) observed the steady rise to the top of the merit lists of all too many who treated soldiering as a civil service cinecure, "fit the all-singing, all-dancing, computer profile", and thought morale was a matter of having a plus balance in their pay guides. "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars but in ourselves." We, the senior officers, of the Army must keep falling on our swords to allow "soldiers to be soldiers" and to support the orangutans against the "civil servants."

Col. J.H. Allan, "Letter to the Editor", Infantry Journal, number 16

Excerpt from "A rejoinder to 'where have all the tigers gone?'" by Capt. K. McKay

2009-04-01T19:14:00.003-03:00

If a modern Army allows soldiers to be soldiers we won't have a problem with occupational values, those that wish to soldier will, those that don't can join Air Canada. That is not to say that good wages, benefits, and a good family life are not important: they are as important today as they were 25 years ago. But how does one equate an hourly wage to going on patrol at midnight in the freezing rain on an empty stomach. Job satisfaction is very important. We all remember the good times.

There was a time when contact sports were not only allowed but encouraged. Football, Boxing, Murderball, Hit hockey, etc, allowed the soldier to get rough and tough in peacetime. After all, we are trying to train men to go to war.

Captain Kermin McKay, RCD, "A rejoinder to where have all the tigers gone? Why have the ringmasters changed? Or put the fun back into the army!", Infantry Journal, number 15

Excerpt from "Where, oh where have all the tigers gone?" by LCol D.A. Nicholson

2009-04-01T19:02:00.002-03:00

You will no doubt have begun to detect, and I readily admit to, a twinge of nostalgic longing to meet once again a type of young officer who was fairly common just a few short years ago. This was the young man who did occasionally express a certain degree of boisterous enthusiasm for his profession, whose exuberance sometimes led to a heart-to-heart talk in my office and an extra tour as orderly officer, and who, fortified by a few draught of "happy hour elixir", would corner me in the bar for a forceful lecture on how I should really be running the unit. These same young officers may have required frequent guidance and steering, and occasional restraint but, bless them, they never required prodding. They could always be relied upon to put forth that essential extra effort which so often means the difference between success and disaster in both peace and war. No task was too difficult, and no hardship could deter them. Their senior NCOs looked after them like fathers. Their men loved and respected them and followed them without question. It was comforting to know that such men would be available if the crunch came. I am grateful for having had the privilege of serving with them. I only hope that their enthusiasm, gaiety and sheer zest for living have not since become squelched by the pervasive, bloodless "man in the green flannel suit" syndrome of which I have spoken.

Please, let us accept, cherish and develop, along with the nice, manageable pussycats, at least a few TIGERS. We, and Canada, will someday have need of them, as sure as God made little green managers.

LCol D.A. Nicholson, Where, oh where have all the Tigers gone?", The Mobile Command Letter, March 1973

Posting

2009-03-28T17:28:00.003-03:00

So MARS IV starts 28 September and will end sometime in February. In the mean time, the Venture staff will attempt to either send us off to sea or, if that fails, will put together an OOD qual package so we can get OOD qualified over the summer, and have one tick in the CofC II quals box. It should be a lot easier for us to get OOD qualified, as there will be a lot of ships in port, and not all that many deploying.

There are also a few openings on a ship's diver's course but I don't think I can get on it. I'll probably ask for it, but I doubt I'll get on it.

As far as MARS IV goes, the MARS head at Venture said something about our sea phase (several weeks) possibly being on the East Coast. Hopefully we'd be out on MCDVs--Orcas in winter in the North Atlantic (even within a few miles of shore...) would NOT be a good idea.

I'll post later about MOC weekend, but I'm really pumped for life after RMC. Of course, getting there isn't going to be much fun, but I'll live. 1309 out of 1357 days done (aka 48 DTG)

Posting

2009-03-09T10:08:00.002-03:00

Well, I received my posting message this morning. I'm officially being posted to the West Coast, effective 19 May 09, as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant. (I'd rather be an Ensign, it doesn't sound as bad as Acting Subbie... and isn't followed by the rank of Subbie.) I'm not sure what I'll actually do, as the course dates on the NOTC website have no sign of an ROTP MARS IV starting this summer, but it might have been updated since I last checked, but it'll likely involve some type of OJT. Hopefully not a shore assignment. I wouldn't mind if The Girlfriend was coming along, but she's staying in Ontario, and going home to my apartment--even though I'll have a roommate--will be rather depressing if I don't have anything to do. At least once MARS IV starts I'll have to study and be productive, even when I go home.

In any case, I'm glad to be getting out of RMC soon, but I'd rather get a little bit of leave before having to move, as I won't see The Girlfriend for quite a while after I fly out.

Ah well, here's to The Navy.

Also, the paper I have been writing has been pushed back further--a bout of illness kept me in bed most of last week and I barely managed to keep up with schoolwork, let alone a random essay I wrote on my free time. I'll finish the rewrite as soon as I can.

On Integrity

2009-03-03T18:33:00.003-04:00

About Integrity:
Integrity in the Navy has become a serious issue. Instead of using common sense, I see many "leaders" using the policy "do as I say, not as I do" based on the fact that they are senior and they cannot be questioned by those below them and no one above them wants to interfere.

From an anonymous commenter on bubbleheads' blog.

...Sounds awfully familiar. Not so much about just the Navy, though.

Coming soon: On Leadership..

2009-03-01T00:12:00.004-04:00

I was bored a few days ago and random scribbling turned into some kind of an essay on leadership at RMC. I've had to put it aside for the time being as I have an actual paper to write on leadership, but I expect to post it midweek. I still have to write a conclusion...

Edit: Some changes came down the pipeline after I got done writing, so I need to revise some things. Might take a few extra days.

Relationships and the Navy

2009-02-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I'm well in advance, but it's a topic that's been coming up a lot--and has been coming up for a while--usually from my civilian friends but also from some people who have had experience with military relationships.

I'm being posted to the West Coast after graduation (I graduate in May, but the actual posting might only be in June) but my girlfriend has to stay in Kingston to finish university. I think it's quite possible to keep things going, although it might be hard, especially considering how much leave I can expect to get, and how often she will have time off. Of course, it's all based on what I've heard in previous years, and what we've been told while we were in Vic, but it looks promising. The only issue will be that I will be on course for most of the year, and from what I understand that course keeps us quite busy, and then I will go to sea where communication opportunities (and time!) will be at a premium.

Does anyone have tips/stories/other tidbits to share regarding this kind of situation?

A leadership "tip" reinforcement, from The General

2009-02-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

Here's something I (re)learned from watching The General (BGen Lawson) interacting with people at the Navy mess dinner, a few weeks back.

Know your people. It's a fairly universal tip, but when you see The General, who we don't see quite that often, going around and knowing a little bit about pretty much everyone, it's pretty impressive. It also gives off the impression (which I'm sure is well-founded) that he cares. Sure, we don't interact in day-to-day life--we're lowly Naval Cadets (or Officer Cadets...)--but he's in charge of us, he keeps track of us, and he looks over us.

This really helps, I think, to make people look up to the chain of command and feel proud to be serving under those people.

Change of description

2009-02-17T01:46:00.002-04:00

I decided to go from

Blog by an RMC Naval Cadet, about life at the RMC, and life in general. And some rants.

To:

Blog by an RMC Naval Cadet about the Navy, leadership, and the occasional random topic.

I think it better reflects the purpose of this blog, especially as I start transitioning from whatever we RMC students are supposed to be, into life as a naval officer in the Fleet. Also, life at RMC has turned into a rather boring routine that can't keep a blog alive.

On Criticism.. again

2009-02-16T23:54:00.002-04:00

We will still need men and women in uniform to call things as they see them and tell their subordinates and their superiors alike what they need to hear, not what they want to hear . . . More broadly, if as an officer you don’t tell blunt truths or create an environment where candor is encouraged, then you’ve done yourself and the institution a disservice.

The time will come when you must stand alone in making a difficult, unpopular decision, or when you must challenge the opinion of superiors or tell them that you can’t get the job done with the time and the resources available . . . There will be moments when your entire career is at risk.

SECDEF Dr. Robert Gates

(Off Capt(ret) Lambert's blog.)

On Criticism

2009-02-16T21:54:00.001-04:00

All leaders should fully understand that criticism and loyalty are mutually supporting. When subordinates quit complaining that can be very bad news. It means that they are either afraid to complain or have given up on making things better within the organization. Both are deadly.

MajGen Perry M. Smith, USAF(Ret)

It's been much too long

2009-02-12T17:57:00.000-04:00

I realize that, since MARS III, my blogging has been light, sparse, and peppered with promises to blog more.

Not much has happened this year, though, and blogging about my Groundhog Day-like life would get old very quickly. About the only exciting things that happened was getting a girlfriend back in November, and being the Commandant's host at the Fourth Year Navy Mess Dinner in January. Other than that, business as usual. I've also hit a few snags, College-wise, and I decided it was better to distance myself from writing about the College until I was in a better frame of mind.

I will endeavour to write up some thoughts over "spring" break (ie next week) though, as always, I don't know how much I'll actually post.

In the mean time, enjoy the quotes I just posted from Captain Allen's manual. They're quite informative.

Notes from "What you always wanted to know about naval traditions (but were afraid to ask)" by Capt(N) Robert Allen, Ret'd

2009-02-12T17:56:00.001-04:00

This is a collection of things I pulled out of the 159-page manual by Capt(N) Allen that was distributed throughout the College lines of communications. It's quite informative, and I'd say a must-read for any Naval officer, especially subaltern/junior officers. I'm also thinking of having it printed and spiral-bound.

There might be some typos and some formatting problems, but it should be readable nonetheless. Also note that I forgot to put down which section the quotes were taken from; they are, however, in order, so the "groupings" should be somewhat obvious.

This post is quite long, but worth the read.

---

"Naval service is a calling like no other, and the navy is a unique mistress. (...) In some ways like marriage, the commitment must be absolute if the task is to be properly accomplished. Part of that commitment is understanding, and being true to, the essence of the service."

"The author accepts full responsibility for any lies told, lines stolen or reputations defamed."

"The introduction to this pamphlet makes the point that the Navy is different from other occupations and vocations. To illustrate that premise, consider the following. Merchant mariners go down to the sea in ships as well. With crews pared to the minimum for reasons of economy, they steam ships that are generally as large as practical from A to B, in a straight line, as quickly as possible. By contrast, the Navy goes to sea in relatively very small ships. These we fill with fuel, aviation gasoline, ammunition and pyrotechnics. We conduct gun shoots, occasionally let people fire missiles in our direction, launch and recover boats in the open ocean, conduct extremely close manoeuvring with other ships, go deliberately into navigationally challenging waters and conduct helicopter operations. We do all this in the worst of conditions, deliberately, at high speed, and often without lights or radar. No sensible mariner would behave this way, yet this is our bread and butter."

"Some years back, a British and a French minesweeper had an ongoing contest to see who could get the better of the other. The amusing skylarks slowly escalated in intensity as the competition continued over several years. It is reported that one day the British ship rounded a headland to find her French compatriot at anchor, and apparently unaware that she had been surprised. The British ship quickly closed the range while readying “grapefruit guns” and other missiles. Delighted at catching the French ship flat footed, the bombardment commenced when the two ships were within reasonable throwing range. Both fruit and insults flew. Surprise was complete. That surprise only increased as the British ship, noisily celebrating her “victory”, rounded the stern of her adversary to find a full military funeral in progress on her disengaged side."

"Because the hand salute is both a greeting and mark of courtesy, rendering a salute can rarely be wrong. Even if technically incorrect in a given situation, the mistake can be easily forgiven, while not extending this mark of respect could cause offence. The rules with regard to foreign officers are unclear, but could it ever be seen as incorrect to salute an officer of a foreign navy who you felt was senior to you?"

"The origin of the “eyes right” is interesting. In jolly old England, serfs and peasants were forbidden to look on their lords and masters, and had to avert their faces when they passed. In contrast, trusted soldiers in service to the lord were extended the privilege of looking him directly in the eye. Thus, “eyes right/left” became a form of salute. Think of this next time you see a dignitary reviewing a Russian honour guard. As the inspecting officer moves down the ranks, every head swivels to follow his progress."

"Traditionally, merchant ships saluted warships as they passed, and not just warships of their own nationality. This salute was rendered by striking the topsails. In the age of steam, a different method was needed, so merchant ships began dipping their ensigns in salute. This was acknowledged when the warship dipped her ensign in reply, and then re-hoisted it close up. This tradition continues today, although it is often overlooked since there is no legal requirement. Still, if the merchant ship passing you has a Scottish or Danish mate, you can be sure that those proper seafarers will dip. Be prepared."

"Naval officers wear caps, not hats. In ships, everyone normally wears caps on the upper deck and members of the watch wear caps on the bridge. Below decks, caps are normally only worn when making formal reports or at defaulters. In civilian buildings, they are normally worn. For example, while a gentleman in civilian clothes would remove a cap in an elevator, a naval officer would not. In military HQs, it is quite common to remove caps shortly after entering. A cap would never be worn in an office, a mess, a messdeck or a cabin. These procedures are in stark contrast to the army, which mandates the wearing of caps indoors so that salutes can be rendered. They do this when entering an office regardless of the rank of the occupant. The Navy does not do this."

"Despite succeeding decades where the diminution of the Royal link was occasional government policy, this title has remained. Most famously, Canadian sailors in WWII wore cap tallies that showed only “HMCS”, and no specific ship name, for reasons of security. While the Royal Canadian Navy technically ceased to exist with unification in 1968, the distinguishing title HMCS, and its equivalent in other Commonwealth countries, has endured. Long may this practice continue."

"As an aside, during WWII, all Commonwealth warships wore the white ensign like the RN. To distinguish Canadian ships, a green maple leaf was often painted on the funnel. This practice continues today with our red maple leaf."

"The writing of warship names creates a bit of a dilemma. Editorial style guides usually claim that they should be in italics, with only the first letter capitalized: hence HMCS Calgary. For reasons that nobody seems able to explain, virtually all Canadian naval officers have been trained to use all upper case letters: thus HMCS TORONTO. It may be technically incorrect, but that is how we do it."

"It can be argued that, contrary to popular belief, the life of a jolly tar in the Royal Navy of the 18th century was no worse than the lot of his land-bound mates, and in many ways a lot better. Still, all things are relative. Nobody in his right mind would argue that it was a comfortable life; it was exceedingly difficult and dangerous. Partly to dull the misery of life at sea, and party because the water was so bad, beer had been issued to ship’s companies for years. Brandy replaced beer as the issue partly because it took less space to store, and after the conquest of Jamaica by the British in 1687, rum replaced brandy. Ah, the benefits of Empire!"

"Ship’s mottos are approved in a similar, controlled way. Originally, a motto was a short, sharp battle cry designed to rally the troops around their knight, especially in the dark (their knight at night). Today it has become a dignified exhortation to action or a reminder of high purpose. In the Canadian Navy, mottos were initially, following age-old heraldic principles, in Latin. However, given the unique character of our nation, some were and are in French, and some in native tongues. Today, most are created in English rather than Latin. A motto must be in one language only, so bilingual badges are not allowed."

"When becalmed in the doldrums, it was thought that whistling enough could stimulate a wind. A knife was sometimes driven into the main mast to indicate the direction from which the desired wind should blow. Too often, the result after a long period of drifting in those horse latitudes was a gale, ie. too much wind. Eventually, jolly jack tar decided that it was better to leave the whole business up to the Almighty, and whistling in ships has been frowned on ever since."

"At sea a meal might consist of weevil-infested biscuit and slimy water, but at least a sailor got three meals a day. Because he was a valuable commodity not easily replaced, he could also be given some crude level of medical care. This was more than could be claimed for many of his compatriots ashore."

"For minor cases of general stealing on board a man could be ducked from the yardarm, or, in serious or repeat cases, “put ashore” - marooned - alive or dead. For the fourth offence of sleeping on watch, a man could be tied to the outermost end of the bowsprit equipped with a knife. He either starved to death, or cut himself loose to drown. The right hand could be hacked off for drawing a weapon on a captain. A murderer could be tied to the corpse of his victim and thrown overboard. For mutinous assembly, a man could be hung overboard by his heels until the action of the waves beat his brains out. You have to respect the imagination of the folks who came up with some of these."

"While it is true that salt was rubbed into the open wounds, this was done to prevent infection and speed healing, rather than to add to the pain. A sailor who could not work was of no use to anyone, so the object was to return him to full duty as quickly as possible."

"Some call it “stupid” time, others “goofy” time. Whatever term is employed, the concept is the same. During a long RAS, you reach that point where station keeping has settled down, the refueling is going well, the signalmen have exchanged all the semaphore jokes they can stand, and everyone is waiting for the “stop pumping” signal that is expected at any second. At this point, inexplicably, collectively, everyone will lose his or her mind. People get lazy, they start to think of the next serial or of lunch, they lose focus on the job in front of them, and their sense of relative motion decays. Some COs actually announce the arrival of stupid time, and thus spur the team to renewed vigilance. This is the point in any evolution when you should pay maximum attention.

While any longish RAS will provide a textbook example of stupid time, it occurs very frequently when attention wanders because actions have become routine. In a strange but too true corollary, stupid time often strikes when the greatest collection of “experts” is at the scene. When the Sea Training Staff are present, people start to assume that the other guy is the one keeping a weather eye on safety issues. Some of our most embarrassing moments (remember Pete’s Tent and Awning in Victoria?) happen when jurisdiction and responsibility are clouded by the presence of outsiders."

"It’s 1800 in the South China Sea, running a deep swell. XO has just started dinner in the AOR when he is called to the bridge. Lookout spotted a wooden boat, apparently drifting, with many people on deck. CO sends XO out in the small Zodiac to investigate. Hard to determine their status; many wave to the Zodiac and seem happy, but some just lie on deck, unmoving. CO moves AOR closer, decides to bring wooden boat alongside using whaler to tow. Too rough for accommodation ladder, so scramble nets are rigged. As boat nears, it becomes apparent that its human cargo is in trouble. Crew now aware of what is happening and turn out to assist. Some of the boat’s passengers can make the vertical climb on their own, then virtually collapse on deck; crew members take the initiative to climb down and bring up the weaker ones piggy-back – difficult climb. Decision is made to scuttle the boat rather than leave a drifting derelict.

Both helos are ashore in the Philippines; hangar is quickly rigged as hospital facility. Chief Steward is carrying weak, emaciated man down ladder from hangar to use washroom when the man dies in his arms. The next morning we bury him at sea, his daughter wailing all the while (the mother had passed away a few days earlier). Later that day, another man succumbed, and the next morning we buried him. Helos arrive with US military medical staff to assist ours. Two days later we disembark remainder of survivors in Manila. Some now live in Canada. Who were they? Originally they were 105 Vietnamese economic migrants bound for a better life in Malaysia. We rescued 90 after some 10 days at sea; other ships had passed but ignored them. We landed 88.

You don’t learn or train to deal specifically with this situation at any school. Yet, the great training we do receive, and the initiative we tend to foster and encourage, make all the difference. And so, oddly, we are prepared without ever having thought about it. Who ever imagined that they would bury a body at sea in peacetime? A great credit goes to the exceptional initiative of the crew, who stepped up, mostly unasked, with great caring and compassion."

"Those seeking a diplomatic solution will be dining well in four-star hotels; those dealing with the immediate crisis will have several hundred desperate people trying to survive in their hangar."

"Because you are a piece of Canada, you, and every member of your ship’s company, become ambassadors whether you want to be or not. You all wear some sort of Canada flash on your uniform, and that distinctive red maple leaf flag of yours is one of the five most recognized national symbols in the world. Disreputable action will never escape notice, or often, publicity; sadly, that repair job to the local orphanage that your team undertook on their day off often will. Hey, that is life!"

"Bristol fashion: This is a strange expression since while it has direct, logical meaning in the UK, we have never developed a Canadian equivalent. Ships sailing out of Bristol were once renowned for being particularly neat, tidy and well-handled. Today, anything particularly smart and seamanlike would be said to be “all shipshape and Bristol fashion”."

"Pelorus: This is a circular ring fitted to the rim of a gyro-compass repeater to facilitate the taking of bearings. Fascinatingly, it is named after a Greek pilot who assisted the Carthaginians. He helped Hannibal get his army, war elephants included, from Africa to the European mainland."

"There is a famous joke about how the three armed services interpret the word “secure”. It is never told the same way twice. Suffice to say that if directed to secure a building, the Army would dig slit trenches and fire pits to co-ordinate arcs of fire, the Air Force would negotiate and sign a long-term lease for the building’s use, and the Navy would turn off the lights and lock the door."

"True leaders Are hardly known to their followers. Next after them are the leaders the people know and admire; after them, those they fear; after them, those they despise

From the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

"It has often been opined that two qualities are essential in a successful officer. He or she must be a capable mariner, of course, but must also be a gentleman or lady."

"There are many ways to impress senior officers; there is only one way to impress a ships’ company.

Loyalty is one of the fundamental underpinnings of sea duty because it nurtures the trust on which service and sacrifice depend. Men must trust their officers, and officers their men."

"Loyalty also refers to complete dedication to the broader cause – in this instance, the Navy and the nation. In case you didn’t notice, when you joined, you transitioned from the “me” generation to the “we” generation. We must all be prepared to put our own comfort, convenience and desires aside in favour of the greater good. Let’s face it, no one ever joined our navy to get rich."

"We often joke that when the sailor’s stop complaining, it is time to issue the small arms to the officers. Having said all this, realize that the moans and drips of a sailor are a time-honoured and amusing part of his persona. We can all tell a serious complaint from the day-to-day, mandatory variety."

"Officers too, complain, but they must be much more cognizant of time and place. What is fully appropriate under one set of circumstances might be extremely ill judged under others. Beware. Select your moments carefully."

"We have to have the fortitude to do the right thing, even when it is not the popular thing or the thing that is most convenient to us. Difficult decisions have to be made, especially by those in positions of command, and it takes great strength of character and moral fiber to make and stand by them. And remember, there is rarely a tangible reward for doing the right thing, but there is invariably some form of censure for doing the wrong thing."

"We instead rely on seasoned professionals with the skills, bravery and perseverance to see a tough job through. And just so there is no doubt, the seasoned professional referred to here could be twenty years of age. Grey hair is no guarantee of fortitude."

"In many ways, this attribute should have topped the list, for on it all else is based. Without integrity, an officer is nothing. It is truly the fundamental prerequisite to successful officership. To have integrity is to be scrupulously honest – with yourself, and with others - but it means much more.

To have integrity is to have honour. Without this, no man or woman can lead, at least not for long. Intimidation and fear might serve for a time, but without elemental honesty, there can be no trust. Without trust, leadership will fail, usually at the critical moment of greatest trial. In our business, that is the one moment when failure is least acceptable. As Margaret Thatcher once famously said: “Failure is not an option”."

"Of all careers, the Navy is the one which offers the most frequent opportunities to junior officers to act on their own.

Napoleon Bonaparte"

"On 24 May, 1941, HMS HOOD was in action against the German battleship BISMARK. At least one shell of the German ship’s fifth salvo plunged down on HOOD, smashed through her thin deck armour and penetrated deep into her after magazine. HOOD, so long the very symbol of British sea power, was rocked by a huge explosion that split her in two. She sank in four minutes with the loss of 1400 of her crew. There were only three survivors. The senior among them, a midshipman who had been on board for less than a week, was court martialled for the loss of the great ship.

We must remember that in those days, a court martial was as much as means of determining the facts of a case as apportioning any blame. The midshipman was not subjected to this ordeal because he was thought to be in any way culpable, but because by virtue of his rank he was senior. The much older petty officer who survived was a witness before the court, and not a “defendant”, because it is the legal burden for an officer to be held responsible. Think about this. Think about it a lot."

"Canadian naval officers have come up with ideas that Horatio Nelson (or Horatio Hornblower for that matter) would have been proud of. Here is an amusing example of thinking on your feet."

"Leadership is management without resources."

"We have said that an officer need be a gentleman (or lady) in the broadest sense. That means, among so many other things, that he or she will not accidentally give offense to anyone. One aspect of this is simple good manners, including table manners. Some of us are lucky enough to have had grandmothers who hit us with a spoon if we used the wrong utensil. It was painful, but effective, training. Some of us, sadly, acquired our table manners at a truck stop. You have to get over this, and learn to dine properly. As an officer in our navy you might well be on a run ashore with your buddies one night, and forced by the XO to sit next to the German Ambassador for a formal dinner the next. (...)

Oh good, here is one more opportunity to trumpet the benefits of a broad education. It has to be said, again and again. If all you can talk to the Ambassador about is wheel overs and steering gear breakdowns, it is going to be a painful dinner – for him. He will be ready to wax poetic on most topics under the sun, and it will be interesting and fun as well as informative. Be ready to hold up your end of any conversation. How do you do this? You read widely, you examine different opinions on world issues, and you think. Also, you practise. That is what all those receptions for the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce are for."

"The youngest among you, those at the beginnings of their naval careers, will have one of two reactions to the advice given above. Some will say “yeah, yeah, we have heard all this before”, and go on to the next amusing story. Some others, when they stop and really think about what is expected of them, might be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the challenge. Senior officers and NCMs will keep trying to develop the first individual – sometimes with success and sometimes not. They will also tell the second lad or lass not to worry. Perfection is not expected right away. There will be mishaps along the road, and the process of becoming a good officer will take a lot of time and effort. Work at it one day at a time. Be as diligent as you can, and work hard. Do not be afraid to ask questions, or admit error. Emulate the good example of your seniors, and learn from their bad example when they falter. Always do what you believe to be the right thing, and scrupulously avoid deliberately doing something questionable. Be ever aware that everything you say and do is being closely watched. Above all, take care of your people. Said like this, it all seems to be within the art of the possible doesn’t it?"

"The British Admiral Lord St. Vincent once said: “Discipline begins in the wardroom. I dread not the seaman. It is the indiscreet conversations of the officers and their presumptuous discussions of the orders they receive that produce all our ills.”"

"As a general rule, the CO and XO are always called Sir/Ma’am, as are officers senior or equal in rank to the Mess President who are guests of the mess. First names are always acceptable one rank up and one rank down from your own, and these days, this gesture usually extends more widely. Given the size of our ships, and thus our Wardrooms, this rule rarely causes problems. It is probable that every officer is on a first name basis with every other except for the CO and XO. When speaking to a senior officer about one of your mess mates you always call them by their rank and last name."

"You must always be careful of what you say in the Wardroom. The same guidelines apply as anywhere else in the ship. For example, you must never be openly critical of your seniors, or even your mess mates. There are always ears turned in your direction, and sailors have a grapevine that Earnest and Julio Gallo would be proud of."

"Stewards are intelligent and inquisitive beings, like us all, and they are usually around the Wardroom all the time. That derogatory remark about the Admiral or the questioning of the CO’s ship handling during the just-completed RAS will always be overheard. Discretion is an integral part of the Steward trade. They rightly keep whatever happens in the Wardroom to themselves the vast majority of the time, but they are only human. One should assume that a story that is too good not to pass on, will be. Remember though that if you are the officer calling down your superiors and mess mates, that will shape the Stewards’ opinion of you. You must also be very careful what you say about NCMs."

"Despite this, every officer must have a suit. That should be repeated. Every officer must have a suit. You can never go wrong with a dark, conservative suit. A slightly less formal outfit is the ever-popular navy blue blazer with slacks and a tie. At all but the more formal events, such a funerals, this will often be a suitable and stylish alternative."

"It is to be assumed that Royal Navy officers never wear civilian shorts. Judging by the legs seen when they are in uniform shorts, this is a good thing."

(About the Junior Rates Mess) "This is a mess that you do not belong in except in the rarest of circumstances. Junior NCMs do not understand the rules, and pitfalls, of over-familiarity as well as their supervisors do. There is a greater potential for embarrassment when somebody misreads a situation, or deliberately takes advantage of it. One jolly jack with a finger in your chest can ruin an occasion for everyone. You must be exceptionally careful of what you say for every word will be remembered. Never try to appear to be “one of the boys (or now, girls)” by commenting negatively on your superiors. You are not one of the boys, and will never be.

You should also realize that a favourite diversion of this mess is to try to get a visiting officer to drink too much. What might seem gracious and generous hospitality could be but the opening move in the great game. Forewarned is forearmed. Remember that everything that you say and do, always, without exception, is being watched and judged."

"No guests should ever be left standing alone wondering what to do next. Offer to get them a drink, make sure they are enjoying the party, and above all, make intelligent conversation. Almost invariably, this will not involve shop talk. Of course, civilians will be unused to ships, and will have innumerable questions about what they see and hear. Make your explanations interesting, and sincere, and remember that nobody who does not wear blue serge will understand your terminology unless you make a deliberate and constant effort to translate maritime terms into English (or French). Nor should the conversation be restricted to what interests you. We should all be capable of addressing the broadest range of topics. You should know something about the city or country that you are visiting. You should be capable of commenting on world events, while avoiding controversial subjects. You should appreciate the history of the region you are in. Being a host is not always easy. You have to get used to it, and you have to work at it. The object of the exercise is to ensure that the ship’s guests enjoy themselves, but if you are doing this right, you should be having fun too. Guidelines on this subject always end with an admonition to see to all the guests, not just the young, attractive ones. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the older folks are often more interesting. Honest. Besides, as a designated host, it is your duty to approach the “job” conscientiously and give time to all your guests."

"In foreign countries, you will often call on their military officials. Remember that you are all in the same business. You have much in common even if they wear a different uniform or speak a different language. You have to make the call; they have to receive you. Knowing that, you might as well enjoy yourself. Don’t be stiff, but err on the side of formality until your host sets the tone. Be natural but polite. It is always good advice to do your homework before you arrive so that you have intelligent observations to make about his service or his country."

"A last, very important admonition is this: drink the tea and eat the cake! Always, some refreshment will be offered. You offend your host to refuse. Even if you are stuffed, even if you are revolted by the tidbit convinced that it is a goat’s eye, even if you are allergic and will break out within hours, you absolutely must take at least a sip and have at least a bite. And look like you are enjoying it. Remember than when a return call is made, you must offer some refreshment. This is one of the few universal rules."

"To avoid giving offense, let it just be said that there are other military organizations, abroad and in this country, that believe it the duty of the staff to make the senior officer feel good. On cue, they marvel at his wisdom, and reinforce his infallibility. And it is a recipe for, at best, constipated thinking, and at worst, disaster.

Canadian Navy officers have a bit of a reputation. When we serve on staffs, both foreign and domestic, we have an embarrassing tendency to give honest opinions and tell it exactly like we see it. So it should be. It is the duty of the staff to tell the senior officer what he has to know, not what he wants to hear. Of course, we have to be polite about it, even diplomatic on occasion, but the necessity for fundamental honesty is paramount. (...)

As so often, there is a corollary to this rule. You do have to know when to shut up. You make your case, forcefully and honestly, but once the decision has been taken, you must get quickly onside. It is perfectly possible for you to be open with your counsel, but still be wrong. Or, the senior officer could have other factors to consider, factors of which you are completely unaware, that trump what you have trumpeted. Either way, he should listen to what you have to say, deliberate, and decide. Then, you correctly become a cheerleader."

"Being the flagship brings you recognition and respect. But, it carries a price."

"Frequent deployments, and an exposure to the hazards they bring, complicate the problem. E-mail and other technologies allow access to news and support from outside the ship, but at the end of the day, you are probably stuck in a four hundred and thirty-foot sardine can with two hundred of your closest friends."

"Mutinies in the Royal Navy resulted from neglect of the sailors. They were not being cared for, their needs were not being met and no one was taking responsibility for their welfare."

"The most important thing to remember about senior officers is that they were once junior officers. This means that unless you have upset them greatly, they will be pretty good at understanding your problems. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.

All senior officers hate surprises. The best thing you can do is give them a heads up if you sense something that is developing into an “issue”. If you keep them informed, they will generally leave you alone to work your way through the problem."

"A truly unique relationship exists between Executive Officers and Sub-Lieutenants. The latter were put on the world to get as close as possible to the mandated boundaries of conduct and decorum; the former are here to stop them and beat them back. It is like the eternal battle between good and evil. Your rank and position will determine which of these two camps you think yourself to be in. The struggle has been waged forever, and will never cease."

"While flaunting the spirit of the law without guilt or pause, they will stop millimeters short or transgressing the letter of the law. They have an uncanny ability to sense imminent danger, and will pull up just short."

"Sub-Lieutenants should be allowed to have fun. Lots of it. You learn important lessons by coming close to disaster."

"A wise CO and XO discuss the performance of the junior OOWs with the Coxswain. He will be attuned to who are the stars and who are the duds. One CO once threatened to have all of the helmsmen, bridge signalmen, lookouts, bosn’s mates and Petty Officers of the Watch vote on which subbie should get his ticket, and which should go around again."

"Many very senior visitors had been invited to a naval parade marking a significant anniversary in the history of the Singaporian Navy. The dignitaries were seated under a large canopy. A short time into the parade, a torrential rainstorm soaked the naval cadets on parade. As one would expect, however, they continued to put on a superb show regardless of the truly miserable conditions. It was observed that many senior NCMs were leaving the cover of the stands, and making their way to the exit from the parade square as if they were waiting for something. They were. One unfortunate cadet had chosen to wear boxer shorts adorned with large red hearts. As his white trousers got wet, these decorations flared into brilliance that could be seen from the bleachers with the naked eye. A lot of senior spectators felt very sorry for that young lad, but some corrective measures must be left to senior NCMs who, all were sure, would find a sensitive but effective way of preventing any recurrence. Beware red when in whites."

"This is why leadership by example is such a powerful tool, and why credibility can be eroded so quickly if you do not do as you say."

"The first is having any sort of physical relationship on board. This is summed up by the famous “no touching” rule. The second area where no flexibility can be accepted is relationships between members of different messes in the ship."

"Despite everything you have heard or may suspect, the most difficult decisions are actually remarkably easy to make. This is especially true when an ethical choice is involved. The correct path is usually fairly obvious. However, being human, we will spend endless hours trying to rationalize to ourselves the choice of that other tantalizing option – the one that is easier, more convenient, less complex, less expensive and probably more comfortable. When in doubt, do the right thing, not the easy thing, and you cannot go far wrong."

"Not all great stories occur on board ship. A few years ago, I was deployed to Cambodia as a United Nations Military Observer. During my first few days, as the observer team leader in Kampong Chhnang, I decided to wander around an abandoned, unpaved airstrip. Stupidly, my meanderings took me off the main runway and about ten meters onto the surrounding, unmarked dirt fringe. As soon as I realized where I was (a minefield), I called for help. Shortly, a seasoned Canadian Petty Officer on my team came to my aid. Together, for the next hour or so, we dug away with our bayonets, crawling on our bellies and carefully slithering to safety, as we had been taught during our pre-deployment training. A few weeks later, a water buffalo set off a mine in the same location. I learned two valuable lessons. First, it is sometimes better in life to stay on the beaten path. Second, it is alright to ask for help, even if the pickle you're in was caused by your own stupidity."

"You should never criticize or punish a sailor for doing a thing wrong, but you should for doing the wrong thing. It is important to be able to distinguish between a simple, honest error and deliberate malice. Mistakes are human, and offer a chance to learn and improve."

"Warning: Due dates may be closer than they appear."

"If you are ever required to speak to the media yourself, remember the above sentence. Whatever they say, whatever promise or undertaking is made, what you say can be used and often will be. Do not say anything that you are not prepared to see on the front page. You should never comment on areas that are above your pay grade. Unless you are the designated spokesperson, it is not your job to argue government or service policy. We have folks who are paid specifically to do that. Feel free to comment on your area of expertise, on your job, on your involvement with the incident. Obviously, you should never tell untruths or obfuscate. Answer the question, simply and truthfully, with the facts that you know. Do not speculate. You are perfectly entitled to protect certain information if there are legitimate security or safety concerns. Also, the privacy of an individual is an important consideration. Some personal information can, and should, be withheld for privacy reasons. As a general rule, matters that are under active investigation should not be discussed. This could prejudice the proceeding."

"Elsewhere in this publication, the visit of a Russian naval squadron to Halifax was described. At one point, a young Canadian officer had to brief a senior Russian Admiral on what entertainment had been provided to the Russian sailors. Events with individual families, the kinds of events that best serve to reduce barriers between people, were very limited in scope because of the Russian insistence that their sailors remain in groups of at least six under the charge of a senior petty officer. So, group events featured prominently in the programme. The young officer was ushered into the presence of the Russian senior officer who had the physique of a bowling ball and a sense of humour to match. The Canadian had to explain that some of his junior sailors had been taken bungie jumping. So, he had to explain that the Admiral’s men had been taken to the top of a 100-foot tower, had large elastic bands secured around their legs, and had then been pushed off only to spring back just short of hitting the ground. How do you go about explaining this to a Russian whose entire career and experience made the whole concept utterly unbelievable? Then, without betraying the secrets of the briefing, the Canadian had to inform the Halifax press of the Russian’s reaction."

"What part of “You have incurred my serious displeasure” don’t you understand?"

"The public, here in Canada and oversees, are fascinated by warships. Except in dockyard cities, they rarely get to see them. Even then, a chance to see the inside of a ship is not common. This is why ship’s tours are so popular, and why we have to approach them with such professionalism. They present a wonderful opportunity to highlight not only the technology, capability and flexibility of our ships, but they also allow us the chance to showcase our greatest asset – our people. (...) This is a great chance to involve some of the more junior members of the ship’s company in an important public relations exercise. There is nothing more impressive than a keen, determined young sailor anxious to tell visitors about his duties and his ship."

"Some years ago, when NATO was a smaller organization, the members of the Military Committee and the Chiefs of Defence (CHODS) for each member nation were touring North America. With the Chairman of the Military Committee, they comprised the thirty-one most senior officers in the alliance. They visited two Canadian ships where each general/flag officer was assigned his own personal tour guide drawn from the AB to MS ranks. They spent the whole visit together. The very senior officers were exposed to individual tours and frank conversation. They dined in the main cafeteria. At the end of the visit, they expressed their sincere appreciation for the chance to interact with these enthusiastic, knowledgeable and thoroughly-impressive young people. It was a chance that they did not get often because of their positions, and it was an eye-opener. Briefings by COs and fancy buffet lunches were something they experienced every day. A slice of “real life” was a refreshing change. Oh yes, the experience did not do the young sailors any harm either."

"The Japanese manage to make an art form out of everything, and the hosting of foreign dignitaries is no exception. Their programmes run like Toyota assembly lines. You will be spoiled, and pampered, and treated like royalty at every stop. The drivers will wear white gloves and re-polish the cars while you are making calls. Never be lulled into a false sense of security though. Tokyo traffic can quickly discombobulate even the best plan. And remember, your next stop will be in a country in South-East Asia that does not even try to emulate Japanese efficiency. Yes, the Indonesian Police outriders will get you through that traffic snarl, but their methods will give you sleepless nights."

"For all foreign travel you must have a printed itinerary and briefing details ready for each day. You must have the car pennant with you. Your suitcase will be only partially for you. You will transport the gifts to be presented, and collect those incoming. These will always be bigger and heavier than what you gave out. The expandable suitcase was a great invention. For every briefing or speech to be given, you will carry copies, and on the day of presentation, they had better be in your pocket, not back at the hotel."

"In a South-East Asian country, the Admiral arrived in the hotel lobby to be greeted by several foreign military officials as well as four Canadian officers. It was instantly apparent that the Admiral had reversed his ribbons, putting them on the right side of his tunic instead of the left. There was no time or opportunity to discreetly inform him of the error. Instead, looks were exchanged among the other Canadians, but not a word was said. All went off in different cars, but by the time everyone was reassembled at the entrance to the foreign HQ, all the Canadian officers had ribbons on the right, and nametags on the left. Embarrassment was avoided, and the hosts never knew the difference."

"In the twenty-first century, whatever you or your FO might think, both you and he need laptop computers, and these should be set up to handle both routine and classified material. Both need to be connected to the appropriate nets, within and without the HQ, and this has to be set up and tested before your first real day of work can begin."

"While the Blackberry can be quick and convenient for some jobs, major tasks such as note taking, or the display of briefings on disk, will require a good laptop. You should have jacks for hotel rooms whatever country you might be in, or satellite internet connectivity. Pay particular attention to the firewall if classified material is being handled. Of course, the laptop must be guarded in accordance with the classification of the data. Extra storage media are essential, preferably flash card size."

"You will absolutely need a cell phone, and it must be with you, literally, at all times. Remember that often, you are the first one called. Remember too that most emergencies happen at “oh dark thirty”. The cell phone must work overseas. Do not assume that the IT guy in the basement of the headquarters knows about this. Even if he has Europe figured out, Malaysia will confound him. When traveling, advance research and preparation are essential. The phone must have at least one extra battery (preferably more) with its charger. The phone should be able to send and receive e-mail. If this causes problems, a Blackberry or some equivalent device becomes essential. By the way, when you arrive in a foreign location, be sure that you immediately understand how to work the phone system. That extra zero that is not dialed within the country could make the difference between a good nights sleep for you, and embarrassment."

"NASA spent several millions of dollars developing a pen that would write upside down and in the vacuum of space. It was years in development. The Soviets issued their cosmonauts with a three-cent pencil."

"You are the point of contact for your FO. The quickest and easiest way to leave your contact details is with a smart business card. Make sure you have lots of these, especially when on the road. At any given moment you should have access to fifty of yours, and fifty for your FO. You think that this number is a joke? It is not. Think ahead to make sure you are equipped, and act early to order more cards when the stock is getting low, or when details such as rank or command name change. Never be caught short on this."

"Presumably, you invited your guest to speak at the dinner (or any event) because you wanted to hear what he had to say. Assuming this is true (and even if it is not), you owe him the courtesy of a proper introduction. This will take some effort on your part, as it should. Never regurgitate his entire career in chronological order. Never! How many times have we heard this done? And what was the effect? Boredom, and a total lack of interest even before the unfortunate speaker rose to begin his remarks. It is your duty to make the audience want to listen. To do this, tell them why they should. In other words, establish the credibility of the speaker. By all means review his resumé beforehand. Then, look for patterns and trends. It is an effective tactic to group similar qualifications. Tell people simply that he held two at-sea commands, or that he served in a Director General-level staff position in NDHQ. We don’t need, or want, the dates or the names of each ship or job unless they are of particular interest. If he commissioned the first-of-class, or commanded a task group in a headline operation, or was the DG to introduce a sea change policy shift, then mention this by all means. If there is a humourous or particularly significant milestone, it should be highlighted. The audience should be positively anticipating the speaker’s remarks by the time you exit the stage."

"Another variation on the theme is “dine the ladies”. What we must now do to rename this event in our politically correct world does not bear thinking about. Dine the significant others? Suffice to say that it is a dinner to which spouses are invited."

"In naval circles, there is no such thing as being fashionably late. As a general rule, aim to arrive within five minutes of the desired time, but never early."

"If no chaplain is present, the President says grace himself, usually the laconic naval version: “For what we are about to receive, thank God”. What an absolutely wonderful grace this is. Neither word, nor time, are wasted."

"You should be able to converse intelligently, and amusingly, on a wide variety of subjects. Small talk is an art that must be practised, and the mess dinner is one of the best opportunities for doing this. Certain potentially controversial subjects are best avoided. Politics and religion are topics fraught with danger. Shoptalk should be left for work situations. By this we mean detailed discussion of day-to-day efforts, rather than broader talk of general service interest which would always be a topic for reasoned discussion. Classically, a specific sum of money should not be mentioned, nor should the name of a lady not present (other than a celebrity) be spoken. Pedantic adherence to this ancient rule would be silly, and in any case, it has to be modified to accommodate a mixed gender mess membership."

"The President asks one of his Vices to propose the loyal toast, in either English or French. The Vice uses the other official language in proposing the toast “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Queen of Canada”. The toast is then made in either language by individual diners. “God bless her” is usually added as an extra measure of respect. Naval officers never toast with water. Again, the superstition is that someone will drown. Mariners seem hung up on this fear, for good reason."

"Naval officers can applaud by slapping the table with one hand."

"The road to command is a hard one. It is supposed to be. If it was easy, anybody could do it. It was designed to be a challenge, and has been refined over generations to ensure that the best possible job can be made of selecting those with exactly the right blend of knowledge, dash, leadership and charisma for this crucial position."

"Given the numbers of units we have in the Navy, it is statistically self-evident that not everyone can be a CO. It should be equally obvious that not everyone should be. Many among us are not suited to the task. It is not wholly a matter of professional knowledge, since much of that can be acquired, eventually, through plain hard work. It is much more a question of attitude, of aptitude, of outlook, of willingness to take on that ultimate responsibility. This is the “command presence” that boards try to assess."

"Having the courage to present and defend your own views is a difficult thing to do, and if you are not aware of, and confident in, your own capabilities, you will ultimately fail. If you are “playing a role” you had better stop and consider whether you are really cut out for this. Why? Because when you are truly faced with crisis, when that moment comes when a silence descends on even the talkative junior officers, and suddenly, in the hush, all eyes on the bridge turn to the CO, you had better be up to the task. And do not fool yourself that such moments will arise. “They” will all turn to you when they realize that they are in so deep that they cannot get out alone. And you will realize that there is no one standing behind for you to turn to for advice or salvation. It is your moment on the stage, and you absolutely have to have the right answer."

"The true moment when you are ready for command is not when you pass the board, but when you first realize that you are standing there alone with no backup and no net, and accept that that is the way is has to be."

"Sometimes we forget how significant a small demonstration of panache can be in terms of reputation and influence. Towards the end of our first patrol in the Arabian Gulf, our frigate was tasked to escort a Royal Navy Auxiliary Tanker into the Straits of Hormuz. On meeting the oiler in the gulf of Oman, we closed for a RAS before taking up the escort duty. Closing from the beam at speed, I cautioned the 2OOW who was taking the ship into the standby station, to make a good show of it, allowing him only one alteration of course and speed to achieve the manoeuvre. This particular young man had previously displayed little aptitude for “ship driving”. To my surprise and delight, he “nailed it”, going from 26 knots and approximately 90 degrees off the RAS course to settle directly into station with no fiddling. I was more surprised, however, when the RN tanker came up on UHF praising effusively our manoeuvre, calling it the best joining he had seen in six months on station, and adding what a joy it was to be working with professionals again. Coming from the RN, this was high praise indeed since they are not prone to hyperbole. From then on, we could do no wrong so far as the tanker was concerned, and the ship benefited directly several times during our work together. From a mentoring perspective, this outcome certainly justified my approach in letting junior officers drive as much as possible. As well, the experience was of great benefit to that young officer. He was immensely pleased with himself and had certainly earned a “get out of jail free” card in my view."

"The naval prayer, which is quoted in full in the last chapter of this publication, asks that we be protected from “the dangers of the sea and the violence of the enemy” – and for good reasons. Ours is an inherently risk-filled business. Elsewhere in this volume, it was pointed out how we often deliberately take almost counter-intuitive approaches to problems. We don’t choose the easiest, or safest, or most expeditious ways of accomplishing things because we have to be ready for the day when the easy solution is not an option. That is how we train to be ready for the inevitable crisis when it comes."

"It was 2300 one evening during the third week of workup exercises for a DDE. I was the SSD OOW. The Sea Training exercise required the ship to land a party ashore in Port San Juan on the west coast of Vancouver Island. If you are familiar with the area, you know that the harbour is wide open to south west winds. If was apparent as soon as we entered the harbour that we should not be there. Out of nowhere, the wind had increased to a near gale force from the south west, and the ship began experiencing a rapid set towards the NE shore. The CO immediately cancelled the boat launch and ordered the starboard anchor let go. The plan was to swing around on the anchor, avoid being blown aground, get lined up with the harbour entrance, weigh anchor and get the hell out of Dodge. It sounded easy but it was not. It was pitch black, the wind was howling, we were soaked and freezing and we could not see a thing in the spray. The navigator told me afterwards that his radar display showed nothing but sea return; once we had entered the harbour, he couldn’t make out the shore. At one point the XO was on the foc’sle and I was on the bridge wing with the CO. We had over seven shackles of cable out at very, very long stay. The young sailor who was manning the sound-powered headphones was getting more and more agitated. We were all worried. Then the Ordinary Seaman yelled out in a shrill, panicky voice “Captain, Sir … Captain, Sir … the XO reports that there’s a lot of strain on the cable!” I’ll never forget the next moment. The CO slowly turned his head, looked the OS right in the eye, and with a smile on his face (that had always been there from the start of the evolution) said, in a long, slow, exaggerated Scottish drawl: “Son, there’s a lot of strain on the old man as well”. At that point, the entire bridge team visibly relaxed, we methodically finished weighing anchor and departed Port San Juan Harbour safely. And that was that."

"American Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Theatre in WWII, expressed the theory that “every dog should be allowed two bites”. He expected his captains to make mistakes, and he tolerated them. While we in the Canadian Navy have gone through cycles, generally, our senior authorities are very good at giving leeway for the honest fumble born of enthusiasm. They were COs once too, and can understand and accept what the man at the coalface is going through. Of course, errors arising from malice or ill-judgement are different. Those must be corrected forcefully."

"Many of the best moments in command came from pushing back at the ‘system’ for what you considered a good cause. The “DAG” process was something we had to put every sailor through in order to ensure that they were deployable. I am not sure what the acronym meant – most of us weren’t. It had become a verb all of its own; you had to “DAG green” if you were to sail to the Gulf with the ship. Shortly before we were to depart, one of my highly-valued CERT 3 engineers “DAGGED red”; the medical authorities had determined that he should not deploy because he was suffering from a significant and protracted case of depression. Knowing this petty officer pretty well, I was fairly certain that preventing him from coming along was likely to exacerbate his situation. I brought him up to my cabin, determined that he was fully prepared to share the medical diagnosis with me and his divisional system, extracted a promise from him that he would keep the lines of communication open, and decided to take him to the Gulf anyway. He was tremendously grateful for the opportunity, it all worked out well, and to this day he thanks me whenever we meet. Of course, it might not have worked out so well. I would never advocate that medical advice be ignored, but use this story only to point out that the medical community could not take into account the tremendous support which individuals derive form a close-knit divisional system - the surrogate family that a good ship’s company provides when deployed."

"A Canadian ship found herself the only western naval unit (ever) berthed at a naval dockyard in Asiatic Turkey. The ship was sailing early the next morning. Two large sea containers of desperately needed stores arrived on the jetty near noon. No help was available from ashore, and even the unionized crane operators were monumentally unhelpful. The ship’s company had been reduced to one hundred and eighty. When the storing party was closed up, everyone on board appeared, officers and senior NCMs included. In ten hours, they loaded and struck below, by hand, seventy-five thousand pounds of stores. There were sore backs, and blisters, but no complaints. Indeed, the pride in a job well done was obvious.

A portion of the effort had been watched by several hundred young Turkish conscripts who were given an extended break from their drills to observe all the action in their dockyard. These eighteen-year-old boys from Anatolia sat in bleachers near the brow, and watched in disbelief as the all-important jettyside organization of the storing was handled, very efficiently, by a tall, blond, female Assistant Supply Officer. They had probably rarely seen a blond woman, and traffic wardens were likely the only women they had seen in uniform. Clearly, they had never seen a woman in charge of men."

"No amount of deprivation or discomfort will bother them given the single caveat that the suffering must be spread fairly. If one ship, or one watch, is spared while the others are targeted, the sailor’s innate sense of justice will be offended."

"While serving as XO of a destroyer, we were nearing the end of mid-cycle WUPS, which to this point had gone very well. We were only a few hours from completing the final Combat Readiness Inspection, and most of the crew were sleep deprived at this point. I had just lain down in my cabin at about 0200 for a quick power nap when a pipe was made indicating that we were to take another destroyer in tow and provide all gear from aft. I cursed under my breath – something about how we had already aced WUPS and this was just the Sea Trainers and Squadron Staff making our lives as miserable as possible. I got to my feet and started down below to roust the troops and get things moving since this was going to be an all ship evolution. As I reached the main flats I couldn’t believe my eyes – there was the towing hawser being carried through the ship by mostly off-watch engineers led by the Chief ERA who actually had them singing the Volga Boat Song!! I started laughing and stopped worrying about whether the ship’s company was up for this last test. Never stop developing and honing your leadership skills. Good and bad examples can come from anywhere."

Voices in the night: "An example might help to explain exactly what we are talking about here. Late some night when you have finally been allowed to sleep, the OOW will call with a series of contact reports. They will make complete sense. The bearing drifts, and angles on the bow, and closing rates will compute. The word picture will fit. The rule of the road assessment will be accurate and the recommended action reasonable. The timbre of his voice will convey confidence and certainty. But you will not be able to go back to sleep even though you are exhausted. Although everything seemed right, something isn’t. You will have no idea why. At that point, you crawl into your pants and go to the bridge. You will arrive just in time to avert a disaster. Your OOW, for whatever inexplicable reason, will have gotten himself into a near collision situation, and will be on the verge of doing the worst possible thing to try an extricate himself. You will do the correct thing, instinctively, and the two ships will pass safely in the night. You will swear never to sleep again knowing that you will have to."

"The object of the Rules of the Road is not to be right it court. It is avoid hitting anybody."

"Just when you thought you could sit back and enjoy all the perks of command, it is always good to be hit in the face with a dose of cold water. You should read this story over, and then think about it. Think about it a lot.

In October 1969, KOOTENAY was conducting a full power trial in mid-Atlantic. Around 0810, the wheelhouse reported “2 bells from the engine room”. The emergency signal was supposed to be “5 bells”, but the OOW nevertheless ordered “stop both engines”. The order was never acknowledged by the engine room. The port gearbox had ruptured and the explosion and subsequent fireball had killed several of the engine room watch and others in the main cafeteria. The fireball also destroyed a great deal of firefighting equipment located in the engine room/boiler room flats – including most of the CHEMOX sets on board. The ship was rapidly filling with heavy black smoke. All power was lost, and with it, all internal and external communications. The ship was still doing more than 25 knots.

The wheelhouse crew was no longer able to man the helm because of the smoke. Steering was eventually restored from tiller flats with the orders passed along a human chain of sailors since comms were out. In the meantime, a sub-lieutenant had donned his diving mask and air tank and had proceeded to the boiler room where he ordered that the steam to the engines be shut off. The ship finally slowed to a stop.

As the Task Group closed KOOTENAY, and radio communication was restored, the delivery of additional firefighting equipment became the top priority. At one point, there was a Sea King lowering CHEMOX onto the forecastle at the same time as another was lowering cans of foam on the quarterdeck. The fire was stubborn and, hampered by the lack of equipment, took a long time to extinguish. Later that afternoon the ship was taken in tow by SAGUENAY until a commercial tug eventually arrived from Plymouth.

This was the worst peacetime accident in the history of the Canadian Navy. Eight crew members were killed by the explosion. Four of these were buried at sea near Plymouth, England, and four were buried ashore in Plymouth. A ninth died on board BONAVENTURE en route to Halifax"

""It is by no means enough that an officer of the navy should be a capable mariner, He must be that of course, but also a great deal more. He should be as well a gentleman of liberal education, refined manners, punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of personal honor.
"He should not only be able to express himself clearly and with force in his own language both with tongue and pen, but he should also be versed in French and Spanish.
"The naval officer should be familiar with the principles of international law, and general practice of admiralty jurisprudence, because such knowledge may often, when cruising at a distance from home, be necessary to protect his flag from insult or his crew from imposition or injury in foreign ports.
"He should also be conversant with the usage of diplomacy and capable of maintaining, if called upon, a dignified and judicious diplomatic correspondence; because it often happens that sudden emergencies in foreign waters make him the diplomatic as well as military representative of his country, and in such cases he may have to act without opportunity of consulting his civic or ministerial superiors at home, and such action may easily involve the portentous issue of peace or war between great powers. These are general qualifications, and the nearer the officer approaches the full possession of them the more likely he will be to serve his country well and win fame and honor for himself.
"Coming now to view the naval officer aboard ship and in relation to those under his command, he should be the soul of tact, patience, justice, firmness and charity. No meritorious act of a subordinate should escape his attention or be left to pass without its reward, if even the reward be only one word of approval. Conversely, be should not be blind to a single fault in any subordinate, though at the same time he should be quick and unfailing to distinguish error from malice, thoughtlessness from incompetency, and well-meant short-coming from heedless or stupid blunder. As he should be universal and impartial in his rewards and approval of merit, so should he be judicial and unbending in his punishment or reproof of misconduct.
"In his Intercourse with subordinates he should ever maintain the attitude of the commander, but that need by no means prevent him from the amenities of cordiality or the cultivation of good cheer within proper limits. Every commanding officer should hold with his subordinates such relation as will make them constantly anxious to receive an invitation to sit at his mess table, and his bearing toward them should be such as to encourage them to express their opinions to him with freedom and to ask his views without reserve.
"A navy is essentially and necessarily aristocratic. True as may be the political principles for which we are now contending they can never be practically applied or even admitted on board ship, out of port or off soundings. This may seem hardship, but it is nevertheless the simplest of truths. Whilst the ships sent forth by the Congress may and must fight for the principles of human rights and republican freedom, the ships themselves must be ruled and commanded at sea under a system of absolute despotism." "
John Paul Jones

The new IA

2009-02-04T23:05:00.002-04:00

I disapprove.

That is all.

This is the first and last time I am going to mention the IA.

NDHQ Announcement

2009-01-26T17:59:00.002-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Minister of National Defence has announced the senior promotions and appointments list for 2009. Included in this announcement is the promotion of the Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada, Brigadier-General T.J. Lawson, to Major-General and his appointment to the position of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff at NDHQ, Ottawa. Navy Captain W.S. Truelove will be promoted to Commodore and appointed to replace Brigadier-General Lawson.

Can I get a "hell yeah"?

It's about time we get a Navy Commandant, here! Next, a Navy CDS?

More importantly, congratulations to General Lawson!

...As far as the mess dinner goes, I'll post something about it this week.

Woah. Like... woah.

2009-01-15T18:01:00.002-04:00

So I just got an e-mail, and apparently I will be the Commandant (BGen Lawson)'s host for the IV year Navy mess dinner next week. This is incredibly cool, and incredibly scary. I haven't even been to a mess dinner since first year! I've never hosted anyone, either.

I know I've been neglecting you, readers, but does anyone have any tips?

A new episode of Hey, Shipwreck is out.

2009-01-14T23:50:00.001-04:00

Yes, I'm still alive.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T19:34:00.002-04:00

I hope all of you are having a very safe, very joyous Christmas, with all your family and friends!

CANADA: A LEFTIST COALITION TAKES SHAPE

2008-12-03T12:54:00.002-04:00

(From stratfor.com -- under fair use.)

Summary
Following a parliamentary vote Dec. 8, a minority coalition of leftist parties will likely displace Canada’s Conservative government, which does not feel particularly threatened by the development. Conservatives expect the coalition to dissolve within months and result in another round of elections in which the left will be thoroughly discredited.

Analysis
The leaders of Canada’s opposition parties, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP), signed an agreement Dec. 2 to replace the country’s Conservative Party government with a minority coalition. The plan is actually feasible under Canadian law, so long as the two leftist parties are backed by the fourth party in parliament, Bloc Quebecois (BQ), to hold a majority of the parliament’s seats. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the Liberal-NDP plan Dec. 8.

Under the terms of the deal, the two-party coalition would govern until June 30, 2011, and enjoy the support of BQ on votes of confidence until June 30, 2010. The Liberals would hold 18 Cabinet posts plus the premiership, with the NDP holding the remaining six Cabinet posts.

While representatives of the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper do not want to get booted out of power, they also do not feel particularly threatened by the development. The Conservatives just emerged victorious from a re-election campaign seven weeks ago in which they ate away at the seats of both the Liberals and BQ, leaving the Liberals with their worst showing in history. The Conservatives see the leftist parties’ move as a desperate attempt to arrest Canada’s steady shift away from the left side of the ideological spectrum.

For their part, the Liberals hope to use the onset of recession to prove that they can still lead. The NDP, in contrast, is the perpetual third wheel that never quite makes it to the levers of power and is excited just to be in the limelight.

Even if the Dec. 8 vote goes as the Liberals and NDP expect, the Conservatives expect the coalition to dissolve within months at most and result in another round of elections in which the left will be thoroughly discredited. After all, the Liberal-NDP coalition would have to get all but eight of BQ’s 49 seats on every single parliamentary vote in order to rule.

While this confidence might have something to do with the Tories overdosing on party-line Kool-Aid, they do have some good points. Canada hasn’t been ruled by a coalition government in a century (its minority governments tend to rely on defectors from the other parties), and a Liberal-NDP coalition will actually have fewer seats (114) than the Conservatives it is ousting (143). Moreover, Liberal leader Stephane Dion has already resigned as party chief, yet his resignation does not take effect until May -- he plans on acting as prime minister until then. So the formative months of the coalition will witness a leadership struggle within the Liberals.

And the Liberal-NDP coalition will be relying on the firm and unwavering support of BQ -- a separatist political movement -- to hold the national government together, which is pretty close to irony distilled into physical form. BQ has supported the Conservatives at the national level before, but only in exchange for devolution of power to the provinces. Additionally, BQ and the Conservatives do not compete for votes; their core regions of support do not overlap. But the same cannot be said for BQ and the Liberals, which aggressively compete for influence in Quebec.

With the normal instabilities of coalition governments aside -- instabilities that no Canadian party has experience mitigating -- the new government would also face internal party strife and depend on the support of a group that intends to dismantle not just the government, but also the country as a whole.

The timing also favors the Conservatives. The global recession is beginning to bite in Canada, a country that evaded the initial blows because of its strong internal market, balanced budget, American-style banking transparency and low exposure to subprime mortgages. But with the United States, Europe and Japan all going into recession simultaneously, and with Canada’s lucrative oil exports suffering from drastically lower prices, Canada cannot help but be slowed by the global economic headwinds. From the Conservative point of view, if the leftists want to take the reins forcibly at such a time, then they can go for it. The next item on the government’s agenda, no matter who is in charge, will be the budget. Taking over now could well force precisely the sort of bitter budget fight that tends to regularly scuttle coalition governments in Europe.

Copyright 2008 Stratfor.

---

I'm not allowed to get involved into politics while being openly affiliated with the CF, but I'll say that I'm a bit worried that a politician who resigned as leader of a party that obtained 26% of the popular vote will be PM and will tell the GG where to send our troops. (Or, rather, where to pull them back from.) Aren't those who support this travesty the same people who were whining about W. Bush being elected without the majority of the popular vote, even though he had twice as much as they do now?

Xmas Ball

2008-11-26T12:02:00.003-04:00

I haven't had time to write a review of the Xmas ball--it was good overall--and won't be able to get on it until the weekend. Until then, here's a picture.

The Scarlets and the Pretty Dress. Bubbly was nowhere to be found.

Christmas Ball

2008-11-22T17:52:00.003-04:00

The RMC Christmas Ball, the social event of the year, is tonight. Sweeeeeeeeeet!

In other news, my life is insanely busy these days and considering how many hours I'm putting in, I'm paid about as much as a Nike worker from Bangladesh.

I should manage to resume blogging regularly once exams start (yes, I know) and definitely next semester, as I have a pretty "chill" bar position. (Section Commander, responsible for about 7 people instead of 70 people's admin...)

I'll try and post some Ball pictures later. Maybe.

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA

2008-11-05T01:22:00.004-04:00

I'm quite happy to have witnessed this historical event, through the magic of live streamed TV online.

And President-Elect Obama even has puppies! PUPPIES!

Obstacle Course 2008

2008-10-03T18:37:00.002-03:00

For you ex-cadets (and anyone else) who couldn't be there to see this year's obstacle course, here's a link to my facebook album where I put the 53 best pictures I took of Hunter Flight. (12 Sqn) You don't have to register to see the pictures.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006539&l=1ca6e&id=171900516

It was a good obstacle course. Not as hard as when I was a first year, of course, but still. Tomorrow is the badging ceremony, when first years officially become human again. Well, almost human.

I'll go and hide from Mr. Roberts 3918(!), now. I really can't afford to buy a quintillion beers.

Oh, and if someone can find me I Genest 25318, I'll have him buy you one of my beers. ;)

The end is nigh!

2008-09-12T00:06:00.004-03:00

Woah.

Like, woah.

With 243DTG, I have now purchased my grad ring. I'll only be getting it some weeks from now, as they need to actually make it, but it's bought. I went for a fairly classic, and fairly large, ring in 10K gold, with the Navy crest on one side and the RMC crest on the other. (I'll post pictures as soon as I get the ring.)

I've been thinking lately about how soon it is that I'll graduate and enter "the real world." I won't be entering the full-blown real world, really, as I have much training to do still, but I'll likely go to sea next summer on a real warship (probably a frigate) and might even go on an exchange with a foreign navy--one of the Venture staff told us the French Navy exchange might be happening again next year (a friend of mine spent three weeks on a French frigate last summer), and there is apparently a long list of possible billets on American warships, from carriers to frigates. They generally don't put "acting subbies" on carriers because we'd (we as in just-commissionned officers, which I'm not yet, but will be by then) be too low on the pecking order, but if I can get on some ship in a battlegroup, that'd be pretty sweet. Of course, the ultimage geekgasm would be to go to sea on the USS Enterprise, but I won't hold my breath on that one. Point is, I'll be out of the academia and the routine, 8-to-4 life of a student-officer.

Still, some of my friends will be headed off to finish their army training and then go to whatever the next "combat" assignment is--they're not very likely to go to Afghanistan, or so I hear. Those in the air force will... uh.. keep drinking coffee in nice little offices. And those of us who are the pointy end of the Navy (MARS officers) will head off to the warm and fuzzy west coast to finish our training, and then get posted to various frigates and destroyers.

I don't know if it's MARS III that did it, or the brutal realization that in less than a year I'll hold the Queen's commission, but I feel much better prepared, and more willing, to endure whatever is thrown at me. It sucks at times, but it's just stuff that needs to be done--no big deal. My position--admin officer--entails lots and lots of paperwork and running around and keeping track of stuff and generally staff work that's aggravating and not very rewarding, and I get to do it on top of all the reading I need to do for class, but I don't really care. Not that I don't care about doing the job right, but I've just fallen into a sort of routine and although it feels like I have a fraction of the free time I had last year, it doesn't bother me all that much. Of course I'd love to sit around and play Guitar Hero all day, but somehow doing staff work and schoolwork--while not nearly as fun--fills my time just as well.

I think it's probably the combination of MARS III's grinding, debilitating descent into "useful" knowledge hell--where you learn tons and tons and tons of material that you need to regurgitate and that you're told you also need to remember for next year--and the fact that I'm told life as a JO is even harder, especially getting quals when you first get on ship. You can't work in the wardroom because of tradition, you don't rate an office, and the cabins are cramped, overflowing with people, and devoid of an acceptable number of computers... and you have to stand watches on top of earning your quals. Fun times ahead!

On the personal side... there really isn't much to say. The Navy (well, RMC) is my life right now. I've barely been off the peninsula so far, except for a shopping blitz the day after I got here, and I don't foresee much more forays into civiliandom.

I have, however, decided that I need to work on a fake british accent for those situations where pretending to be some kind of seafaring noble might come in handy. And maybe to try and charm the pants off some lovely ladies. (I'm in the Navy, what do you expect?!) I also require nicer uniforms, especially the high-collar whites (Top Gun). I would like to work on a fake French (as in the country) accent, but I doubt I can pull that off... I can't possibly sound that bad.

I have also decided that I shall try and use as much navyspeak in day-to-day conversation as possible. "Heads," "bulkheads," and everything else I can think of. Not so much because I'm used to it--I haven't been exposed to the Navy for long enough--but because I'm sick of always hearing armyspeak, especially coming from fellow naval officers.

All in all... it's going to be an interesting 242 days. I will try to post more... I'm in fourth year, the purpose of this blog is about to come to an end.*

To a bloody war or a sickly season...

*I won't fall off the blogosphere, or even switch to a new blog, but the point of this was to talk about RMC.

Edit: I forgot to mention: seeing that we're stuck wearing army combats (the "relish suit") vice naval combats... can we at least get back the boot bands that didn't suck?

On track by leadmark!

2008-08-25T21:10:00.002-03:00

(Yes, not very imaginative, I know.. NABS have killed my inner child.)

So, I have passed MARS III. I actually passed last week, but kept trying to find something good to post before I actually posted anything. Sadly, I can't seem to come up with a good post that would sum up everything.

I also don't have any "new" qualifications. Although I'm now competent in navigation and such, I still can't drive a warship. I'm just qualified to go and do MARS IV next year. Yay me. Still, as much as NETP-O is supposed to "take a regular CF officer and make him into a Naval Officer", I feel much more like a naval officer now than I did after NETP-O. I actually have a job that I'm somewhat competent at, after waiting three years to do anything relevant to my career. Humping a rucksack and pretending to man OPs isn't exactly Navy-like. (Ok, American IAs might have a different opinion, but that doesn't count.)

I'm also pretty happy right now. RMC is going to suck this year (all kinds of stuff coming down that will affect me negatively, on top of having an admin position) but I'm finally seeing some light at the end of that tunnel, I'm fairly certain it's not a train, and after I graduate I'll probably get sent on some OJT on a frigate, which means some sea time, which means money and fun.

One guy from my course who had previous time in mentionned that a we go on in our careers, we'll realize that our friends in high school lead just about the same life as they did back then. While we'll be out doing cool stuff like driving around Vancouver Island (or driving off to Hawaii, Hong Kong, and other exotic locales) they'll be smoking pot, drinking beer, watching crappy TV, and they'll still be working at Best Buy. (Of course, one of my high school football teammates is in my class at RMC, but not that many people from high school seem to be doing anything remarkable.) I don't find it hard to believe; just this summer I've done some pretty cool stuff like driving a warship--even though it's just a patrol craft--in some relatively tight situations, and I have friends who went on RIMPAC and other such short deployments for the summer.

Anyway, real life is coming up pretty quickly. I'm ready for it, but it's a bit weird when you realize that in less than a year you'll have a commission and you'll probably be standing on the bridge of a warship out in the middle of the ocean, fighting off the communist hordes.

Okay, maybe not fighting off the communist hordes.

...recommend maintain...

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!

2008-08-08T20:05:00.002-03:00

CNN breaking news: Russia has invaded Georgia.

In a move reminiscent of 1980s movie Red Dawn, Russia, presumably with Cuban help, has invaded the US State of Georgia.

...

Wait, they invaded the COUNTRY of Georgia? Oh, right.

...

Ok, on a serious note, why do wars always happen in the summer, when I don't have time to watch the news all the time, and can't keep up to the latest developments? It was hard for me to keep up with the Israel-Lebanon war, and this newest war, between Russia and Georgia, will be nearly impossible for me to keep track of.

From what I gather from CNN and the BBC, all hell is breaking lose. Separatists, Georgian troops, Russian troops... there's a fire going on in the ammo bunker!

More later.

What did we see? We saw the sea.

2008-08-02T19:13:00.002-03:00

I posted the astonishing number of posts I managed to write up during sea phase, according to the date they were written on (but not the time--I set it to midnight). I'll post something later--I've been trying to clear my head and have a little R&R this weekend. Enjoy.

"I want to see you drive."

2008-07-31T01:00:00.000-03:00

Well, it's gotten better, and this is our last night on the boat. Tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my bed at Venture, using a real flush toilet, and taking a hollywood shower instead of pusser showers. (Pusser showers, to save water, consist of getting wet, turning the water off, lathering up, rinsing off, and toweling off. Conversely, hollywood showers are when you stay in for 20 minutes, just enjoying it.)

I had a bit of crappy navigating this week, but mostly it went well. OOW watches went very well--the biggest problem I had was getting yelled at by the CO because I was using standard helm instead of hard helm on a MOBEX. Today, though, my driving was spot-on--the "man" (a stick with a flag on it) came just where it was supposed to, and I conned it so it just went down our side so we could catch it. FixO went pretty well, though expectations were mounting--I'm pretty much the best FixO onboard (I thought I was tied for best, but the other guy who's about as good as I am at the practical parts said I was better than him), so they expect me to be on the ball all the time.

The past two weeks are turning into one massive blur, really, with a bit of a patch in the middle when we were in Vancouver. It's been fun, though, and I'll miss the boat, especially the Nav team. We have good chemistry and even though I don't get along too well "socially" with one of the members, we're unbeatable as a working pair. We have our teams for next week, and I'm once again in a 4-man team instead of 5-man, but that just means we'll get more practice/attention, or less total time in NABS (huge computer games) which would mean shorter days and more time to spend on planning/relaxing.

I also learned that I'll have to do the FNO course (Fleet Navigating Officer or something such, basically super-advanced stuff such as using sextants and navigating by the howling of wolves or something) even though I won't, hopefully, be a navigator. It appears that all MARS submarine officers have to go through it, which is a bit of a piss-off; I'm good at this nav business, but I don't like it very much. The topic actually came up (again) last night when one of our academic phase instructors was on our boat. He mentioned that he hadn't seen me navigate yet and that he wanted to see it. ("I want to see you drive," as quoted above.) I asked if he'd heard something bad and he said that, no, he just thought there might be something going on here. I told him I wasn't going to be a nav, and he said "oh, there's a list, and you can't get off it." I thought it was funny.

That makes two possible predicted career paths (as predicted by serving officers): staff officer, and navigator. I'm not sure which I'd like best, really, so I'll stick with trying to go onto subs. I mean, pirate rig, sweet-ass dolphins, and the admiration of all the women in the free world? (Okay, maybe not the women...)

Another thing that I've noticed is that I'm taking a very pro-active leadership role during this sea phase. I point out things to the NETP-O guys and help them out and stuff, and from the looks of it they (for the most part) sortof look up to me--they ask me for help and such when they need it. Also, at some point last week, when entering harbour, we secured navigation (which means MARS III students got off the bridge) I decided to stop just sitting around the training room and help out with the lines, even though it's totally not my job. I didn't do all that much, and I wasn't as good as the NETP-O students were (I hadn't handled lines or fenders in a year, literally) but more bodies never hurt, right? They apparently very much appreciated, and went so far as to make a point of letting the Buffer (Chief Boatswain's Mate, the authority on seamanship onboard) know I'd done it and that they liked it. It came in handy, because I forgot about cleaning stations (when everyone cleans the ship) and the Buffer was pretty angry. Another guy forgot about it, and he gets to polish the capstan tomorrow (the capstan is a winch on the focsle, and it's exposed to elements), but because I went and handled lines, I only have to polish the bell, which is stored inside, and the support for the bell, which is outside but not as exposed as the capstan, and it's much smaller... and I got shafted to do the bell last year anyways, and I hadn't done anything bad then, so it's not too bad, really.

Anyways, it's been fun, and part of me wishes it'd go on, but the realist part of me knows that this is driving me nuts--I'm making the geekiest jokes ever and I'm using more and more bridgespeak in day-to-day conversation.

Standby to copy

2008-07-25T01:00:00.000-03:00

Wow.

This is the first time since we sailed that I've had some time to myself--beyond sleeping time, that is, and those hours are rarer than gold. It's been a brutal week, though it's also been strangely good. I'm actually doing my job, and I'm doing fairly well. Of course, there are more kinks to work out, but even the points that are being hammered on in the past two or three days are positive, as they're more "advanced" things that the instructors wouldn't even mention before.

On the positive side, the XO said today that I'm developing a good "seaman's eye" for distances and such--I was spot-on for a ferry's distance and CPA (Closest Point of Approach) this morning, and fairly close for time to CPA, and generally I'm fairly close--and the CO actually said "good job" after my OOW shift this morning... I don't think I've heard him say that all week! I'm getting pretty good as FixO, which was the worst part early this week, and I'm definitely inside the fleet standard 6 minute routine (i.e. having a fix, a DR 12 minutes ahead, and a DR to course alteration/intercept, at the very least, every 6 minutes), slowly working my way to being able to maintain a 3 minute routine. Navigation-wise, I had a fairly good passage yesterday coming into Nanaimo Harbour, though half my plan was destroyed by contact avoidance (we came about a mile off track at one point). The CO actually took my notebook near the end of the passage as I was doing something that annoyed him and he wanted to "punish" me. According to another instructor though, that actually means I was doing really good so they wanted to push me--they wouldn't have actually taken it away if I had been doing poorly.

I've also been helping one of the other trainees onboard, as well as giving pointers to the NETPO students (the course I did last summer). For the most part, I know all I need to know, I just need to get better at synthesizing everything and putting the big picture together. I also need to brush up on mental math, as I still get the occasional brain fart where I can't figure out how far we're going in 6 minutes (speed(kts)=distance(cables)). Still, I have another week at sea, where they'll be pushing us harder, and then a week or two of development in the simulators, before being assessed. I will definitely pass this course, unless something goes royally wrong.

Planning has been a bit hard, as we often have passages where two or three of us have to work on one chart, and for the most part I'm stuck waiting until everyone is done, but luckily we generally wait until everyone is done before we go to bed. I've learned my lesson, though, and from now on I'll attempt to take a nap while the other trainees are planning, and plan for a few hours after they're done--and they can go ashore or sleep while I finish up. It works out to going to bed between 2330 and 0030 every night, and as wakey wakey is at 0630, that works out to not enough sleep. Today I was starting to stutter pretty bad every once in a while, and I'm quite certain half of this won't make very much sense when I re-read it before posting it.

One funny thing about being immersed in bridgework all day, every day, and using terminology at night while planning, is that I'm starting to speak that way during normal conversation. I say "stand by" instead of "hold on" or "wait", "correction" when I make a mistake, "disregard" when I say something wrong, give numbers one by one (one-eight-three-zero instead of eighteen-thirty), and, most importantly, there is a LOT of "I recommend (blah)" going on. Some of it is jokingly because the other trainees pick up on it sometimes, but honestly a good chunk of it is unconscious. I speak more clearly and slowly now, though, which is a good thing.

Speaking of which, my conning (and reports and such in general) are, I think, a lot better than what they used to be. I'm assertive, I still pause a bit too much but generally I plan out what I'm going to say so it generally flows well, I speak loudly, and I've stopped conning by questions--giving conning orders with an inflection that would normally indicate a question, like saying "starboard fiftEEN?" instead of "starboard fifteen!"

As far as the "relationship" between the crew, I get along really well with the buffer (Chief Boatswain's Mate), the instructors, and the NETPO guys, and although there are some temper flare-ups and some rubbing the wrong way with the other MARS III onboard, we generally get along great and even when tempers do flare up, it's temporary and after a few minutes we're back to just working and joking.

I feel much more like an officer on this course, than I did before. We're actually placed in a position of fairly considerable responsibility--we have to actually keep the ship safe, and although we don't legally have charge of the ship, we're treated as though we more or less did. Furthermore, helping out other trainees (especially NETPO trainees) seems like a good way to flex my "leader" muscles, so to speak. Also, unlike RMC "leadership" positions, this is actually responsibility- and action-based, rather than paperwork-based, which makes it more of a "leadership" thing and less of a "manager" thing.

All in all, it's been a good week, full of learnding. The academic phase had a steep learning curve, but this was a learning wall. We had to claw up that wall, and for the most part we're coming up it. I wouldn't go so far as to say we're at the standard expected of us, but we're definitely getting close.

I'm going to relax and do nothing this weekend (except plan on Sunday) and we'll see how next week goes!

It's real, now!

2008-07-16T20:49:00.000-03:00

Well, we're getting ready to head to sea for two weeks. We sail Monday, and get back the Friday after, with a weekend stop in Vancouver. It's real, now! Six weeks will come to fruition--sortof--and those countless hours of figuring out a bunch of stuff that didn't quite make sense at the time, studying Rules of the Road, learning how to do passage planning... everything will come together for two weeks. And then we'll go to the sims and start all over again.

I've been assigned to PCT Renard 58, fourth in the Orca class, which was launched a little under a year ago. Part of me hopes she'll have her own idiosyncrasies, different from PCT Orca, which I sailed on last year, but I won't hold my breath. Besides, I'll be much too busy planning and actually sailing around to notice much of that--and I won't be at the helm, as we have "NETPO kids" to do that.

Speaking of NETPO kids, their presence is a relief. There will be five of us MARS III students per Orca (originally there would be six, but three students have failed the academic phase and are being recoursed) planning around 50+Nm of relatively tight navigation per day. We were told it would amount to between 6-8 tracks, 10-12Nm per person, per day, so with one less person it should be up to 8-10, 12-14Nm if not more. The NETPO students (they're, for the most part, about the same age as us MARS III students, but anyone on a "lower" course somehow gets referred to as a "kid"--as in "BOTC kids" (basic training) to "NETPO kids", even though some are in their 30s and all but one student in our division are in their early 20s) will be taking over the same jobs as we had to deal with last year: helmsman, lookouts, cooks, lifebuoy sentry, etc. MARS III students will focus on being OOW, NavO and FixO.

I'm fairly certain I haven't mentionned the roles (as we use them on this course) so just as a refresher:

OOW: Officer Of the Watch. Theoretically has charge (but not command) of the ship. A bit of a gray area on this course, as we're not fully qualified. Gives the conning orders ("drives" the ship), gives recommendations to the Captain regarding COLREGS (Rules of the Road) situations. Also, most of the time, uses the VHF radio to contact the traffic system, or other vessels. Works closely with the..

NavO: Navigation Officer. Referred to as the NavO even though there is only one NavO on a real ship--the rest of the officers doing "navigation" are normally referred to as "navigator." The NavO plans a passage (the aforementioned 10Nm), lays down the tracks, clearing bearings and other important information on the charts, writes down the relevant information in his notebook, and is responsible to the OOW for the navigation of the ship. Both the NavO and the OOW talk to the Captain, as the NavO takes care of staying "on track" and the OOW takes care of "not running over other ships." The NavO also works in conjunction with the...

FixO: Fixing Officer. Stays at the chart table and does a whole bunch of stuff for the NavO. As fixes need to be taken every 6 minutes (at most), the NavO takes bearings off various points and tells the FixO, who then plots the bearings on the chart, compares it with the planned track, computes the EP (Estimated Position) or DR position (Dead Reckoning), figures out how far from the next wheelover the ship is, and tells the NavO all the relevant information. Also figures out the tidal set, if any, and other such information.

Basically, the bridge team (all three of those guys) has to function as a--excuse the corporate babble--synergy. Everyone has to do their job properly, efficiently, and well. If the FixO fails at finding the ship's position, the NavO can't make sure the ship is safe, and the OOW can't safely alter to keep out of the way of other vessels. It is, truly, a symbiotic relationship.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to being out "at sea" again, though it won't be a big booze cruise as it was last year, unfortunately. At least this year we're totally geeking out over MARS III stuff, whereas there was nothing to really geek out about last year on NETPO. When people start making jokes about relative velocity and whatnot, you know it's going to our brain.

I apologize for the utter lack of posting up to now, but there was very little to talk about, and as the weeks went on it turned into one massive blur of information overload. I've absorbed so much knowledge, I feel like someone just plugged me into one of those computers like in the Matrix and uploaded everything into my brain.

I expect to be able to write at least a little blurb every day or so while at sea, though I don't know if I'll have any internet access (beyond my blackberry), so I might end up posting them all at once, once I get back. I might post little "survived the day--moored at (some port)" along the way, but nothing extensive.

Still kicking

2008-06-26T23:45:00.003-03:00

Sorry for those who were expecting more from me this summer. After all, one of the main aims of starting this blog was to talk about summer training. Sadly, MARS III is exceedingly time-intensive and I try to get away from sitting at a desk when I have free time.

I'll endeavour to post something this weekend with a little more about what has happened in the past few weeks, but I can't promise anything. It's been one massive blur.

Anyways, here's to MARS III being over!

Let Mortal Kombat Begin!

2008-06-05T22:33:00.003-03:00

So, after a rather... eventful day on Saturday, I arrived in Victoria, BC (Home of Canada's Pacific Fleet, the sign proclaimed) and settled into my new suite. Yes, suite. I'm in the new building, that's actually made for officers, and that means I share a small suite with another officer, who's also on my course. We each have a private room with a bed, desk, dresser, sink, and walk-in closet. (Yes, you read that right. A walk-in closet.) There's a private bathroom (well, private compared to what I'm used to) with a shower, and a common room with two sofas and a TV... and CABLE! Sadly I won't get to enjoy it too much, but it's still nice to watch CSI: Boise while doing relvel homework.

The course started off with a bang. We started learning stuff on Monday morning. And we haven't stopped. Every day I come home exhausted from learning everything, and I have to get my uniform ready for the next day, on top of doing homework to really let whatever I've learned sink in. I'm doing fairly well, though, and homework is more something to do than something I struggle with--I just do it slowly to give myself something to do, really.

So far, we've focused mostly on relvel (relative velocity) problems with the maneuvering board (basically a paper representation of a radar screen). Those of you in the Navy (Canada's or otherwise) know what I'm talking about, and those who aren't in the Navy probably haven't got a clue, and it's rather complicated to explain. Let's just say some people struggle with it--not me--and it's tedious work, especially when you're on your 15th "opening on a steady bearing" problem. We've done some more complicated stuff in relvel like wind over deck (just longer, not really harder) and multiple course changes in a row, but it's all basically the same. I'm doing pretty well in mental math, too, surprisingly. I've found things that work for me, and generally it doesn't take me very long to figure out answers. We've mostly only done things like regaining from being off-track and such, though, so it might get harder.

It's a breakneck pace and, as I mentioned, I come home exhausted after a full day of class. Some people are already complaining that it's going too fast. It's true--we usually learn something new, do a few examples as a group, do one or two examples on our own (with the instructors to help us along) and move on to new things. And then the main instructor gives us homework for the night.

I've learned something cool, this week, as well: our sea phase (two weeks on PCTs) will be with the NETP-O people, which means we won't have to be cooks, lookouts, helmsmen, DC roundsmen, and other odd jobs while also being FixO, NavO and OOW, and planning our passages. There's 18 of us on course and they'll likely spread us over 3 of the 4 PCTs--the rest being NETPO-only--which means about 6 MARS III students (2 bridge teams, I guess) and probably 12-14 NETPO students. It should be good. I can't wait to conn a PCT again--that was one of the most exhilarating experiences ever. Of course, it won't be all fun like NETPO was, but considering I'm enjoying the fairly boring and tedious stuff we're working on right now, the sea phase should be enjoyable as well. Now the NABS (simulators) assessed phase might be a little harder, and we'll be working with an MCDV model instead of a PCT, and the MCDV not only has different characteristics but also different conning orders (it's a different propulsion and direction system), which might cause a little bit of trouble.

All in all, I'm really enjoying MARS III, even though it's hard and there really isn't that much to do at night when I'm done homework. Sure, we have some internet capability as we have DWAN in our rooms and issued laptops, but most of the websites I use are blocked (they're not authorized by DND) so I can surf CNN and BBC and such, but that's about it. At least I have e-mail (not through hotmail or RMC mail, though--I have an @forces.gc.ca address now, because I'm a big boy) so I can e-mail my mom to tell her I'm fine. Busy, but fine.

I love my life.

(Of course, in a few weeks I'll have bags under my eyes, will have taken up smoking and will be drinking 1984 cups of coffee a day, and I won't love it anymore.)

Edit: I'll be fiddling with the blogger function that lets me e-mail posts directly to the blog without having to get on the main website. Expect (possibly) short updates between major posts.

Staff jobs, yay!

2008-05-09T14:32:00.002-03:00

Well, I am now a staff officer. Sort of.

I've been appointed as Squadron Admin Officer (CSAdO) for 12 Squadron, for next semester. In short, I'll be responsible for all the paperwork that goes into running a squadron. It's not generally considered a glamorous job (obviously!) but it has to be done. I guess that's the price you pay for being competent and fairly efficient.

Ah well, maybe it'll put me on the fast track to NDHQ in Ottawa where I can have a nice, comfy, 8-to-3 job and a house in the 'burbs. Not that I particularly want that--I'd rather be out defeating the evil hordes on a sleek greyhound of death.

We'll see how next year goes!

The passing of a great man

2008-05-04T23:57:00.002-03:00

Padre Jean-Yves Fortin, the Roman Catholic chaplain here at RMC, passed away suddenly last night.

I'm still in shock, as I'm sure the rest of the RMC community is, and I get a bit teary-eyed every time I let my mind stop. Padre Fortin was always jovial, laughing and joking around with us lowly OCdts and NCdts, eating with us often, and always knew how to raise our spirits. Loved by everyone, he will be sorely missed.

For me personally, he was the first chaplain I really knew. Of course, there was a chaplain in St-Jean during basic, but I only met him once. Padre Fortin was around from the time I got here for FYOP up until now, always remembering to ask how my mom was doing, and making sure to prod me so I'd go back home once in a while. Of course, it was almost expected (at least I'm sure some people would expect that) because of his position, but I always thought it was nice that he'd always remember people and would ask relevant questions.

Rest in peace, Padre.

Media irresponsibility strikes again

2008-04-23T13:06:00.003-03:00

Just a quick note:

As some of you might be aware, there was some "rioting" in the streets of Montreal after the NHL team beat their rival in the first round of the playoffs, and several police cars were torched, with several more all but destroyed. All of the TV stations around sent teams (some stations had several teams assigned) to cover the events and take images.

The SPVM (Montreal police) has been asking people--through the media--for their images of the rioting so they can identify the culprits and, hopefully, arrest them. Today, the SPVM showed up at the TV stations to ask, without a warrant, to obtain the images of the rioting so they could be used to identify the rioters. The TV stations refused.

So the SPVM showed up with a warrant and took the images "by force."

Why not just release them? A lot of the images were shown--in a loop on some stations--so anyone could have tivo'd live TV. It's broadcast! The only difference is, I assume, that the stations' copies are slightly higher-quality and aren't partially blocked by computer graphics.

Still, it makes no sense that when the cops showed up to ask, not demand, the tapes, the stations refused. It's not like they were guilty of any wrongdoing!

Ah well, everyone knows the media will go as far as possible to hamper and question the lawful activity of the authorities (police, military, etc) without illegality.

Petraeus picked to lead Central Command

2008-04-23T12:48:00.002-03:00

(Source: CNN.com)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been tapped to become chief of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

Petraeus replaces Adm. William Fallon, who said last month he was resigning. Fallon said widespread, but false, reports that he was at odds with the Bush administration over Iran had made his job impossible.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno will take over for Petraeus as commander in Iraq, Gates said.

Petraeus was picked in January 2007 to replace Gen. George Casey as the chief commander in Iraq, and won Senate confirmation that same month. He previously served as head of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and as a commander in Iraq and was one of the main writers of an Army manual on counterinsurgency efforts.

When your rack of medals look like a Soviet General's, you know you kick serious bootay.

The vanquishing of finals.

2008-04-19T13:16:00.003-03:00

Well, exams and essays and everything naughty is over with.

I can now take a full week off. I'm headed home in a few hours, staying until Thursday or Friday, and spending next weekend in Toronto attending the fantabulistic Frankie Manning workshop. It should be most awesome. (If you don't know who Frankie Manning is, shame on you! That being said, look him up.)

It'll definitely be good to not only be able to sleep as much as I need to (several weeks of mild-to-severe sleep deprivation have made me... different) but to be home, away from all the craziness that grips RMC this time of year.

Anyway, I have yet to pack all my stuff, so it would probably be a good idea to get off the intertubes, yes?

I'll post some more tonight or tomorrow.

Anti-sealing vessel seized by Coast Guard

2008-04-13T02:06:00.005-03:00

Source: CBC

Fisheries officers seized a ship used in a protest against the seal hunt off the west coast of Newfoundland on Saturday to have its captain and first officer arrested

Watson said he was on the phone to one of the crew members of the Farley Mowat as officers took command of the vessel. He said they were "screaming at people to lie down on the deck.

"They stormed the vessel. They forced everyone down on to the deck at gunpoint. I could hear the yelling in the background, and then the phone went dead. It's obvious that they seized the vessel, and they did so illegally.

"The Dutch-registered Farley Mowat never entered Canadian waters," Watson maintained. "It was always in international waters, and it’s technically an act of war to board a vessel outside the 12-mile [19 kilometres] limit without the permission of the captain."

However, Hearn said the Farley Mowat was within Canadian territorial waters.

"Canada was well within its rights to board the ship and prevent future harm to sealers, fisheries officer and permanent observers," he said. "We did the right thing."

BZ to the Coast Guard and the ERT guys for doing their job right and reaffirming that our waters are ours and that anyone not following our laws will have to pay the price.

On a "legal" note: in one of my courses (that dealt with international law) I studied the case of the ACHILLE LAURO, which, though the situation was different, highlighted the possibility of a ship that had conducted illegal activities in one country's jurisdiction being pursued outside that jurisdiction (and into international waters) for prosecution. Even if FARLEY MOWAT was outside the 12NM zone, it had been violating Canadian law and, quite possibly (from reading other, non-CBC articles) generally endangering other vessels in contradiction to the International Regulations for Avoiding Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). Either way, it was performing illegal activities and, as such, police action was required and justified.

As far as the comments of it being an act of war... wouldn't endangering vessels in another country's territorial waters be an act of war, too? Hmmmm, I bet someone didn't think of that one!

MARS III: AAAAAAARGH!

2008-04-01T20:03:00.003-03:00

Well, this summer is going to be something else.

I got a little heads-up today of what to expect from MARS III (which has a 30% failure rate)... and it's going to be brutal. Academic phase should be fairly decent--7 weeks of classes and self-study, with some free time--but the sea phase will be insane... do three shifts a day (FixO, NavO, OOW), plus chart work, plus other random stuff, then pull into port (or just anchor somewhere) and do chartwork until the week hours. Fun. And then there'll be the simulator phase which culminate with assessed runs. Kinda like sea phase, but not as bad.

There's a lot of stuff I'll have to learn, and a lot of things to just get used to (not the least being the uber-stress of bridgework, or so I'm told). I did love that little bit of 2/3OOW work we did on NETPO, but I have no illusions as to how much it's like the real thing.

Long-term, I'm WAY more scared of the basic submarine officer course, because even us MARS types have to know all the engineering stuff, on top of being top-notch at EVERYTHING. Still, I keep being told that if MARS is what you actually want to do, it's a breeze (relatively speaking) to pass MARS III/IV and that the submarine stuff isn't all that hard after you've passed the Lt(N) boards.

I guess I'll just have to take it one day at a time... starting with the rest of this semester.

Mini-update

2008-03-14T20:48:00.002-03:00

Wow, busy times ahead!

I had everything planned out to do a moderate amount of work on a constant basis, but nature had other plans. I came down with a nasty viral throat infection--and since it's viral, the docs can't do anything about it other than give me some anti-coughing stuff and painkillers. Thing is, although it's getting better, I've been lacking in sleep for over a week, so I'm insanely tired and work isn't progressing very well. I've been catching up on reading, but research (for papers and presentations) is slow... At least I got a few extensions for papers and presentations from understanding teachers.

It's getting slightly better, as I don't wake up coughing (or go to bed coughing) but if I push myself in training I do start coughing pretty bad, and my throat still feels swollen and itchy.

Ah well, I'll get better eventually!

Gary Gygax fails saving throw

2008-03-04T22:34:00.002-04:00

Gary Gygax (creator of D&D) is dead. As I, in the words of Wil Wheaton, "failed my save vs. stunning blow," I'll just point you to his post about it.

Early Warning: Major Suckage Ahead

2008-03-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

I haven't heard anything official yet, but apparently my summer will NOT consist of struggling through MARS III over in awesome, über-beautiful Victoria, BC. Serious scuttlebutt has it that someone who makes a lot more money than I do has decided to put MARS III and IV back-to-back. It makes perfect sense, as MARS III serves as somewhat of a base for MARS IV, but the problem is more with the fact that not doign MARS III this summer means I will quite possibly be stuck in Kingston.

Not only would I not be getting the "extra" money being attach posted somewhere else brings (which is nice; it doubles my salary) but I would be stuck at RMC with a bunch of other bored RMC cadets, doing whatever, with most if not all of the people I usually hang out with being gone off to their training.

Of course, there's the chance I could be sent on OJT, but there's almost nothing I can actually go and do. I'm only NETPO-qualified, so being sent to a ship is unlikely, and making coffee for Lt's and LCdr's doesn't sound like that much fun.

Ah well, it's just the greatest tradition in the military: getting sent off to various assignments you really would rather avoid, for reasons that are way above your paygrade.

Uh, wha'?

2008-02-19T00:10:00.003-04:00

One of my hobbies, as some of you might have noticed, is looking through the hits I get for interesting hits--countries you don't often hear about, interesting paths, etc.

I found this really interesting one: someone from Iran, Islamic Republic of, read my post comparing he "34 day war" (the campaign against Lebanon) to the Tet Offensive.

I've gotten a few hits from Iran, Islamic Republic of, over the years, for reasons unknown. (I'd like to think President Ahmadinejad likes my sense of humour.) Usually, though, the hits are fairly random, and not particularly amusing.

Now, let's try and get on the President's blogroll...

Good attitude a bad thing?

2008-02-16T21:37:00.003-04:00

I gotta admit, I had a bit of a bad attitude for a while. Or rather, I didn't keep my mouth shut when I should. Ah well, that's mostly in the past. (Everyone has bad days, sometimes, right?)

What's funny is that during SPT (mandatory training, four days a week) I got in trouble a few weeks ago for being a little too loud about my displeasure. It was a bit of a kick in the butt and I started--that very day--to work harder than before. Moreover, I've been pretty vocal, but in a positive way this time around. I joke around, mostly, but I also encourage people who I get along with--mostly people who run faster than I do normally, and who I start catching up on. ("You're dragging ass! I'm right behind you! What's wrong?!") I also worked hard enough to be very close to puking, on a couple occasions, and even ended up puking once--the first time ever I've pushed myself enough to actually puke.

Anyway, last week, one guy stopped training, came over, and bitched at me for being positive. Apparently, in his mind, you can't be positive, loud, and hard-working at the same time. I guess anyone who's having fun training isn't training hard. It's rather annoying, because there are people who are fairly negative--though not too loud--and who don't try very hard... if they try at all. Some don't even break a sweat on most days.

The funny part is, yesterday, the CWC (Cadet Wing Commander) told me people had noticed I'd turned my attitude around and was working really hard, and they were really pleased with me. Of course, I have a whole lot more work to do, but I'm losing fat fast (enough for my mom to notice and comment on it) and I'm definitely feeling the difference, although I'm still struggling with the 20 meter shuttle run.

Strangely, the thing that was pissing me off the most--the change of schedule whereupon SPT will be at 0530 on Tuesdays and Thursdays--isn't bothering me quite as much. Of course, getting up at 0500 will suck, but what can you do?

I also got my hands on a copy of the Army Fitness Manual (I know, I know, it's Army... but we don't have a Navy Fitness Manual, for obvious reasons), so I'll try and get my own training going on top of what I do at SPT. I'd like to go back to going to the weight room after supper, as I used to do in high school, but cardio and bodyweight stuff is more important right now. I can get HYOOOOOOOOGE again after I get good at running. I could probably have figured out my own training without the AFM, but I'd rather have a good reference to base myself on--I'll just adjust as needed.

One thing that's bothering me--though it's a good thing, I guess--is that while I'm getting leaner, I've more or less stopped losing weight. I'm down to 215-220lbs, from a high of 235 after the holidays, but it feels almost disappointing; I'm much leaner, but I'm not progressing towards my goal of dropping under 200lbs. Losing that extra 20-ish lbs would definitely help raise my score and, most importantly, pass the shuttle run.

I don't know reading week will be--it's a bit hard to run in our barely-plowed streets/sidewalks, and the -15C and under weather (with my luck, it'll get down to -25C plus wind chill) tends to kill my lungs--but at worst we have an eliptical machine, and I can definitely do pushups and situps and such in my mom's living room. Not quite puke-inducing, but better than nothing.

Sorry for not being too interesting, but right now my life is pretty much sucking in terms of excitement. I go to class, train, study, write papers, and go to more classes.

In other news: I've reached 6000 hits. Thanks, dear readers!

LENT - The Musical

2008-02-05T00:31:00.000-04:00

All right, so Lent is approaching really, really fast, and although I'm not really that religious, I want to try and give up some stuff... Kinda like 40 days 40 nights, but I really don't get laid often enough for it to be that big a challenge.

So, I decided to give up my two biggest loves in the universe: (beyond my mom; I'm so totally a momma's boy)

Pop (Coca-Cola being the biggest loss)

and

my iPod.

The only exception will be with my iPod: I cannot possibly train with the s**t music they play at the gym--it just kills any motivation I have to push myself--so while at the gym I'll be destroying my eardrums with my iPod. Beyond that, I will not use my iPod when going around, or while at the computer lab, or, generally, anytime I'm not at the gym working out. Just because I know my devious mind will crave some kind of musical entertainment while I'm at the computer lab, I'll also stipulate that unless I'm actively watching a video on YouTube or something such, I won't play music videos in the background--that would be cheating.

I'll also be limiting my facebook usage to the minimum: only responding to messages/wall posts and the like. In short, I'll be using facebook as a messenging service rather than a very potent timewaster service. Still, I don't include it in the list of things I'm giving up on, because I'm not really giving up on it, just limiting it, and that doesn't count.

If you're wondering why I put "The Musical" in the title.. well, first off, you should know me better. Seriously though, I just figure I'll be singing a lot to make up for the iPod loss. Definitely gonna be bringing out all the good songs I know! "Oh, I just can't wait to be kiiiiiiiiiing!"

It's gonna be tough... then again, I do believe that's the idea.

Next year: I'll get myself one of those things the albino in Da Vinci Code wore around his thigh.

Shortly after I originally posted this on facebook, CNN announced my withdrawal from regular facebook usage and reports are coming in of people dancing in the streets of most major cities in the Western hemisphere.

On nutrition

2008-01-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

Or: Holy crap, junk food doesn't taste good anymore!

Okay, so I wrote something similar a while back. The thing is, the feeling is entirely different this time around. Last time I experienced the whole not-liking-junk-food deal, it was physical, as it just made me feel sick. This time around, I feel fine (although a little sluggish) if I take in a lot of sugar/carbs at once, but not sick. I just don't enjoy it. At all. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd rather have water than pop, but I'd definitely go for plain milk (I prefer 3.25%, but here they only have 2% and skim...) or some Crystal Light™. Speaking of water, though, I sometimes find myself craving it--and I don't mean being parched. I just randomly feel like drinking water. Sick, I know.

My nutrition has been a bit odd lately; I try to take in mostly good foods, but I tend to let myself go post-workout, and take in some Sprite™ (I crave the bubbles...) or, better, chocolate milk, and even dessert sometimes. What's funny, though, is that even when I go for pizza and fries with a side of Sprite™, I tend to skip dessert.

The thing that's surprising me is that it's not a conscious decision, really. I don't think "oh, this is healthier, I'll eat it," I just don't feel like eating crap, most of the time. Even when I do buy junk food--out of habit, really--I eat it but it just doesn't feel as good as it used to. Heck, I bought some fudge and, although it was very good fudge (at least for the store-bought kind) I only barely finished it. Same with drinking pop; I get a glass or two from the machine in the mess, but I end up taking a sip and leaving the rest.

I'm hoping I won't be jinxing myself with this, and I definitely don't expect to eat perfect all the time. Or even the 90% "my" nutritionist (or, rather, "my" team of nutritionists) recommends. I just want to "eat healthier," even if it means hitting the "perfect" mark only 70% of the time. Besides, I'm still at the point where slight adjustments still end up paying back major dividends. When I get lean enough to see my abs, or my veins (they're popping up on my forearms again) then maybe I'll focus in on chiseling the last of the "bad stuff," but until then, I'll just grab the pickaxe and hammer away.

I would have liked to go for something extreme like the Velocity Diet, but between having to pay for the mess anyway (something like $400 a month) and having to buy supplements (about $500 for a month), and the simple fact I couldn't keep doing everything I'm doing while on that diet, it'll have to wait, if I ever end up doing it at all.

I lost a ton of weight already (an insane amount, that most people would qualify as "unsafe") and I've only been back for a few weeks--and the "success" on the last PPT has only heightened my motivation to keep training hard and eating right. There's nothing quite like getting results to get you to go at it harder.

Also, for the psych majors out there, here's a "little" tidbit you might find interesting. Like a lot of "big" guys (I was up to 245lbs at least, at one point, and thought I was "HYOOOOOOGE") I've always had the problem of being somewhat scared of losing "that"--even though it was misguided and "that" was, instead of the mountain of muscle I envisionned, a mound of blubber with a few muscles hidden underneath. Still, most "big" guys start losing weight and get scared. After all, we've worked so hard to get HYOOOGE, what are we going to do if we end up small?

As was explained by someone (I don't remember who, or in exactly which article, but it was on t-nation), when you start losing weight, you generally get smaller (duh) but you don't really look any better. For big guys, used to being big and strong-looking, looking smaller but still not looking better nekkid is scary. After all, we go from having at least one part of the puzzle, to having the worst of both worlds: we're both weak-looking AND fat!

Eventually, you start seeing results, but it can take a long time. Even when you realize your pants fit better, or that the shirt you wore five years ago and kept around "for when I get lean" actually fits properly again, or whatever, you still think, "yeah, but I still don't look that great nekkid." (Let's face it, most people who train do it to look good nekkid.)

Anyway, the whole point is that somehow I got over that, and although I still get a little scared when I look in the mirror and realize my arms have "shrunk" while my belly still looks more like Buddha's than Brad Pitt's, I know that it's all coming along.

Well, I think that's enough of an update on my mental state and the state of my nutrition. Now, if only the mess offered GOOD, HEALTHY food!

TDV!

I don't want to be no green beret...

2008-01-17T20:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this title has very little to do with this post, other than it's the title of a cadence I listen to while running. (What can I say, it keeps my speed AND my motivation up...)

So, we had our winter PPT (Physical Proficiency Test, or something such...) this morning. I didn't pass, but I did a whole lot better than I expected. Especially considering I was slightly hurt--I messed up my calf on Monday, and the nurses messed my arm up when I tried to give blood (I have a HUGE bruise and my arm is pretty stiff)--and haven't been sleeping well all week.

The only event I didn't actually improve on is the 20 meter shuttle run, which has always been my nemesis. I got to level 7 or 7.5 (I wasn't really paying attention...) on that, which is the same as I got back in September. However, I improved pushups (just 35--I was hoping to get to 40), situps (68--I'm hoping to get to 75 next time), the standing long jump (193cm, with the passing score being 195--last semester I got around 180cm), and the agility run (17.9, with the passing score being 17.8--last semester I was above 19 seconds).

All in all, it gets me to 212 points, compared to 174 last semester. That's 38 points, or 22%. Pretty good, I'd say, though about 20 of those points came from the 1sec improvement on the agility run. Also, just getting a pass on the 20MSR will get me almost 20 more points, and both the long jump and the agility run will get me about 5-10 more points each. I intend to improve on the situps and pushups as well, so by next time (not the retest next week, though, sadly) I should pass everything AND pass on points.

It's a bit of a relief, because the new rules, though it's really fuzzy as to their application to those of us already in the middle of third year, state that you must pass a PPT in third and a PPT in fourth year, or show "marked improvement." I haven't passed, and I doubt I can make up 2 full levels on the beep test (20MSR) in six days, but if that's the only thing I have left to pass, coupled with a 20+% improvement, I think that'll be a good start.

Another thing that went fairly well today was that I got to have a short, informal, impromptu conversation with the Commandant. It was short and I was pretty nervous--talking to a General when you're a NCdt tends to do that to people--but it was good to know the top is listening, even if sometimes there's a bit of a communication problem between where I'm at and where he's at. Such is the nature of the beast, I guess, the head doesn't quite know what the hands are doing.

Anyway, I don't think I'll pass the next PPT, but I'm hoping that my improvements on every other area will allow me to focus on improving the run, and maybe even allow me to do stuff that will actually help me run a 20MSR, like sprints and intervals, vice running 5K (25laps) but having to slow down after the first K because I'm not a runner.

Ah well, here's to getting to that elusive 250!

"The worm has definitely turned for you..."

2008-01-04T01:53:00.000-04:00

"Feeling good's good enough."

Okay, so I didn't do drugs like a certain character in a certain movie about a certain war, by a certain director who did a movie about a certain president who was assassinated by a certain ex-marine.(1)

The worm has turned, however.

See, ever since I started going to RMC, every time I go, it's with massive feelings of dread. I just don't want to go. Well, I didn't want to go. I wanted to just stay in my little warm house, living the life Kevin Smith would live if he hadn't made Clerk--living at my mom's. She doesn't have a basement, so I can't live there; instead, I take over the "main" living room. (We basically have two living rooms; the other one is the computer room/my aunt's living room.) I have plenty of good, homecooked food, I can get up whenever I feel like it, I don't have to do anything I don't want to, I don't have to do my own laundry, and generally I'm pampered. It's the good life.

Thing is, this year, I just don't feel like staying here. I got bored after about four days of being back home. Sure, it's nice to have plenty of food, cable TV (I don't even have a TV at RMC), high-speed internet, and all the other perks, but it's also incredibly boring. You can only watch so much TV before it gets boring, the internet is about as intellectually stimulating as watching MadTV, and there is only so much time you can spend working out without access to a full gym.

The "worst" part is, it's not so much that I'm not happy at home, but rather that I legitimately want to go back to RMC. Sure, I whine a lot when I'm there, but like Bubbleheads said a while back, a happy sailor is a bitching sailor. It blows, but the Type A in me just can't sit idly anymore. Maybe I'm finally maturing?

Okay, probably not. I am, however, changing. For better or for worse, the kick in the ass I got just before the exam period (a WTF talk with a certain officer, and a WTF-talk-explanation by an ex-cadet.. ahem) had some effect. Sure, I'm not going to be a super-hardcore-next-CWC(1) keener guy--I'm not much of a keener and, frankly, I'd go insane if I tried to be that guy, and I have no delusions of managing to follow a perfect schedule, or always having a perfect uniform (though I want to strive to achieve that), or of never being barely-on-time (or even late), and so on.

Beyond the WTF talk, I think the fact that I actually have a leadership position this semester plays a role in this. Sure, I'm only going to be in charge of six people, but I'm still in charge of them and I owe it to them not to do too crappy a job. Besides, it's perfect practice for when I graduate and, eventually, become a divisional officer. So far, summer phase leadership has consisted, during BOTC, of army-type leadership, which seems far more hands-on--you're out there doing pretty much the same job as your troops. From what I've seen, Navy leadership is more detached. The OOW is in charge of everyone,(3) and when you're not OOW, you don't really lead in the Army sense--you take care of your people, but you don't really have to order them to do anything in particular, because they know their job and most of what they have to do is controlled by the OOW. It's a lot less... well, hands-on (it's the only term I can think of) than, say, a platoon commander in an infantry unit, who lives with his troops almost 24/7 while on deployment. (Of course, in garrison it's different, but a ship at sea is on deployment.) The point I'm getting at is that, like a divisional officer on a ship, I'll be in charge of a few people who do various jobs, of various "ranks," and I'll mostly care for discipline and administration. (Half my section is made up of logistic officers, but ah well.)

I've also been re-reading the Officer-Like Qualities chapter in the NETPO Handbook (the binder with most of the info we had to learn this summer, including shipboard organization, naval history, policy, some evolutions, etc), as I find it helps me keep my eyes on the goal of being a good officer. Several people, including my course officer last summer, have told me I have what it takes, but something that comes up often is that I still need to develop some aspects, including self-confidence, self-control, and attitude, so reminding myself of what makes a good officer--in theory--helps me remind myself of what I need to work on. I'll include a few quotes here, just because I can.

The first essential of leadership is self-confidence. (...) It is an old Navy adage that, when faced with a difficult and demanding task, the officer should not 'inherit' power of command by stating: "The XO told me that we must lower the boat in this Force 5 gale, so let's get on with it." Take personal responsibility for a legal order - "We're going to lower the boat," and confidently get on with it.

Your demeanor should be cheerful and enthusiastic. It is your business to inspire enthusiasm and pride of ship, unit or section. Never appear bored or fed-up, however irksome the work may be.

Develop your voice and word of command. Never allow panic to show in your voice of manner. There is an ever-present tendency in the service to turn to an officer for their cue in an emergency.

This reminds me of a "hint" I got from a LS this summer on PCT Orca, who told me I really needed to work on conning, because although I have the theory down, in execution I tended to sound unsure and weak, especially the first few times, which wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring. It also reminds me of a quote from Jane's Fleet Command: "The British ruled the seas for centuries with a stiff upper lip. Men drew strength from their calm and resolve. (...) If we shudder, they shake. If we sweat, they panic. The cost of panic, is defeat."

Do not risk giving the appearance of washing your hands of responsibility, or of giving a hint of criticism of higher authority. The officer that tries to be popular soon loses grip of subordinates, as well as the respect of superiors and peers.

Never judge an individual if you have lost your temper. If you do lose your temper, control your words or keep your mouth shut until you can regain composure.

Endeavour to bring out the fighting qualities of your subordinates and continue to develop them in yourself. This should be your constant consideration since, in your position as a leader, it is your business to inspire enthusiasm and fighting ability.

Maintain an even keel and allow that humorous situations do occur. (...) Overly racy and frequent joking, however, can backfire and render one being viewed as foolish or never serious.

Being a naval officer means much more than simply being an executive in uniform. To be a naval officer is to be someone belonging to an identifiably unique and very demanding profession. It is not a career; it is a way of life.

As someone personally commissioned by Her Majesty the Queen, a naval officer could at any time be called into the presence of royalty and other dignitaries. This is something that has not changed over the centuries. Naval officers travel throughout the world, are brought into professional and social contact with many foreign dignitaries and, while doing so, are quite correctly perceived to be representatives of the Crown.

With the exception of off-colour jokes and language, nearly all topics are in bounds during daily meals, even "shop talk." (...) The realization that others have similar responsibilities, successes, failures and workloads is the glue that holds a wardroom together.

It just struck me that I've probably quoted at least some of this already, but like I said earlier, the point of this is to remind myself what I need to strive for. I know this might sound overly idealistic or naïve, but hey, I'm an artist.

There really isn't much of a point to this whole post... I guess I just wanted to show what few regular readers, especially those who have been reading this for a while (God knows why you're subjecting yourself to this!) that there is some measure of progress going on.

Ah well, I'll enjoy some more cable TV while I still can!

(1)For those of you who don't get movie references, I'm talking about Platoon.

(2)Cadet Wing Commander, the highest-"ranking" cadet at RMC, three levels above me in the wing chain of command

(3)Everyone except the XO and CO, of course

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

I hope 2008 will be awesome for all of you, my dear readers. Health, peace, happiness, love, money, and everything else you desire.

It might be late for tips, but don't forget to not drink and drive--EVER!

PERFECT!

2007-12-30T00:25:00.000-04:00

The Patriots have gone 16-0.

Now they just have to go and win the Superbowl and really make it perfect!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T17:32:00.000-04:00

Well, dear readers, it's almost time for Santa to saddle up again. In this time, let us reflect on those who are far from their loved ones, particularly those who are over in dangerous areas. Let us who are with our families rejoice in having them near and healthy.

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and, for those who won't read my blog before January, a very happy, joyful, healthy, and successful new year.

Make sure the holidays stay happy; don't drink and drive or let anyone you know do that.

Holidays, dancing, and other random things

2007-12-11T03:39:00.000-04:00

Well, I've finally decided to write something up, considering I haven't really written anything in a while except to promise something "shortly."

So, what's been happening?

Not much. I've spent the last month (ish) split between trying to keep my sanity through sleep deprivation because of essayfest (I had a LOT of essays to write, including a period when I ended up having to write 50 pages in 36 hours), and then exams. Because of that, I've become almost fully nocturnal--not quite, but between the blitzes to finish that paper in time, and the late-night studying sessions, I can't seem to get back into "normal" sleeping patterns right now.

I think I did fairly good in my classes, though of course I won't know for sure until the exam results are in. Still, I think my average will be more or less what it always is.

Other than that, life has been relatively quiet. There was the RMC Christmas Ball a few weeks ago, which was really a non-event for me; I played the pipes and got drunk with my friends, and that was pretty much it, thanks to being dumped by my date only a few days before the actual event. Lovely. Ah well, it was somewhat fun anyway, though I'm STILL unhappy about the whole theme debacle--if you say the theme is the Golden Age of Cinema, you DO NOT put on music from the 50s and 60s. And you absolutely DO NOT use posters of movies that came out in the late 50s, 60s, and even 70s, as background for the band. (The earliest movie I saw, that I remember, in the lineup, was A Streetcar Named Desire, which came out in 1951.) I don't mind the post-war era at all, but when someone organizes a party and specifies a theme, I expect them to do their homework. Otherwise, you just advertise it as a post-war era theme.

I've been keeping up with the dancing, much to my own surprise. I had a bit of a slump where I didn't enjoy it as much and left the social dances early, but that was mostly due to other circumstances. I'm back to full swing, so to speak, and loving it. So much, I might try bussing my way to Montreal during the holidays so I can get some more dancing in. I've also signed up for a big workshop (Quebec Swing Rendez-Vous), and I plan to sign up for the two in Kingston next semester, as well as (hopefully) Frankie Manning's visit to Toronto late in the semester--I will not miss a workshop with the best dancer alive today, for anything. I wouldn't go AWOL, but almost.

I'm actually getting rather decent, I think, when it comes to dancing. I'm not good by any stretch of the imagination, but I tend to screw up less, I find the beat a lot quicker, and I don't lose it as much. My main problem is that my repertoire of moves is rather limited, so I tend to just throw in the same stuff over and over, but I try to make little variations--or I just dazzle and entertain the lady I'm dancing with, with conversation. (I've seriously had dances when I did about five moves over a 3 minute song, because we were talking the whole time.) Still, I'm moving away from trying to not screw up the moves, to trying to actually dance to the music--musicality and me are slowly warming up to each other, but the relationship is still shaky. Still, I get more "that was fun" now than I did before, which I take as either a sign that, although my skills aren't that great, I'm still fun to dance with.. or a sign that my skills are absolutely atrocious and the ladies I dance with want to make me feel a little better. I think I'll go with the former.

Other than that, I don't have much to say, really. I'm looking forward to the holidays so I can watch cable TV and indulge in actually good food--and homecooked, too! Having food that's actually palatable and not made from unidentifiable products rejected by the prison system and the Salvation Army, will be quite the change.

Speaking of the prison system, a certain person who has some power within the mess, said, at some point this semester, that the staff were to give us smaller portions because, we are "officers in the Canadian Forces, not prisoners." I'm not quite certain, but I'd have thought that, being that we are officers in the Canadian Forces (though not commissioned yet), we should get more food than prisoners--after all, we have to train and do a whole lot more than sit in a cell and watch satellite TV. Also, I'd have thought our food should be better than prisoners', but I'm sure that certain person from the mess would disagree. I guess the Navy spoiled me, with its Wardroom with food that's actually more or less made when you order it, that's always tasty, and that never, ever looks like it's been sitting there for a few days.

I think I've more or less covered all that I could cover for today... My love life (or lack thereof) would not make for very interesting reading, and that's about the only thing I haven't really touched upon.

I should be writing more when I get home--just in time for everyone to have extra time off to read my blog!

If you don't read my blog again until after the holidays,

Merry Christmas,
Happy Hannukah,
Merry Kwanza,
And a happy forgotten-by-me religious holiday.

And, of course, a very happy new year.

Ooooooh, bars! Aw, not that kind of bars, eh?

2007-11-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

So, I'll finally have some form of power and legitimate authority at this College, next semester. Granted, it's the lower form of power and authority, as a Section Commander (in charge of a whopping, what, 6 people?), but still, it's a start.

I don't know how it will turn out, mostly because the only power I've ever had was transient and during training, but it should be all right. It's not like it's going to be that hard to keep track of a handful of people, right?

Anyway, I'll probably post something bigger this weekend, because right now I'm in a bit of "freakoutendofsemesterohmygodI'mgoingtofail" mode, with about a gazillion pages to write still. And a play to go see tonight (who schedules a field trip in essayfest? seriously.). Lovely.

Youtube - "We Need Girlfriend" bought by CBS

2007-11-23T20:45:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad, but for better or worse, my all-time second favourite youtube series has been bought out by Corporate America. (My all-time favourite youtube series being, of course Hey, Shipwreck.)

We Need Girlfriends, a series about three roommates in New York who (surprise surprise!) need girlfriends, had 11 episodes, each gathering over 700,000 views.

The show has been bought by CBS and will be produced by Sex and the City creator, Darren Star. Here is the youtube announcement by the producers of We Need Girlfriends:

The reason I'm not sure I'm happy about it is that even though I've now watched a youtube show go from episode one to corporate selling-out, I'm afraid it'll lose some of its edginess and inherent coolness, and will just turn into another boring romcom/sitcom.

Well, that and I don't have CBS. I don't even have a TV.

Let's launch operation "buy RMC students TVs."

"I can write a paper about anything in one night..."

2007-11-15T23:50:00.000-04:00

"It doesn't mean I like it."

I'm just procrastinating a little bit, taking a break from the wonderful discipline that is psychology. [/sarcasm] I have to finish a paper about the socialization of Officer Cadets (I guess they don't care about us Naval Cadets...) at RMC.

I have plenty of sources and I mostly know what I want to say, but unlike when I write history or French papers, I find myself suffering from writer's block. I know precisely how to write an A paper in French, and a solid B+ or possible A- in History. Psychology, however, is something I haven't done in years, and when I did take a psycho class, it didn't go too well. (I last took shrinkology in CEGEP, almost four years ago.)

Other than that, well, all is quiet on the northern front. I'm still dancing my way around and through life's worries, being a bad little RMC cadet... and I still wish I could just go back to the Navy life in beautiful Victoria, BC.

I have a few more papers to write in the coming weeks, and a few exams during the exam period, and then I get to go home (and do nothing) for a few weeks. I wish I could've gone to Europe, but unfortunately I'm too poor. Maybe at spring break.

Ah well, back to work for this intrepid procrastinator!

Lack of content

2007-11-06T01:29:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to quickly apologize, yet again, for the lack of any good content on my blog. It's just been slightly crazy and demanding lately and to make it short, the past week (and more) have been tough in many ways.

Anyway, I'll try and post something somewhat relevant or entertaining this weekend, but I doubt I'll have the time, the energy or the will to post before that.

Again, I'm sorry, and I know those of you who have been reading this for a while expect more, and better, posts.

Mandate to date: it's a wrap!

2007-10-30T20:08:00.000-03:00

The search is over. This RMC student, surprisingly, has found an attractive date, and will be able to show off his moves on the dance floor... provided the theme of the ball (Hollywood's Golden Era) also extends to the music, at least for part of the evening. Doubtful, but we can always hope, right?

Mr. Fred Goes To Washington

2007-10-30T19:45:00.000-03:00

Well, USNA was... fun, I guess. Extremely exhausting, but fun.

We left RMC Thursday night, expecting to get to USNA around 0530 the next morning.. only to get there almost at 0900. The lovely GPS system was all messed-up, and we got lost. Yay. After paying for breakfast (instead of getting it from the USNA mess hall) we got to board those ugly yellow busses with our instruments and, for some of us, our kit (some wore their uniforms on the way, others decided to get changed when we got there), to go to Washington, where we played at the Canadian Embassy. Usually, apparently, we play outside and draw a huge crowd (people clad in British line infantry uniforms playing loud music would do that, a few blocks from the Capitol), but it was raining like mad and our uniforms (like our instruments) don't exactly like the rain, so we played inside, to a tiny little crowd. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't awesome either. The Ambassador wasn't even there!

Anyway, after the show we visited the embassy (I got a good picture of me on the top floor with the Capitol as the background) and saw some cool art, and then headed off into town. One of my friends and I wanted to go visit the National Gallery, but the rest of our happy band of explorers don't like art, so we headed off in town, had a late lunch (I take offense to the idea of Americans having a "lumberjack" hamburger) and then wandered around in the rain. I got a few pictures in front of federal buildings, a picture of the poker (the Washington monument), and... yeah, that was about it. Then we went to the Holocaust Museum.

That museum doesn't deserve the name of museum; it's more like a memorial. I didn't learn anything (except a bit about some village that got erased from the map because they helped the Jews) but they had some interesting artefacts, like actual bunks from Auschwitz. Some of the parts of the exhibit made me a bit queazy, but... yeah. It's a place that's worth visiting if you're in DC, but don't bother going to Washington just to see it.

Oh, and I am among the few people who have done a 4-point turn on a major downtown DC street, complete with police blocking the street, ON A BUS. It was fun.

Saturday was cool. We got to watch Navy almost win against Delaware, but because the refs hate America, Delaware won. It was still a lot of fun, and the atmosphere (for most of the game) was pretty electric. The stadium is bigger than some CFL stadiums, and it was at least as packed as the Als games!

What was REALLY fun, was the tailgate party. We played at various spots, and then got to the Class of '69 tent, where they were really, really nice and fed us hotdogs and hamburgers, on top of getting us beer and other alcohol. The old boys were really cool, too. We didn't stay long, because we had to go play elsewhere (bleh) but I got a nice plastic cup as a souvenir. We also went to the Class of '58 tent, where we got more beer (including by some guy who was emptying his cooler and gave me and some of my friends about 3 cans in 5 minutes), tons more food, and where the alumni's wives treated us like they were our grandmothers or something, feeding us more food than even I could eat.

Everyone at the tailgate party was really nice and seemed to really enjoy us being there, so it was great.

The trip back, on Sunday morning, was pretty uneventful. I tried cheesecake poppers from Arby's, which were amazingly good.

Anyway, I can't really think of anything else to say...

Stay frosty, RMC.

Come along, now, nothing to see here

2007-10-25T01:22:00.000-03:00

Okay, not quite, but other than the swing dancing workshop I went to (along with a dance, and a part that lasted almost until my weekday wake-up time) there isn't very much to talk about.

Anyway, I'm leaving for the Naval Academy tomorrow night, and we'll apparently be playing in some embassy (presumably our own) in Washington on Friday, and at the Navy-Delaware (if memory serves) game on Saturday... before coming back on Sunday. I won't be able to get much work done, but hopefully I'll get my whites and I'll be able to read a lot on the bus--it's a L-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-N-G ride--so when I come back I'll be able to focus on the important things in life: dancing, and writing essays. In that order.

I'll likely write a little (or a big) something when I come back on Sunday night, but anything between now and my return is doubtful. I might just pop online to say "hi, I'm in Maryland," but that'll probably be it.

Until then, stay safe, and try and enjoy this lovely weather. And stay frosty, RMC, or else your beer will get warm, and warm North-American beer is like weak, warm gnat's urine.

Turning old

2007-10-16T22:43:00.000-03:00

Well, I officiall turn old in... about two hours. Okay, for some of you (say, a certain American ex-submariner, or a certain ex-cadet) I'm still young, but 22 is old, dammit! I've been legal everywhere for a year (not that it really mattered, I've been legal in Canada for three) and I've been able to vote for four (not that it really mattered, the federal candidate in my riding always wins by a remarkably huge margin, and I don't care much for provincial politics). I have one more birthday while at RMC. In a few years, insurance companies will stop discriminating against me for being a young male, and will instead only discriminate against me for being male.

Seriously though, I've been considering things and in some ways, I just don't feel like an adult. RMC treats us like children, and my social life revolves around college students (from RMC and the other, lesser university across the causeway, mostly). I face very few of the realities of being an adult--and definately less than I did a few years ago, before I came to RMC. I'm not really scared about going off into the big, bad world. In fact, I'm pretty excited about it, even though it's pretty far off. I can't wait to use up all my money to buy a condo only to have Murphy rear his ugly, disfigured head and get me posted on the other coast. Or to meet the woman of my life three weeks before I head to the Gulf for six months. Or buy a really nice car (Audi TT, anyone?) using the money I'll make on said Gulf tour, and get it trashed by protestors while I'm gone on a month-long exercise fake-blowing-up American ships.

All in all, this birthday isn't any different than any other I've had since I graduated high school. No parties or anything, though I might be lazier than usual for one day. I'm too old to party on weekdays, anyway.

Mandate to Date: The Search Is On

2007-10-16T08:46:00.000-03:00

Well, it's that time of the year again, when RMC students go to Queen's and get a random attractive young woman (or man, I won't judge) to go to the RMC Christmas Ball, which is apparently one of the top-rated events in North America. (Why, I don't know.)

So let that be a warning to Queen's students:

Guys, watch your girls, they might get taken away by charming guys who are in way better shape than you are.
Girls, watch out for charming guys who'll take you away.

Ok, on a serious note... Do I even want to spend hours on a formal date with someone I will barely know? The Ball is a good thing for those with girlfriends (or boyfriends... I said I wouldn't judge) but for us singlefolk, it's a drag. Heh, at least, if I do get a date and it comes crashing down, I have a break at some point thanks to the whole being-a-piper deal. And then I can just get drunk and leave the date with my atrocious friends. I'm evil, I know.

Sleeeeeeeeeep!

2007-10-12T11:54:00.000-03:00

Sorry blogging has been light. I've been busy and on a gagetownian sleep regime.

Anyway, I'll blog more this weekend (after some re-energization)... for the time being, I'll just say swing dancing kicks boot-ay. If only life was a musical!

MATT DAMON!

Signs You've Been Single For Too Long

2007-10-02T11:10:00.000-03:00

Here are a few parts of an epic master list I'm compiling. The first part is just a repost from a while ago, but I wrote a few more things... Oh, and if you recognize yourself in (m)any of these, well, don't feel so bad, most come from my own life or from my friends'.

Top Ten Signs You've Been Single For Too Long

10. You think geeks have it easy and "1f y0u c4\ r34d th1$ y0u r3a11y n33d t0 g37 l41d" makes sense to you.
9. You wake up alone, again, and think "aaah, the freedom."
8. You sniff your jeans and decide they'll do for another day.
7. You randomly decide to watch a season of 24. In twenty-four hours. Several times in a row. With minimal sleep in-between.
6. You play various multiplayer games while watching reruns of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, and think "this is the life."
5. You're proud of the fact that you watched 10 years of a TV series in less than a semester, without falling behind on your homework.
4. You've stopped buying new, expensive clothes; Wal-Mart and standard-issue green t-shirts will do. At worse, you can throw a sweater on top of it.
3. You don't want to look fit to attract the opposite sex; you just want people to shut up about it, already.
2. You don't even bother trying to pick up females anymore; if anything, it takes time away from watching movies and playing videogames.

And the number one sign you've been single for too long...

1. You think dating just takes money away from your drinking and partying budget.

Ten MORE Signs You've Been Single For Too Long

You look for activities to schedule in conflict with formal events because looking for a date would be too time-consuming, and showing up alone is too embarassing.
You do an activity that people normally do to pick up people of the other sex, because you legitimately enjoy said activity… with no other intent than to have fun.
You consider buying a second hard drive to store the “entertainment” you use when your friends are all out on dates or won’t go drinking because they need to save their money for more dates.
You remember when your last date was, but you have no clue who it was with.
You remember when your last date was, and it was set up by your mom.
You think playing games like SimDate is better than actually dating, because at worse you can just use cheat codes.
You actually want to make conversation with that attractive guy/girl because he/she’s actually smart, and not because you want to get into his/her pants.
You refer to yourself as asexual.
You read all the health, style and design parts of magazines, but just ignore the parts about dating and relationships.
You listen to love songs because you like the artist, not because the song reminds you of someone.

Even More Signs You've Been Single Too Long

You understand why your 50 year old uncle/aunt is still single.
You get mad when your grand-aunt tells you you’re next at weddings, and wonder if she means you’re the next to make a huge, life-threatening mistake.
You consider your phone to be a tool for ordering pizza and Chinese food, nothing else.
Your dressy clothes have the purpose of impressing prospective employers, and not members of the opposite sex.
You’re glad nobody nags about the poster of the half-naked member of the opposite sex on your bedroom wall.
Your friends try to hook you up with their significant other’s siblings.
You hope scientists perfect cloning and genetic engineering so you can just make the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend.
You meet an attractive member of the opposite sex and don’t realize they’re attractive until your friends point out that you were totally getting along with “that hottie over there.”
You still don’t get poking on Facebook.
You only use condoms to protect your rifle’s barrel while in humid conditions.
Your stash of condoms expired in the last millennium.
You listen to sad love songs because they cheer you up.
You’re puzzled when reading about romance in books you’re assigned as work, and try to talk the teacher into letting you read something less romance-ey.
Your definition of romance is based on Bond movies.
You haven’t taken a chastity oath, but people think you have.
Your reverend has more sex than you do.
Your priest has more sex than you do.
Your religious leader advises you to get laid, because you’re going against your God’s will.
You haven’t had a date in so long you don’t remember what constitutes a good place to go on one.
Your idea of a night in is breaking out the nachos, pop, and gore movies.
You don’t even get crushes anymore.
You wish you had a stalker so you could force them to go out with you.
You’re a staff writer for jackinworld.com.
You wish for the return of arranged marriage.
You’ve signed up to at least one major dating website, and it wasn’t because you were joking or drunk.
You’re giving up on the club scene because you’re tired of all the random sex.
You’re giving up on the club scene because you’re tired of everyone else getting random sex.
You go to raves hoping people on extacy will want to sleep with you.
You’re considering joining the French Foreign Legion.
You reject every invitation to weddings, even if you’re supposed to be the best man/bridesmaid.
You don’t even get invited to weddings anymore.
Your friends don’t even tell you they’ve gotten married.
Your friends have offered to pitch in to buy you some company for a night.
Your friends want to send you on a trip to Thailand.
You don’t want to learn French precisely because it’s the language of love.
You consider that having a big back seat in your car is an advantage because you have somewhere to crash when you’re too drunk to drive home.
Your boxers have more holes than your last girlfriend’s lacy panties.
You think the youtube series We Need Girlfriends is an unauthorized documentary based on your life.
You don’t mind having a bunk bed—you don’t need that much space.

Reunion Week, Minimalist Theatre, and Swing Dancing

2007-09-28T20:36:00.000-03:00

Well, RMC is in full Reunion Weekend swing by now. The First Years had their obstacle course today, and got their College coin--which really, really, really pisses me off. For my year, it was decided that the former way of getting the coins was too "cult-like" so instead of having any ceremony, the coins were handed out at the end of a completely unrelated meeting, with the Sqadron Sargeant just reading off the numbers on the coins and us picking them up. It was quite anticlimactic. This year, they at least had the decency to get the Old Brigade (ex-cadets who graduated 50 years ago) to hand out the coins. (By the way, Mr. Rogers(?), who spoke on parade... my last two are 18. Please don't make me buy you beer this weekend! Can I just buy you a bottle of good wine?)

Tomorrow is the badging ceremony, when First Years will actually be integrated into the Wing. Once again, the Old Brigade hands out the badges. It's a fun little parade, really. Good thing I'm in the band, though, because standing there and doing the advance in review order is really not one of my favourite things to do.

So, you may ask, what does all that have to do with Minimalist Theatre and Swing Dancing?

Well, it so happens that, this week, we had parade practice pretty much every day, on top of it being a heavy week for homework, and me actually having a life (sortof)... Last night I reached a point of lack-of-sleepedness that I hadn't experienced since FYOP. On Monday night I went to the Swing Club, and after I had to finish a book, so I went to bed late. On Tuesday, we had parade practice and I had another book to finish, and a paper to start writing. On Wednesday, we had a lovely morning march, followed by a piping practice, then more schoolwork, class, and then we went to Montreal to see a play--a 13 hour trip, altogether--so I got to bed at around 3, then got up at 0545 on Thursday to go to pipe practice, had class, had a PE class, had another class, then had parade practice, and then went swinging again. Let's just say I was destroyed, by then.

Sadly, I don't have much more to talk about. I'm still in need of a good, uninterrupted night's sleep, which I probably won't get until next weekend, and then again only maybe.

Anyways, I might try and write a little spiel after Reunion Weekend is over. Or maybe you guys will just have to wait until something interesting happens, like me going to Annapolis, or Hart House (maybe), or... uh... yeah, that's pretty much it.

Stay frosty, RMC.

Light blogging this week

2007-09-25T16:27:00.000-03:00

As light as blogging has been recently, it'll be even lighter for the rest of the week. (Read: absent) This is a crazy week at RMC and I've let the work pile up a little bit, so I'll be quite busy the rest of the week. I'll try and post something over the weekend but, as you all know, things always come up at random points and make it so I can't post, so... we'll see.

Anyways, in case any of you are wondering, everything's going well, but there are very few things I can actually talk about on here, right now.

I'll get around to actually posting something relevent and mildly interesting, soon. Until then, keep an eye on the bad guys for me.

Just a little something to think about

2007-09-21T09:43:00.000-03:00

Something came up last night as I was dancing with this girl... I've only been swing dancing for, well, all of four days (I started Monday) and so I still don't really have a clue what I'm doing; I just try to do as well as I can.

So, I was dancing with this girl, (who, incidentally, is very cute) and we came upon the subject of leading and following, and she said it was good that I was actually leading even though I'm still not really good at dancing yet, because usually guys kinda let the girl (the follow) lead if she's more experienced, even though they're supposed to be leading. It got me thinking (and I actually said something to that effect) that if I wasn't confident enough to "lead" in a swing dancing class, which is (almost) totally safe, while getting feedback and instructions from people who know what they're doing... how the hell would I be expected to, one day, lead men into battle when their lives are at stake?

Sure, I don't feel that confident about dancing. I don't know all the moves perfectly and I definately need to improve on the footwork. But it's just like being in charge of people, or being the OOW: you might not know everything you'd like to know, and there might be things you're just not comfortable with, but you gotta be confident and if you make a mistake, you just get on with it and hope for the best. Better to screw up a bit (step on someone's toes, say) while being confident at the front, than not screw up but be following someone else.

It's kind of funny, though, how being at RMC makes me appear so confident when I go into the civilian world. Ah well, as they say, "it's all good."

Stay classy, RMC. And try to forget about this whole Wednesday March madness... at least until next Tuesday night.

Coming soon: an update

2007-09-19T00:03:00.000-03:00

I can't even pretend I've been busy... I've just been lazy. Anyway, I should post tomorrow at some point, although I don't have much to say beyond recounting going to Queen's Swing Club, which was awesome.

Anyway, don't despair, dear readers, I'm coming back.