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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Gene GeRue wrote:
> > Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in
> > the ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.
>
> May we please have an update on the seaman son's journey thus far?

You know I can't resist...
TJ is now 20, for all of you who remember when he was only 10..wanted to
make you feel those years..lol
For the new folks on the list, I homeschooled TJ for a while, and he
went to public school for a while.  He graduated from public school
early-two weeks after his 17th birthday, and got accepted to quite a few
name-worthy schools.  He was going to stay close to home and get a dual
degree from Berry College and Georgia Tech in Physics and Nuclear
Engineering, but after orientation, he got a bit scared and decided to
join the Navy's Nuclear Program instead.  He was only 17 when he
reported for duty. He's spent a bit over 2 years in Navy Nuclear
schools, and reported to Pearl Harbor last year in late September for
his first assignment on the USS Key West, a fast attack nuclear
submarine.  That was the last time I saw him-it's been a year now.
I have missed the last two Christmases, Thanksgivings, and his 18th,
19th, and 20th birthdays.  It's hard.
Last January, his boat left on a WESTPAC deployment.(Western Pacific)
It was supposed to be a six month deployment, but turned into 7.5
months.  He got back to Pearl 4 weeks ago.
http://www.navy.mil/search/photolist.asp
If you don't see the Key West, you can search "SSN 722" in the photos to
see a few pics of the homecoming..I cried when I saw them, knowing TJ
was inside that thing and wishing I could have been there.  He called a
few times, twice from two different bases in Japan and twice from Guam.
  He had to tell me that he got his dolphins in record time, ya know.
http://www.csp.navy.mil/sailors.htm
 Mostly, I think, they were parked off the coast of North Korea(screwing
with Kim Jung Il's head) and probably chased that new Chinese sub, too.
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn12204
I just love that last paragraph. ;)
Anyway, he's a nuclear electrician on the sub-he keeps the reactor safe
and operational, and come December 7th, will be halfway through his six
year enlistment.  He's a second class petty officer. He plans to
re-enlist, but hasn't done so yet.
He's banked over 50K, and is looking at real estate in Hawaii as an
investment.  He was always good with money.  When he re-enlists he
should get about 60K as a re-up bonus.  He has 6 ribbons, two for good
conduct, two for other stuff like enlisting during wartime and being
forward deployed, and two of them are for marksmanship-he qualified
excellent for both the M16 and 9mm pistol. He always was an excellent
shot-could knock a flea off a squirrel at 400 yards.
He is working on several plans...he wants to be transfered to the USS
Jimmy Carter, which is the newest special ops sub, and when he has shore
duty, he hopes to go back to Ballston Spa, NY as an instructor. While
there, he will finish up at Rensselaer to earn his degree.  Navy nuclear
schools transfer as credit, so he would enter as a junior.  He has also
applied to be picked up for STA-21, which is the enlisted to officer
program.  He says that if he gets in, great, if he doesn't, well, he
could earn more money in civilian life anyway.
I talked to him last night and he said he was going to try to come home
in December.  He thought it might be Dec 5-15, but when I told him
Kate's baby was due on the 21st, he said he would try to sweet talk his
chief into letting him take the second rotation of Dec 20-31st.  That
would be AWESOME for me...I can't count on it, though, as the boat's
senior nuke electrician now(a lot of folks got out so he moved up fast),
his leave could be canceled at the last minute.  Most of the crew have
already taken leave, or are on leave now, but because TJ is senior, he
can't go.  Some of his mates haven't had leave in 3 years. I miss him so
much.
All in all, he's doing well...working 10-14 hour days in port..he's lost
20 pounds that he didn't need to lose...he's got a few little underways
between now and December-a few days to weeks at sea each time..last
night he was going on and on about how much he wants to go hunting, and
how much fun Halo 3 is..lol..I told him he needs to spend some money and
get his car fixed so that he can enjoy Hawaii and let the guys at the
South Pole enjoy Halo 3. Some things change, some things don't. :)
So, what do you give a redneck submariner for Christmas?  Why, it's
elementary..a Ruger Mark 77 .308 so that he can fill the freezer while
he's home. :)

Bev, Proud Navy Mom of TJ on the USS Key West, which was, by the way,
the vessel from which the first missile was fired on Afghanistan after
September 11. Bravo Zulu!
--
Bevanron of EarthNSky Farm   Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the
ocean's depths, MY son is protecting YOUR freedom.