<p>Just a reminder that the first of three episodes of "Carrier" airs tonight on Public Television! Check out the expanded "Carrier" website at pbs.com</p>
<p>CARRIER</a> | PBS</p>
<p>Excellent resources for additional research; incoming candidates can study naval ranks on the link provided. Full episodes will be available online beginning Monday, April 28.</p>
<p>Did anyone order the DVDs from pbs.com?</p>
<p>usna09mom, the PBS special that aired last evening was outstanding. Our entire family watched and were very pleased. The carrier is a city unto itself with all the issues that people from many different walks of life deal with every day. Add to this the stress of close quarters living, eighteen hour work days, and six month tours away from loved ones. It is a tribute to those on board that they perform so well. We should be very proud of our sons and daughters who choose to serve their country.</p>
<p>Very long hours, very hard work, a huge amount of responsibility, by a bunch of very young kids. That came across real well. However, the lone example of the V-2 Chief attempting to get the guy from sleeping at his desk and getting in the rack is way more prevalent than the movie indicated. That is the way they survive the continuous 18 hr days. And all the deck guys were way way to clean. Jets are dirty. For all you Naval Officers to be, this is what it is about, leading these young guys and gals. I forget exactly how the V-2 chief stated it, ABs are not academically gifted, but they have a heart of gold. So true. They are fun (and sometimes a challenge) to work with.</p>
<p>The one thing that everyone has to realize, which I hope the movie continues to emphasize, is that the SOLE purpose of that floating city (or high school, as they are trying to emphasize), it to put 50 tactical aircraft into the air to drop bombs allowing grunts on the ground to do their job and be a little more safe.</p>
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The one thing that everyone has to realize, which I hope the movie continues to emphasize, is that the SOLE purpose of that floating city (or high school, as they are trying to emphasize), it to put 50 tactical aircraft into the air to drop bombs allowing grunts on the ground to do their job and be a little more safe.
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<p>this is also stressed in the new documentary "Speed and Angels" about two of the last SNAs (Jay Consalvi and Meagan Varley) that selected F-14 tomcats (documentary covers their training, winging, first real live combat missions over Iraq during a 2yr period of time):
[url=<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7789190077538974962%5DSpeed_And_Angels.avi%5B/url">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7789190077538974962]Speed_And_Angels.avi[/url</a>]</p>
<p>wasn't Meagan Varley also profiled in that service academies show as a plebe?</p>
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wasn't Meagan Varley also profiled in that service academies show as a plebe?
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<p>click on the link and you'll see 45mins of her in the documentary. she ROCKS! i want to be just like her- except maybe handling the jet better behind the boat! ;)</p>
<p>yeah, i saw the first 10 minutes. she was definitely one of the plebes at USNA in the service academy documentary.</p>
<p>if anyone missed Carrier yesterday, the first 2 episodes (out of 10) are now on the pbs website:
CARRIER</a> . Full Episodes | PBS</p>
<p>totally cool and not to be missed!</p>
<p>even more cool is that some of the ppl on that cruise are hanging out over on <a href="http://www.airwarriors.com%5B/url%5D">http://www.airwarriors.com</a>
(ok, sry, that was another plug for my favorite forum- LOL!)</p>
<p>Well, at least the flotation vests are getting a little dirtier. A little more realistic. Great depiction of the tensions of close living and working relations. Great depiction of relationships between the supervisors (chiefs and LPOs) and the troops. Nothing about officer-chief or positive about officer-enlisted. Hope that changes in the next few episodes. </p>
<p>I hope they show the exuberance of the squadron enlisted and the flight deck crews once they start dropping bombs. Those guys really get excited when they know they are doing something worthwhile and real.</p>
<p>One thing fun to watch is when the aircrew are getting in and out of the aircraft. During pre and post flights some will do it alone. Some will have a half dozen mechs following them around, chatting and laughing. Not real hard to determine who the 'people' officers are.</p>
<p>*VFA-41 Ready Room: *</p>
<p>"XO, why do we have to pay for our food out here."</p>
<p>"Join the Air Force. They don't have to pay for theirs. (pause) Oh, never mind. You could not joint the Air Force. You know who both your parents are."</p>
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"Join the Air Force. They don't have to pay for theirs. (pause) Oh, never mind. You could not joint the Air Force. You know who both your parents are."
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<p>you skipped the other comment from the XO: ".. but then you would have married another dude if you were in the Air Force." another aviator: "and you'd wear a scarf with your flight-suit!"</p>
<p>VFA-41 Ready Room with "Top Gun" playing on a big-screen TV:
XO: "If it weren't for this movie, you'd be married to a troll."</p>
<p>ROFLMAO!</p>
<p>One of the pilots was reading the Sports Illustrated issue that my daughter was in. I also laughed about the Air Force remark.</p>
<p>I wasn't a real big fan last night. Seemed more like the US Navy version of the OC.</p>
<p>TxinAK, If you were looking to be entertained, I admit it is not Ken Burns. However, if you were looking for factual information about our young Navy enlistees, pay attention, it is very true.</p>
<p>Many a night, I would sit down in the wardroom and look at whoever was across the table and state; "Bob, there is a whole other world out there we know nothing about." In the off chance that his name was Bob, we would then have some very interesting conversations.</p>
<p>This is a great opportunity to see the world of our sailors. My son is getting his eyes opened. Navy life can be tough. He has commented already about how many of them come from messed up lives. He needs to know that he will be responsible for the health and welfare of those in his charge. I think the timing of this series is priceless - right before Plebe Summer. When they first started talking about all of the stress that they deal with on a daily basis, I told him that there was his reason for Plebe Year.</p>
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"Bob, there is a whole other world out there we know nothing about."
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<p>I think that has been the biggest lesson for me. Truth be told, my perception was something altogether different. I don't know what it was I expected to see, but this wasn't it. Reality check!</p>
<p>Now I understand the dant's remark about prison being another option for some sailors. It's a fascinating narrative about the cross-section of people on a ship; fascinating but somewhat scary too. I appreciate USNA69's comments to put the stories in perspective. Are the mids watching the show? I heard they voted for the cartoon channel instead of PBS...</p>
<p>The E-6 who had sex with the E-3 surprised the hell out of me. How often does stuff like that happen? I'm also curious to know how many people are usually on restriction at any time.</p>
<p>^^^while he was on SAVI duty no less. The E-3 was brave to share her thoughts with the whole world. The story was well told because earlier in the film the E-6 talked about his career goals, and co-workers complimented him on his work habits/potential for advancement. One bad choice and his career comes to a screeching halt. Five years before he can expect another promotion. The real world.</p>