(no subject)
I’ve been wanting to write more in my LJ because while out to sea I do a lot of reflection but our internet connection is extremely slow (remember 2400baud modems?). Luckily, we can e-mail the outside the world in near real time and I just happen to have a great friend (justjus) who said he would post whatever I e-mail him. Thanks dude!
Anyway, we’ve been doing some cool exercises. I have a great picture to post when I get home. I was on the bridge looking down at the forward VLS (vertical launching system) when we shot our first missile. The USS Howard was nearby and took a great photo from her flight deck. However, the downside of these missile and gun exercises has been 15-17 hours of watch a day. I haven’t been able to sleep enough, let alone get a run in. This is ultimately great training on perspective. If I ever complain about some trivial and unimportant thing I give you all permission to slap me and remind me of weeks like this.
I miss Tovah terribly and am so excited about coming home in a week and change. I’m dying to see Serenity since I’m a big Joss Whedon fan. *sigh* I shouldn’t think about the real world too much or else I’ll get depressed about missing out on the important things in life. I don’t know if it is my inner zen-hippy or what, but while studying the war fighting capabilities of “enemy nations” I started to feel hollow inside. I look at all the money and resources being spent on bigger and better technology to kill each other and I wonder what the point is? It’s something humanity has done for nearly its entire existence. Will we ever stop the cycle? I could go on and on. I’ll just end with a thought from one of my globalization classes: with the exception of the Kosovo campaign (which some discount because it was a NATO action), no country with a McDonalds has ever attacked another country with a McDonalds. Perhaps globalization and McWorld will end official war between nations, but of course you then see the stratification of wealth leading to individuals taking action against those they feel are responsible for their plight (terrorism, etc).
LOL. Thoughts from a confused military officer wondering what his place is. /end reflection
Anyway, we’ve been doing some cool exercises. I have a great picture to post when I get home. I was on the bridge looking down at the forward VLS (vertical launching system) when we shot our first missile. The USS Howard was nearby and took a great photo from her flight deck. However, the downside of these missile and gun exercises has been 15-17 hours of watch a day. I haven’t been able to sleep enough, let alone get a run in. This is ultimately great training on perspective. If I ever complain about some trivial and unimportant thing I give you all permission to slap me and remind me of weeks like this.
I miss Tovah terribly and am so excited about coming home in a week and change. I’m dying to see Serenity since I’m a big Joss Whedon fan. *sigh* I shouldn’t think about the real world too much or else I’ll get depressed about missing out on the important things in life. I don’t know if it is my inner zen-hippy or what, but while studying the war fighting capabilities of “enemy nations” I started to feel hollow inside. I look at all the money and resources being spent on bigger and better technology to kill each other and I wonder what the point is? It’s something humanity has done for nearly its entire existence. Will we ever stop the cycle? I could go on and on. I’ll just end with a thought from one of my globalization classes: with the exception of the Kosovo campaign (which some discount because it was a NATO action), no country with a McDonalds has ever attacked another country with a McDonalds. Perhaps globalization and McWorld will end official war between nations, but of course you then see the stratification of wealth leading to individuals taking action against those they feel are responsible for their plight (terrorism, etc).
LOL. Thoughts from a confused military officer wondering what his place is. /end reflection