Tracking Kali through her Army career (Moderately non-Valk)

[Jess from VA]

I far prefer AA.  I hate SW... I'd rather walk than get on one of their flights again.

All commercial airlines suck.  (except Swiss Air and Lufthansa)

Give me a C141 anytime.  



I once spent a whole night sleeping under an F-111 jet engine in wood chocks.  It looked sturdy enough.  It was either that, or sit up all night in the web seats.  

[The emperor has no clothes]

Sorry to hear that, but it's not like hurry up and wait is unknown to the military.   

I've slept on airport floors and seats all over the US and Europe.

What they should not do is go to some bar and party.

Should have had that recruiter's C-phone number.   

Seeing as I believe they're all underaged a bar wouldn't be an issue...

She has the recruiter's cell number, but is reluctant to call him for reasons we can't figure out.

I'm having to keep the spousal unit from trying to micro manage the situation as it is though, so other than pointing out she should call him, I'm not pursuing that avenue any further.

Last message from her was "I love ya'll but please stop you're blowing up me phone!"

So I left her with a "Please let us know when anything is decided, and if you need anything from us we'll help however we can." so now just waiting...

The adventure begins !

[Serk]

I can kinda see that one too..,.. I'm told I also looked like Leonardo Dicaprio back in my 20's but I don't see that one nearly as well...





As far as the airlines thing goes, if they'd taken Southwest, they'd have been there hours ago.

...if they'd just gotten in a car and driven, they'd have been there hours ago.

But now they're sitting in D/FW airport with no idea what to do, told it's a 4 hour wait to talk to a ticket agent about finding a solution.

...and that's pretty par for the course for my dealings with American Airlines... To the point when we found out she was flying American, we suggested she get extra food before the shops close at the airport, as it'll likely be delayed at best...

Just got an update from her, evidently they played the "We've got a dozen Army recruits on our way to basic training" card and got to talk to a AA rep. Said there's no flights at all tonight or tomorrow, trying to put together a patchwork of connecting flights but not sure they'll be able to, told 'em to be prepared to hang out at the airport until Wednesday.

And as I keep telling the spousal unit - Relax. She's in the secure zone of a major airport, not in a foxhole outside Kabul (Or even worse... Chicago!)... She'll be fine.

[old2soon]

         New Recruits 20 year Veterans unless things have changed Military flies on a space available basis. And THAT is just the way it wuz. As I iz a bit over 53 year outa touch with Any Military Service. She's young She WILL bounce back!  RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

How about a bus?

They could all put in for reimbursement at FLW (I would think). 

The delay on this end is one thing, but being late for a new training cycle would suck.

Someone (like the recruiter) should be swift kicked in the nuts.  Twelve new recruits are hard to come by, and this is not professional service. 

IF there's a chance they will be late for a new cycle, maybe call FLW direct now, and put someone in hot water (and on notice). 

[f6gal]

As far as the airlines thing goes, if they'd taken Southwest, they'd have been there hours ago.

...if they'd just gotten in a car and driven, they'd have been there hours ago.

But now they're sitting in D/FW airport with no idea what to do, told it's a 4 hour wait to talk to a ticket agent about finding a solution.

...and that's pretty par for the course for my dealings with American Airlines... To the point when we found out she was flying American, we suggested she get extra food before the shops close at the airport, as it'll likely be delayed at best...

Just got an update from her, evidently they played the "We've got a dozen Army recruits on our way to basic training" card and got to talk to a AA rep. Said there's no flights at all tonight or tomorrow, trying to put together a patchwork of connecting flights but not sure they'll be able to, told 'em to be prepared to hang out at the airport until Wednesday.

And as I keep telling the spousal unit - Relax. She's in the secure zone of a major airport, not in a foxhole outside Kabul (Or even worse... Chicago!)... She'll be fine.

What's the reason for no flights tonight or tomorrow?  DFW is a pretty big hub for AA.  I've never had a flight canceled on AA.  Delayed sometimes, but no more that any other airline.

What did the recruiter say?  They should be able to get them on another flight, if it's only an AA issue.  Barring that, I say they rent a van and drive there, submit for reimbursement.

[scooperhsd]

New recruits - not sure they would know about this stuff.

[Skinhead]

If Kali was voted leader of this group, I would encourage her to call her recruiter immediately, at least it shows some initiative and leadership on her part and it may keep the recruiters ass out of a bind when these recruits are discovered missing.  As I recall basic training, we spent several days waiting in transient barracks on base before anything resembling processing or training commenced, there is probably some buffer time in the schedule, but again, the recruiter could confirm or deny that.  As for sleeping in the airport, I'm sure she'll sleep in worse places during her enlistment.  At least food, water, and toilet facilities are readily available.  Tell her to save all receipts for expenditures.

Edit: Also tell Kali to get used to it, welcome to the military.  She should also get used to the terms FUBAR and SNAFU.

[Serk]

I'm having to ALMOST physically restrain the spousal unit to stop her from swooping in and rescuing her baby.

Morning update (And more hate towards AA)

I went to bed shortly after this post, and was woken up around 4AM when the spousal unit finally came to bed.

They managed to actually talk to a ticket agent, they got new flights, most evidently don't leave until Wednesday though. Kali flies out 4:45PM today to Charlotte, then on to St. Louis getting there just before midnight (If everything's on time) then a 3+ hour ride in a car/bus/something to the base itself.

They managed to get hotel and taxi vouchers out of AA, however they set it up with 4 kids per room, and the rooms have 2 queen beds. Kali did not bring any form of pajamas and was worried, was chatting with Tarynn.

Tarynn agreed to grab some and drive to the hotel to get them to her. As Tarynn was driving to the airport, the recruits were trying to find a taxi that was willing to accept the AA taxi vouchers.

Taxi after taxi refused to take them, told 'em the vouchers were worthless, too hard to get AA to honor them, not worth the paper they're printed on. Finally found one taxi that'd take the 7 person sub group Kali was in so they piled in and off they went.

The taxi took them to the hotel in Grapevine, very near the airport, dropped them off and took off.

However, their hotel vouchers were for the same brand hotel, but in Grand Prairie, ~20 miles away.

Debatable if this was an honest mistake or if the taxi driver intentionally took 'em to the closer, but wrong hotel but regardless, at that point we had 7 recruits at a hotel that wouldn't accept their hotel vouchers with return taxi vouchers that no taxi would honor at a hotel that did not have a shuttle to the airport.

Luckily, Tarynn had taken the swagger wagon (AKA Minivan)

Tarynn used the GPS thing on Kali's phone to get to her at the wrong hotel. Luckily our minivan is an 8 person model, so all the recruits piled in. Tarynn offered to take them to the right hotel but after the taxi fiasco they didn't trust they'd be able to get back to the airport. She even offered to bypass the 3rd Amendment and bring them all to our house, kick the triplets outta their beds and let 'em sleep here, but they just wanted to go back to the airport and stay close to their gates.

Oh, and Kali had messaged her recruiter and even called the boot camp base. The recruiter was not able to assist and the base basically told them no need to call us, just figure out a way to get here. But I insisted she make those calls for CYA against being declared AWOL at the very least.

So Tarynn got them Whataburger and took them back to the airport. They got back through security, and, being sensible tired recruits who know they need to get sleep whenever and wherever they can right now, elected to spend most of the remainder of the evening riding the airport tram in laps around the airport.



Eventually they hunkered down in the terminal and got a little sleep at least, and are just now getting up and about...

[Serk]

How about a bus?

They were told to not bring money, and most didn't We sent Kali with some pocket change and her debit card, but the expectation is they shouldn't need money for things like that, so most don't have any...

What's the reason for no flights tonight or tomorrow?  DFW is a pretty big hub for AA.  I've never had a flight canceled on AA.  Delayed sometimes, but no more that any other airline.

Mostly that AA stinks on ice. To their credit, there were storms yesterday over D/FW as well as Houston and Austin at almost the same time, and the delayed then canceled flights started snowballing on each other, so they're having to work through the backlog of stranded passengers today and tomorrow.

Edit: Also tell Kali to get used to it, welcome to the military.  She should also get used to the terms FUBAR and SNAFU.

Evidently there was some thing where the appointed leader HAD to be the real leader, even if they wanted someone else so she had to step aside. Actually had some friction as she was suggesting things that not everyone liked, but after it was Kali's mom that showed up to rescue 'em AND fed 'em Whataburger Kali went up several notches with the group and found "her people."

FUBAR, SNAFU and they've been chanting to themselves to "Embrace the suck."

[Valkorado]

FUBAR, SNAFU and they've been chanting to themselves to "Embrace the suck."

Now that's funny right there!

[scooperhsd]

What an experiance to get started !! By the time they get to FLW, they will be pro's at travel for Uncle Sam. Keep their chins up, keep track of receipts, and get money / cards from closest family for the rest of the trip.

My first trip on active duty (reporting to duty station) wasn't nearly so much fun -  had my brand new Ensign mobile and I went from Lawrence Ks to St Louis Mo. Had to find some temp places to stay, but it all worked out pretty easily in the end.

[f6gal]

Not for nothin', but with as many things that went wrong and telling them no money, it almost sounds like a set-up, to see how they would handle the situation.  J/S.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Not for nothin' but with as many things that went wrong and telling them no money, it almost sounds like a set-up, to see how they would handle the situation.  J/S.

You misjudge the ability of the military. FUBAR and SNAFU indeed. 

[Serk]

Not for nothin', but with as many things that went wrong and telling them no money, it almost sounds like a set-up, to see how they would handle the situation.  J/S.

I had the same thought, but have to come down on the side of Mr. Head on this one....

[The emperor has no clothes]

All this has made me think about my travels to boot camp. I enlisted while on a 18 month tour of the states on a Yamaha 750. I had been staying with my grandparents in the Rio Grande Valley. 19 years old and trying to figure out life. When I enlisted I made it clear that I would only go if I could take my bike. My recruiter thought I was stupid. Why would I want to pay for my own way to San Diego and for storage of the bike. Anyways, a date was set. I dilly dallied until the last minute and rode from San Benito to San Diego in 2 days. Got snowed on in the mountains outside of San Diego. Found a storage rental place in La Mesa, got a hotel, and took a taxi to the MEPS in San Diego the next morning. Probably spent $500 back in ‘77 for it all. Best money I ever spent. Having my bike there for me in San Diego and the ensuing year plus in Vallejo was life changing in many ways.



Sorry for the ramble  

[old2soon]

       Again learn to say Military travels on stand by status. Purty danged sure I could have picked them up at DFW and had then to FLW by now. Thinkin out loud without knowin But dollars to donuts their training cycle starts this coming mon 7-26-2021. But on da udder hand I could be not correct!  They also gonna learn there are 3 ways to do things-the right way the wrong way and The Army Way. Thankin ya fer the update.  RIDE SAFE.

[bassman]

I'm guessing everyone knows all of this but just in case someone may not be aware.....


https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/fort-leonard-wood-graduation/

https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/my-fort/imt

https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/army-boot-camp-schedule.html

[Serk]

Small update, AA did manage to get her rebooked onto a direct flight to St. Louis instead of the Dallas -> Charlotte -> St. Louis route she was originally rebooked on, so HOPEFULLY she'll be getting into St. Louis around 8:30, which should, hopefully *knock on wood* get her to FLW at a somewhat barely reasonable time tonight...

...hopefully...

[Serk]

Evening update - AA managed to get most of them onto a single non-stop flight to St Louis, they took off about half an hour ago, and have  left Texas air space... She's on her way for real finally...

[Jess from VA]

Excellent.  Finally.

I apologize for my earlier vitriol.

My attitude was from the point of view of a parent, not a future soldier.

It was drummed into me in my USAF criminal justice and other JAG training that we would never get parents to let their children join our club, if we didn't very actively protect them from other bad airmen, bad rules, bad management, bad instructors and bad things. 

Today, the question has shifted to whether woke coming to the military has made that a questionable career choice for anyone.  I sure hope not.  (I especially would like to hear what if anything she has to tell you about that as her training progresses). 

[scooperhsd]

Today, the question has shifted to whether woke coming to the military has made that a questionable career choice for anyone.  I sure hope not.  (I especially would like to hear what if anything she has to tell you about that as her training progresses). 

I would be interested in this as well. I would think being "woke" is incompatible with the ideals that I served under, but I would like to know what the story is today.

[Jess from VA]

Yeah, like you sit down in class the first day and fully take down an AR in 20 seconds (before any training), and instead of an attaboy, they take down your name for CID.

The first time I fired the USAF Mod 15 for qualification I shot expert.  The instructor (SSgt Jim Bob), called me Wyatt Earp (for laughter from the class), but he gave me a big attaboy.  

But this is Serk's thread on Kali, lets not get off on a tangent.

[Serk]

But this is Serk's thread on Kali, lets not get off on a tangent.

Au contrair, I'm enjoying the tangents, the more background stuff and such I can get the better!

And chatting with Kali now, she's in St. Louis, THOUGHT she was gonna spend the night in the USO then be bussed to the base in the morning, but the USO closes overnight "Because of COVID" (Evidently it only spreads at night or something?) so she's on the bus headed to the base now. Expecting that very brief 10 second phone call sometime in the next few hours. I WAS going to bed, not sure I'll be able to sleep now however...

But seriously, keep the side stories coming!

The night of her prom, while she was all girlie girled up waiting on her prom date to pick her up is when she decided she wanted me to teach her the basics of an AR15.

I intentionally kept the lesson on the basics, more on the "These are the parts and how they go together" and less on "And this is how you take them apart and put them together" since I figured the Army would have their own specific way they want those things done. I did want her to at least have some basic familiarity with the components though...

And we all agree the pics sum her up perfectly, pretty girlie girl on one side, holding an AR15 (That has a unicorn farting rainbows stamped into the receiver, I like eclectic weapons) with part of my whisky collection in the background...



Edit to add, and we had this interaction earlier tonight:

Kali - Found the first true dick and think hes in my unit

Me -  They'll be there, everywhere, not just in BCT and not just in the Army...  Look at it as "Learning to deal with dicks" as a training exercise

Me, very VERY quickly after hitting send on the above - Wait!!! That came out all kinds of wrong!

[The emperor has no clothes]

Basic training is co-Ed ?

[Serk]

Basic training is co-Ed ?

Yes, Army BCT has been coed since 1994.

[Oldfishguy]

Did my Basic Training at Ft Dix NJ in 1980.  Three years later, the last two in Europe, I out processed from the Army at that same base.  Was only at the base a few days doing paperwork  but found time one late night to take a long walk to my old Basic Training  barracks . . . It was a clear calm night and I stood outside for a long time just thinking of the last three years of where I’d been and things I’d done; it was an unforgettable journey.  I knew the young soldiers inside sleeping had no idea of the things they would do or see.  

I returned home the next day, started college a few days after that.  I think it took me a year to adjust to civilian life again.  But I had a focus I never would have had without the Army.  

“Be All You Can Be”, still rings true to me.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Basic training is co-Ed ?

Yes, Army BCT has been coed since 1994.

I think I’ve officially reached dinosaur age. 

[Jess from VA]

Me -  They'll be there, everywhere, not just in BCT and not just in the Army...  Look at it as "Learning to deal with dicks" as a training exercise

Me, very VERY quickly after hitting send on the above - Wait!!! That came out all kinds of wrong!

   (I'm sure she knows what you meant)

It has been my experience in life that some dicks just seem drawn to be confrontational and overly aggressive with big/tall guys.

It has long been called the little man syndrome.  You may have some experience with this yourself.

Kali is a tall girl, and while I've never heard of the syndrome being used with girls, I suppose that some dicks would.  

(Not that I'm big or tall) but I remember telling such dicks.... if you want to fight, join the F'ing Army.  Some probably do.

[Skinhead]

“Be All You Can Be”, still rings true to me.

As does FTA! 

I did my training at Ft. Dix as well and returned back there after completing MP school at Ft. Gordon, GA.  I went back to my Basic training Company as well, but it was to F with my DI's.  I used to pull them over in their POV's just to F with them.  I'll never forget SSG Nesbitt, he was a cross between Bill Cosby and Superman.  He was also the guy that gave me the distinct honor of being the first of our trainees to do 50 push ups.

It sounds funny, but after going to the range, my favorite part of basic was the gas chamber.

[Serk]

Just before 2AM we got the call... Very scripted, VERY rushed and mechanical. You can tell it was designed to be a mental and emotional demarcation line for both the recruit and the family. A few hours ago we were chatting with our daughter, she has now crossed "The Line" and is theirs now.

"I made it to Fort Leonard Wood. All is Well. I Love You. Good Bye."

[scooperhsd]

She's on her way .

[..]

Let's not forget the male / males who are unable to deal with an intelligent woman and respond by being a dick without understanding it just makes them more of a dick.

[f6gal]

After this, I assume they are no longer allowed to have their phones?

[old2soon]

        She may very well be held inccumunicado-sp? When I went in I was already wearing prescription lenses-glasses. When my "civillian box" was shipped home my glasses were in the box as the Navy had made me a pair of the never to be for gotten-NO DATE GLASSES!  And as long as I was active duty Those N D G were the Only ones I was allowed to wear as per regs.  The N D G were as advertised in CONUS but if you had coin of the realm they-N D G-were no problem over seas!  Ah Yes Sir-let the Adventure Begin!  From what Ross-da prez-told me she Will learn to eat an entire meal in 5 minutes or so. And probably Run in cadence Everywhere while in Basic. Lotsa of us here have been there done that got the DD214. She Will too!  RIDE SAFE.

[Serk]

Basic training is co-Ed ?

Yes, Army BCT has been coed since 1994.

And it gets even better, we're getting word they might have even made the barracks (Other than bathrooms/showers..... so far) coed now. All the "official" stuff I find says they're still segregated, but hearing first hand from recruits that that is no longer the case.

It has long been called the little man syndrome.  You may have some experience with this yourself.

BIG time. Every little punk wanted to fight me in high school, and it was a catch-22. if I fought 'em and lost I was a giant wussy for getting beat up by a smaller kid, if I fought 'em and won I was a bully for beating up smaller kids. So I chose to just weird 'em out. I wouldn't fight. At all. I memorized the Enochian Charm of Making (It's the spell Merlin used in the movie Excalibur but it's also a "real" spell) and would just chant it at whoever was trying to fight me until they got either bored or freaked out and left me alone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zywyyD7J5XQ

It sounds funny, but after going to the range, my favorite part of basic was the gas chamber.

She's actually SORTA looking forward to that. She has been practicing saying her SSN as quickly and succinctly as she can, evidently taking the mask off and saying it is the requirement to be allowed to exit...

After this, I assume they are no longer allowed to have their phones?

The next call we SHOULD get from her, unless something goes wrong, is her calling to tell us the details of the actual BCT unit she gets assigned to. Will likely be a week or more until that happens while they wait in reception bored out of their minds.

And as a sign of the changing times, nothing is guaranteed, but if their unit is doing well, they've started letting them have their phones for a little while on Sunday evenings during basic.

Another sign of the times - the Army has hired a private photography company to follow the unit through BCT and take pics. You can see the low res versions for free, pay a subscription to see the hires ones.... Once she's assigned to a unit and they start posting pics I will of course share any I find here...

When my "civillian box" was shipped home my glasses were in the box as the Navy had made me a pair of the never to be for gotten-NO DATE GLASSES! ... And probably Run in cadence Everywhere while in Basic.

She also wears glasses, had me order 2 pairs of the most bland boring glasses I could find off of Zenni that she took with her, evidently if your glasses are boring enough they let you keep 'em, but we'll see, she's fine either way.

Our time at the Renaissance festival is already serving her well. We march in parade with the Queen's Own Highlanders, let mostly by vets, and we march in cadence through the parade, follow basic drill commands, keep military bearing, etc... During pre-ship PT she was quickly made the leader of the marching since she was already familiar with most of the concepts and, being almost as twisted as her father, kinda enjoys it...

[scooperhsd]

Your young lady will do just fine.  A sense of humor (at appropriate times) will help.So will keeping your trap shut except when spoken to (again, depends on circumstances).

[Skinhead]

Basic training is co-Ed ?

Yes, Army BCT has been coed since 1994.

And it gets even better, we're getting word they might have even made the barracks (Other than bathrooms/showers..... so far) coed now. All the "official" stuff I find says they're still segregated, but hearing first hand from recruits that that is no longer the case.

It has long been called the little man syndrome.  You may have some experience with this yourself.

BIG time. Every little punk wanted to fight me in high school, and it was a catch-22. if I fought 'em and lost I was a giant wussy for getting beat up by a smaller kid, if I fought 'em and won I was a bully for beating up smaller kids. So I chose to just weird 'em out. I wouldn't fight. At all. I memorized the Enochian Charm of Making (It's the spell Merlin used in the movie Excalibur but it's also a "real" spell) and would just chant it at whoever was trying to fight me until they got either bored or freaked out and left me alone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zywyyD7J5XQ

It sounds funny, but after going to the range, my favorite part of basic was the gas chamber.

She's actually SORTA looking forward to that. She has been practicing saying her SSN as quickly and succinctly as she can, evidently taking the mask off and saying it is the requirement to be allowed to exit...

After this, I assume they are no longer allowed to have their phones?

The next call we SHOULD get from her, unless something goes wrong, is her calling to tell us the details of the actual BCT unit she gets assigned to. Will likely be a week or more until that happens while they wait in reception bored out of their minds.

And as a sign of the changing times, nothing is guaranteed, but if their unit is doing well, they've started letting them have their phones for a little while on Sunday evenings during basic.

Another sign of the times - the Army has hired a private photography company to follow the unit through BCT and take pics. You can see the low res versions for free, pay a subscription to see the hires ones.... Once she's assigned to a unit and they start posting pics I will of course share any I find here...

When my "civillian box" was shipped home my glasses were in the box as the Navy had made me a pair of the never to be for gotten-NO DATE GLASSES! ... And probably Run in cadence Everywhere while in Basic.

She also wears glasses, had me order 2 pairs of the most bland boring glasses I could find off of Zenni that she took with her, evidently if your glasses are boring enough they let you keep 'em, but we'll see, she's fine either way.

Our time at the Renaissance festival is already serving her well. We march in parade with the Queen's Own Highlanders, let mostly by vets, and we march in cadence through the parade, follow basic drill commands, keep military bearing, etc... During pre-ship PT she was quickly made the leader of the marching since she was already familiar with most of the concepts and, being almost as twisted as her father, kinda enjoys it...

I hope everyone does not mind the reminiscing, but Serk's posts bring back a lot of memories.  

If I recall, the requirement to exit the gas chamber was Name, rank, DOB, SSN, and home of record.  But if the DI blocked held the exit door shut from the outside, (like mine did), it didn't matter what you said.  The important lesson was, DON'T PANIC, you may be uncomfortable and have snot hanging down to your belt buckle and eye watering like Niagara Falls, but it won't kill you, panicking and running around under fire could.  As long as your still breathing, just endure it.

They allowed us to use the payphone on Sundays after a couple of weeks to make calls.

As far as Cadence goes, it was sung where ever we went in the ARMY.  But during my K9 training with the Air Force, they never did, the instructor would just holler, "Left - Right" once in awhile.  This got really boring marching from the kennels to the training area with our dogs, so after a couple days in the middle of a march, I yelled, "Permission to call cadence", our instructor said go ahead, so from that day until graduation, the instructor would give us the movement commands, and after he had us on our way, he'd holler, "Hit it, Stratemeier", and I'd lead with every song I could remember from basic.  I doubt they would allow some of them to be recited today to to the snowflakes running our military.  It was amazing what it did for morale and our class looked head and shoulders better than the other classes.  When we arrived at the drill pad at the end of a days training the instructor would have us march in place among all the classes, if I was in the middle of a verse until we came to and appropriate ending place.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Much of my basic experience was the same as Skin’s. (Except maybe I learned to keep my mouth shut sooner) It was very eye opening seeing some guys freak out. I think I enjoyed the smoke chamber even more than the gas chamber. I never knew a person could generate so much snot.
 I didn’t realize basic was co-Ed nowadays. It must be completely different. Sh!t, shower, and shave takes on a whole new dynamic. It was quite humorous the amount of dudes that slept walked at night. I think we had one or two that bombed out because of it.
 

[old2soon]

         This may offend some of y'all but here goes. Mostly Southern born cooks when I went thru Boot Camp-Basic. And you ate whatever was put on yer tray even if you hated it. I did not Like okra when I went in and to this day-fergitaboudit. After boot however food quality and Choice became the norm although choices were limited to what was on the staem tables BUT I could Pass on the okra!   And after Boot we could eat As Much as we could hold-take all you want eat what you take DO NOT WASTE FOOD. The ship on the other hand-well I ate a Lot of Hamburgers on the ship. Recombined eggs more water than eggs stale toast bacon a sharp knife played hell cuttin and recombined milk that was Never even cool. But I survived a combined total of near 2 years on The U S S Yorktown CVS 10. And I would Not trade a minute of the experience. You Learn to adjust adapt perservere and excel in your job. And I survived damn near 4 years and I'm still here. With one or two Very Minor exceptions loved all of it. The minor exceptions involed "war protestors" at the civilian airports. RIDE SAFE.