AECF FC A school and beyond

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Comment by TheresaH on December 7, 2010 at 8:48am

Happy B'day to Mary's son today:)

FC1 - if you are still out there...CIWS equals small boat? Just trying to learn all I can about my son's orders. I never thought I would be watching CIWS videos!

Jim, all their working out has confused me about what size shirt to get my son this Christmas with his "new" shoulders - lol! I can't even imagine working out for hours, but they love it!

Comment by Jim Butler on December 7, 2010 at 8:41am

Thanks FC!...it's all good :)

Comment by FC1 (SW) Sean M. Officer on December 7, 2010 at 8:27am

Jim- Just to chime in here quick. Mk 160 is basically an upgraded version of the Mk 86 so it is quite possible your son will got to a follow-on 'C' school to expand the number of platforms he can go to. My brother was a Mk 160 tech for a while and got bored with it so he finagled his way into CIWS for more of a challenge.

Comment by Mary, Proud Mom on December 7, 2010 at 8:26am

Jim, hope he is talking about a frigate and not an RHIB! Although our son has told us he is starting training for the VBSS team on his ship (Visit, board, search & seizure) part of this training is all about guns, some of the training is done by seals, some times they use those little RHIB boats and some of it --- I'm sure he is NOT telling his mom!

Your son is in good company in the gym, with the fitness requirements and tests that they do today many of our sailors are working out on daily basis. Most of the ships have gyms or at least some fitness equipment on them now. It's a great outlet for them to let off steam, stay fit and help pass time.

Comment by Jim Butler on December 7, 2010 at 7:41am

This is NOT a good development...lol
I will be telling him "Ix-Nay on the Eal-says" while he's home :)

Comment by Jim Butler on December 7, 2010 at 7:40am

It took quite awhile to get her head around military service in general. My counter to her "time of war" concerns was that a carrier is by most measures the safest piece of U.S. property there is, including being safer than the town we live in, given the massive force that surrounds them, so you can't paint with a broad brush :)
I told her he wasn't joining the SEALs.
Now, of course, with all the hold time he has, he's spending ALL of his time in the gymnasium, working out for 3-5hrs a day, and he's 6'1" of solid muscle now, and says he'd like to be deployed on the smallest boats possible, and hang with Marines and potentially SEALs.

Comment by Mary, Proud Mom on December 6, 2010 at 12:23pm

Momma is SO right!!! As moms tend to be :-)

Comment by Jim Butler on December 6, 2010 at 12:16pm

Mary,
I know...it's all very exciting, and I know he's at the beginning of this endeavour, and there's no way to tell at this point if it will be a 6yr journey or more. Things are all hunky dory for us parents (read: Momma!) while he's in school. Once he gets out to the fleet that could change ;)

Comment by Mary, Proud Mom on December 6, 2010 at 12:06pm

We will keep our fingers crossed for him Jim, even if there is not a follow on school after the MK 86 Chris will have opportunities through out his Naval career for additional schools. Schools often used as a negotiating tool when they are looking at reenlisting or extending their time on their ships.

I know right now you are just looking forward to him moving to C school but their Navy days go by so quickly - you will be having conversations about his future before you know it!

Comment by Jim Butler on December 6, 2010 at 4:09am

Talked with Chris last night...he said he's heard there's a good chance that upon completion of the MK86 school, there's a followon school for MK160 that they usually go through before going out to the fleet.

Can't wait for him to move to Dam Neck...so much easier for us to visit him there.

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