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Old 04-24-21, 08:07 PM   #46
Jeff-Groves
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You may not know this but many abandoned places in Hawaii were used as training places for War Fighters back in the 80's.
Of course We weren't given that cool name back then.
We were just Grunts.
I did training in Hawaii before I got dropped into Alaska for Winter training.
Then next stop was Panama.
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Old 04-25-21, 10:28 AM   #47
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Ever make it up to the abandoned highway in the mountains north of Honolulu?

I really enjoyed hiking it but I had traded in my old mountain bike for an over-priced touring bike when I was in Japan and never got the chance to ride it.
I was tempted to, but in the days before cellphones, I was leery of potentially getting stuck out there - "In other news, some idiot rode off the abandoned highway and died of exposure..."
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Old 04-25-21, 10:31 AM   #48
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Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves View Post
You may not know this but many abandoned places in Hawaii were used as training places for War Fighters back in the 80's.
Of course We weren't given that cool name back then.
We were just Grunts.
I did training in Hawaii before I got dropped into Alaska for Winter training.
Then next stop was Panama.
There is a crashed B-24 visible while on the Aiea Loop Trail. Getting to it from the trail is a bit of a challenge but worth it.

Sacred Falls, unfortunately, is now closed because some people died during the rainy season due to flash flood. It was about a mile hike from the road to the falls and a nice swimming hole.
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Old 04-25-21, 12:10 PM   #49
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Um, trust me. There were leeches at Sacred Falls. It looked tempting but you really didn't want to drink the water.

One of my buds wanted to try hiking the pig trails up near the north shore. Like a dummy, I wore my spiffy white U Maine ball cap and totally trashed it.
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Old 04-25-21, 12:15 PM   #50
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BTW, it almost looks like we had tons of spare time for this stuff.

These stories stand out because it was so frikken hard to get the free time to do them.
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Old 04-25-21, 12:47 PM   #51
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I've got a friend that lives up on the North Shore area.
He hunts pig in that area with Air Guns and self built Bows and arrows.
He is VERY good at it!
I've seen his video of a break barrel .22 1 shot 1 kill to the head of a small hog!

I keep trying to land a Contract to renovate Resorts there just to good out with him on a hunt!
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Old 04-30-21, 12:33 AM   #52
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Hello all, old and new:


I joined SS when I was young and now I'm a USAF 92T0 following a lifelong dream.


This is a super cool thread to have going.


Absolutely crazy to have been a member here for nearly 10 years.
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Old 04-30-21, 05:13 AM   #53
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Congratulations


I remember you talking about it and now you have gone and done did it.
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Old 04-30-21, 11:25 AM   #54
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Congratulations


I remember you talking about it and now you have gone and done did it.
Thank you. It's definitely been quite the grind but I've met some really cool people and gotten to do some really cool things along the way. I still think about the forums here from time to time but I'm more of a lurker now than I used to be.



Cheers
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Old 05-23-21, 02:00 PM   #55
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SSBN731 2007-2012

A note to those considering submarine service:

TLDR version: YES, volunteer to go subs in the navy. The work experience will pay you back the rest of your life. The rest is just me complaining.

I was in Obama's navy. I won't try to generalize my experience, because I didn't have the same outlook as many of the other guys. I hated the navy, point blank. I hated the control, I hated the lack of connectivity (me? Addicted to Farcebook? Noooo) and I hated Baker. (I doubt he is here but if he is, ******* you).

Was it all negative? No. In fact some of the best times of my life were had in the navy. Some of the best friends I ever made were (and some still are) there. People I knew without doubt would have died for me if they knew it would save my life, and vice versa. I haven't bonded with anyone that deeply (save for my wife, post-service) since.

For those of you considering the navy, do it. ABSOLUTELY do it. The experience you will gain will put you light years ahead of anyone else your age. The work experience landed me one hell of a good job in the semiconductor industry, and I now live stable and comfortably.

Would I do it again? Yea, as much as I want to hate it, I would. It would be different now that I'm older and a little more mature. I'd have actually embraced the experience rather than wallowed in my own misery, but at the time I didn't understand what was really being asked of me. I saw the separation and stress as negative rather than things that would build my character and strengthen my resolve. I let depression get the better of me and refused to admit my own weaknesses, which is why I didn't reenlist. (Honestly, I don't think I would have anyways, the Obama administration was an awful time to be in for me - budget restrictions, overpriced supply demands and some nuke jerkoff up in comsubron nineteen who had a hard-on for in-port death by powerpoint on sensitivity training for the 'kinder, gentler navy').

I am SO much better off for having had the experience - I'm still drug free, I understand how to push my limits and have been mostly successful as a tax-paying citizen, father and a husband. I probably would have a complete loser, still living at home playing with myself because I was too afraid to talk to people.

As to the submarine navy, VOLUNTEER. Trust me, eating sub galley food kicks the tin out of the surface navy's food options. There's a reason so many submariners struggle to meet PFA standards. It's cuz we're fat on all the good food.

I can't speak for the camraderie anymore though - when I left in 2012 they were integrating females and it was a SH** SHOW. Paranoia was so bad I actually got sub disqualled a month from separation because of anxiety. That ended up working in my favor but it was added stress in a time where we were already being stretched to our limits. Maybe my limit was less than others, I admit that. For me though, the integration was a headache, sensitivity training left me bitter and angry, and it has taken me years to get over myself. I promise the current submarine culture is nothing compared to the misogynistic, overly crude social party we enjoyed as men. I'm afraid to ask what it's like now, but at the same time I have no doubt it works for the current generation. It just never would have worked for me.

SUMMARY: Yeah, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Am I bitter and angry? I was, mostly because my ego and arrogance got me into a lot of hot water with people who were trying to take care of me. I was selfish, carefree and an ass. I'd love to go back and take a tiger cruise one last time - but I've moved on from warfighting. Save that for younger men. I will still always see a submarine as a second home, even if I hated all of the conditions that made it less than bearable.
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Old 05-23-21, 04:14 PM   #56
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I learned to be careful saying "I was in XYZ's Navy".

Its more accurate to look at the upper links in the chain of command. The Prez runs the show, kind of. The folks who really mess you up are a little lower in the chain.

You could wind up with a crappy SECDEF or SECNAV who's constantly fighting with the DOD/Pentagon or a congress that's preaching Austerity at the top of their lungs. That stuff happens and, unfortunately, there's no way to see it coming.



I guess we should also mention getting married in the Navy or joining after you tied the knot. For the most part, don't.

Navy and ,especially, submarine life are not conducive to a strong marriage. I knew couples who could do it, but that was really rare. The Navy would go out of their way to tell us what the annual divorce rate was for submarines each year and in the 80's and 90's that number tended to stay between 95%-97%. In other words, if you got married on New Year's Day, the odds were good you'd be divorced and cursing the lawyers by Thanksgiving. The Navy still has a thing about hitting some really good Liberty Ports during deployments and these Liberty Ports are REALLY good at what they do. Don't screw that up by worrying about the wife and kids.
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Old 05-23-21, 05:00 PM   #57
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The Navy still has a thing about hitting some really good Liberty Ports during deployments and these Liberty Ports are REALLY good at what they do. Don't screw that up by worrying about the wife and kids.
What goes on in Phuket stays in Phuket!
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Old 05-23-21, 05:14 PM   #58
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What goes on in Phuket stays in Phuket!
And you defiantly want save up some pay checks before you get there.

Yokosuka/Tokyo, Subic Bay/Manilla, Singapore, and especially Hong Kong (back in the day) were also an awful lot of fun.

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Old 05-23-21, 07:06 PM   #59
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My helmsman BBY Brother did 20 years in the Navy and told of his shore leaves in the orient!
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Old 05-23-21, 08:04 PM   #60
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I'm guessing he and I could compare our shot records and they would look fairly similar.
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