03 April 2008

Pretty Much the Standard for the Navy

People who have zero experience either being in the military or knowing people in the military seem to have these pre-conceived notions that folks who choose to serve our country are all soul-less, politically correct robots that don't know how to have a good time. That's why it doesn't surprise me that WSJ ran a ridiculous piece on McCain canoodling with a ladyfriend during a port visit in Brazil in his Navy days like it was some big freakin' scandal (it registered pretty damn low on my shock factor). Wonkette turned up the snark to take jabs at the Republican, but all of these potshots fail to neglect the fact that this is pretty much the MO for sailors. Granted, McCain was an officer, so he should be held to more scrutiny. But, anyone who thinks that playing Xbox and calling home is a "super-fun time" for a sailor in a liberty port, who has to go back out to sea for 2 months afterwards, needs to have their head examined. Our enlisted single guys need to have some good times while in-port, since working out at sea is a grueling, boring, and extremely laborious endeavor. To deny them the chance to uh...meet and greet the ladies in exotic port locations is extremely detrimental to morale. The Army has already succumbed to this gross intrusion of politically correct nitwitology, setting R&R policies by shipping troops from the frontlines to Qatar for a 4-day pass, where alcohol consumption is limited to a lousy 3 beers a day, and they've got you locked up on base like the prison camp from Running Man. I apologize to female sailors for not understanding what their idea of a good time in port is, but I imagine it's not sitting around some Stalin-era barracks room on base somewhere. The double standard in American society is that legions of meathead college students (the future leaders of America) are allowed to descend upon places like Cancun and make complete asses out of themselves, but the minute someone from the military decides to drink a shot of the dreaded Habu-Sake in Okinawa, it's some kind of international incident. I'm not a big McCain fan because of his bizarre opinions on foreign policy, but I certainly give the guy respect for meeting this Brazilian babe. Man, he didn't even have to pay for it, good for him!
Thailand, a sailor's idea of a good time (watch out for the lady-boys)

17 comments:

Jonn Lilyea said...

See, that's why I can't run for President - I was stationed in Panama for two years in my early 20s while I was unmarried.

David M said...

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 04/03/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.

Anonymous said...

So in 1957 -- 1957 -- the man had a good time. Oh, my. Well, that's a reason to not vote for him??? Come on. If that's the worst thing they can dig up on him, go for it.

I'm still going to vote for who I want, no matter what happened in 1957. (That is a long, long time ago.)
Kath

Nixon said...

Jonn,

Yeah I know the feeling.

Kath,

Hot Air was making fun of this WSJ columnist today. It was humorous.

Grung_e_Gene said...

... This just in ...

... Men and Women engage in Sexual Congress ...

... What does this mean for our society? ...

... shocking footage at 11 ...

anyone who uses sex to attack a political opponent is a repressed authoritarian puritan and we as a society would be better off if they didn't pass those genes on to the next generation.

Bag Blog said...

I had to go to the link because I was not sure what "canoodling" was. Oh yeah, I remember now. I've walked the third floor hall at the Vegas Hilton during a Tailhook convention (20+ years ago). I will testify that officers do canoodle.

Nixon said...

Bag Blog,

I have never done anything wrong in the Navy ever (insert pinnochio nose extending sound here).

Anonymous said...

Bag Blog,
Slightly more than canoodling at many of those tailhook conventions, as I've heard first hand from those Naughty Navy Guys!!See, maybe it's just a Navy thing? (Ha, I bet not.)
Kath

Bag Blog said...

Kath, the tailhook convention had plenty of Marines too, but it was those Navy boys that were most memorable.

Anonymous said...

People have sex? Shocking!! If given the chance, I would also do a hot brazilian model, and I'm not gay.

Nixon said...

Ms. Kiyum,

Does your husband know about this?

Kath/Bag Blog,

Ah yes, tailhook. Home to navy aviation types...the primadonnas of the military.

Anonymous said...

Primadonnas for a reason, I might add.
(Doesn't hurt that there's not a bad looking one in the bunch.)
Kath

Anonymous said...

LT Kiyum likes to quote one of his fellow naval officers: "Every chick is just three drinks away from being a lesbian."

You ever heard of him?

Nixon said...

Ms. Kiyum,

I may have said that when I was three drinks away from passing out naked on the front lawn.

Consul-At-Arms said...

I've quoted you and linked to you here: http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2008/04/re-pretty-much-standard-for-navy.html

Anonymous said...

The Qatar R&R thing is a joke... the sad thing is that it compared favorably enough to life elsewhere that a lot of my guys jumped at it. Our higher HQ didn't decide to grant R&R until we were a couple months from going home, which I'd say is "pretty much the standard for the Navy." Afraid of someone having fun in a way that might embarrass a full bird.

At what point do JOs who complain about stupid policies become the guys who uphold and create them? I haven't found a hard line yet.

For the record, I have never done anything wrong in the Navy either.

Nixon said...

LCDR,

I just wish they would send the guys and gals somewhere that could be construed as...fun. Heaven knows they deserve it. My concept of when officers start drinking the proverbial kool-aid has changed quite a bit working on a staff (I've seen disgruntled O-6s for crying out loud!). So maybe I should just blame the lawyers or something.

V/R LT Nixon