Stupid Questions about Naval Aviation (Part 3)

[Brett327]

I'm not implying that the CVN has a chow line running 24/7, but if the cereal on your ship was consumed in a week, then your SUPPO needs to be buying more cereal. PB&J and other sandwich type items are also easy options. Regardless of what ship anyone is operating from, the last thing Sailors & Aircrew need to be worried about is being hungry while they're working 18 hour days. This should be a priority for leadership, hence my original comment. If there's a food smuggling ring on a ship, then the S-2 Division is broken and the CO needs to fix it.

 

[Gatordev]

I'm not implying that the CVN has a chow line running 24/7, but if the cereal on your ship was consumed in a week, then your SUPPO needs to be buying more cereal. PB&J and other sandwich type items are also easy options. Regardless of what ship anyone is operating from, the last thing Sailors & Aircrew need to be worried about is being hungry while they're working 18 hour days. This should be a priority for leadership, hence my original comment. If there's a food smuggling ring on a ship, then the S-2 Division is broken and the CO needs to fix it.

I agree. None of this seems like a real issue. Look no farther than 7th Fleet, and we can all see a shining city upon a hill that is premiere leadership. Also, they absolutely shine at figuring out True Wind*, so figuring out food planning should be a cake walk. As long as the cake isn't moist.

And those that have operated from an Aviation Capable Ship (like you, Brett) will no doubt agree that the crew is getting food at meal times, even the aviation department, because there are meal options. The fact that pilots don't necessarily operate at those same times that the aviation department is getting said meals is probably a non-issue.

Those that say there are some ships that operate in environments where they don't have the firepower of a fully operational aircraft carrier and where food costs significantly more than "normal," and can't just "buy more" are probably just eating too much. If the rest of the fleet is getting food, they are probably an outlier.

*They don't.

 

[Brett327]

You said moist.

 

[Gatordev]

For effect, of course.

 

[Pags]

I'm not implying that the CVN has a chow line running 24/7, but if the cereal on your ship was consumed in a week, then your SUPPO needs to be buying more cereal. PB&J and other sandwich type items are also easy options. Regardless of what ship anyone is operating from, the last thing Sailors & Aircrew need to be worried about is being hungry while they're working 18 hour days. This should be a priority for leadership, hence my original comment. If there's a food smuggling ring on a ship, then the S-2 Division is broken and the CO needs to fix it.

What if the food smuggling ring is caused by the CO's policy of no food outside of mess facilities? And the CO won't budge on that policy despite data from his DHs that the policy is detrimental?

As to SUPPO buying more cereal that would presume that they have the budget and can get it and that there's a desire to be more of something that runs out so fast. We all know the tendency of the chop community to avoid high demand items like cereal and chocolate chip cookies.

Feeding people should be a priority but it doesn't always work out that way for various reasons. In many cases it results in folks, especially junior sailors, subsisting off of ramen and other items from the ships store in their work centers due to operational requirements or there not being enough time for them to get through the chow line and back to their station. At the end of the day the CO and SuppO get fed but a lot of others either miss meals or use workarounds at various levels.

 

[HAL Pilot]

The helo crew should just refuse the flying saying that without proper and timely nutrition, they are not fit to fly. Lack of food makes them less than 100% and adversely affects motor skills, alertness and judgement. It’s unsafe.

 

[scoolbubba]

The helo crew should just refuse the flying saying that without proper and timely nutrition, they are not fit to fly. Lack of food makes them less than 100% and adversely affects motor skills, alertness and judgement. It’s unsafe.

They could then contact their local JOPA rep, notify their chief pilot, and file an irregularity report and grievance.

As weird as the airline industry can be regarding management vs. labor, it doesn't come remotely close to some of the best and brightest egomaniac assholes we have running their own personal fiefdoms around international waters.

But hey, always remember to 'take care of your people.' ?

 

[Gatordev]

The helo crew should just refuse the flying saying that without proper and timely nutrition, they are not fit to fly. Lack of food makes them less than 100% and adversely affects motor skills, alertness and judgement. It’s unsafe.

On one deployment, I refused to pay my mess bill when we kept missing meals with nothing saved for us. That mattered much more to Supply than any kind of operational concerns.

On another deployment, I started docking each meal missed and took it off my mess bill.

 

[deus ex smackinya]

They could then contact their local JOPA rep, notify their chief pilot, and file an irregularity report and grievance.

As weird as the airline industry can be regarding management vs. labor, it doesn't come remotely close to some of the best and brightest egomaniac assholes we have running their own personal fiefdoms around international waters.

But hey, always remember to 'take care of your people.' ?

I refused to pay my mess bill one month. That mattered much more to Supply than any kind of operational concerns.

Sounds like you guys simply have some leadership issues.

 

[Austin-Powers]

What about the strawberries?

 

[Gatordev]

What about the strawberries?

Those are gone by day 2 of underway. They may resurface around day 10, but trust me, you do NOT want to eat them.

 

[Pags]

Those are gone by day 2 of underway. They may resurface around day 10, but trust me, you do NOT want to eat them.

All the good FFV and cereal is always gone in a post unrep binge of a day or so. And then it's a few days of wondering what the hell a mangosteen is and brown lettuce and then a few days of empty trays. And so goes the cycle of life underway.

 

[sevenhelmet]

God dammit, this is depressing, because it's all true. I'm on my way to the boat next week. ?

signing off now

 

[Gatordev]

And then it's a few days of wondering what the hell a mangosteen is and brown lettuce...

I will admit, I've never bared witness to the former. But I'm intimately familiar with the latter.

 

[Pags]

I will admit, I've never bared witness to the former. But I'm intimately familiar with the latter.

It's a fruit from SE Asia so if your USNS comes out of the PI you might get some. I knew what they were because we got some in a complimentary fruit basket when we went to Thailand. Because not many folks knew what they were at first no one touched them. They're not bad, kind of citrusy.

Same PI based USNS ships also used to bring us mangosteen ice cream.