Redux
Well-Known Member
Absolutely it isn't a gimie. Again, they aren't in the same ballpark as the silly AW or SW silliness but they look good to some I guess.
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Has The Navy Gone Geedunk Crazy?
- Thread starter Redux
- Start date
Redux
Well-Known Member
As far as I know shit sticks are still 4 years (somebody enlighten if not) gold vs red is a behavioral thing or "didn't get caught".
Redux
Well-Known Member
Launch the Intruders: A Naval Attack Squadron in the Vietnam War, 1972 an EXCELLENT read about VA-75 aboard Sara and it really got into AM's especially by the JO's perspective and those stuck with flying feet wet tanker missions.
My memory going back to that time, could be off but I think it's still accurate.... my CO was the only one that got a DFC for "holding the airplane at a difficult attitude for the radar to do it's job" I believe the citation read. That was worth a chuckle.
Pretty hard to really rate one in a Hummer squadron I suppose.
Novaspike
Active Member
You change from red to gold at 12 years if you "haven't been caught". Reverts to red if you slip up.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
I don't know about the dolphins but as far as ESWS and EAWS it is pretty close to a rubber stamp process, it looks bad for the COC for people to go past the required time, so shortcuts are made, having been through the qualification process before it was mandatory, and sat boards both before it was mandatory and after it was mandatory very few would have passed boards if the same standard was applied as it was back then.
Making the AW and SW pins mandatory has not made it a rubber stamp, but the process is super easy and a minimal amount of effort is expended in getting it. Now every community has a stupid pin, just like the Air Force. If you fail to get your AW or SW pin on a ship, you are an idiot.
Dolphins are earned through many months of blood, sweat, and tears. I have both of the "original"pins, and while I am proud of them both, I had a much more arduous journey on the way to dolphins. Wings were all about graduating flight school and knowing just enough to not kill myself. I had a much greater personal sense of accomplishment when my CO pinned dolphins on my chest. YMMV I guess. There are a lot of people who have both, many of whom are here on AW.
You don't earn your AW or SW pin? You stay an E-4 and don't advance. You don't earn your fish in the required time? You get orders to another community. Thanks for your time.
Dolphins are earned through many months of blood, sweat, and tears. I have both of the "original"pins, and while I am proud of them both, I had a much more arduous journey on the way to dolphins. Wings were all about graduating flight school and knowing just enough to not kill myself. I had a much greater personal sense of accomplishment when my CO pinned dolphins on my chest. YMMV I guess. There are a lot of people who have both, many of whom are here on AW.
You don't earn your AW or SW pin? You stay an E-4 and don't advance. You don't earn your fish in the required time? You get orders to another community. Thanks for your time.
So…just to summarize…if I have it all correct:
1. Each stripe indicates 4 years of Naval service?
2. Each GCM comes after 4 years of un-sullied Naval service?
3. 12 years of unsullied Naval service merits gold stripes and rating badge?
Do I have that right?
I have this niggling memory that during my time "something changed"…from 4 years to 3 years. I probably have it wrong…why I'm asking the question.
1. Yes
2. GCM come ever 3 years of un-sullied Naval service.
3. Yes to the gold stripes and gold rating badge (if the years were consecutive), so you would have 3 stripes and 4 GCM awards (ribbon and 3 stars).
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
It did change, about 1995? It was after my first GCM but before my second.
Ah..yes…the GCM changed. Thanks. Knew there was something...
707guy
"You can't make this shit up..."
Reading the title of this thread I'm reminded of an AD2 in my first squadron. He was pretty much a no load in the Mx department so he was put in charge of the geedunk. Has a hard time making first class so he was given a NAM for yup - you guessed it - running the geedunk. If memory serves he made it on the next cycle.
Fast forward a few years - YN2 misses YN1 by 1 point. She had earlier tried to get her EAWS but failed at the board. Magically a new board is thrown together, she answers a couple of questions and the back dated paperwork is sent up to PERS to correct her score. A new YN1 is crowned.
Point being the system is the system and the system will always be tweaked by those who can tweak it. In my first command you had to really bust your ass for a 4.0 on an eval. Next command the CO's guidance was that someone had to prove they WEREN'T a 4.0 sailor.
Fast forward a few years - YN2 misses YN1 by 1 point. She had earlier tried to get her EAWS but failed at the board. Magically a new board is thrown together, she answers a couple of questions and the back dated paperwork is sent up to PERS to correct her score. A new YN1 is crowned.
Point being the system is the system and the system will always be tweaked by those who can tweak it. In my first command you had to really bust your ass for a 4.0 on an eval. Next command the CO's guidance was that someone had to prove they WEREN'T a 4.0 sailor.
Novaspike
Active Member
I agree that dolphins mean quite a bit more (in terms of work spent) than surface or air. But what I was getting at was that dolphins are still worthwhile AND required.
Since having mando warfare pins seem to be the way to go, then it would be nice to see surface and air go beyond "get your quals and fumble half assed through a board or two".
Whoa, whoa now! Running the geedunk is a highly complex, very lucrative endeavor that can result in accolades beyond your wildest imagination. In 92/93, I ran the geedunk at HSL-48 - made enough money to fund a summer picnic for the entire squadron (and their families) and the yearly Christmas party (wasn't a "Holiday Party" back then
. Back then you could contract with local pizza/chicken wing/sub vendors and make a killing on the profit margin. I also made two pots of coffee from one coffee filter & coffee, but I don't want to reveal all my tricks . . .
Blasphemous heathen.
Having qual'd for both, I agree 100% with e6b. The major differencc is that in flight training, the ground/flight syllabus, plus an occasional watch, is your main duty. During sub quals, your assigned job, plus frequent duty/watches took up the majority of a working day (even more underway). Most of your qual work had to be accomplished on your own "free time", which is scarce while underway.
In my day, earning Dolphins took 6-12 mos., depending on the ratio of underway/inport time, and the initiative/work ethic of the Dolphin nominee. Qual progress slows to a crawl during shipyard overhauls, when major system are disassembled, and/or inoperative. All in all, neither is easy, and both are demanding, and give a great sense of accomplishment when winged or pinned!
BzB