I finally finished watching the T.V. mini-series Carrier.  From May to November 2005, the USS Nimitz went on deployment to the Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  With them came a camera crew from PBS that followed the crew around to see how life really was like in the Navy.  My review of it is mixed because sometimes through the documentary I was like, yeah that’s how life is and at points I felt that people conducted themselves in a manner to sugarcoat or exaggerate situations because it was going to be on T.V. I will do my best not to spoil the show for those who haven’t seen it.

When the USS Nimitz first gets underway, they had the crew man the rails. Not to say that manning the rails is not something a ship should do when it goes on a six month deployment to the Middle East, but I’ve asked a few people who have been on carriers and even at heated points in the war, none of them left port manning the rails. Then again, when I started watching the show, I nit picked at everything just to find something wrong.  I didn’t want it to give the wrong perspective of how things are conducted in the Navy.  Pulling into ports, though, I fully understand manning the rails.

It appears that to others who have watched the program that the CMC would appear to be Joe Navy. He was that squared away guy who went around making sure that everyone else was squared away. I did see the Joe Navy in him, but at the same time I thought he was micromanaging his crew. Whenever the camera was focusing on the CMC, it was because he was around asking people why they are jacked up, or asking the senior person why their people are jacked up. Each time he did this, it was preceded by the word “shipmate.” One scene that really caught my attention was when he found a Sailor in one of the spaces. He proceeded to call him shipmate and asked him what color liberty card he had. He told CMC that he was a white card. After that the CMC asked him his name then told him that he needs to square himself away and get his blue card.  He didn’t even know the guy and assumed he was jacked up, and for all we know the guy just checked aboard to the command and was doing something that he wasn’t familiar with, but appeard as if he was goofing around.  I understand that its crew is 5000+, but before you grill someone, you should at least find out who the Sailor is, then question them before accusing them guilty.  I wrote a previous post about the word Shipmate and he did a good job helping me justify why Sailors now a days don’t like being called one because they know where it leads to.

At first, I hated AN Garzone, now MC3(AW), because he came off as that guy who wanted the attention. He did this when he went around interviewing people appearing to be a reporter for the ship, with a microphone and all. Well I came to realize that it was part of his job in the Navy, so if I was in his field, I probably would be doing the same thing. Actually, I felt sad for him when his best friend, Phil with one L, got out of the Navy. That is indeed one of the biggest pains in the Navy, when you meet someone you can socialize with, and the next thing you know they are gone and no one understands references made because it was part of an inside joke. I’m sure he is doing fine now, because all we can do is move on, but we never forget.

AN Altice was probably the most interviewed person on the documentary because of his unique situation. Unfortunately, it does happen, and it has happened to me, as far as having a girlfriend back home who can’t handle their boyfriend who is gone for so long. About the thing that makes it so unique, well I am glad I did not have to go through that. Obviously it has happened to Sailors in the Navy and it is tough to deal with loved ones back home because they have to carry on without you there. They eventually become weak and scooped up by someone who is available. Hate to word it like that, but it does happen and being out at sea, there isn’t much one could do about that. If I was Altice though, I probably wouldn’t have taken it so mellow. With the cameras around, though, I would have restrained myself.

Overall though, from underway to port visits, and to mooring back up in North Island, I felt what everyone on the ship felt because I am in the Navy. It touched base with what does go on while we are out at sea. Unfortunately my situation is different because we aren’t out for 6 month deployments only to be in port for another 6 months. We go out for a few weeks, pull in for a week or two, go back out for a month, etc… I’m not saying what they do is much easier, but in comparison, the FDNF is a lot more challenging because those without families come back to port with no one waiting for them on the pier upon our arrival. None the less, I highly recommend this show for anyone who wants a taste of how the Navy life is.