I spent over 23 Years on Submarines in my US Navy career. During that time I spent more than 17 1/2 of those years at sea away from my family. Missed a large amount of Family functions, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Births, and Deaths. Was at sea for 9/11. Submariners are a special kind of person. We rely on each other to make sure the number of dives equals the number of surfaces. Each and every crew member knows that if there is a casualty onboard, we will do everything in our power to correct it and save the boat. Would do it all over again. ETRCS(SS), USN RET. One observation about a sailor being on a submarine is that the sailors are working, eating, living and sleeping in the confines of a specialized machine that travels underwater. They are inside this machine for the duration of their mission and basically cut off from the rest of the world. It must take special people to handle this type of living conditions.
I am in awe of these folks. I can’t imagine being that brave. Thank you to all service people.
