Navy life had me for 11 1/2 years, but it took me almost 15 outside before getting my 1st tattoo.

Just Breathe has become my mantra. It just fit me at this time in my life. A friend helped me make the decision; she’s well inked.

Care to show me your tattoo, and tell us a story about it?

USS New Jersey (BB-62): Shellback Initiation by Kevin H., on Flickr

Asked this on the Underway Life Facebook Page:

Haze Gray and underway might be an expression, but what about hazing? It was real life when I was in. What’s your experience?

Here’s a few responses:

-> I don’t know, maybe I was just to close to it or too used to it, but it didn’t seem that bad. Of course if you want to talk about crossing the line or CPO initiation that was a little more extreme in my day than it seems to be now.

-> I was in ’94-’98 when they started to go crazy about the hazing. I feel like I missed out because I couldn’t have my fish tacked on. I believe that I missed out on an important rite of passage.

-> There wasn’t much on the ole Von S. CO didn’t go for that much. Other than dolphins being blessed to ur chest the rest was minimal.

What has your experience been? Ever been schoonered? Painted someone else with prussian blue? Been taped to the piping?

Drinking coffee. It’s part of Navy life, heck part of all military life. Coffee on the boat though, that was real mans coffee.

Real men drink coffee made with old grounds piled on new in the filter, from a cup that was cleaned before the weighed anchor. I’m sure this is where the term ‘mud’ originated.

Tough cleaning problem? Pour on some coffee.

Need to stay awake for that third watch in a day? Pour on some coffee.

Coffee in military life is a valuable commodity. When something comes in 20 lb. cans, it must be important.

More than for drinking yourself, cans could be exchanged for favors.  More than one bit of work on the boat got done quick with a bit of black stuff exchanged.

Sure the sailor might stray to something softer once in a while, like a beer. But the days don’t go by that won’t find him/her cup in hand, steam a rising, and so dark you can’t see the bottom.

Coffee. Drink of soldiers everywhere.

Original photo by Telstar Logistics.

Extending the story telling and sharing to you, Underway Life now has a Facebook page. The Underway Life Faceboook page will be a place for exploring your stories in depth, with pictures, videos, links and more.

Please drop by and like the page. Share your stories today.

Today the U.S. Navy advanced the Sailors of the Year for calendar year 2009 to Chief Petty Officer. This year was not like any other, because this year all four of the Navy’s best are women.

You can see the pics over the official US Navy Facebook page photo album.

Ship’s Store guest post by Rex Dixon:

I bet a lot of the readers here remember the way the “old Navy” was. Not the clothing store, but the way things were. Back in the day when you waited for the ship store to open once you were in international waters. Since I was an east coast sailor, we’d have once to twice a month operations out in what they called the VACAPES. Wasn’t a code name, just an abbreviation that stood for Virginia Capes.

Once you are 12 miles off the coast of the United States (VACAPES), you are in international waters. Once the ship store opens, everything is sold tax free. Nice. Now back to the days of the old Navy, the main item that went like within the first hour of the ship’s store opening was cigarettes, smokes, etc… At $7 a carton you couldn’t beat that with a stick.

Now that I look back on it, I think that being that I was in the “old Navy” smoking was more or less the defacto standard if not encouraged a bit. Quite strange I’m sure from the more modern 21st Century Navy.

I know another favorite item was all that junk food, cup o’ noodles, pringles, etc… Most of the guys on my ship had 2 lockers, and one usually had their “stash” in it. Guys on my ship. Yes, I know, times have changed! That’s a story for another post though I’m sure!

What items did you like to buy and stock up on when you were at sea? Do you ever wonder how the old Navy compares to the 21st Century Navy? How about those that served in both centuries and saw both Navy’s?

Rex Dixon served 4 years in on the USS El Paso (LKA-117) – gator freighter, 2 Med Cruises, 1 north Atlantic cruise, 1 Gitmo Refresher. Honorable Discharge as E-5 (Radioman). Rex has his own blog Technically Speaking, and can be found on Twitter, @RexDixon.

“Eight SUB-SAILORS conducted the ONLY GROUND COMBAT OPERATION on the Japanese “homeland” of World War II.” is a great read found aboard ULTRAQUIET NO MORE, a submarine focused blog.

Here’s a snippet:

In the four days the saboteurs had anxiously watched the skies for cloud cover, the inventive crew of the Barb had built their micro switch.

When the need was posed for a pick and shovel to bury the explosive charge and batteries, the Barb’s engineers had cut up steel plates in the lower flats of an engine room, then bent and welded them to create the needed tools.

The only things beyond their control were the weather .. . . and time. Only Five Days Remained In The Barb’s Patrol.

The tail is something of legend or a movie but better; it really happened.

I encourage you to read the full story - U.S.S. Barb, The Submarine that sank a Train.

Radio, not just operations support.

Deployments are tough for many reasons. Separation from family and friends is toughest. How does the ship’s radio figure in?

Receiving actual letters from home while underway is sporadic at best. Submarine life means even less mail runs. Port calls are exciting just for the mail bags.

Radio helps in the between with one way notes from home – family grams. Family grams are short messages your loved ones draft for sending over the Navy radio system. Stateside commands would take a note from a spouses, screen it for ‘flagged’ words, and send it off to every ship in the Navy.

Yes. Every ship.

Radio men screened the initial note for overly sexualized language, death reports, and other potentially emotional words. No use in having a guy go AWOL over such a message, or everyone reading about how ‘satisfied’ they will be once they get home.

Receiving these wasn’t limited to in port time.  Family Grams were broadcast on a schedule.  We’d wait anxiously in the galley if they were supposed to be coming in.  It was a nice surprise though to be woken up and handed one.

Do you have fond memories of family grams? Was there one that really stands out? Did your spouse have a secret code for those provocative topics?

Gibraltar Monkey by Tojosan, on Flickr

Liberty call can be pizza and a beer or sitting on the beach in Bermuda. There’s times you’ve likely spent an evening in the bar but I think climbing the Rock of Gibraltar was a highlight for me.

What’s your favorite or most interesting liberty call?

The photo, while on liberty at Gibraltar, includes one of the scary monkeys.  Word was the monkeys were very aggressive and disease ridden. Note how we carefully steered clear of them. Of course, they said the same thing about the British soldiers stationed there.

Sharing these memories with friends and family is fun, and often times met by looks of disbelief. Life outside the States and after months at sea can be dang unusual or crazy.

Got a favorite liberty memory? Care to recall it for us? How about one your spouse shared with you?

For this go round, be sure to keep the language PG.

Midrats. It’s like Taco Bell’s Fourth Meal except Midrats existed first and didn’t come in a sack.

What are your memories of Midrats?

Midrats is that meal at Midnight on the boat. It’s breakfast for the guys and gals just getting up to go on the mid-watch and dinner for 3rd watch folks. Midrats is notorious for not being a full blown meal and often more like an overgrown late night snack.

Beans and weenies has to have been my favorite midrats meal. Sure there was the random eggs being cooked, or left overs. Heck, sometimes we even had a sandwich bar.(read lazy cooks)

Nice thing about beans and weenies is it was simple. Throw it in a bowl, toss in some catsup and a drop of mustard. Add a slice of bread on the side. Bam. Meal time.

What was your favorite midrats meal? Were you a cook by chance and if so, what was your favorite meal to serve for the late nights?