I was in the Navy in the 1970s, stationed in San Diego at Miramar Naval Air Station. When we went on deployments our ship was up here at Alameda Naval Air Station, which is across the bay from San Francisco. So we'd fly up on a Navy 707 and load our gear on the ship, the next day or so it would pull out and our airplanes would fly out from Miramar and land on it.
About ten or so years after I got out and was living up here I heard that they had the Hornet at Alameda for touring. Alameda was no longer a naval air station; many bases had closed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain, etc. I went on a tour on the Hornet and it was interesting. Afterwards I drove around the former base and it's all run down, like a ghost town.
The next day I got this weird feeling of dread, like something bad had happened, like someone had died. I finally realized that it was because I missed my Navy days. It was a very carefree time. Everything was taken care of. The camaraderie of an all male environment was especially nice for me since I'm gay, even though I was in the closet since this was years before don't ask don't tell.
Then it happened again recently after I finished the book The Pink Marine, which is an autobiography of a gay guy's time at Parris Island, the Marine Corps boot camp, also before don't ask don't tell. A really well written book.
7 comments
Your mind misses the close brotherhood but forgets how miserable it was sweeping a road while watching a street sweeper literally drive by you. Cutting grass with scissors. There are so many good memories of my time in, but I wouldn’t go back to it now that I’m out. I have a great life and the military gave me valuable life experience in a carefree way that others don’t get to experience.
Army for me, I miss it but then I hear what it’s like in the modern day mitlitary and I’m glad I’m not in.
You should crosspost this to AskMenOver30 if you want a greater chance of reaching people who have had similar experiences.
Hey i was at Miramar from 08-11.
Definitely miss it. Even with the bad, id go back in a second if i could (med sep so i wasnt eligible to reup). The camaraderie, barracks shenanigans, clarity of what your daily life was for the most part.
Civilian life is a nightmare to be honest. Way more laziness, entitlement, backstabbing, and self-centered/serving mentality.
Yes, but no. Another comment here complained about all the busy work. Definitely don’t miss that. I did 4 years in the USAF in the late 80s. I feel that it gave me life skills and forced me to grow up very quickly. I’ve carried a certain kind of work ethic for myself every since, so something about it stuck with me.
I was too young to appreciate it. Not until I retired in ’95 did I understand how much it meant to me.
I miss Esprit de corps. Like the unit cohesion, you dont get that in the world. Ets’d 1995