Drill weekend ...

So last weekend was my first drill weekend. Since I was new to the command it consisted of 'Indoc', getting all the newcomer paperwork type stuff out of the way. Of course it coincided with the annual Readiness Review for two of the units at the reserve center. The Readiness Review is to make sure all paperwork, medical / dental info, service record, bank information, etc. is up to date with the Navy so there will be no problems when you are called up to deploy. So instead of just our 'indoc' group there were a hundred plus people all trying to get shots, dental checkups, x-rays, record updates, etc. It was waaaaaay less organized than I imagined it would be. Of course the "military bearing" is significantly relaxed in the reserves (well at this command anyways), it was a bit of 'culture shock' seeing gaggles of officers leaning against the walls. There was an ONR (Office of Naval Research) unit going through the annual review, which was decidedly officer heavy.

So the first day I spent ALL day going through the medical stuff ... and still had nothing to show for it at the end of the day (no sign off on the checklist). Thankfully, the second day had the units under review running a PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment) so the 'indoc's didn't have to wait to see any of the other staff.

Next month will be indoc with my specific unit. I'm currently attached to a carrier support unit. So our annual 2 weeks a year training will be aboard one of the carriers. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to find my way around a carrier in just 2 weeks. During weekend drill we work on shipboard drills (firefighting, damage control, etc.), and in rate training (advancement preparation, General Military Training, etc.), and of course the obligatory PT (Physical Training) session. Next month is also a change of command ceremony as we are getting a new commanding officer of the unit.

The command did make a point to highlight that mobilization is a "when" not an "if" these days. With that said, you are only up for deployment once every 3 years (unless you volunteer). Of course being on an aircraft carrier (in a non-flight deck rate) is probably one of the safest places to be.

J