{"id":3846,"date":"2021-03-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=3846"},"modified":"2021-10-05T11:02:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T15:02:34","slug":"76-set-the-mail-buoy-watch-fng-tasks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/76-set-the-mail-buoy-watch-fng-tasks\/","title":{"rendered":"#76\u2014Set the Mail Buoy Watch\u2026 FNG tasks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Who said, \u201cNo problem can ever be solved at the level of awareness at which it was created.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go upstairs and book a conference room and see if you can talk him to death.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
    Time has come today young hearts can go<\/em>
    Their way can’t put it off another day<\/em>
    I don’t care what others say they say we<\/em>
    Don’t listen anyway time has come today<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #76 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 5, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>4<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Remember when you were a kid\u2026 perhaps a scout? You know\u2026 those early \u201clearning\u201d years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember going out at night for a \u201csnipe hunt?\u201d You\u2019re given a pillowcase with specific instructions to walk quietly until you get to the \u201cright spot,\u201d then make some odd noises to attract the strange creatures. You’re out there alone, but ready to prove you’ve got what it takes to catch a snipe. The other members in your scout troop would chase the snipe toward you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But instead, they return to camp, leaving you\u2014the victim\u2014alone in the dark only to discover you\u2019ve been duped and \u201cholding the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah\u2026 you remember that <\/em>rite of passage, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Did you ever work at a gas station as a teenager, freshly minted in high school, and eager to earn a day\u2019s dollar to take your best girl out? The head mechanic asks you to fetch some \u201cblinker fluid\u201d because the customer\u2019s car turn signal doesn’t work properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or\u2026 during a car tune up, you\u2019re asked to hold the disconnected spark plug wire over a small bucket to \u201ccatch fresh sparks\u201d while the lead mechanic cranks the engine in order to recharge the spark plug\u2026 only to get an electrical shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Well\u2026 maybe not everybody, but yours truly fell for that\u2026 once<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And Then\u2026 The Navy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m sure other military branches have their own \u201cbrands of initiation,\u201d but I\u2019ll share a few of the more common Navy \u201crites of passage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was not unusual to send a new recruit (aka, \u201cboot,\u201d \u201cnewbie,\u201d or \u201cFNG\u201d<\/strong><\/a>) to various departments on dubious errands. Because the recruit was new to the ship, many old salts took advantage of their naivety and lack of knowledge about such tasks\u2026 me included, both as the \u201cFNG\u201d as well as the \u201csalt,\u201d though I\u2019d argue at 20 years old, I wasn\u2019t really an \u201cold salt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While I experienced only a few <\/em>of these while stationed at NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong> (\u201973-75; Crash & Rescue<\/a><\/strong> Division), I experienced plenty while aboard USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>, CV-63 (\u201975-77). That was probably because while at sea, there is nowhere to run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Metric<\/a>
    “Metric” Crescent Wrench
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    One prank we\u2019d play on the FNGs was to send them around the ship visiting various Air Department divisions for \u201cunique\u201d items. Since I was in V-1 Division<\/strong> and worked on the flight deck<\/strong><\/a>, we all knew how to \u201cbreak in\u201d a new airman. Of course, these practical jokes weren’t limited to the Air Department; other departments on the ship had their own tasks, specific to their working environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, we\u2019d tell an FNG to fetch a left-handed screwdriver<\/em> or a metric crescent wrench<\/em> from the V-2 Division.<\/em> Sometimes he\u2019d shake his head, like he wasn\u2019t really sure, but the \u201csternness\u201d in our request made it clear it was a real and immediate request. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He\u2019d head over to V-2 Division and the airman he asked knew exactly what was going on and told him, \u201cWe don\u2019t have one in the tool box right now, but I\u2019m pretty sure V-3 does. Check with V-3 and ask for Don; he\u2019ll know.\u201d Of course, Don also knew exactly what to do.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took two or three trips before the new guy figured out we were pulling his leg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Navy “Tasks” for FNGs<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Basin Trials<\/strong> \u2013 we assigned this task to a new seaman to watch the head (bathroom) sinks and toilets for any leaks as the ship switched systems (from land-based to sea-based) before getting underway. Of course, there would be no leaks, but no one told him that. And\u2026 oftentimes, he\u2019d be there for hours until someone informed him his \u201cwatch\u201d was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    BT punch<\/strong> \u2013 even though I worked on the flight deck, there were 5,500 sailors aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>. Down below decks was a whole \u2018nother group of dedicated men (and now women) who kept the ship running smoothly. They might ask a seaman recruit to go to the boiler room for BT punch. A BT is a Boiler Technician<\/strong> rate and usually, the BT was perfectly happy to oblige by giving the new seaman a fist \u201cpunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bucket of prop wash<\/strong> \u2013 after a day or two at sea (or if the squadron flew their aircraft aboard), a new airman is told to fetch a bucket of prop wash to wash the planes. Sooner or later, s\/he either \u201cgets it\u201d or someone would inform the sailor. Prop wash is actually the wind that comes off an aircraft\u2019s propellers or jet engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Darken the Chief\u2019s Mess<\/strong> \u2013 someone may suggest a new seaman head over to the CPO (Chief Petty Officer) mess to turn off the lights when the OOD (Officer of the Deck) pipes \u201cdarken ship\u201d over the 1MC (ship\u2019s main intercom). \u201cDarken ship\u201d only <\/em>applies to lights that can be seen outside<\/em> the ship. Note that Chiefs do not take kindly to someone turning off their lights and may try to find out who<\/em> sent the FNG on this particular fool’s errand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fetch a Gig Line<\/strong> \u2013 we often asked a new boot to fetch three feet of \u201cgig line.\u201d \u201cLine\u201d is another term for rope in the Navy. The seaman ventures around the ship asking various departments where to find the gig line. After several attempts, either the sailor figures out it\u2019s a joke, or a kind salt explains that the \u201cgig line\u201d is the imaginary line of a button-down shirt, belt buckle, and pants zipper, down a person\u2019s front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    An “official” ID10T Form
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Get your ID10T form signed \u2013 <\/strong>everyone knows what an \u201ceye-dee-ten-tee\u201d is, right? Imagine having to fill out an ID10T form? I kid you not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Green Lamp Oil for Starboard Running Light<\/strong> \/ Red Lamp Oil for Port Running Light<\/strong> \u2013 having spent a lot of time on the water (Kingsley Lake, Florida) at night as well as flying a private plane, the green light is on the starboard (right) side; the red light is on the port (left) side. The Navy hasn\u2019t used oil for running lamps for eons. This is another run-around, but one that may take a while for the recruit to figure out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Low visibility detail<\/strong> \u2013 ships at sea may sometimes cruise into areas of low visibility. A lookout may be posted to the forecastle during foggy conditions in busy sea lanes. The Boatswain’s Mate requested the new seaman assigned to \u201clow visibility detail\u201d to signal the bridge reporting whether the ship\u2019s whistle works properly. FYI \u2013 a deaf person could hear the ship\u2019s whistle, it is so loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Mail<\/a>
    Mail Buoy Watch
    Credit: Al Nolf, SCPO (’68-89)
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Set the mail buoy watch<\/strong> \u2013 this is probably one of the more common gags. The important thing is here the \u201cbuild up.\u201d Since the ship’s crew expects mail (letters from home, care packages, etc.), a plane would fly overhead, following the same course as the ship, and drop the mail buoy. It had to be retrieved, otherwise the ship would have to turn around and make another pass. We\u2019d dress the FNG seaman assigned to the \u201cmail buoy watch\u201d in hardhat, foul weather gear, sound-powered headphones, lifejacket, lifeline, and a gaff to catch the mail bag on the buoy. He’d be posted on the forecastle and instructed to keep his eyes peeled for the buoy. After 20-30 minutes, the Boatswain’s Mate would cuss him out for missing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shore line stretcher<\/strong> \u2013 I know several FNGs who fell for this one. We\u2019d tell the new recruit to find a \u201cshore line stretcher,\u201d who usually spent a lot of time looking for one. The \u201cshore line\u201d is actually where the ocean meets land. But if you said it with the right amount of confidence, the FNG believed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Striped paint<\/strong> \u2013 painted lines exist all over the flight deck, including the foul line<\/strong><\/a>. Someone (not me<\/em>) once asked a new airman to fetch a can of \u201cstriped paint\u201d so we could repaint the dingy, faded foul line (alternating red and white). To add to the insult, we asked him to make sure he got the red and white stripe paint, as opposed to the purple and white stripe paint used by the grapes (V-4 Division, ABFs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    The “FNG Task” Locker
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Tuning pipe for foghorn<\/strong> \u2013 a foghorn is a very loud sounding device typically used to warn other Navy ships of navigational hazards or other ships, usually during foggy conditions (that\u2019s why it\u2019s called a \u201cfog\u201d horn). Sometimes an older, more \u201cexperienced\u201d BM (Boatswain\u2019s Mate) would instruct a new BM to fetch a tuning pipe to make sure the foghorn is in tip-top operating condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m sure there are plenty more harmless pranks others either partook in or fell for. If I missed your favorites, feel free to add in the comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stay safe, my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until we meet again,<\/em>
    Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Answers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Albert Einstein.<\/li>
    2. The Bourne Identity<\/em><\/strong> (2002); Conklin (Chris Cooper).<\/li>
    3. The Time Has Come Today<\/em><\/strong> (1967); The Chambers Brothers; written by Joseph Lamar Chambers, Willie Mack Chambers. [Blogger note: I didn’t know this one either; I had to look it up.]<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"NEVER<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET<\/strong>, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness<\/em>. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE copy HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Previous posts mentioned in this blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n