One of the reasons we went with the ‘Postcards from deployment…’ feature a couple of years ago was to bring an unvarnished look at deployments from a sailor’s POV that doesn’t always make it to the light of day, except in rare fora like the “Carrier” series late last year. Charles touches on something everyone…
Our erstwhile correspondent, AT1 Charles Berelmann, joins us from the Land of the Rising Sun 日本, specifically from the homeport of the US Seventh Fleet, our Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Japan. For one who was an East Coast sailor, as we’ll see, it certanly has come as a cultural revelation. One of my enduring…
Embarked correspondent AT1 Charles Berlemann, joins us once again with a slice of the deployed life – today from, well, tomorrow… SJS, How are things in the past? We just crossed that imaginary line on the global and fell so far behind the west coast time that we actually jumped ahead to the 19th of…
Those of us who have spent any amount of time at sea recognize the syndrome – after the first week or two, when the initial rush of getting underway and operating at sea begins to wear off, the routine settles in and pretty soon, one day (or night) melts into the next and the only…
Almost a year-and one-half later from the start of his last deployment, guest correspondent, frequent commentator, and fellow naval aviation historian AT1 Charles Berlemann is at it again. This time though in a new squadron, embarked on a different ship and in a different AOR – the Pacific. Given the same issues as last time…
SJS, As I write this we are in the process of pulling pier side to a major US Naval Base on the Eastern seaboard. My squadron is being offloaded here and on the way home to our families and loved ones. At the same time we are on loading about 1500 tigers. A tiger is…
Welcome to Marseilles! SJS, So since I last wrote you I was in Rhodes Greece. Since then about a week has elapsed and we have operated with the French Naval Air Force, being a flex deck for them to get some carrier quals in with their E-2’s and Rafales. A couple of the Rafales landed…
Southern’s latest missive arrives following liberty call in Rhodes as the Truman CSG is headed home. Having spent some time batting about the Aegean Sea in an LST for a midshipman cruise and liberty in Athens (a very long time ago – and yes, there is a story courtesy our airwing buds from the VAQ…
SJS, So two carriers or one? I can’t say, don’t know, and even if I did can’t talk about it. That being said, the media and some of their retired talking heads are playing up something out of nothing. We traded off with our relief and am now out in the IO cruising around Gonzo…
SJS, I am sure that most of have heard of the new offensive where the Iraqi Army is trying to replace the various anti-government militias in cities such as Baghdad and Basra. So that has lead to us being extended here on our current line period. They have extended us twice because of the need…
