Our Story (ePub)

This story details the experiences of Dan and his ultimate decision to join the Navy, volunteer to serve on board a submarine, and his experiences aboard that submarine. The story is a personal perspective and memories of actual events and people, both in and out of military service, with a focus on events involving his submarine service. The story begins with college graduation and ends at the end of Dan's six-year commitment. Many military service and civilian-related anecdotes are recounted. Dan's decision to follow that path was difficult. In hindsight, it gave him direction and purpose, but it was only after reaching a point of persistent depression and a feeling that his life was at a dead end that he took a chance on himself through submarine service. The story begins at Dan's college graduation a couple years prior to him even considering the military. This thirdperson recounting by his good friend, Ted, describes the two years that led to Dan's need to make a drastic change. That change or milestone event, as he'd define it, was the decision to commit to a six-year stint in the Navy. Ted describes Dan's personal story and path to a decision to join the Navy. Ted's perspective explains not only why the military life was chosen, but how Dan arrived at the decision to consider the military and submarines specifically. Dan himself provides a first-person account of his experiences in the Navy and aboard a submarine. He provides stories and insight into his experiences. It is something most understandably cannot relate to. Often, people seem to have difficulty deciding what questions to ask. The limited understanding they have is from suppositions made from personal deductions or exaggerated stories in movies that don't reflect real life. However, part of any submariner's story is the experiences from training and skills obtained in the Navy prior to even stepping aboard a sub - like events in boot camp, submarine school and other job training. And even given all that, no one volunteers for submarines, the Navy or the military, in general, in a vacuum. One's life experiences affects every perception, decision and long term memory. It drive's judgement and affects personality. Therefore, it is impossible to avoid the complications and experiences that everyday life presents when telling the stories of the military experience. They are intertwined to be sure. Dan's attempt to meet his own expectations as well as those he perceives of others takes a toll on him. The experiences and decisions he develops and cultivates in this period of time determine his direction for the rest of his life. Some of the relationships he develops are experiences Dan maintains as strong memories. The outcome of a few personal relationships are detailed and impactful in defining his future, but a significant portion of this story focuses on the Navy and submarine experience - honesty with doses of hopeful dry humor. In a very off-hand way, some veterans outside of the submarine service casually describe submarine service as a specialty within the military, but it's more than that. Submarine service is unique in that it's 100% voluntary. No one in the Navy is assigned that duty. Each service member on board volunteered for the long periods of isolation that Dan experienced. His story provides insight and realism so civilians might somewhat relate to or at least increase their understanding to some extent.