aculle01

The uniforms arent that bad, I think I would put them above Air forces' which are pretty generic (Army but in blue, I guess to keep the connection to their roots), at least for the dress uniforms. On the ship/boat everyone pretty much wears coveralls (officers/chiefs have khaki belts) and pilots will wear their flightsuits any chance they get. While the Marine Dress Blues are certainly the best looking and most warrior like uniform, the dress whites have a "playboy" feel about them. Seals/EOD/RSS might have the best uniforms, pt gear. I do have to admit that the khaki uniform is the ugliest uniform in the service.

As for the name tags on the butt, a possible reason is for when a sailor is crouched down working on something that has broken, once again, people will know who it is.

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perry

They have deployed a few ships to the Iraqi theater.. But, that was the first time they had been deployed overseas since Vietnam.

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CingularDuality

They were over there in the first Persian Gulf War, too.

Keep in mind that the Coast Guard is not part of the Department of Defense except for during wartime. Peacetime, it's part of the Department of Homeland Security (used to be part of Dept. of Transportation).

And you'll have swim qualifications in the Marine Corps, too. I believe that the Navy has them, also. Nothing like the one mile open water swim that the Coast Guard requires, though...

BigC, that's a nice, accurate summary of the branches.

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

aculle01

Navy/Marine Corps require a water survival course for anyone involved in aircrew/rescue swimming/aviation. This culminates in a mile swim test but in a pool. Everyone else has to have at least a 3rd class swim qualification I believe, which just shows that you are comfortable in the water.

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CingularDuality

Right, the minimum qualification for Marines involves a lot of wading through chest deep water in full gear and demonstrating how to make an expedient flotation device out of your trousers and pack. Not much actual swimming...

I was Water Survival Qualified. You had to demonstrate a few basic lifeguard moves, a few simple strokes and swim a mile in the pool, but there was no time limit and you could use any stroke you wanted. A mile is EASY when you alternate between the sidestroke and the backstroke.

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

aculle01

The aviation water survival course has a bit more restrictions on the mile. Im currently stashed at NASC Water Survival in Pensacola. The mile swim is a timed evolution with am 80 minute limit. You swim in a flight suit using side, breast or american crawl strokes. The thing that seems to give people the toughest though is when they have to jump off the tower in flight suit and boots and swim under water for 15 yards.

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CingularDuality

You make 'em do the burning-oil/fuel-splash thing, too?

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

aculle01

yep, during the same class period too.

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freekyE

care to explain for us, cing?

CingularDuality

You jump off the side of the sinking ship, then before you come back up to the surface, you have to splash the water wide to either side of you, to get the burning fuel away from your face so that you can breathe. It's all simulated in the pool, of course, but I've found that it was the one part of the USMC swim quals that was very subjective. I don't know what the regs said, but I saw some Marines pass that were splashing water just a couple feet to the left and right of them, and I saw some fail when they beautifully splashed a nice ring of water at least ten feet in a circle around them.

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TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

section-8

sounds like a little bit of fun....the basic air force non-parachute water survival is pretty easy. Theres no real swimming...you dont even have to know how to swim(those guys get big silver retard-helmets)...basically involves jumping into the water with your live perservers deployed..then getting to the raft....emphasis is more on being able to survive in a raft-type environment in the open water...

and dont let me forget the full day of academics before this...ugh... anyways...2 days and youre out...

(mind you, there are different courses for airframes with parachutes...and helos, too)

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Ferris Bueller

well, i can see why the air force would have very basic water survival courses, because the odds are that air force pilots are going to bail over land more than water, whereas navy/marine pilots launch from ships, and occasionally things do go wrong and you have to take a swim.

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TheBigC

For what it is worth here is a good Navy recruiting pitch!!

Navy Ad

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aculle01

Its funny, When an API (Aviation Preflight Indoctrination) class reaches the ninth and final class of the water survival course they swim the mile swim. API classes consist of Marine, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force pilots (some classes have foreign pilots as well). Only the Air Force pilots do not have to perform the mile swim in full, rather they just have to swim one length of the pool to say they attempted it.

As for passing different tests, I will be honest. What water survival instructors are looking for during the different phases of the course, are three things. First, above all else is comfort in the water. If you are uncomfortable in the water and are forced to bail or end up overboard you are not only a risk to yourself but to those around you and those attempting to rescue you. Second, is technique. If you have the proper technique you will be able to survive in the water. Third is heart. Nothing makes us more upset than someone giving up. Whether its the 5 minute tread and float in full gear or swimming build up laps (working on conditioning for the mile) the fuse becomes very short. We would rather spend 1 hour helping someone learn to swim then spend that hour having someone continually give up while trying to pass any given test.
When its comes to tests, at least the Water Survival Course I am at, show the right technique, no matter the size of the splash, and you pass. In the end as long as you complete each lesson and pass the mile swim you are just as qualified as an olympic swimmer taking the course.

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section-8

I suppose...it really does depend tho...a lot of times(about 50% of my combat hours are over water) we might spend all 18 hours over water. suck. or 6 of 12 hours over water.

But at least we always take off and land on sweet, blessed, dry land.

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