Sailors in bright white uniforms would line the decks of those destroyers, and flags would wave above their masts. I knew that it was leaving for a long time, but I didn t understand where it was going. What lay beyond the horizon and on the other side of the ocean captured my youthful interest. I knew it had to be a great place, because I could see the anticipation on my dad s face before he left. Although he was sad to be leaving his family, there was something calling to him, a desire to go to sea.
Surface warfare seems to have a stigma attached to it nowadays.
It is viewed as a boring place, a job with long hours of monotony and little reward to show for it. I talk to view surface warfare as a final alternative if other plans don t pan out. There is a bigger picture to being on a ship that makes it all worthwhile. Most Surface Officers I have ever talked to agree that being on a ship is the toughest experience you ll ever miss being a part of. To be sure, there are many responsibilities that come with being a Surface Officer.