“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
– Elmer Davis
Happy Veterans Day 2021
Navy
June 6th 2021
When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure”
– Unknown
Happy Veterans Day 11/11/20
I think of every Veterans day as a time to relive the memories I have had in the U.S Navy. I love to reflect on what I learned, the family I made and the memories that I will always cherish. There were times where I wanted to give up and just get of the Navy, but I pushed through them and became the woman I am today. I am thankful for everyone I have met on this journey so far and I can’t wait to see what’s still in store for me. Seven years down, many more to go! Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who I have had the honor of serving with.
Love ya’ll,
HM3 (SW) Kat
“A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.“
President Theodore Roosevelt
August 9th 2020
After 206 days out to sea, my old ship, the U.S.S Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is finally back home. When I was deployed we did 90 days out to sea, no port calls, nothing. To be out there for 206 days, I know they were at each other’s necks but also relying on each other to make it home safely and in one piece. I’m glad they’re back home, safe and sound! I included the article from wavy 13 news in Norfolk, Virginia. Happy reading.
“The Navy has both a tradition and a future and we look with pride and confidence in both directions.”
– Arleigh Burke
Memorial Day 2020
Memorial Day is a Holiday observed for the Men and Women who made the ultimate Sacrifice in protecting the United States and everything that it holds. We celebrate by remembering their spirit and what they sacrificed for us. Everyone respects this holiday differently and may have different ways of showing it. Thank you for everything you have done for my freedom. Fair Winds and Following Seas. We have the Watch.
To read more on the history of Memorial Day click the buttons below:
“Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.”
– Barack Obama
February 7th 2020
Today in class today our instructors were disappointed in how low our test scores were. In a class of 72 we had 10 fail the test, and a majority got by with a barely passing grade. I fortunately passed, but I was part of the group with a barely passing score for my test. Our instructor, HM2, decided to give us a mandatory homework assignment that was very important to him. Not just as a person, but because it will shape a Sailor into who they want to become in the military.
His homework assignment: What are your 3 core values? How do you apply them to your personal life and your military life. How do you uphold to these core values daily?
Intense right? It definitely makes you delve into your soul and puts you deep in thought. What are my 3 core values? What drives me to be me? What type of person do I want to be to my fellow Sailors? All these questions and they barely scratch the surface. Since I have been in, this has always been a question that has been brought up and somehow my values have slightly changed. I think this is because I have grown into the person I want to be. I have seen a lot of people I don’t wish to be like and I have seen a lot of people who I want to be just like.
My 3 Core Values
My 3 core values you may ask: Integrity, Adaptability, Fairness drive me to want to be better. To narrow them only down to three is hard to be honest. I could name off a few more values that I live my life by and how I lead by example. For this homework assignment my instructor wanted to mainly focus how we (my class) would act in the Navy Fleet. Most of my class are brand new to the Navy and haven’t had a taste of it yet, but I have. I have seen the dirt bag Sailors who skate by, doesn’t help out, lies or is on a power trip. However, I have also had the privilege to work alongside some of the best Sailors. Sailors who showed dedication, leadership skills, who would help out even if they were busy themselves, Sailors who cared. I have learned that I am a leader, whether I like it or not, I naturally fall into that course of action. This is why my 3 Core Values play such a huge impact on my civilian life and especially in my military life. Here in my Corpsman (HM) school I was thrown into a leadership position straight off the plane. The instructors saw that I had rank and that I held myself differently than the rest. They saw me discipline the students strictly, but fairly. They saw that I was honest, that I instilled integrity into the class. They saw that I could adapt to things that were thrown at me from schedule changes to new challenges. This is what helps me grow. Leading, encouraging other Sailors to follow in my footsteps, showing them how to be who they want to be.
What are your 3 core values? What type of person do you want to be? How do you want to learn and grow? Give yourself some thought, dive into your soul and see what drives you as a person.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
—John Maxwell
Learning A New Trade
How the Military Recently Impacted my Life
Being in the military is no easy task. I recently joined the Navy again as a reservist after I completed my active duty contract. In my post Getting back that Seabag I talked about my story and why I decided to join again. Well, it’s almost my one year mark as a Navy Reservist and it has been a whirlwind. From learning new things and figuring out the learning curve on how reservists operate. I finally was getting the hang of things.Go in on my “Warrior Weekends,” get caught up on training, workout and hang out with all my new friends I made. I was placed in a new unit, they were called the HM (Hospital Corpsman) detachment. I was excited, it meant I would be able to get on the job training and actually see what my new job did! Then I realized, I needed to get my “A” school set up so I will have the proper certifications. Fast forward to January and here I am.
This past week has been crazy, stressful, chaotic and adventurous to say the least. From getting military orders reprocessed twice, my personnel profile not being set up correctly to the military travel site messing up on my airfare, its surprising that I actually made it here to Fort Sam Houston in Texas. None the less, here I am and it is completely what I expected…kinda. Since this is an “A” school, everyone is treated in a student status which means no freedom in a sense. Secured liberty by 2200 (10 pm), can’t leave base, can’t drive and I have to still be in my uniform. This is considered phase 1, it’s meant for the fresh out of bootcamp people. People that don’t know how to act in the fleet yet. Then there is a phase 2 which is a little more freedom, we can wear civilian clothes and travel off base. We just have to be back by 2200. Then finally there is phase 3. That means we can have all our freedom back and stay out overnight on the weekends. Going from reserves and a whole civilian life back into student status is almost like a complete shock to me. I haven’t been in an “A” school for almost 7 years! Thank goodness, I have about eight other “fleet returnees” in class with me, which makes this bearable.
So going from a DC, Damage Controlman to an HM, Hospital Corpsman will be interesting. There will be a lot of knowledge to take in these next 4 months. This school coincides with my civilian career which is a huge perk for me. Not only will I have civilian side knowledge, but, I will also have military combat medical knowledge to use to my advantage. I start my actual class Wednesday, after the long week of life skills that are taught to everyone to make sure were well rounded Sailors. I look forward to learning as much as I can, so that I can challenge myself and those around me. Here is to a new adventure, for the start of a new year! Time to push myself, learn something new and dedicate myself to Corpsman school and flourish in this new trade.
“You fight like you train.”
– George S. Patton Jr.
December 7th 2019
78 years ago, December 7th 1941 the world would change. The surprise raid on the major U.S. Navy base near Honolulu killed more than 2,400 Americans and, in short, brought the United States into World War II.
According to the National Park Service, Congress designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in August 1994. Remembrance events are held every year at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
If you click below you can immerse yourself in the history and events that occurred 78 years ago on the attack at Pearl Harbor.
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941…a date that will live in infamy.”
Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Passing The PRT For The Navy
What To Expect
Nothing in life is given to you. However, you can prepare and reach your goal and achieve what you need easier. The Navy PRT (Physical Readiness Test) is basically just that. It is a test to make sure everyone is physically prepared. The PRT happens twice a year, once during spring time and the second in the fall. It consists of sit-ups, push ups and variations of cardio. You can either choose swimming 500 yards, a 1.5 mile run, or biking it. Sometimes the command you are stationed with will tell you which form of cardio you will be doing. Every sailor has to do this unless they medically can not, then a waiver is given to them. It’s a case by case basis. Each one of those categories have a certain time that has to be reached and a certain number of sit-ups and push ups that are needed. All of that is determined by your age and what age group you fall under. Here you will find all the scores you need to fall into a performance level. If you fall into the probationary category it means you did not pass your PRT. I know it sounds complicated and confusing, if it didn’t then it wouldn’t be the military. I’m trying to simplify all of this because when I first joined I was confused as well. Now that I have over 5 years in I kind of know my way around.
My PRT
My PRT this season was the first one I’ve done in about a year and a half. I fall into the 25-29 year old range. Yay! So I always try and shoot for the most. I push my hardest. I also look and see what I need to pass, as long as I go over that number and score the rest is easy peezy. I was worried this PRT, it was my first one in a while, I just got over a bad cold, and I was still recovering from minor back surgery earlier this year. The sit-ups really made it hurt. But, I managed to do better than I even expected and passed with flying colors. Needless to say I was pretty proud of myself and my Unit was glad I passed too.
How I Trained For The PRT
Staying in shape is no easy task. It takes time, dedication and determination. We’re human, sometimes we have no time, we get busy it happens. It happened to me. I realized once I joined the Navy reserve’s again I was going to have to really make a change. So, I started working out, eating healthy and trying to stick to it. Over the course of the months I was getting stronger. I had some setbacks of course but I went to the gym. I worked out on my own whenever I could and I kept watching what I ate. I got a lot of ideas off of Pinterest. That helped me with my food and my workouts I didn’t do at the gym. Here are some ideas from my Pinterest Boards that are still in the making.
- Healthy Breakfast Ideas
- Healthy Snacks and Dinners
- Workouts – So many to try out!
- Yoga
I’m always adding to my Pinterest board so it’s a continuation of ideas and help. I relied a lot on Pinterest and YouTube because I was working out on my own a lot, mainly because I was so busy. I floated around two different gyms trying to get a feel of what I like and I eventually did. I got myself a personal trainer. Yes they are a little pricey but they get you to where you want to be and make sure you maintain the lifestyle. Weekly check ups and a workout book really helps. It helped me. By the time the PRT came up I was ready. I passed my weigh in and I passed the PRT this past weekend. I couldn’t be more proud of myself, all my hard work actually paid off! If you have a goal in mind, reach it. Nothing can stop you, you have the strength and the determination to get to where you want to be. I believe in you, now believe in yourself!
“Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.”
Brad Henry
October 19th 2019
“The clock is ticking. Are you becoming the person you want to be?”
– Greg Plitt
This is the season every one in the Navy “looks forward too.” This is our physical readiness season. Is this my favorite time of the year? To be honest, eh not really. Sometimes I am more prepared for this than other times. With all the recent schoolwork, stress and working that I have been doing, I neglected the gym. I’m not where I want to be but I can pass and hold my own. I find out soon how well I will do on this test. I have already passed the first part: The weigh in. I know I can do better and I keep striving to be better. It takes time and persistence.
If you get curious and want to see if you are up to the Navy standards have a look for yourselves! It’s a fun way to see what you would have to improve. I keep pushing myself until I feel stronger and happier with where I will eventually be.
Down below you can see where you fall into each category, based on age. From there you will see how you rank from satisfactory to outstanding!
Katie Writes 