On the dreary Saturday morning of January 7th, I packed my sea bag and a duffle bag, jumped in the car with Katie, Hugo, and Reynolds, and headed to the pier to begin our 23.1 patrol. We were expected to be out until late March and there were a few port calls planned to Osaka, Japan and Manila, Philippines, so I knew I wouldn’t have to go too long without seeing Katie. After a tearful goodbye, it was time to go aboard the USS America, for what would be my last FULL patrol of this tour.
The patrol started off strong by not even actually going underway on that Saturday! After working through the morning and afternoon, we were unable to leave Sasebo, so I called Katie to let her know I would be able to stay at home one more night. She drove back to main base to pick me up, and we then joined Stego and Meg for a yakiniku dinner before heading home. Katie was kind enough to drop me back off at the ship the following Sunday morning, where the ship was successfully able to leave and begin our patrol.
I’ve made a few other blog posts about what it’s like day-to-day on a US Navy warship as the only dentist, so I won’t bore you with those details again. Just know that most days are like groundhog day; I live the same day over and over again, so I’ll be sure to just hit the highlights.
En route to our first port call, Okinawa, we had a “steel beach” picnic. For those who don’t know what a steel beach picnic is, it’s essentially where we set up grills and yard games on the flight deck and have time to relax and have fun. One of the more popular spots for the picnic was the golf station, where we could hit biodegradable golf balls off of the front of the ship. The grips on the clubs were extremely slippery, and apparently, a few of them had gone flying off the ship earlier in the day, so I was super nervous about adding a new feature to the bottom of the East China Sea. I did swing and miss quite a bit, but at least I didn't knock my IVN (ship cell phone) into the ocean during a strong backswing like the XO did! It was definitely cool getting to say I hit golf balls off of a warship in the middle of the ocean!
After a week or so underway, Katie surprised me by saying that her and Meg were planning to meet us in Okinawa for our first port call! I was super happy that I got to spend a few days with her exploring the island and enjoying some time in the sun and off the ship!
Following our port visit in Oki, we had one month until we pulled into Osaka, Japan! During this time period, I spent my free time studying for my SWMDO (Surface Warfare Medical Department Officer) pin. Since I am assigned to a ship, it is expected of me to earn this pin, and it would also be nice to have a little bit more chest candy! In order to earn the pin, you have to demonstrate a high level of knowledge in numerous areas of surface warfare ranging from engineering, combat systems, operations, logistics, aviation, and amphibious warfare.
Fortunately, I had Isaiah (General Medical Officer) and Karina (Medical Admin Officer) to help me get through it. There were numerous walk-throughs within different departments we had to complete, and once we obtained all of our signatures on our PQS (personnel qualification sheet), we had to sit through a board where all of the department heads on the ship grilled us with questions on their specific departments.
The three of us spent around three hours a day for nearly seven weeks studying for this pin. Every Saturday night our SMO (Senior Medical Officer) would invite a new department head to come grill us on their respective section of the PQS; it was frustrating getting smoked week after week, but we were slowly making progress and building up a solid level of knowledge to be able to sit through our boards.
Prior to sitting for our SWMDO boards, we pulled into Osaka, Japan for a three-day port call! Katie had been planning to meet us all along, so Meg, Stego, Nick, Kristin (Nick’s girlfriend from San Diego), Katie, and I enjoyed a few days in Osaka, including a day at Universal Studios Japan. Our second trip to Osaka was great (check out Katie’s blog for more details) and it was hard saying goodbye to Katie again, but fortunately I knew I’d be seeing her again soon in a new country!
After our trip to Osaka, it was finally time for our SWMDO boards. Isaiah, Karina, and I each had to sit through separate Department Head boards, each lasting for a little over one hour. I was the first to sit for the board. I was extremely nervous, my leg shaking uncontrollably and I remember clicking my pin a ridiculous number of times. Fortunately for me, Stego was the Air Department representative for this first board, so at least I knew I’d have someone on my side vouching for me.
After getting grilled for an hour, I was asked to step outside while the DHs discussed my performance. After a few anxious minutes, I went back inside the conference room to learn they were extremely pleased with my level of knowledge. Stego told me afterward that during their closed-door discussion, they said I knew more than most of the junior SWOs (Surface Warfare Officers) aboard the ship, and that I should give them whatever study material I was using. It made me feel good knowing that my hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed.
In the following days, Isaiah and Karina sat through and crushed their boards, so it was time for us to sit through one final board together. Our final board was much tougher than our first boards; since we did so well on the first boards, they asked us questions that weren’t even remotely on our PQS or relevant to what we do, just to get a basis as to how much we actually knew. Fortunately, we knew everything we were required to know, so we passed our boards and officially earned our SWMDO pins! We were pinned a few days later in the wardroom prior to the Operations/Intelligence Brief. It is such a relief being done with this and knowing I won’t have to spend so many hours a day studying!
While studying for SWMDO, Katie and I also spent a lot of time trying to coordinate our transfer from Japan to Spain. Unfortunately, I was extended until July due to my replacement not being able to arrive until late June and the command’s unwillingness to gap my billet. I’ve been trying to work on an "Advanced Dependent Travel" which would allow Katie to travel ahead of me with Hugo and Reynolds. My biggest concern with her waiting for me to get off the ship is that it could potentially be too hot outside for the dogs to fly, so by her leaving a month earlier than me, she has a better chance of getting the pups on the same flight as her. We also scheduled our household goods move and our check-out date with housing.
If studying for SWMDO and trying to work on my transfer weren’t enough, we were also planning some last-minute international travel following the ship’s patrol. As a civilian, it’s fairly easy to schedule a trip; you book a flight and hotel and you go on vacation. In the Navy, there are tons of hoops to jump through.
Just to have my leave approved to travel internationally, I had to complete nearly four hours of online training, then I had to complete and have an approved APACS request (this gives me clearance from INDOPACOM and the local Embassy to travel to said country), request a screening from medical to ensure I am up-to-date on required vaccinations and are clear to travel, and update my ISOPREP (a screening tool where if there was a situation where I was taken hostage, they could ask me a bunch of questions to confirm my identity.)
After all of that, I then had to sit down with the Security Officer and receive an area brief on the individual countries…this was all just to make sure I could get my leave approved. I can’t wait for the day when I can just jump on a plane and not ask 14 people for permission to go anywhere.
At the end of the day, it will all be worth it! You know Katie and I love traveling and with just a few months left in Japan, we are trying to fit in a few final trips before the big move!
After dropping off the Marines back in Okinawa on March 12, and saying goodbye to my co-resident Catherine (MEU dentist), it was time to head down to Manila, Philippines. Katie booked for us to stay at the Manila Hotel, famous for hosting General Douglas MacArthur, who ran the US Forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II from his hotel room. I’ll let Katie tell you more about our trip in her blog!
On March 21st, I was required to go back to the ship for a dinner and reception for numerous Philippines senators, congressmen, military officials, and ambassadors. It was a really cool experience getting to dress up in my summer whites (donning my newly earned SWMDO pin) and getting to meet a ton of foreign leaders. I was assigned the role of quarterdeck escort, so I was required to walk with guests from the quarterdeck (the spot where people get on the ship) up to the hangar bay, where they would get on the elevator to join the reception on the flight deck. I was able to meet and talk with the American Ambassador to the Philippines, a former Filipino President, and numerous Filipino senators and military leaders. After the event, I changed back into my normal attire and made the short 300-meter walk back to our hotel!
After spending a great three days relaxing in Manila, we got back on the ship and made our way back to Sasebo! We pulled back into Sasebo on March 27th where I was greeted by Katie and two excited puppies! I’m very glad to be home after nearly 80 days away, but there is no rest for the weary!
We only have a few more months left here in Japan, so we are trying to make the most of our time on this side of the world. Knowing this was my last FULL deployment aboard the USS America is a relief. Next time I go out on this ship, I will leave straight from the ship and meet up with my family at our next duty station!
Until next time,
Bryan
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