Naval Nuclear Power School, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California
Some of the most intensive schooling I have ever gone through was while at NPS, MINSY! For six months we were grilled with everything from Algebra and Calculus to Nuclear Physics with a myriad of other related topics thrown at us at light speed. I struggled with an old nemesis from high school (Algebra) and was in danger of flunking out at one point. I was given the option by one of the officers over my class to voluntarily drop as we were about to start Calculus and his remark, "If you can't handle Algebra, you'll be lost even more with what were are about to cover." The impetus to keep us studying over and above everything else was if we did flunk out, we would be sent down the road to NIOTC (Naval Inshore Operations Training Command, image and some details to the right).
Anyway, I did persevere as I discovered that I actually enjoyed Calculus so was able to pull up my grades to an acceptable level and went on to graduate and movie on to my next training at Nuclear Prototype training at West Milton, NY. |
This image is of a PBR (Patrol Boat River) which is among the vessels the graduates of NIOTC patrolled the Mekong and other 'brown water' in and around the then Republic of Vietnam. The men who manned these vessels were incredibly courageous, but to be honest most of us at NPS had no desire to join this elite band of warriors.
I did have the opportunity to play tourist while at NPS (see story below about getting permission to go on liberty once). I was shooting photos of Treasure Island and Alcatraz from here one day when I rode out my first earthquake. Wisely deciding to sit down, I was more than a little disconcerted to see the ground literally ripple for several minutes.
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Once while still struggling to maintain the prerequisite B or better average to earn liberty each weekend, several of my classmates had planned a trip to North Beach in San Francisco to go to the Condor Club in order to observe the "exotic dancer" named Carol Doda who had an ability to counter rotate tassels attached to certain body parts. This was purely in the way of scientific curiosity, to determine through close observance how she was able to perform such a feat.
Anyway, my overall average was a C+ with a D- in Algebra, so my chances of being granted the privilege of participating in this learning experience were nil, but I had to try. I remember approaching the officer in charge of liberty and making my request. He pulled my grade card and once he looked at it started shaking his head. He looked up at me and asked me to give him one good reason why he should grant me liberty. I braced to attention and spouted out something that I can still remember as the best example of circular logic outside of Washington, D.C.;
"Sir, the more you study, the more you know; the more you know, the more you forget; the more you forget, the less you know; the less you forget; the less you forget, the more you know. Sir, so why study?"
He blinked at me, drew a breath and said, "Have a good time this weekend Petty Officer Shook."
Anyway, my overall average was a C+ with a D- in Algebra, so my chances of being granted the privilege of participating in this learning experience were nil, but I had to try. I remember approaching the officer in charge of liberty and making my request. He pulled my grade card and once he looked at it started shaking his head. He looked up at me and asked me to give him one good reason why he should grant me liberty. I braced to attention and spouted out something that I can still remember as the best example of circular logic outside of Washington, D.C.;
"Sir, the more you study, the more you know; the more you know, the more you forget; the more you forget, the less you know; the less you forget; the less you forget, the more you know. Sir, so why study?"
He blinked at me, drew a breath and said, "Have a good time this weekend Petty Officer Shook."