As you may have noticed, the site was down for about 15 hours while I let the mob mentality of the NTWS people die down. My CMC noticed my site was down and had me come talk to him. I told him all the stuff that had been going on and he pretty much just said screw ‘em. He’s right too. Most of the people who were offended by my posts here aren’t even in the Navy anymore, and those who are still active, I don’t work for. I may in the future, but until then I’ll worry about pleasing my current chain-of-command.
He also addressed my original problem that led me to post a question on the NTWS forums. He said the Navy isn’t anyone’s life, and it certainly isn’t the end all, despite many people unfortunately feeling as if it is. The Navy, whether you’re in for four years or forty years, is just a stepping stone to get you where you ultimately want to be. He asked me some questions about where I saw myself after the Navy, and how old I wanted to be when I no longer had to work. Essentially I set some goals for myself, and now I’m trying to figure out how to achieve them.
The whole thing is now over in my mind. I won’t address the NTWS drama anymore (comments are closed), and I’m using the site solely to find shipmates, not interact with new people. However, I did learn a lot about where I’m lacking, both in the Navy and how I present myself here. My leadership in the Navy leaves a lot to be desired, and some of the things people were telling me not to do, I was unfortunately doing. I’m taking a hard look at myself now and I’m going to try to make the best of whatever time I have left and do something positive for the folks around me. I’m also guilty of some stuff with my blog. I am a professional complainer, which I am aware of…but I’m not entirely fair because while it’s easy to sit and bitch about things that suck, I could easily put a positive spin on something, and see that it might not be entirely unfair or unjust. I also don’t offer solutions, which should I decide to comment on something I find bunk, then I’m going to offer solutions as well.
Anyway, that’s it. We’re in Kure, Japan for a port visit. I’m looking forward to going to the A-bomb museum in nearby Hiroshima, and I’m going to try going to my first Japanese ball game. Posts to follow.