Controlled Crash: The Misadventures of a Young Sailor

Controlled Crash: The Misadventures of a Young Sailor

A young man joins the Navy, not because he wanted to, but because he would be drafted if he did not enlist in one of the military services. Unfortunately, he did not qualify for any of the draft exemptions and the Navy sounded like it would be more adventurous and exciting, not to mention all the great travel and management training that was advertised in the recruiting brochures. He entered the Navy through Officers Candidate School. During the next three years, ten months and 6 days, the travel and management training were provided in abundance. However, the travel was not always to a location that was high on the tourists' favorite places list. As a matter of fact, some of the destinations were places from which people were trying to get away. The management training was received as advertised; they just did not tell him most of it would be "on-the-job" training without supervision. Nor did anyone tell him that the travel and training provided the excitement and adventure. About the excitement and adventure, first consider excitement. He had always thought of excitement as a pleasurable experience. In the Navy, he learned that excitement is not necessarily fun. Sometimes it can be downright terrifying, like when you think you could lose your life or some body parts. That is excitement (a feeling of eagerness and enthusiasm) which is terrifying (anyone who does not experience fear in combat is either crazy or stupid). Now a quick look at adventures. Adventures are planned events. Someone plans to climb Mount Everest. Then they go out and do it, and everything went according to plan. Misadventures do not have the legitimacy of planning ahead of time. Most misadventures have to be handled "on-the-fly". A situation arises and the individuals involved have to respond. Additionally, the outcome is never known for sure ahead of time. Here is a description from the book: "A misadventure occurs when an adventure does not progress as planned or anticipated. The results and/or outcomes may be the same or altered from what was originally planned and may or may not be desirable. The “unfortunate” classification of any results or outcomes will be in the eye of the beholder and that opinion may be altered over time. The participants and spectators are often too close, in proximity and time, to truly understand what happened. Misadventures are not inherently unfortunate, negative, evil, malignant, or maleficent. Nor are they always good, joyful, or celebratory happenings. They are just events in which you are involved that are unfolding and evolving and may be partially or completely out of your control. Adventures and Misadventures do not always occur in isolation. Sometime an adventure starts and then another one starts so you have two adventures going at one time. Adventure number 1 becomes a misadventure and now you have an adventure and a misadventure at the same time. These events get tangled together and, at times, it is difficult to tell them apart." This volume is mostly about Misadventures. The author survived all of them, but sometimes just barely.