Navy officers have it much better than the enlisted men when out to sea, at least in terms of comfort.
I’m guessing their meals are similar, but the officers’ wardroom is well air-conditioned. The crew’s mess hall is steamy and smelly -- and all we did was walk through it a few times while headed to other spots onboard. Eating a meal there would be most uncomfortable. I suspect the sailors burn some calories even as they consume them.
The wardroom lounge for officers is quite plush, too. It has a conference table with comfy chairs and couches gathered around a big-screen TV. The temperature in the room is downright chilly. I like it cold and could only stand 10 minutes in there yesterday morning. It was warmer by evening when I was writing but was still quite cool.
If I truly wanted to experience life at sea, as advertised for this trip, I’d ask for bed space in berthing with the enlisted men and chow time at their tables. Then again, if I wanted to enlist in the Navy, I would have done it when I was a teenager.
I actually did toy with the idea. Much to my Navy father’s chagrin, I invited a Navy recruiter to our house to talk about becoming an engineer on a nuclear submarine and serving a six-year stint. I had to take a test to join, though, and by the time I took it (and passed with flying colors), my interest in joining the military had faded.
Had I known then what I know now about enlisted life in the Navy, I might not have given that service a second thought. But knowing what I do now, I have even greater respect for the military's rank-and-file. Their professional lives are much tougher than those of the officers, and they deserve greater admiration as a result.
The good news is that they definitely have that admiration from their officers, many of whom moved into the officers' corps after years of service as enlisted men.