Carrier: Life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz

[Lancer]

I had the opportunity last night to see a special preview screening of Carrier: Life aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, last night at a local movie theater. It was sponsored by the local PBS affiliate and a local business.

After the introduction, the video showed bits and pieces of each of the different sections of the documentary, lasting just over and hour. Very well done. The series doesn't focus on any one thing. The primary focus is, as the sub title of the series is called, is 'Life aboard the aircraft carrier'.

As one of the commanders said, 'Freedom of speech is in full effect in this documentary', the only editing they did was removing any footage that was possibly classified. Interviews with the shipmates range anywhere from how they support what we're doing in the middle east, to questioning why they are there.

After the screening Cmdr. Dell Bull, who was in the documentary answered questions from the audience about various subjects. Very nice guy, by the way.

Here is the URL for the shows webpage on PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/

The series will air April 27 - May 1 at 9-11 p.m. ET. (in HD where available).

Anyone interested in the military will enjoy this series, it'll really open up your eyes as to what life in the military is like, especially the U.S. Navy!

[RiverAux]

Been watching all week.  Pretty good show.

[DNall]

last night, did that kid miss movement from liberty right before he ETS'd?

[MIKE]

IIRC, it never was answered... He just "disappeared."

[RiverAux]

I've sort of been skipping over some of the segments where they're talking about their personal problems and over the shore leave stuff, so I couldn't help you.

I knew that they had cut back on the use of airpower, but it really surprises me that they could be over Iraq for a whole deployment and not have one plane in the wing drop any ordanance.

[SarDragon]

Well, I watched about an hour's worth the other night. Pretty much the same old same old, just a newer, bigger carrier. I'll need to work up a lot more enthusiasm to tackle watching any more of it.

[Eclipse]

Sunday night I came home from Spring encampment and collapsed for about 4 hours, when I got up the first thing I found on TV were episodes 1 & 2.

I must say it felt oddly familiar - same racks, same personalities, same terminology, and I swear the same food we'd just had up at Great Lakes.   

[Stonewall]

All I'm saying is, I'm so happy I joined the Army and later the Air National Guard.

[Eagle400]

All I'm saying is, I'm so happy I joined the Army and later the Air National Guard.

Um... uh... are you referring to something you said in a different thread?

[resigned]

I've been watching and/or DVRing it.  Gee - NOT to sound sexist here, but now I'm sort of glad that when I was in, it was only men on combat vessels.   

I agree with one comment above - same racks, food, attitudes, etc.

One of the better shows though.  Different than just discussing the "hardware" like most of them!

[mikeylikey]

I think the XO was awesome.  Especially with the man overboard situation.  You could see how freaking furious he was at his missing Officers. 

[SARMedTech]

I've been watching and/or DVRing it.  Gee - NOT to sound sexist here, but now I'm sort of glad that when I was in, it was only men on combat vessels.   

I agree with one comment above - same racks, food, attitudes, etc.

One of the better shows though.  Different than just discussing the "hardware" like most of them!

Whenever some prefaces their words with "not to sound sexist" you know they are going to make a sexist remark.

[Eclipse]

now I'm sort of glad that when I was in, it was only men on combat vessels. 

Its a valid point, at least for discussion - a lot less boy/girl drama when its just boys (in theory).

There's also the issue of the emotional stress placed on people in the military when they have to deal with
home issues from 10000 miles away.  Before email and the web, you might be lonely and worried about home, but
weren't confronted with it every night after your shift.

[mikeylikey]

^ No, you just stressed over the situation until the next 40 page handwritten letter came and then you stressed even more, until the next letter comes.  And so on and so on. 

I think there is less stress now with instant communications. 

[Stonewall]

 I watched the whole series and I DVR'd it.  Why this sudden fascination?  I have no clue.  I think I truly feel sorry for these guys.  My father is a retired surface warfare (engineer) officer from the Navy.  I spent a week on the USS Forest Fire Forrestal on a "tiger cruise" as well as many 1 day family cruises.  Always impressed with the big boats.

Look, I am a wimp.  I am lazy in many senses of the word.  I remember my first day of Army Basic Training, being a "B" last name, I got KP first.  From 0330 to 2000 hours, I was responsible for Pots and Pans.  A gruelling nighmare in a hot, wet, steamy 4-walled dungeon where I scraped nasty food off of pots and pans until my fingers shriveled into prunes.  After watching "Carrier", I associate that one day of basic training with 6 months being a grease monkey underneath the flight deck for 12 to 18 hours a day.

One kid with the pregnant girlfriend from Manassas, VA talked about how the Army and Marines were not his style...living in the woods and carrying guns.  Difference is, we don't spend 6 months living in a swamp, on side of a mountain or in an igloo.  Life may suck, but the longest life ever sucked for me was about 3 1/2 weeks at Ft. Irwin National Training Center.  Real world, my 6 months in Bosnia was 10x better, I think, than being on any ship.  I could see land every day, my cot was bigger than one of those drawer sized racks and my living space in a GP Medium tent with 7 other guys was bigger than that Command Master Chief's "room" and he was an E-9.  I was an E-4 at the time.  E-6s shared one tent with 3 other people. 

Seriously, about the only way I'd survive on that carrier would be as a pilot.  Those guys had it made.  Seriously, I almost cried for these kids.  And the girl who got busted for under aged drinking?  What's with that punishment?  She got 45 days restriction and 45 days extra duty, PLUS 2 months of half pay.  <<<------ this while the boat is pulling into Pearl Harbor.

Anyway, hats off to you Big Gray.  I'll take my life under a poncho in the rain or a 100 lbs ruck sack on my back any day. 

Oh, and one more thing, thank God we didn't have females in the Infantry.  Not blaming the women, or the men, it's when you put them together for long periods of time, especially in conditions like that on a ship or in the field.  It's inevitable if you ask me. 

[Smithsonia]

Character driven documentaries are the thing, now. No matter if you look at
Deadliest Catch where they repeat the same 5 duties over and over but have
personalities that keep you interested, or American Chopper with same
squabbling father son dynamic, Axe Men, Ice Road Truckers, on and on... These
were all produced by Thom Beers Original Productions, by the way and, his work is everywhere and remodeled our expectations of a documentary to look more like a reality show. I don't care for those examples as it doesn't give me information. Although it does give me more insight into who does the work.

In this case, I know most of the information already and so I appreciated the more personal
side of those that serve onboard the "Carrier." This production team did a great job.
With regards;
ED OBRIEN

[RiverAux]

I think that following a few people through the deployment was a good way of doing things, but I think they could have cut back on some of the background info on them a bit. 

[Flying Pig]

What does this have to do with CAP?  You know....just asking.  From what I have been told, we dont have ships or jets and most of our cadets never join the military let alone the Navy.

[Stonewall]

and most of our cadets never join the military let alone the Navy.

That's because we teach them better.   

[ddelaney103]

last night, did that kid miss movement from liberty right before he ETS'd?

I don't think he was on liberty - I think he was being left "on the beach."

I'm guessing here, but it looked like the ETS system can drop him off at the next port with a ticket home - the alternative being he could extend active duty until home port.

I think it was a simple matter of him leaving his going away party early instead of going AWOL.