There are some things that you have to simply
adjust to while aboard ship.
1 - When flight ops are happening, which is
all day, it sounds like an 18 wheeler is landing right above your head and will
crash through the ceiling. Once the plane has landed, the wire that catches the
plane so it does not go over the edge into the ocean noisily makes its way back
to the starting position.
You hear this sound when you are counseling
sailors, carrying on a conversation during chow, napping or leading services.
2 – Knee knockers. If you do not raise your
leg high enough, you will fall into the next part of the hallway. Though they
are called knee-knockers, for most people, the frame comes up to their mid
calf. For me, they are actual knee knockers. So basically, I am doing “high
knees” all day long.
3 – Since there are so few Jewish chaplains,
majority of the sailors have never seen the Jewish chaplain symbol before. As I
walk down the p-way (passage way a.k.a. hallway), people stare. It takes some getting used to. I keep wanting to say, "my eyes are up here." I know that it is simply out of curiosity. If anything, I have been greeted and welcomed with such open arms from everyone that I am proud to be the first Jewish chaplain they meet.
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