Hawaii Five-O

[erilyn]

This weekend, I'm not working, I'm not studying, and I have the house to myself. So I've been getting a few things done around here, and am taking the opportunity to get some serious uninterruped lazing-in-front-of-tv time. Yesterday's viewing included Criminal Minds, NCIS LA, Hawaii Five-O and Tangled (sidenote: I have a new favourite Disney character - Maximus!)

Having caught up on those other shows (Bones, Castle and NCIS will have to wait for the rest of the family), I'm continuing to work through H5O, just finished episode 11. I do enjoy the show, though there's one backstory detail for McGarrett that particularly bugs me.

Steve's grandfather died at Pearl Harbour? Making his father at least around 70 when he died? I started to watch the pilot again, to see how old his father looked, and then remembered how much I disliked the setup of the pilot (the sheer incompetence and rampant stupidity of Steve being able to take a call from his father while on an op, and his subsequent actions? Almost kept me from watching anymore of the show).

So I looked the actor up IMDB, and he's about 9 years too young, which I guess isn't horrible by Hollywood standards. It's an odd thing to get hung up on, but they then made a big deal about it in the hostage episode too, and I was just watching going "really? really?"

Yeah, yeah - of all the unbelievable things in this show to get hung up on, right? I just wish there was a fraction of the fic for Sam and G from NCIS LA as there is for H50. And there needs to be crossovers! Being SEALs is such a defining part of both Steve and Sam, there's no way they haven't crossed paths ;)

Speaking of fic, I haven't read a huge amount yet, but there's one story that I'm looking for again - posted just after DADT repeal passed the US Senate, it's closeted!Steve's reaction to when a SEAL friend of his comes out and announces he's getting married to a guy.

Comments

[raec123.livejournal.com]

Anyone who graduates out of Annapolis graduates with a Bachelor's of Science.

The Navy has two types of Officers, Line Officers and Service Corp Officers. Line Officers are the only ones who can have command of combat/forward ready positions, such as SEAL units, ships, and combat divisions (Marines). Line officers are designated by stars. (Navy) Service Corp Officers are designated by oak leaves. (Navy) Steve does wear stars on his Dress Blues.

The US Naval Academy in Annapolis trains both Naval Officers and Marine Corp Officers. They are selected through a rigorous process that includes both Civilian and Political recommendations (you can't get in without a recommendation by a Senator, Congressman, the VP or the President. The only exception to this rule is children of Medal of Honor Award winners), an extensive physical fitness test, passing several academic tests, participation in extra curricular activities, and surviving pleb summer. Of the approximately 140 applicants excepted to each fresh man class, only about 100 survive pleb summer.

Once an applicant has met all of these requirements, they attend their freshman year and each subsequent year free of charge. If they do not maintain at least a 2.0 average for every year, participation in extra curricular activities every year, physical standards requirements and the military training/standards required for every year, they will be asked to leave and have approximately a $50k bill for each year they attended that is due to the US Government that must be paid back.

For this education, the students agree to serve the US Navy or Marines for a period of no less than eight years. Students may not apply and pay for their own education at the Military Institutes. The only way in is to serve their country. Again, the only exception to this rule are students from approved countries that will go on to serve in military units overseas, such as the UK. Of course, those countries will pay for the education.

Once in school, students will study in one of these disciplines:

Aerospace Engineering, Arabic, Chemistry, Chinese, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Electrical Engineering, English, General Engineering, General Science, History, Information Technology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture, Ocean Engineering, Oceanography, Physics, Political Science, Quantitative Economics, or Systems Engineering.

The US Naval Academy is accredited by the Middle States and all students receive a core program of engineering, science, mathematics, humanities and social science for at least two years before specializing in a major. All students who graduate, graduate with a BS. *g* It's the only degree they give out. *snicker* So, Steve has a BS.

One interesting thing to note is that Steve wears a jump wings pin in both the 1st episode (total screw up on the medals, only two row, please! He's a SEAL!) and the 8th on his Dress Blues (Five rows, that's more like it.). Most SEALs wear a Surface Warfare, Air Warfare (uh, dude, Steve is a pilot), or Submarine Warfare in addition to his Trident.

I've been trying to get a good picture of the shadow box in his office, cause I think he has a Surface Warfare one in it along with his Trident, which makes more sense. It could easily be a Special Ops pin, the difference being whether or not it has swords. He should have Dive and EOD pins somewhere too, since he had to do that training as well before he ever went near BUDS.

The Special Ops pin has both the Dive and EOD symbols on it to show that the person went that training. *eg* The Warfare pins signify that a person is trained in every position on a Ship, Sub, or Aircraft. It's a huge deal in that that person can be shifted to any position when there is a need.

Rae

[raec123.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I forgot to mention....Annapolis only graduates Line Officers.

[deepbluemermaid.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, that's fascinating :) Are you in the military yourself, or is someone in your family serving?

[raec123.livejournal.com]

lol, myself, my hubby, our families. And if I can't ask someone, I know where to look for the info on the internet.

I was USNR-R. *g* I was in for eight years, enlisted Hospital Corp-0000. I served in Med Clinics, Hospital Units & CHB-8. I didn't get to go anywhere interesting while I was in and I didn't earn a special HM NEC. NEC 0000 are cross-trained in all medical disciplines; radiology, laboratory, wards, emergency, air med, nuke med, etc. They usually start to specialize after 2 years.

When I got out in 94, I was working on my E-6 quals so I could go IDC once I passed HM1 exams. I had my EMT A (National), EMT-Mast (PA), HAZMAT Cert, and CME's in Trauma Care (Gunshot wounds, explosions, your basic battle wounds) and Instructor Basic Training. I was assigned to the Public Affairs Officer with the clinic, Training Petty Officer at FH 20 in Kearny, NJ and Philly, and Leading Petty Officer (which means I managed, *snerk*)of the Med Unit with CHB-8. CHB-8 was my favorite and the only combat billet I held. It was a cargo unit that's since been reclassified in 1993 under the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. At that time, the CHB units typically held a medical personnel, supply personnel - cooks, sk's, transportation, SeaBees, and ordinance specialists.

It was an air/land/sea cargo unit that could be deployed to any area. Bare beach could suddenly became a port. Bare strip of land could suddenly become an airport or warehouse distribution center. All with heavy machinery/trucks, boots on the ground in a day. It was pretty cool. Roads where there weren't roads. Bridges where there weren't bridges. The SeaBees are the construction units of the Navy. The Med personnel were responsible for maintaining all medical requirements for each specific NEC attached to the units. Physical Fitness, Food Safety, Water Testing/Purification, Physicals (many NEC's had different standards), Basic Medical Care, etc. It was a fun job.

While following my hubby around, I served as the OMBUDSMAN for Naval Hospital Keflavik and Naval Hospital Guam. An OMBUDSMAN is usually a dependent who serves as the link between a unit's command and the unit's families. It's a first link/step to a family getting help for whatever they need, ie - help contacting a deployed spouse, emergencies, where to go when you need food stamps, find the DMV's, help a newly transfer family settle in, help a family transfer out. Mostly, it's just knowing where to find the information, who to talk to, and lots of hand holding.

Hubby was in for 20 years, USN Retired, enlisted, Hospital Corp-8404/8432. He served in both Iraq and Kuwait, on the USS Simpson (FFG), and with the Marines. His parents live right across the bay from Annapolis Naval Academy. His Dad was Navy, on both a destroyer (can't remember which one) and the USS Essex (during the Cuban Missile Crisis). His cousin is also in the Army, enlisted, E-8, but I don't know his MOS either. His Granddad was US Army, enlisted, WWII Vet, 101st Airborne (1944-1945), 501st PIR, Screaming Eagles, Purple Heart for Battle of Carentan, Bronze Star for D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and Holland, and a bunch of Campaign medals/ribbons. In 1947 he enlisted with 82nd Airborne and was hurt during a jump in a training mission. He's buried at Arlington.

My parents and brother are US Army, enlisted. Step Mom was an OR Tech, 4 years. Dad was BioMed, 22 years. Bro did something with petroleum, 22 years, haven't a clue as to his MOS and he couldn't explain much more than that. He's been to just about everywhere in the European/Middle Eastern areas. Step Granddad and Granddad were both US Army during WWII, Infantry during D-Day. Unfortunately, I don't know more about them than they received Purple Hearts during the war. The parental units didn't like to talk about it. They are both buried close to home.