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

[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.