What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

— Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons…

– Wilfred Owen

  • joe@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What’s wrong with writing poetry on an aircraft carrier? I can’t speak to being on an aircraft carrier, but on a submarine you are not in war mode 24/7; there’s time to do ordinary things. (usually).

    Let me guess: Tommy here hasn’t ever served in the military, right? All he knows about it is from movies?

    • at_an_angle@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Talked to quite a few vets. My understanding is that outside of training, the military is like 90% waiting… I’m sorry, “assuming a holding pattern”

      • JustAnotherRando@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I wouldn’t say 90% but it is significant. “Hurry up and wait” is a common phrase in the military - you don’t exactly have much “free time” (where you could do as you please) but you do have a lot of time wasted because you have to be at this location at 5:30 so you can wait for an evolution at 6 that doesn’t actually involve you doing anything until 7:30. So you just sit around waiting to do shit but can’t go anywhere else. Poetry sounds like a better way to pass the time than what I did in those situations, which was usually nap or BS with the others waiting around.

      • joe@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Well, maybe free time doesn’t happen in the first year, but I was a nuke; quals weren’t all that bad from what I remember.

      • NOPper@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The chief’s quarters really need you to push out those Dive quals so they can go to a 15 section rotation.