No matter how you slice it, six months or more underway is an extremely long time. During days where you can’t do anything except work or on the rare occasion where work slows down, boredom can drive sailors to do the most ridiculous of things. This is why people get in trouble while on the ship. After all, when everywhere you look there is only water to be seen, the infamous sea madness can be a real threat. As such, what is a sailor to do in order to survive deployment without getting into too much trouble? Well, that’s actually rather simple.
Bring Items for Entertainment
The first thing sailors have to do in order to prepare for deployment is come to the ship prepared. While boot camp does a great job on providing the uniforms and the training required to survive the ship, it doesn’t tell you what items to bring in order to make the experience much more bearable.
Items normally included in this category are:
• Music players
• Video game systems
• Books
• Gym clothes for working out
• Gaming books such as Dungeons and Dragons (campaigns are held regularly in the mess decks)
• Cell phones
• Laptops
This is just a basic list of sanitises maintaining necessities that will facilitate life aboard the ship. It’s extremely important to consider which ones you will bring as space is limited and you’re not going to be able to fit everything within your rack. But, it’s not the only thing you will want to bring with you inside your sea bag as next on the list is trading commodities.
Bring Items to Trade
Trading commodities are items you can trade for favors, and other luxuries, as living in a boat is not too different than being in prison. Commodities are anything you can trade without feeling too guilty about the exchange, and this is keeping in mind that sex is strictly forbidden on the ship (thus it would behove you to forget about using your gender as a bargaining chip lest you incur the wrath of captain’s mast).
Items normally considered as commodities include:
• Television shows and movies in hard drives or DVD’s
• Protein bars
• Tapatío hot sauce
• Candy
• Instant meals, such as noodles, that can be cooked with hot water
• CigarettesH
• Chewing tobacco
• Two-ply toilet paper
• Toiletries
• Extra uniform items
Care Packages are Vital
Finally, it’s important to remember the importance of care packages. As soon as you arrive on the ship, find your way to the post office and get yourself an address. Care packages and letters have some of the greatest morale-boosting properties in the military. There is nothing better than receiving a care package from your parents or loved ones, especially after a few months have passed. Unlike the older military days, we can actually communicate with loved ones through email and Facebook while we are deployed. This has not only helped shorten the distance between couples but has also provided a way to easily communicate in case of emergencies. However, nothing makes a sailor feel better than knowing someone out there cares about them. Care packages are simply one of the most meaningful ways to show a sailor they’re gone, but not forgotten.
Things you can send in a care package:
• Snacks
• Pens and envelopes with stamps
• toiletries (for both men and women)
• Reading material
• Chewing tobacco
• A cute/sexy picture (if it’s being sent to your significant other)
Disclaimer: The content in this article is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of US Patriot Tactical.
