SSBN. ETV. Will not respond to questions about sensitive or classified subjects. My views are my own and I do not represent anyone.
Hi there!
Edit: since this has been asked several times:
SSBN stands for “submersible ship, ballistic missile, nuclear powered”. That is, the same overall type of ship as the Red October.
ETV stands for “Electronics Technican, Navigation”, because N was already taken by Nuclear Electronics Technicians. I work with everything from interior communications and announcing circuits to Electronics, shipwide atmospheric monitoring, navigational inertial gyroscopes, strategic nuclear missile navigation, and tank level indicators to basic underwater submarine navigation using the voyage management system and even helming the ship itself.
Like true men (and now women) you bury that shit until you get to port, and then drink like a fish.
Really, everyone copes in different ways. While I was AD, there weren’t a lot of great options. You could try talking to your crew mates, but we were all in the same boat, literally. I escaped through reading, video games. And writing letters to my wife, and eventually emails. Others used other tactics. Some people decided it wasn’t for them and found a way out. Others committed suicide when they couldn’t cope.
The Navy has never done a great job dealing with mental health and my first comment is the most common result.
Source-MMC/SS (Ret) 4 fast attacks, 21 years AD.
I appreciate your time responding. It’s a shame the armed services just disregard mental wellbeing.