Tag: navy

Claustrophobia?

Carl Setzer1 Comment
man crawling inside a metal tunnel
An image of a crowded asian train, found on Pinterest

I spent several years of my life in the US Navy on submarines. Now, I had NO issues with the cramped spaces, nor with being many, many feet under water. I even crawled into very tight “void spaces”. Things like tanks. Not a problem! However, that’s not the case anymore. I look at this image above, and I feel claustrophobic. Deeply. And this isn’t that crowded. I’ve seen other images/videos where the train staff are literally pushing people together into the car. People are crushed into each other! Yeah, I’d be hyperventilating big time.

For me, this juxtoposition is striking. Nothing traumatic happened in the decades since. I have simply lost any tolerance for confined spaces. On a related note, I also didn’t have any issues with heights back then, but now I struggle.

Weird, methinks. Have you noticed any evolutions like this in your life?

Life and Death and Youth, or Life In The Military

Carl Setzer

Once, I was a sailor, young and foolish.

Looking back I’m truly stunned at what I operated, and the responsibility in my hands. Mistakes had truly life and death ramifications, and I hadn’t no sense of the seriousness.

Everything from nuclear power-plants, torpedoes, big-assed firearms, weapons of all stripes including nukes, operated and maintained, mostly, by teenagers and youngish adults.

I read a post recently that reminded me of my time in the service. And, really, for the first time seriously considering what the heck was going on while I was a young man.

To be honest, there are times that these thoughts terrify me. And yet, I remember back, back to the youthful poor decisions, impulsive and rash actions; through all of it, we managed to be serious enough about our responsibilities that no one was hurt.

Perhaps I, too, don’t take the capabilities of youth seriously. Especially my own.