A brave new world

Today I started 'C' school.  I am now a tiny blue drop in a sea of green.  Translation:  Out of a class of 22, there's only 2 Navy students.  The other is a first class petty officer back from the fleet.  The instructors and most of the other students are Army.  A few are Marines.

VPD, or Video Production and Documentation, is where I'll learn my specialized video trade.  I love video, so I'm definitely excited.  It's a different scene than the all-Navy courses I've been in for the past few months.  The most interesting aspect is the language.  In my new world it's "hua" instead of "roger that" or "aye aye", "go/no go" instead of "pass/fail", and  "latrine", rather than "head."

I experienced all of this to some degree during the mixed-branch courses I was enrolled in back in September.  But back then, the ratio of students was half blue/half green.

My phrase of the day is "25 Victor", which is the career path the Soldiers around me are on.

A hint of familiarity came when the class heard my last name for the first time.  "Whoa, that's a crazy last name!"  I think the Army would steal me away and make me a sergeant if they could. :)

Today's military has a very different face than in years past.  Every branch is being integrated, which means around the world Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Guardsmen, and Coasties are working side by side.

I'm very grateful for this opportunity to keep learning in 'C' school.  And it's not just about using a video camera.  In today's military landscape, it's all about productive joint operations!