This Mini Documentary Shows What A Sailor’s Life Is Like Aboard A U.S. Navy Destroyer

Updated Nov 6, 2019 8:38 PM EST

At any given time, thousands of U.S. Navy sailors are plowing the seas all around the world, and sometimes in some very rough neighborhoods in which relative peace and turn into outright hostility in a matter of seconds. We hear quite a bit from the officers aboard everything from supercarriers to nuclear submarines, but not enough from those who actually make the Navy’s goals even remotely achievable, the enlisted crew , some of who aren’t even old enough to legally consume alcohol. This stark reality is precisely why I really enjoyed this mini-documentary that gives sailors’ perspectives of life aboard the Navy’s most numerous surface combatant, the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, in this case, USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60).

There is a lot to take away from this video. I always find it fascinating how so many enlisted crewmen knew little about the Navy, its ships, and the various positions required to make them run, before joining the service. Under such circumstances, enlisting seems like a bewilderingly brave leap for an individual to make that seems almost alien to me. Considering how new to all of it so many of its freshly minted sailors are, it is amazing how well the Navy actually runs and how dedicated to the job these sailors quickly become. Also, even on a destroyer with a crew of a few hundred people or so, the social structures that manifest themselves among a bedrock of camaraderie at the unit department level is fascinating. Without it, I don’t think any of this would be possible.

As we approach Veteran’s Day, the bottom line to comprehend is that the U.S. military largely runs on youth. These are kids out there doing the hardest jobs long day in and long day out, without complaints, so that the rest of us back home can sleep soundly at night. It really is a remarkable thing. And while ‘Millennials’ and young adults, in general, are often framed as lazy, technology addicted, and entitled, try telling that to these the sailors that make the Paul Hamilton run.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于2019年11月6日晚上8:38（美国东部时间）。

任何时候，都有成千上万的美国海军水兵在世界各地的海域航行，有时甚至在一些局势极其动荡的海域，相对的和平可能在短短几秒钟内就转变为彻底的敌对。我们经常听到从超级航母到核潜艇等各种舰艇上的军官们的声音，但却很少听到那些真正让海军目标得以实现的普通水兵的声音，其中一些人甚至还没到法定饮酒年龄。正是这种残酷的现实，让我非常喜欢这部迷你纪录片。它从水兵的视角展现了海军数量最多的水面作战舰艇——阿利·伯克级驱逐舰（本片中的“保罗·汉密尔顿”号，DDG-60）上的生活。

这段视频有很多值得我们学习的地方。我一直觉得很神奇，很多新兵在入伍前对海军、舰艇以及各种岗位的运作知之甚少。在这种情况下，参军对个人来说似乎是一个令人费解的勇敢举动，对我来说几乎是天方夜谭。考虑到这么多新兵对这一切都如此陌生，海军的高效运转以及这些水兵对工作的投入程度着实令人惊叹。此外，即使是在一艘只有几百人的驱逐舰上，在单位部门层面建立起来的、以深厚战友情谊为基础的社会结构也令人着迷。如果没有这种情谊，我想这一切都不可能实现。

随着退伍军人节的临近，我们必须明白，美军很大程度上依赖于年轻人。这些年轻人日复一日、年复一年地从事着最艰苦的工作，毫无怨言，只为了让我们这些后方的人们能够安然入睡。这的确令人钦佩。虽然“千禧一代”和年轻人通常被贴上懒惰、沉迷科技、自以为是的标签，但你试试跟这些驾驶“保罗·汉密尔顿”号巡洋舰的士兵们说说看。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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