| USSVI - Keepers
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District Five and Topeka-Jefferson City Base set new records in the sponsorship of recruit training divisions Posting Date: 11 August
2003 The Central Region is pleased to announce that District Five, Carl Schmidt Commanding, is the first District in USSVI history to sponsor a Recruit Division. On July 25th 2003, at the Great Lakes Recruit Training Command, the new District Five "Submarine Veterans Division" was jointly Commissioned with the "Submarine Division sponsored by The Crash Dive Base.
The day started with Carl Schmidt welcoming the District Five Members and introducing them to members of the Crash Dive Base whose "Submarine Division" would be co-commissioned with the District Five sponsored Division.
Moving down the chow line was simple and easy. As with any buffet, you would expect in a fine restaurant, you selected your meal items and put them on your plate yourself which was on a conventional restaurant tray. Gone are the pressed steel metal trays. Gone are the Mess Cooks that sloshed your food on your tray with streams of gravy dripping down your shirt to your "spit shined" shoes. Gone are the Mess Cooks that seem to enjoy mixing your food together with each slosh! Gone are the cries of "Let's go Say-lers."
Following lunch the to-be-named "Submarine Veterans Division" Recruits were introduced to their sponsors and they listened attentively as the "Old Salts" of District Five and the Crash Dive offered their congratulations, advice and good luck wishes as the Recruits completed the first week of their Navy career. After everyone had said what they had to say, along with a sampling of their best sea stories, it came time to Commission District 5's "Submarine Veterans Division 308" together with Crash Dive's Submarine Division. Lieutenant Walker, a nuclear submarine officer now on duty with the Recruit Training Command, Commissioned the one hundred and seventy anxious recruits of both Division and the "Submarine Division": and "Submarine Veterans Division" were officially formed. The Divisions were then presented with their official Submarine Force Guideon Banners. The two Divisions now officially formed the Division Commanders distributed the District Five and the Crash Dive Base T-shirts to their respective Divisions.
Everyone agreed, it was a thrill of a lifetime and to remember how young we had been back when we had no idea what the next four years would hold for us. For a moment, every one of the members of D5 and Crash Dive, reminisced. A few could be seen with glistening eyes as they discreetly wiped a tear or two from their eyes. There are several phases through which the D5 Division will pass, and most of us vowed to attend as many as we could. Most all committed to be there for the Division's graduation, one with which we all can relive our own special graduation day when we became sailors of the mightiest Navy the world has ever seen... the US Navy. Perhaps some of those in our Division will be moved to become submariners. And with that, we can all share a moment of pride for they might never have done so, without interest of the members of District Five and the Crash Dive Base pioneering in the sponsorship of Recruit Divisions. |
After
caravaning to what is proclaimed to be "The Navy's Largest Dining
Facility" we gathered together in at private room reserved for us
for our noon meal.
District
Five and Crash Dive Base Members met in a private dining room in the rear
of the mess hall as we partook of excellently prepared food by an outsourced
contract food preparation and service company. Gone are the days of the
Mess Hall cooks.
After
the Commissioning Ceremony, many recruits stayed to talk with the District
5 and Crash Five members.