The Parent's Guide to U.S. Navy

Military ways can be enigmatic, resulting in an alien world where acronyms often replace words and where “1330” is a time of day. Add to that, the Navy is not only military, it is nautical, which adds centuries of sea-going terminology and practices to the confusion. While the young men and women who sign on to become sailors in the United States Navy receive extensive indoctrination and training, their parents do not. As their sons and daughters are becoming uniformed, the parents remain uninformed. This book is both a translation manual and a cultural guide to their son’s or daughter’s chosen new world. Alongside chapters covering uniforms, ranks, ships, and aircraft, are explanations and guidance as to what to expect when their child first joins the Navy, the many benefits their sailor will enjoy, and what families should bring and do when visiting their sailors in their new and somewhat alien world. Designed to be an easy read as well as a useful reference work, The Parent’s Guide to the U.S. Navy is essential reading for those parents whose children have chosen to “go down to the sea in ships. Also included is a primer on the various ships and aircraft that make up today’s fleet, a guide to “reading” a uniform, and the demystification of such things as the phonetic alphabet and military time. Designed to be an easy read for those who want the whole story, The Parent’s Guide to the Navy is also a useful reference work, easily “navigated” to find needed information. While parents need not be experts on the Navy, there is a middle ground that this book serves by providing a readable, edifying, and often entertaining explanation of this important but sometimes mysterious branch of the U.S. armed forces.