Memories. Ahhh Yes, Memories of My Life

Caught Off Guard

PROMPT July 27th

Write about a time you were caught off guard, surprised, or had the rug pulled out from under you. How did you recover?

         The one time (there have been many, believe me) that stands out in my mind happened while I was in the Navy.

         I was on my first shore tour. Now my impression of a shore tour was that it would be easy, since life on a Submarine for a 'Nuke' was never easy. Except there was one small problem. I was assigned to a department that supported the Nuclear Reactors on Submarines! Essentially, it was the same as being on a boat, but worse in some ways. You know, working 16-20 hour days sometimes. The same testing we experienced on the boats, the same rapid qualification pace, etc.

         I had qualified with no problem at all, up to what was known as a Radiological Controls Monitor. Sounds impressive, and it is in some ways. The last position I needed to qualify was as a Radiological Controls Shift Supervisor (RCSS). A person in this position would supervise evolutions that occurred in day to day operation, as well as the response to any accidents that occurred. (The only accidents I saw happened during drills, and they weren't accidents, it was all a part of the drill).

         To complete qualification, you had to pass a written test. One hundred questions, all essay. The Nuclear Navy did not use multiple choice questions because those don't really test the depth of your knowledge. I passed of course, my score wasn't great, but it wasn't poor either. After the written test came an oral interview that consisted of two qualified RCSS individuals, and the department's Radiological Controls Officer. My interview was going well, very well. I answered every question they asked, and elaborated on certain points as required. Then came a question about a casualty occurring, and I jumped into describing the actions I'd direct.

         I got through the initial process well, and was pretty proud of myself. But despite the actions I described, my group hadn't found the cause of the alarm we were responding to. I went through everything I could think of, they kept throwing small curves to me, and I wasn't getting anywhere. Finally, I had a person check one thing, and they gave me an answer I wasn't expecting. I realized I'd been combating the wrong casualty the whole time. (For any who are interested, an Air Detector had alarmed, so I'd followed all the protocols for fighting an airborne problem. Except, the Detector alarmed due to a high radiation level).

         I was sure that they would fail me because I'd done everything wrong in trying to determine the cause of the alarm, and told them so. At that point, they ended the oral exam, and failed me. Except they didn't fail me for not doing the right thing! They failed me because I didn't continue taking actions to fight the real problem, because in essence, 'I gave up'. I learned a lot in that interview, and had to undergo a second oral exam, which I passed easily.

         The lesson I learned is, you can never give up. Never. Ever. This experience has led me to be who I am today, for better or for worse.






Jim Dorrell