As a follow up from our department head post, we were asked to gather feedback on spouses who have experienced an XO tour! The "XO," or Executive Officer, is second in command and reports directly to the Commanding Officer (CO). An XO is responsible to the captain for all ship's work, drills, exercises, personnel organization, [...]
By Guest Author Erin Gregor Last holidays, our team here at The Submerged Life put together a great holiday gift guide! However, giving gifts to sailors about to go on patrol, deployment, or a longer underway poses some special challenges. They have limited time on land to use things like vouchers or spend time on [...]
A boomer, or ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), is a submarine with two crews that take turns taking the boat to sea. Sailors switch between "off crew" when their crew does not "own" the boat and being the crew that "owns" the boat. "Owning" the boat means your sailor's crew works on the submarine and is [...]
Refreshing your email every three minutes? The mind tends to wander when there has been a lack of communication from your sailor at sea. I have experienced this many times. Each person has a different response - you may have begun to feel anxious, sad, mad, etc. Here are a few ways to combat these [...]
When your spouse is in the military, it is a unique experience that their job has such a substantial impact on your life. As military families, we understand this job is more than a paycheck. Whether we like it or not, the job dictates how we live our life. When we can see each other, [...]
Boomer life. The good life. Family-friendly. Part time sailor life as you only "own" the boat for half the time. For those unfamiliar with "Boomers", SSBNs, or ballistic missile submarines have two crews that take turns taking the boat to sea. There is a short period of maintenance, “refit," between each "patrol” where both crews [...]
Healthy eating should be a lifestyle, but with "boat life" it can be easier to reach for cereal or frozen nuggets for dinner then thinking about meal prep. We recently have PC'S'd, lived with family members and currently reside in a hotel while we wait for house. All my hopes for total clean eating have [...]
So, you're reaching the end of deployment. The light is at the end of the tunnel, you can see it, you can feel it, but you're likely a bundle of nerves. Emotions are running high. As the Homecoming date looms closer and closer, you may be anxious to see your sailor again. Homecoming will be [...]
Before my husband’s last deployment, our Ombudsman offered to make "Deployment Binders" for us. I had never made one before, but they were so helpful! She gave us actual binders with checklists of things to include, along with some Family Readiness Group (FRG) information, contacts, and a list of things to take care of before [...]
