The Sailor’s Creed

I am a United States sailor. I know that the life of a sailor is both mentally and physically demanding. If you have never known or spent time with anybody in the Navy, you will never understand the life of a sailor and their commitment to the Sailors Creed. It is not just the 6-month deployments at sea or the years of sea duty versus shore duty. There are two jobs in the Navy that are not just physically demanding but downright dangerous! I don’t just mean being a Navy SEAL or EOD. I’m talking here about the men and women that spend hours landing and launching planes on the deck of an aircraft carrier. I am talking about the engineers that spend hours in over 130-degree temperatures to keep a ship moving to complete the missions.

The training the Navy puts its sailors through is some of the toughest mental and physical training known to man. Of course we all know a bit about how physically demanding Navy SEAL training is. The same goes for Navy EOD school. Then there’s the Naval Nuclear Power School which Time magazine said was the most mentally demanding school in the world. The Navy has some the smartest sailors and officers that any branch has to offer. They also have a dangerous mission, and it is to patrol the waters of the world, keeping us safe at home by preventing anybody from crossing over into the United States by sea or air. The life of a sailor at sea is a difficult one. Some spend hours on watch or manning a panel. The Navy expects and demands the best of all their service members, and each is disciplined from day one in boot camp.

I Will Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States

The Navy’s support of the American people is a difficult task to carry out. Can you imagine being on a sub hundreds of feet underwater and not seeing daylight for months? Or launching planes in the Pacific from daylight to dark? Did you know that on average, an aircraft carrier conducting training or combat missions at sea loses 3 to 5 sailors every 6-month deployment? They often get blown overboard while launching and landing planes. It’s a very dangerous place to be.

The Navy can have a fleet of ships filled with planes on a U.S. coast and within hours be off to foreign water in behalf of our nation’s defense. The Navy is filled with tradition and honor and some of the most time-honored military traditions take place in the Navy. Days are long for a sailor at sea and jib isn’t done until they’re back home in port.

What Do They Represent?

I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world. We would not have won a single war if it wasn’t for the Navy! The Navy is our first line of defense in the seas and air. The Navy is always going to be one of the first to deliver a hard hit to our enemy. Imagine how the enemy feels when they hear a bomb coming towards them off a battleship. Or the dead silence right before a missile rips through a city. The Navy clears the path from air and seas before and during ground force action in any combat zone. The Navy pretty much won Desert Shield and Desert Storm by itself.

Honor, Courage, and Commitment

Sailors live by honor, courage, and commitment. Most of us will never know the courage it takes to board a ship, go on deck, and launch planes for twelve hours or more. Or to go into a combat zone and disarm IEDs for hours at a time. Many will never know the honor, courage, and commitment it took to go into Pakistan and eliminate one of the biggest threats we as Americans have ever had: Bin Laden! Go Navy!

Navy Commitment

Navy commitment is simple and is lived by each Navy veteran and current member of the United States Navy. They have a commitment to excellence and fair treatment of all. The Navy constantly conducts oversea rescue missions. The Navy has stepped up and defended other countries’ ships and boats against pirates and terrorists. The Navy has conducted some of the largest humanitarian missions across the world. While I was in the Navy, I received a humanitarian medal for playing my part in these efforts. The Navy represents the best of what our country stands for and has to offer.

The Navy

The Navy speaks for itself on sea, air, and land. It is our country’s best and first defense. We will never win a war without the fighting men and women of the Navy and their honor, courage, and commitment. I will end by saying the Navy motto. Semper Forti, meaning “ever strong,” and Non Sibi Sed Patriae, meaning “not for self, but for country.” Go Navy!