I attended Navy Officer Development School (ODS) in Newport, RI from July 7 to August 9, 2019. The first week and a half were a difficult adjustment to military life, but I soon learned to love the routine and the things I was learning. It also helped that we started getting weekend liberty after a couple weeks!
Newport had great sunsets. This is the view from my window in King Hall.
At a pier in Newport while out on liberty with some of my shipmates.
Several of us toured The Breakers, which was the Vanderbilt's summer home.
The grand staircase, modeled after the Paris Opera House
The main hall, which the Vanderbilt kids used to ride tricycles through
A very old Steinway in the music room
The library
The backyard--ready for a Gatsby style summer party.
Views from the cliffwalk near The Breakers
So many mansions, and so much old money in Newport!
Learning to put out fires before heading into a simulated ship hatch on fire (which I don't have pictures of).
Learning to shore up holes in a torpedoed ship, the USS Buttercup (aka wet trainer). This was actually a lot of fun, and was a nice relief from the summer heat. At one point the water was up to our necks!
DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!
The last week of ODS, we got to tour Battleship Cove in Massachusetts.
Our church group from ODS class 19050, pictured here at a reception the day before graduation. There were usually 3 or 4 others from OCS who joined us at the Newport ward every Sunday.
Sierra Company, ODS Class 19050
By the end of ODS, I was excited to see my wife and kiddos again, but I miss wearing the uniform every day, and I miss hearing colors every morning.
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