The Navys Bible

Bluejackets Manual

November 17th, 2007

I have a couple of “The Bluejackets’ Manual” in a bookshelf in my home office. The oldest was one given to me when I was in high school NJROTC, it is the 19th addition of the original published in 1902. Topics in the NJROTC classes would sometimes use the manual as reference. My other Bluejacket Manual is a 20th addition which was issued to me in Recruit Training back in November of 1980.

The last couple of days I have had intermittent Internet connection, Comcast is hot on the cause and expect a full recovery very soon, and the time away from the NET has provided me time to read a little history - my old books.

First thing that caught my eye is the fact the word Sailor is not capitalized in the books. I know it has been relatively recent that Sailor be capitalized in correspondence and publications but seeing it in small letters makes me wonder how we ever missed it before the change. May seem like a small thing but it does mean a lot. Now if we can get the powers that be to do the same for the word Chief!

Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP). It was my only college program available to me and others who enlisted between the GI-Bills. VEAP was the dumbest college program ever devised in my opinion - you put up to $2700 into the fund, for every dollar you did put in the Navy would put in two. This made the total college fund possible via VEAP to be $8100… Wow, be still my heart.

Hygiene, Health and First Aid

In this chapter I find today the order of the topics somewhat humorous. They are in this order;

Good Health Habits

Care of Teeth
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Dysentery
Homosexuality
Venereal Diseases
Herpes Genitalis

I watched an episode of Boston Legal where a Judge had spent $40,000 to be cured of SSAD - Same Sex Attraction Disorder. I found the episode funny but didn’t think it could be non-fiction. Reading the section about homosexuality it states;

“There are a lot of mistaken ideas about homosexuality. Some examples: a homosexual can be detected by speech characteristics, manner or dress. (This is not true in most cases.) VD cannot be contracted through homosexual acts. (It can, and frequently is.) The Navy will “cure” homosexuals. (The Navy does not have the facilities or personnel for this; and even if it did, treatment is not always successful.)“

Classic stuff!

Navy Benefits

Servicemen’s group life insurance according to the manual was $4.06 per month for $35,000 dollars, I honestly don’t remember it being that low - today the policy is $400,000.

Selective re-enlistment bonus was capped at $16,000. Oh and do you remember constructive service credit? It’s in the book even though it was stopped in 1977. I used to envy those who had the days built up!

Go and look at your bookshelves. I am sure you have some old text books gathering dust, pull one out and relive some of your own personal history. You will be amazed at how many memories the activity will jar loose.

I’ll close with one last tidbit from the 20th edition Bluejackets Manual;

“Our responsibilities sober us; our adversities strengthen us.”