jckryan
So, this is purgatory?
Islamic extremism is a VERY real threat and those Americans that were not directly affected by 9/11 better be a lot more vigilant. What they think is that extremism comes from the Middle East/Afghanistan/North Africa.
They are Chechen (former Soviet republic), Indonesian, Filipino, among others. Ethnic groups the common American would not consider and that is what is dangerous.
A little concern should be about the Filipinos.
They have been loyal with us since WWII and serve admirably mostly in the Navy as postal workers, cooks, and admin types*. There is a large contingent of first/second generation Filipino families in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. The majority are not Muslims and are/strive to be proud Americans.
But there is a Muslim population in the Philippines and to infiltrate a Navy ship (esp. as a sleeper) would be easy.
* This of course is a generalization. They proudly serve in other fields as well as military branches.
When service personnel come back from leave/liberty onboard a ship smaller than a aircraft carrier, the crew usually knows you by name or sight. Maybe from them serving chow on the mess decks (WHAT! Chicken Adobo again!!!), to picking up your mail or disbursement. If you're out to sea for months at a time . . . you probably seen them a few times.
So if the crew knows you and you bring something in a full service duffel bag from leave/liberty, chances are that the watch is not going to make you spill the entire contents of the duffel out. Most likely, they will pull out a couple of articles and probe one foot deep into it. I'm not going any further into it, but those that are currently serving onboard should figure it out and be more aware**. Supply and amphibious ships would be brutal targets.
** I seriously am not trying to target Filipinos (one of my favorite bartenders is Filipina), this goes for "born-again Muslims" or any other friendly. Just saying, if there is a change in their demeanor or they start acting squirrelly . . . may want to shoot it up the chain of command asap.
I remember this one short guy (a cook) who always was getting hazed and he mostly took it on the chin. He was quiet, I rarely saw him smile and sometimes he just looked pissed off. However over three years, l learned that is who he was even among other Filipino shipmates. But a persona like that resembles a disgruntled worker and going postal would not be out of the question.
I really hope that the watches are more thorough in their searches since I've left (metal detecting wands would be good). Also, an aft watch should be stationed during ANY port visits.
Another concern would be the border. Human traffickers will traffic anything for money, Islamic Extremists included. Given enough money, they don't care who you are or what it is. Also there is little 'hotbed' of extremists in an area of Paraguay (South America) consisting of immigrants from the Middle East. They even have a a good amount of mosques to visit.
They are Chechen (former Soviet republic), Indonesian, Filipino, among others. Ethnic groups the common American would not consider and that is what is dangerous.
A little concern should be about the Filipinos.
They have been loyal with us since WWII and serve admirably mostly in the Navy as postal workers, cooks, and admin types*. There is a large contingent of first/second generation Filipino families in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. The majority are not Muslims and are/strive to be proud Americans.
But there is a Muslim population in the Philippines and to infiltrate a Navy ship (esp. as a sleeper) would be easy.
* This of course is a generalization. They proudly serve in other fields as well as military branches.
When service personnel come back from leave/liberty onboard a ship smaller than a aircraft carrier, the crew usually knows you by name or sight. Maybe from them serving chow on the mess decks (WHAT! Chicken Adobo again!!!), to picking up your mail or disbursement. If you're out to sea for months at a time . . . you probably seen them a few times.
So if the crew knows you and you bring something in a full service duffel bag from leave/liberty, chances are that the watch is not going to make you spill the entire contents of the duffel out. Most likely, they will pull out a couple of articles and probe one foot deep into it. I'm not going any further into it, but those that are currently serving onboard should figure it out and be more aware**. Supply and amphibious ships would be brutal targets.
** I seriously am not trying to target Filipinos (one of my favorite bartenders is Filipina), this goes for "born-again Muslims" or any other friendly. Just saying, if there is a change in their demeanor or they start acting squirrelly . . . may want to shoot it up the chain of command asap.
I remember this one short guy (a cook) who always was getting hazed and he mostly took it on the chin. He was quiet, I rarely saw him smile and sometimes he just looked pissed off. However over three years, l learned that is who he was even among other Filipino shipmates. But a persona like that resembles a disgruntled worker and going postal would not be out of the question.
I really hope that the watches are more thorough in their searches since I've left (metal detecting wands would be good). Also, an aft watch should be stationed during ANY port visits.
Another concern would be the border. Human traffickers will traffic anything for money, Islamic Extremists included. Given enough money, they don't care who you are or what it is. Also there is little 'hotbed' of extremists in an area of Paraguay (South America) consisting of immigrants from the Middle East. They even have a a good amount of mosques to visit.
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