Publication:The Trade December 2003/RAN and USN Submariner Exchange
A memoir by CPO Garth Anderson, USN
G'Day. Let me (belatedly) introduce myself - I'm STSCS(SS) (Senior Chief Sonar Technician Submarines, Submarine Qualified) Garth Anderson, USN, on Personnel Exchange Program loan to the SMFEG here at HMAS Stirling - my counterpart, CPOAWASM Darren (Puss) Smith, is enjoying the reciprocal hospitality of SUBPAC in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. My posting here started in July 2001 and the ensuing 27 months have been amongst the most rewarding, personally and professionally, of any time in my career. I was actually asked to write this article for The Trade shortly after my arrival in Oz however, as this is the first exchange between enlisted RAN and USN Submariners, nobody at the time had any idea who I was and how I was going to be employed by the RAN. As I am on the back slope of this posting and transfer back to the USN in about eight months, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you and thank you for allowing me to be part of your community. My relief has been identified, screened and is waiting on orders - CPO Allen Sanders (Al to his mates). He is a great bloke and an outstanding ACINT Specialist. He will prove to be a great value to the SMFEG. He is due to report in April 2004.
Some of my remarks here I have extracted from my mid-tour report to the USN Chief of Naval Personnel (DSCM equivalent) - a requirement for all USN PEP'rs.
Background
I have almost fifteen years in the Navy and as a Submariner. By trade I am an Acoustic Intelligence (ACINT) Specialist - which is a special program for senior (PO 1st Class and above) USN Submarine Sonarmen. I have been a fast attack submarine sailor my entire career - after my initial training I reported as a crew member aboard USS San Juan (SSN 751) out of Groton Connecticut, first of the Improved 688's, in 1990. I spent almost six years aboard San Juan, deploying four times to the High Arctic and Greenland-Norwegian Seas before being selected for specialized training and eventual qualification as an ACINT Rider and transferring to the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), Washington DC in 1996. Including my eighteen months of qualification and training, I deployed over 1100 days on 15 submarine missions in every major theater of operations, including the High Arctic, Norwegian - Greenland Seas, South America, the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and Asia.
In February 2001, as a sign that the USN and RAN Submarine communities were broadening their engagement with one another, then-CANSG, ONI and SUBPAC - CDRE Peter Clarke, VADM Lowell Jacoby and VADM Al Konetzni respectively - signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that created this exchange. The USN billet is for a Senior Chief ACINT Specialist (hence, the involvement of VADM Jacoby and ONI) - for those of you who don't know, we have three levels in our CPO community, Chief, Senior Chief and Master Chief (Warrant Officer is a separate commission and not part of our normal career progression through the enlisted ranks). Postings can go one-up or one-down, so I came here as a Chief Petty Officer in a Senior Chief's billet (I was selected for Senior Chief in April this year), though the posting could just as easily gone to a Master Chief.
Personal Highlights
My wife Danielle and I have been married since 1990. We have two boys, Nicholas (12 years) and Aidan (2 years). We are originally from Wilmington, North Carolina - a beach/university town in the south eastern United States whose most famous son is Michael Jordan. It was a fantastic place to grow up - a mid-sized Southern town where people take the time to enjoy life - Perth is very much like that, only much bigger and much better!
To some it would seem a no-brainer that we would jump at the chance to have this posting (which we did). But the excitement of the opportunity did not lessen the uncertainty. It meant putting our lives on hold in some respects - Danielle had to leave her job, and the work-force in general for the three years inclusive of this posting (as she calls it, her vacation from the rat race), we had to sell our house after only having five years of equity invested, Nicholas had to start over yet again and find new friends (as any military brat can tell you, it's not all roses being the perpetual "new kid" - particularly in another country) and of course, we would be far from the support of family and friends with a newborn to care for.
However, we do not regret the decision at all. In fact, Australia has created some opportunities that we did not foresee - Danielle has turned her free time into a dream job, starting a production company and writing collaborative screenplays and documentary treatments. Recently ScreenWest has commissioned one of her ideas and she is currently in pre-production on a documentary detailing the rescue of the crew of the SOS Italia, an airship that crashed during an expedition to the North Pole in 1923! Nicholas has received an education that goes beyond what he learns in school. We have seen and done things we may never again have the opportunity to do and we have made many friends - hopefully lifelong. Aside from that, living in Perth itself and the quality of living we have enjoyed has probably been the greatest personal highlight of the tour. We live in Rossmoyne on the Canning River and enjoy the easy access to the river, riverside parks and miles of bicycle trails. We also enjoy the easy access (car, bike, bus or train) to any of the many beautiful beaches so abundant in and around Perth. We have enjoyed many riverside picnics, beach expeditions, camping trips, weekend BBQ's, dinner parties with friends and neighbors, ANZAC Day and Australia Day. In general, I think Australians and Americans share common ideals and values (some of you may be offended by that statement and take great umbrage with me, but that is only illustrative of what I am talking about) - our countries have a great affinity for one another.
Professional Highlights
Most of the first 24 months of this exchange posting entailed formalizing and consolidating my duties and responsibilities here. Like all RAN Submariners, I wear multiple hats to do multiple jobs.
As CPO in-charge of the Submarine Acoustic Analysis Centre, my primary role has been to provide operational support to deployed submarines - providing ACINT support and training in the operation/employment of towed arrays and towed array processors. I have deployed twice to date, aboard HMAS Dechaineux - by far, the greatest highlight of this tour. I will probably not get another chance to publicly acknowledge the profound impact that these sea rides have had on my attitude toward closer USN engagement with the RAN - it is my belief that it is at sea where the submarine arms of the RAN and USN have the most to learn from one another. It has truly been a privilege to be at the tip of the spear with the gifted and dedicated professionals in the Submarine arm of the ADF. It is my fervent hope to sea ride all of the boats in some capacity before I transfer however, I reserve a very special place in my heart for Dechaineux and her crew.
No less important though, has been AWA Continuation Training. It has been a near revolutionary year for AWA training, and it has been good to be part of it. Though I am, by title, CPO in-charge of AWA Continuation Training, the real ground breaking was done by LS Deanne Rule and LS Stephen Pfieffer. They have worked very hard to implement the new training program. CPO Alex Morris and the AWA instructors at STSC also deserve full credit for making this happen. Though much remains to be done, all involved have laid the foundations for maintaining a strong, skilled category through a training regime flexible enough to accommodate demanding and often conflicting fleet programs. Again, this may be my only chance to publicly acknowledge all of the hard work done by the folks in the AWA training community.
There are few postings in the USN - the ACINT community or elsewhere - where I would have had the opportunity to apply myself simultaneously across such a wide scope of activities and responsibilities and I am certain to benefit from the experience.
Closing, Lest We Forget
I was here in Australia on September 11, 2001 - my wife and newborn were in the hospital back home in North Carolina. I will always remember the quiet but unwavering support given to me in the difficult weeks following that terrible day.
This is a quote from former Ronal Reagan Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger in the October 27, 2003 edition of Forbes Magazine;
"... we should take a moment to acknowledge the very great and significant role that one of our oldest and best allies, Australia, has undertaken since 9/11 signalled the beginning of our war against terrorism. Even long before this, during the darkest days of World War II's Pacific campaign, Australia's troops fought side by side with America's. And nothing since that time has divided or weakened the friendship and mutual purpose of our two countries... it was with enormous gratitude that we found Australia once again supporting us, with our extraordinary alliance neither weakened nor strained... As one who served with Australians in an American infantry division in New Guinea during WWII, allow me to say that I hope we will always earn and deserve the support of such an ally."
If you were to ask me what I will take away from this exchange posting, I would probably tell you that I won't know until I am back home and things start to sink in - but I would also tell you that whenever I hear the word Mate, it will have a truly Australian meaning to me.
Garth and son Nicholas with veterans at Anzac Day service.
