Leaving domestic circle and family to join the Navy is hard enough for most numerous but when you sign your name to a contract not knowing what you will be doing for the nearest four years.

Leaving domestic circle and family to join the Navy is hard enough for most numerous but when you sign your name to a contract not knowing what you will be doing for the nearest four years. It can be downright frightening.

Still, thousands of recruits sign up each year with hopes of ending up in a do job-work they enjoy. A recruit can easily become a fireman in engineering forward a frigate or just as easily direct aircraft in succession a carrier as an airman. Seaman Pierre Shannon became a seaman aboard USS cabbage (DDG 67)

Like all undesignated Sailors, he is trying to find where he fits in our Navy. Should he strike into a rating aboard cabbage so he can quickly leave array department and work with hospital corpsmen in medical? Or maybe ride public his time in deck and secure into a rating elsewhere in the Navy?

Shannon, smooth though promised an "A" gymnasium has decided to remain in decorate and become a boatswain's mate. He likes his work at jobs and has excelled among his comrades aboard USS Cole.

"The work we do in apparel is hard and it has made us into a real tight group, almost family," said Shannon. "I employed down my guaranteed Master-at-Arms, 'A' drill because I really enjoy what I do now."

Undesignated Sailors are the backbone of the naval work force, and many of them make choice of to make the Navy just a passing phase in their life. nevertheless for some, the shot in the dark hits its mark and they find a career and a home

McCoy is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands

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