More from: "My Time in Service:"
I was up at Costco (Can't beat a date with your wife for $1.75!) and met a young Army Captain. He sat with us and chatted for about an hour. And I learned something I never knew when I was actually in the Army. The Army has a Navy. I had no clue. WTF?
Near where we live is an Ammo Depot for all of the East Coast, Middle East, and Europe. And the Army has boats there (several I guess) that loads up ships to take Ammo to wherever it is needed. All kinds of Ammo from Rifle Rounds to Nuclear stuff.
They also have LSV's - which look like giant version of those Landing craft you see in WW II.
This guy was not only a Captain, but he has a Captain's license too. The Port he works out of, is the largest Ammo depot in the world. It is called: MOTUS- Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point. It sends out Ammo by Trains, Trucks, and by sea. And the submarines get their ammo and missles there too.
You can go by it when you take the River tour. From the River you don't see much. But he told me if you get close...they are watching.
He schedules all the different craft and makes up the Loading Plans. And he Captains one of the boats on a regular basis. I never knew that the Army had its own Navy. I have seen it from the River several times, and it has marked "DO NOT PASS" security zones. But from the river it is just nondescript. Just some gray buildings and lots of orange buoy's with Warning Signs.
He said Security is tight.
I asked how tight.
"We have really good snipers, frogmen, and electronic surveillance...we stay low key, but you aren't sneaking in there to get a peek. "
Man, what an important job. As he said: "Without us, grunts would have to point their weapons at the enemy and yell: "Bang."
Yeah, I guess he is right. If you go to war Ammo comes in really handy. I wished him fair winds and following seas, and he laughed.