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Our first time on a training cruise

After pre-cadets graduate from the Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School, they must go to one of the armed forces. So this is a critical period in our lives. We change our status and title from pre-cadets to naval cadets. This time dispirited our heart, because the seniors told us that when we go to the Royal Thai Naval Academy, the hard will be harder and the tiring will be more tiring. But at the time when we had to go to the RTNA, everything was different. The officer that picked us up for the RTNA was so nice. He called us “son”. We'd never heard that before.

After that we had to go to Sattahip to have the training course. We had 15 days to take a course at the Fleet Training Center. There we learned about what seamen do. The next 15 days we went on board to apply everything that they taught us at the Fleet Training Center, such as navigation, weapons and navy customs. The fun time had begun. Everyday in the morning, we had to be inspected and the officers could surprisingly find fault with every single one of us. Then the officers would say “Mail time!”. After the order was given, we had to run from the ship to the mailbox, which was 500 meters away, and back. That was fun for the first round, but not for another!

One day before the ship got underway, before we had lunch, we were punished by the officers. After that we went to the mess room and lunched. During our lunch, the petrol hoses burst. The furnace petrol splashed everywhere. In a flash, everything was covered in the black, sticky petrol. But even so nobody moved. Everybody was stunned, maybe we were too frightened. Until one guy in there said “Get out”. Then we got out and had a big cleaning day for ourselves. It was pretty good, because we could take a shower. That did not happen every day.

Even though it brought us a difficult time, it brought us a very good and fun time too.



Written by Y not 5, November 2005

Last update: Humanities Department, March 2006.   Feedback