That sucks. I dunno, just anyone I know in the Navy has had a pretty sweet deal thus far. I don't really mean they are pussies, just that they seem to me to have it much easier than the rest of the military other than the air force and the seals...I think my cousin is on the USS Abraham Lincoln?
I got to watch the Lincoln be christened. I was on the Eisenhower, the next dock over, and we were on watch for Greenpeace demonstrators.
Depends on how you mean easier. At sea, after we finish for the day, we go down to an air conditioned berthing, which is nice, but that is after 12 + hours on the flight deck, in 100 degree heat, doing one of the most dangerous non wartime jobs, and doing it for 20 to 40 days strait without a day off or even really a short day. We then took cold showers(supposed to make showers shorter, and most of the fresh water we made on ship went to catapults), and climbed into our coffin bunks(stacked 3 high) in a berthing with 100 others. Our drinking water tasted of jet fuel, no amount of scrubbing got our hands anything other than black and grimy, and we were packed in with 6k of our closest friends.
Each service, except the Air Force, has it's own unique challenges. Many army and marine soldiers would never make it in the navy, and I know I would never have made it in either the army or marines. Cross service rivalry is intense, but in fun.
If you do decide to go in, some basic advice that fits all branches. When picking your MOS, the first, number 1, top thing to consider is whether you think you will enjoy the job. The fact I enjoyed working on aircraft made my time in the navy a wonderful experience. If I had went another way, I doubt it would have been half as good an experience. SRB's are a nice bonus if you can get one, and worthy of consideration, but not nearly as important as just finding something that sounds enjoyable. A technical job that has civilian applications is also a very nice thing if you get offered one that sounds enjoyable. This gives you options at the end of your enlistment, stay in or get out. Never pass up training while in the service. Yes, it will be mostly boring. Yes, alot of it sounds useless, but it is always worth having in your record.
Being in the military is rewarding in many ways. I cannot recommend it enough. It's not that it will "make a man" of you, you have to do that. But doing a challenging job, doing it well, and doing it to benefit your country is a great feeling. Have fun, see the world, and stay safe. If you do go in, know that you will be in our thoughts and prayers, and be sure to stay in touch with us here on the board.
Now, a joke: The Commandant of the Marines, the chief of staff of the air farce, the chief of staff of the army, and the chief of Naval Operations where at a meeting, when the discussion fell on who had the bravest soldiers/sailors. The Commandant of the Marines took them to Cap Pendleton, where he pulled aside a Marine running past, threw a grenade on the ground and said "Marine, throw yourself on that". The marine promptly did and was blown to bits. The Commandant said "that there is bravery".
The chief of staff of the air farce said "that is nothing". He took them to Nellis AFB, took them up in a big cargo plane, and pulled an airman aside and said "jump out of this plane". The airman said "let me grab a chute", but the chief of staff said "no chute", so the airman jumped out of the plane and fell to his death. The chief of staff said "now that is real bravery".
The Chief of staff of the army took them to Fort Hood, where he grabbed a soldier and told him to stand in front of a tank that was crossing a field. The soldier said "when can I get out of the way", the general said "you cannot". The soldier then went and stood in front of the tank and was run over and crushed. The general said "now that there is real bravery".
The CNO took them to Norfolk, where he went over to a carrier, where a sailor was up on a gantry painting near the top of the ship. The CNO yells out "sailor, come down here". The sailor yells back "just a minute sir I will lower the gantry". The CNO yells back "just step off". The sailor yells down to the CNO "with all do respect sir, **** you". The CNO turns to them and says "now that is true bravery the likes none of your guys had".