Graduation...and "On n'est pas français!"

On Friday, we had our dive school graduation ceremony. It was a little anti-climactic, but we did get our "scuba bubbles" pinned on by our instructors, who also gave short speeches about the class. BM1 (DV) Pederson, who is known for subjecting classes to neck exercises and thus was known affectionately as "The Neck of Steel," gave a particularly poignant, although characteristically brief, address, which he ended with, "Welcome to my family." This made me realize not only how the Navy diving community is like a family, but also made me proud that he would consider us full members of that family.

I also forgot to mention a fun tidbit: At dive school, they frequently ask if you want to D.O.R.--Drop On Request. (This was made famous in An Officer and a Gentleman where GYSGT Foley, played by Louis Gossett Jr., repeatedly tells Richard Gere's character, Zack Mayo, "I want your DOR!") We were encouraged to come up with some kind of collective class response, like "Hell no, we won't go!" So, after some discussion, we decided on, "We're not French!"

Thus, every time we'd start an activity, they would ask us to go through the safety procedures. "What are your training time out signals?" "Help, hold, four, T!" we would say in unison. "Does anyone want to DOR?" "We're not French!"

As a self-acknowledged francophile (although without French blood), it pained me somewhat to say this. However, as French Military History in a Nutshell (which links to the original) points out, the French have a long and glorious history of waving the white flag. Hence, the Google parody "French Military Victories" (which, I think, predated the equally hillarious Weapons of Mass Destruction Google-triggered parody). Despite my love for the French culture, food, language, and people, if there were ever a nation that DOR'd, it would be la France.

Posted 19:10 PST