There is the high-level concept of “duty” such as expressed in the phrase Duty, Honor, Country by General Douglas MacArthur at West Point. And then there was the mundane “duty” reflected in the appointed periods of time one performed it at NAVOCS.
There was duty on the “quarterdeck,” mess hall, parking lot, and more. Some of it taught us Navy ways, some might have considered it “cheap labor.” Not much of it was onerous, though standing outside at the parking lot in winter winds might not have been always pleasant.
Quarterdeck
Some could consider this duty as similar to that of a clerk at a hotel. This duty took place in the lobby, for us anyway, of Nimitz Hall. It was likely for four hours as were most Navy watches, but I believe it would have been only in the late afternoon and evening and maybe weekends, because we had class and other activities.
I stood such duty at least once and remember feeling nervous about what to do when an officer came in. There was so much protocol to follow and anything incorrect would be pointed out. Of course, that’s how one learned. One officer candidate was OOD (Officer of the Deck), another AOOD (Assistant Officer of the Deck), and there was a Yeoman.
Most often, I recall, our task was to connect visitors with the office or person they requested. (Did we also check identification?) I’m sure it all helped a little for later, when we stood many in-port Officer of the Deck watches. It was not really preparation for duties as OOD underway.
There was also paperwork — the log. And I believe we made announcements over the NAVOCS version of the “1MC (main circuit).”
Mess Hall
I vaguely remember doing at least one duty shift in the mess hall, back in the food preparation area. Did Officer Candidates also have duty bussing tables?
Parking Lot
If I did stand a watch at the parking lot, I may have suppressed the memory of that. Anyone remember that duty?
CHORES
In addition to “having the duty,” we also did chores . . . lots of chores. We had our own uniforms and rooms to maintain, but we also took care of communal areas, e.g., heads, passageways, etc. Some of these were daily and some periodic.
Some, such as snow removal, were as needed. “Call out the shoveling detail!”
