when people I don't know very well compliment me, I don't really know how to react, because I don't really know if they are using flattery or if they are actually meaning it, so I get embarrassed.
You caught that it's Labor Day in Smoky Lake? Alipang's not needed for the Escrima presentation for some hours yet, so he's having another bonding moment with his sister. Wilson Kramer and his ten-ish son Quinn are at the picnic too.
Yes, a submarine can be a death trap. But do you think a surface ship taking major hits CAN'T be a death trap? And the surface ship is more likely to GET struck.
Most of my at-sea time was on an attack submarine, in the capacity of a weapons technician. This placed me in the control room, and gave me the privilege of periodically manning the periscope.