DESTROYERMEN

The requirements for being a destroyer sailor are many. He must be tough, have endurance, and split-second reactions. He must be adaptable, compatable and above-average in intelligence. 
He must have common sense, understanding and patience.

All of these are necessary to live and work in a small ship, often at sea for long periods. Destroyermen are proud, for they know that they man a warship that is designed only to attack. 

The ship’s hull is only thick enough to carry the weight of the guns and other armament and the men that man them.

And destroyermen are proud for another reason. They are truly seagoing men. Every destroyer sailor comes to know and respect the sea, and at times, fear it.

Destroyermen are from every state in the Union and are of all faiths. They are proud to wear the uniform of a navy, ready to protect the freedom and security of the United States.

Admiral Arleigh Burke once said, "Destroyermen have always been proud people. 
They have been the elite.  They have to be proud people and they have to be specially selected, for destroyer life is a rugged one.

It takes stamina to stand up to the rigors of a tossing destroyer. It takes even more spiritual stamina to keep going with enthusiasm when you are tired and you feel that you and your ship are being used as a workhorse.

 It is true that many people take destroyers for granted and that is all the more reason why the destroyer Captain can be proud of their accomplishment."