“Promote ahead of peers”

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

HM1 shows excellent out of the box problem solving potential. Recommend HM1 focus his efforts on long term solutions rather than short term fixes.
 
Had me howling on this. About time we had a thread devoted to, “I had this (fill in blank) who decided it was a great idea to …”

There is a certain logic to innovative use of the tools at hand to solve a problem.

When I was XO of Naval Station Long Beach, at that time the second largest Pacific Fleet homeport, it seemed like it was a different story every day. I had also been the XO of the SIMA ship repair activity in Long Beach, over 800 sailors, another endless source of stories. There was the week the SIMA was embarrassingly not mission capable for in-water repairs by the SIMA dive team. All of them had gone to Tijuana over the weekend on a morale-building team trip. All of them got both nipples pierced with matching dive brotherhood rings. (All male at that time.) All of them got a raging infection and were on light duty, no diving. Including their Chief. Of course, a few months later, during a command picnic with the divers vs the parachute shop in a volleyball game, it was obvious the divers had gutted out the whole ring thing and still had them.

And then there was…I’ll save them for later. Teasers: shot in the butt with BB guns because they thought it would be fun to dress up like Crips on Halloween and actually go into Blood territory in Long Beach, shooting gang signs they had seen used in the movies ||| base fire department called to base housing when smoke was seen by neighbors coming from front window, sailor and wife had dug up living room floor to build an indoor fire pit ||| brand-new 9-story BEQ (enlisted barracks) was opened, residents celebrated by drinking just enough to think taking every one of the billiard balls from the 4 pool tables on the top floor rec deck and trying to break the windshields of cars 9 stories below was a superb idea, with quite a bit of accuracy |||
 
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There was some poor Lt who got assigned this JAGMAN and will try to explain it to his civilians friends back home, or from college or eventually when they are out of the Marine Corps… and they will think they are lying.

Being the LegalO for a few years in so units… the stories. So many stories.
 
NavyHoops said:
There was some poor Lt who got assigned this JAGMAN and will try to explain it to his civilians friends back home, or from college or eventually when they are out of the Marine Corps… and they will think they are lying.

Being the LegalO for a few years in so units… the stories. So many stories.
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A few days after reporting to a new ship, LTjg OldRetSWO was assigned to do a JAGMAN on half of a roller chock that had somehow ended up 6 fathoms below sea level off of a ship with a VERY pissed off CO who wanted scalps nailed to the bulkhead. Lots of back and forth as what was being found wasn't "good" enough so additional investigation was pressed multiple times. Effort was finally completed and accepted when LTjg OldRetSWO was handed TEN (10!) summary Courts Martial to sit in judgement on. WELCOME to the Happy USS _______
 
Had the raccoon victim perished from his wounds, the Darwin Awards selection committee would have its winner for 2022.

Darwin Award Explained

@Capt MJ, you absolutely MUST write a book about those truncated tales you teased us with. Instant bestseller!
 
MidCakePa said:
Had the raccoon victim perished from his wounds, the Darwin Awards selection committee would have its winner for 2022.

Darwin Award Explained

@Capt MJ, you absolutely MUST write a book about those truncated tales you teased us with. Instant bestseller!
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Only a few among millions from millennia of military folks about their troops. I have no doubt Julius Caesar, ADM Halsey, GEN Eisenhower, Artemisia of Caria, GEN Chesty Puller, Hannibal, my Uncle Attila, Fleet Admiral Zheng He, Boadicea, Ted Cloud, Queen Amanairenas, Alexander, every leader of every military/fighting force from every civilization and every continent, all had their stories. Senior enlisted leaders have some of the very best.

An enduring and bonding topic for all who have or who are serving, right up there with uniform issues, and “worst armpit I ever got orders to.”
 
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Capt MJ said:
Only a few among millions from millennia of military folks about their troops. I have no doubt Julius Caesar, ADM Halsey, GEN Eisenhower, Artemisia of Caria, GEN Chesty Puller, Hannibal, my Uncle Attila, Fleet Admiral Zheng He, Boadicea, Ted Cloud, Queen Amanairenas, Alexander, every leader of every military/fighting force from every civilization and every continent, all had their stories. Senior enlisted leaders have some of the very best.

An enduring and bonding topic for all who have or who are serving, right up there with uniform issues, and “worst armpit I ever got orders to.”
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That was meant to be Red Cloud.
 
Sounds like a Chevy Chase movie 🎥 🍿
 
Capt MJ said:
Only a few among millions from millennia of military folks about their troops. I have no doubt Julius Caesar, ADM Halsey, GEN Eisenhower, Artemisia of Caria, GEN Chesty Puller, Hannibal, my Uncle Attila, Fleet Admiral Zheng He, Boadicea, Ted Cloud, Queen Amanairenas, Alexander, every leader of every military/fighting force from every civilization and every continent, all had their stories.
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My friend, RADM Julius Caesar USN USNA "77" (aka: "JC") had some great stories. I venture a guess that you've encountered him in the past?
 
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OldRetSWO said:
My friend, RADM Julius Caesar USN USNA "77" (aka: "JC") had some great stories. I venture a guess that you've encountered him in the past?
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Why, yes, I have. There are some great names among the illustrious alumni of BSBTB (“boat school by the bay,” which I haven’t heard used in awhile).
 
Capt MJ said:
Why, yes, I have. There are some great names among the illustrious alumni of BSBTB (“boat school by the bay,” which I haven’t heard used in awhile).
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I thought that the Julius Caesar that you were referring to was the Naval JC as opposed to the OTHER Roman type JC.

Especially since he has good stories.

I met him as a mid when he was a classmate/friend of a football player who was across the hall from me and we encountered one another in the fleet, in industry at events and then as a fellow Reservist.
 
OldRetSWO said:
I thought that the Julius Caesar that you were referring to was the Naval JC as opposed to the OTHER Roman type JC.

Especially since he has good stories.

I met him as a mid when he was a classmate/friend of a football player who was across the hall from me and we encountered one another in the fleet, in industry at events and then as a fellow Reservist.
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I was trying to be inclusive of a wide variety of leaders from different times and places, ALL of whom I would bet had stories about stuff their people did. 🤣🤣

Maybe people think I knew those leaders…
 
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