Happy Birthday, Chiefs!

THParent

THParent

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126 years of Chief Petty Officers, today. We couldn't have a proper Navy without you.
Thanks!

Me mother was a mermaid, me father was King Neptune.
I was born on the crest of a wave and rocked in the cradle of the deep.
Seaweed and barnacles are me clothes.
Every tooth in me head is a marlinspike; the hair on me head is hemp.
Every bone in me body is a spar, and when I spits, I spits tar!
I'se hard, I is, I am, I are, sir!
 
Hooyah to deckplate leadership, coffee, khakis, khaki combo covers, unwashed coffee mugs, and of course Chief Select car washes.

Navy wouldn't run without the Mess, and the USN Chief's Mess is truly something that makes us stand out as the world's finest Navy.

Happy Birthday Chiefs.
 
From the annals of Chiefly sayings:

“Don’t call me sir/ma’am. I work for a living.”

“You may have good reasons why you did/didn’t do X. But you have no &?@!/“# EXCUSE!”

“That kid is so stupid he needs a belt buckle with his name on it.”

“Now, I tell you no lies, but you won’t believe ... (sea story of the first water).”

“Ma’am. Can we talk for just a minute about your plan/your idea/your decision?”

“Yes, Ensign?” (While poised at the hatch of the Goat Locker.)
 
Capt MJ said:
Don’t call me sir/ma’am. I work for a living.”
Click to expand...

"Don't call me sir...I know who my parents are..."

My favorite Chief story was when I was checking into my first squadron. One of our check ins was meeting the Command Master Chief -- and when I walked into his office, I noticed a framed eval, dated within a few weeks of the day I was born. I made a comment to the CMC, and he laughed -- that wasn't even his first eval, he explained its when he started getting good evals. (I think it was as an AB2, so he probably has 5-6 years in before i was born).
 
All of you pretenders that talk about being "raised" by your chiefs are pikers. My dad was a chief from 7 years before I was born until I was a Lieutenant. I reenlisted him for his final hitch at my USNA graduation.
All of these "I work for a living", etc type quotes were rattling around my home from when I was a toddler and when I got commissioned, I was pretty wise to much of the Officer/Chief issues. After SWOS school and waiting to get to my ship, I was TAD for a while to a command in Norfolk when Chief's initiation for Norfolk Naval Air Station popped up and all of a sudden, I was the "Assistant Defense Counsel" for one of the new chiefs. As the event went on, I began to get even more attention from the judge than some of the new chiefs and got fined a bunch of money along with other indignities. After it ended, the (Very senior Master Chief) judge came up to me and asked me to send his regards to my dad who had been the "prosecutor" when he was first initiated.
 
PS: for the benefit of parents and prospective midshipman, the Chief's initiation system has changed markedly from what was done back in the day and they will not participate in an event like what I am describing.
I will relate that at the initiation mentioned above, I was fined repeatedly for various breaches of decorum (only some were innocent/accidental) and my fines totaled approx $160 which I paid as they were imposed and in $1 bills. They never exhausted my supply of $1's (Yeah, I was well prepared and had prepped for it ahead of time). No, my dad had not prepped me for this, even though they thought this was my first rodeo, I'd had a Chief's initiation aboard a ship that I was TAD to before SWOS school and was ready for the fun this time.
 
cpo.jpg
I have lots of CPO related stories of which the majority cannot be told here. One of my favorites occurred one day inport Norfolk on the Mighty Battle Frigate Bowen. It was a little before 1100 and most of us were gathered in the Mess so we could eat and get a head start on our nooner. All of a sudden the auxiliaries officer came busting through the door. That's right, no knock. The A-gang Chief was leaning back on the couch doing PMS on his eyelids and the ensign didn't even utter a word before all of us were in his face and screaming at him all the way back into the passageway. Nobody touched him but he appeared to levitate out, powered by the hot coffee and nicotine soaked breath of about 12 po'd CPOs.
We stifled our laughs waiting for him to knock and enter. He never did. Then the CMC lit into the ENC and chewed his backside as bad as I've ever seen. The tongue lashing of course was due to the Chief not properly training his ensign on how to enter the CPO Mess.
 
OldRetSWO said:
PS: for the benefit of parents and prospective midshipman, the Chief's initiation system has changed markedly from what was done back in the day and they will not participate in an event like what I am describing.
I will relate that at the initiation mentioned above, I was fined repeatedly for various breaches of decorum (only some were innocent/accidental) and my fines totaled approx $160 which I paid as they were imposed and in $1 bills. They never exhausted my supply of $1's (Yeah, I was well prepared and had prepped for it ahead of time). No, my dad had not prepped me for this, even though they thought this was my first rodeo, I'd had a Chief's initiation aboard a ship that I was TAD to before SWOS school and was ready for the fun this time.
Click to expand...
I have the only video of my initiation. No body has ever seen it. And you are correct in saying, the CPO initiation ain't what it used to be.
 
I like where this thread is going. It's also the first time I've ever been called a piker. I'm okay with it. :)
 
I too feel honored to be a piker.

When I was XO at a SIMA (large ship repair activity), the Safety CPO was extremely disrespectful to me. That’s a whole ‘nother sea story on the actual event, but I directed him to leave the meeting in no uncertain terms. The room was stunned silent. After the meeting, my favoritest CMC ever, a very large BTCM, asked me quietly to give him a chance to address the situation and see me later in the afternoon. I briefed the CO (who had already magically heard “XO drop-kicked Safety Chief out of the meeting!”). He was a mustang and just told me to sit tight and let the chiefs handle it.

Later that afternoon, BTCM brought “E-7 Safety” in to see me to apologize and request permission to voluntarily terminate shore duty and return to sea duty, ASAP. The Chiefs’ Mess (the CDO reported he heard a lot of yelling in there and avoided going near it that day) had summarily punished the man by telling him he no longer merited being called “Chief” in their eyes and would be known as an E-7, by paygrade only, the ultimate insult. He had embarrassed both himself and the Chiefs. His early return to sea duty would be the only way to recover. I felt all was well-handled by then, cheerfully signed the TAD papers for him sending him over to the Naval Station until his orders to sea duty came in, and promoted a sharp young PO1/Chief Selectee to acting Safety Chief. My favorite part of those tours were those end-of-workday companionable discussions among CO, XO, CMC, occasionally disagreeing behind closed doors but presenting a united, positive and confident front to the command.
 
In any organization - military or civilian - there are both formal and informal org charts. It pays to have the emotional intelligence to understand and work within these structures.

It is fascinating to read these stories of shipboard life. I didn't have enough exposure to it during my service time. As embarked Infantry Marines, we didn't see much of this stuff and frankly, I couldn't wait to get off and get on firm land. ;)

I did do a tour as a Guard Officer at a Naval Weapons Station but when the ship was onloading munitions, we had firm control of the security and didn't get static from anyone onboard or ashore.

I think these stories present future Naval Officers with a great perspective of how the "real world" works. Keep 'em coming.
 
Capt MJ said:
When I was XO at a SIMA (large ship repair activity), the Safety CPO was extremely disrespectful to me.
Click to expand...
Some Chiefs think they are untouchable and can get away with anything. I've seen them become jerks soon after pinning and others develop the attitude over time. Part of it is arrogance, thinking they know everything and surely no officer knows more. The phrase "go ask the Chief" doesn't mean we know everything or have all the answers, but we can sure find the answer or work toward a solution with synergistic intelligence. Some people of course are just jerks. Some say that Chiefs run the Navy but in fact, we make the Navy run. There's a difference. It all has to do with authority and responsibility and all that of course.

I was usually blessed with COs and XOs both aboard ship and with the Marines who recognized I was the one who maintained the health of the crew, but they were the ones who were responsible. It's a big deal taking a ship to sea without a physician, xray, CT, MRI, and advanced lab. A big deal for me and the skipper. I always had head of the line access to the CO/XO no matter the situation. I'd walk up and as soon as the captain got finished with the person he was dealing with, would motion me up to his cabin. That trust had to be earned and maintained. COs had other huge responsibilities that took up valuable time and had to know I wasn't wasting it. Even as a Chief and later Senior Chief Independent Duty Corpsman, I had to maintain a professional attitude, present myself as being competent, and build relationships throughout the chain of command.

What's the difference between God and a Navy Chief?

Answer: God doesn't walk around acting like he's a Chief.
 
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