RmOlano
THE CHIEF
The word “chief” according to Collins English Dictionary,“ is the head, leader or the most important person in a
group or body of people.” In the Old West,
settlers called the old man with most feathers in his bonnet and the leader of
the tribe, - the chief. Even today, a chief means a head honcho of some
sort. Chief Executive, Chief of Staff,
Commander in Chief, Chief Auto Parts, you name it But I am more interested in a Navy Chief.
“Ask the Chief,”
is a household word in and out of the Navy. Newly commissioned officers are
taught to listen and observe how the Chief gets things done. To stay out of the way and to learn from
these veterans is a virtue for the rookies.
Recruits learn quickly not to argue but do what they are told by this
mean-looking and sounding person called the Chief. Who are these people anyway? Where in the heck they did
get that swaggering attitude that the Chief can’t be wrong. It seems like they do what they want to do to
get the job done without a second thought of the consequences. What is so special about these people that
they believe they are different from any other E-7 from other Armed Services?
We do not have to
look farther or dig through volumes and stacks of regulations and legal
proceedings, just read the Chief Petty Officer Creed. It’s on the fifth paragraph. I mean these people are down right
something! When somebody can declare
that their “privileges, responsibilities are not on print, no official
standing, can not be referred by name, number or file,” that means someone is
really serious about his role in the organization. It is like receiving a signed blank check!
The CPO creed also
states, “That no other armed force has the rate or rank equivalent to that of
the United States Navy.” This is a true
statement, if we forget about the Coast Guard. They also have a CPO rank but
who cares, they are almost Navy anyway except, they work for the Department of
Transportation and putt around with motor powered canoes. Lets see, in US Air Force, their E-9 is
called Chief Master Sergeant, well, when you let your male troops wear earrings
while off duty inside military installations, you can tell they don’t have a
real Chief to set things straight. The
US Army and Marine Corps has a Chief Warrant Officer rank. But anybody who can not decide whether they
want to be an officer and a gentleman or an enlisted person, should be counted out, too wishy-washy.
The creed further declares that no other armed
forces in the world gives responsibilities and grants the privileges to their
enlisted personnel than what the Navy Chief has. That is a strong statement and powerful enough
to convince Congress that a when Petty Officer First Class is promoted to E-7
rank, (while other services just change insignia) they need a completely
different set of wardrobe er, uniforms. You know,
like three sets of shoes, black, brown and white to match uniforms. Color coordination—a gospel according to
Calvin K.
Another striking difference from other
services is that the boot Chief undergoes an initiation. It is not mandatory for every selectee to participate, but you know what a chicken can do
to you other than being a mascot of Col. Sanders’ Bird Watching team at
We are now a gentler and kinder Navy with an
attitude of don’t ask, don’t tell or smoke but do not inhales or something like
that. The truth of the matter is that
the change is everywhere, the society, the Navy, the big bad wolf, the
mean-looking, coffee-drinking Chief, stereo typed has changed. An Admiral recently remarked that today’s
Chiefs is different, they look leaner and more polished than the CPO we knew
back then. It is true that Navy Chiefs
come and go in different forms, sizes and gender but one thing is still
constant—the old man with fancy headgear is the head honcho and that feathery
bonnet was not on sale at Wal-Mart.