Sloppy or squared away?
June 5th, 2009 | Officers The deckplates Uniforms | Posted by Andrew Scutro
A few weeks ago we began asking for opinions and observations from throughout the Navy with an eye toward sailors, chiefs and officers who do not seem to care about fitness, their uniform or simple military courtesies. The curiosity was inspired by a message sent a year ago by then-Force Master Chief (SW/AW) Mike Schanche of Naval Surface Forces, expressing his dismay at what he witnessed on a visit to the waterfront. And did we ever hit a sore spot. Most replies have been from active duty sailors and chiefs appalled by a seeming lack of respect for a crisp military appearance among their shipmates. But a handful of responses have been from those sailors who value their own seagoing abilities over how the uniform fits or if the ensign gets a sharp salute. What do you think? Send it in: ascutro@navytimes.com
Comments
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Ted Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 4:30 pmSome people don’t wear the uniform well, but they are also fine sailors. Is my military bearing any worse if I forget to say “aye, aye sir” rather than “sure, no problem” when I am responding to an informal request in an informal situation? Would I be any less of a sailor if I had not had a haircut in 3 weeks rather than every 2 weeks, like it has been suggested to me?
What if I had just worked 240 hours in the past 3 weeks and was an integral part for getting my unit ready to deploy? What then? The ENS walking through the NEX that stops me, after I just killed myself for the past three weeks, would be technically correct in suggesting that I stop by the barber shop, but I would still want to spit on him rather than thank him.
Everything is not cut and dry, there are shades of grey. There is a standard, but what effect is their on the system as a whole if the standard is not met 100%? If compliance is low and everyone you see is a dirtbag, then I would guess there is a problem of a larger issue which would no doubt have a greater impact on other organizational systems that are of a much greater importance to achieving our organizational goals.
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Rich Says:
June 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pmBeing an ex-sailor, I have mixed feelings. Not everyone who opts for a presumed career in the military has an understanding of all that it involves. I would assume that the expectations regarding bearing, appearance and fitness are addressed from the early beginnings in boot camp.
I know for me – I took everything to heart and did my best to make sure that I followed the regs, be it haircuts, shaves, pressed uniform etc…. Maybe the Navy has changed since my time years ago, but I can say this – if I saw a sailor today who didn’t look “squared away”, I would find it hard to NOT say something to that person about their appearance. Those early lessons I learned about self-discipline and attention to detail are still with me today. I still iron my clothes for work (every morning), I still keep my hair short and the shaves….well, lets just say that I take some liberties there.
People who don’t seem to keep with the new/old expectations should ask themselves about their chosen career. The military/govt is not a difficult company to work for, but like any other company – they have expectations that they expect to be followed. It’s not for everyone, but working in the private sector is not that different.
Anyway…that’s my opinion.