Happy Birthday Navy Chiefs

[BOSSHOG]

On 01 April 1893, the Chief Petty Officer rating was established by the United States Navy. Sometimes bureacracies do the right thing. Happy 115th shipmates.

[MADem]

1. No more of those old fashioned initiations, though. Now they're quite staid.

Probably for the best. They just aren't appropriate nowadays.

Some of them were pretty funny, though, particularly if the command master chief kept a tight rein on things and understood the difference between amusing, embarrassing, and humbling, versus ridiculing, shaming, and brutalizing.

[BOSSHOG]

2. My two cents worth

which aren't much now, but I think the pendulum maybe swung a little too far in recent years. I was initiated in the 80's and although it was rather messy and time consuming I recall the times very fondly. I think the Chief's Mess did their job because after the initiation the New Chiefs in my group were ready to march into Moscow unarmed and kick some ass, just like the new Chief's of today. My last initiation was in 2001, we had to push the initiation back a week because of 9/11 but the selectees begged us no to cancel the initiation which was a proposed option, they had come too far to stop now. My good old days are treasured memories.

[Book Lover]

4. Hey ho with the what now?

Can you enlighten those of us who have no idea what you're talking about what you're talking about? :-)

[BOSSHOG]

6. I'm afraid

I cannot my friend.

[MADem]

8. I agree with you about the pendulum.

With a sharp CMC running the show, it could be a barrel of laughs. The proactive CMC knew the difference between a mixture of jovial humbling and pranks, and mindless brutalization and humiliation.

I was lucky, I always "heard stories" but never attended one that got out of hand. And I attended quite a few of them.

Oh, and "on edit:" The ones before they 'changed the rules' were WAY better than the ones that came afterwards, IMO.

[HawkerHurricane]

5. The best commentary I saw on the Initiation...

Was written by a Navy Wife, who said "Who do you think you are kidding? It's a frat initiation for middle aged men."

[BOSSHOG]

7. I must

respectfully disagree with the Navy Spouse. I have a Navy Spouse. I have been on both sides of the events. My wife was incredibly supporting. Frat boys do not go into harms way or leadership positions after whatever their right of passage may be. We had fun. We were schooled in Navy Tradition and the importance of teamwork. Have their been dumbasses in the mix? Absolutely. What organization doesn't have dumbasses?

[Blue_Tires]

3. ttt