Can't sleep thoughts on a Thursday
Since 1969, every one of the five branches of the military has had a position for the senior enlisted individual. Those positions are:
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Sergeant Major of the Army
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
It is an interesting position. For protocol purposes, the individual in the position is the equivalent of a three-star general/admiral. There is a special rank insignia and a special pay-rate. Many make it to the paygrade of E-9. Few become the senior enlisted advisor of the branch of service.
When I was attending technical training in late 1977 at Keesler Air Force Base, my squadron commander introduced me to the then-Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Robert Gaylor at a reception. He was visiting the base that day. My commander introduced me by saying that he should watch out, because I was gunning for his job. Considering that I was still a slick-sleeved E-1, I was flattered. The captain said that because I was a student leader and about to become the first honor graduate in the brief (one year or so) history of the course I was taking.
The reason for this background is to make it easier to understand the gravity of what's going on with the incumbent Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Steven Giordano. He has resigned from the job and has submitted a request for retirement. He announced his intentions in a letter on his FB page.
The Navy Times published a report that says the Navy Inspector General's office is investigating allegations that MPCON Giordano fostered a hostile work environment in his office in the Pentagon. The report is fascinating reading. He asked for things not normally provided to people in his position in the Navy or in the other branches of service.
Anyone want to wager he will retire quietly and the results of the investigation will be buried?
* * *
The sitcom Roseanne will be back, but with a new name and no involvement by Roseanne Barr. This is a good thing. Hopefully those people who lost their jobs when ABC canceled the show who have yet to find other work, will be brought back.
The working title is "The Conners" but I'd love it if they would name it "Not Roseanne." Just kidding.
* * *
I really don't care about this message on the rear of Melania's jacket.
We have things that are a lot more important to be discussing at the moment. Over 2,400 children have no idea how long it will take them to be reunited with their parents. Congress is considering a budget that they can push through after the mid-term elections on a lame-duck basis; that makes massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for the tax cuts for the wealthy.
We should be talking about what's going on at the borders. What's going on with attempts to influence the upcoming mid-term elections. Not the message on the back of the First Lady's jacket. Maybe her next jacket message will be "Trump Hotels Are the Best."
* * *
There is a story in Rolling Stone about how Johnny Depp burned through hundreds of millions of dollars. The part I'm having trouble wrapping my head around is that he spent $3 million to shoot the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson into space.
* * *
LaVar Ball can't cash the reality check he was handed by the NBA when his son LiAngelo went undrafted in the NBA's annual draft. It has no value.
The idea that he could work the system to put all three of his sons on the Lakers was never realistic. The problem is not that LiAngelo was dumb enough to get busted for shoplifting in China. That isn't the issue. The issue is he doesn't have NBA level skills yet. The word is that the Lakers weren't even interested in signing them to their G-League squad, the South Bay Lakers.
I suspect that the only way his three sons will play on the professional team is if they go overseas to play.
* * *
That is an M240 machine gun. It is the type of weapon that disappeared from an Air Force armory at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. It was found in the home of an unnamed enlisted person. A colonel in charge of security forces was fired over its disappearance, along with the disappearance of a box of 40mm MK19 grenades. Apparently the grenades are still missing.
How did that fired officer, Colonel Jason Beers, wind up with a position with the Air Force Special Operations Command? Makes no sense.
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Sergeant Major of the Army
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
It is an interesting position. For protocol purposes, the individual in the position is the equivalent of a three-star general/admiral. There is a special rank insignia and a special pay-rate. Many make it to the paygrade of E-9. Few become the senior enlisted advisor of the branch of service.
When I was attending technical training in late 1977 at Keesler Air Force Base, my squadron commander introduced me to the then-Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Robert Gaylor at a reception. He was visiting the base that day. My commander introduced me by saying that he should watch out, because I was gunning for his job. Considering that I was still a slick-sleeved E-1, I was flattered. The captain said that because I was a student leader and about to become the first honor graduate in the brief (one year or so) history of the course I was taking.
The reason for this background is to make it easier to understand the gravity of what's going on with the incumbent Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Steven Giordano. He has resigned from the job and has submitted a request for retirement. He announced his intentions in a letter on his FB page.
The Navy Times published a report that says the Navy Inspector General's office is investigating allegations that MPCON Giordano fostered a hostile work environment in his office in the Pentagon. The report is fascinating reading. He asked for things not normally provided to people in his position in the Navy or in the other branches of service.
Anyone want to wager he will retire quietly and the results of the investigation will be buried?
* * *
The sitcom Roseanne will be back, but with a new name and no involvement by Roseanne Barr. This is a good thing. Hopefully those people who lost their jobs when ABC canceled the show who have yet to find other work, will be brought back.
The working title is "The Conners" but I'd love it if they would name it "Not Roseanne." Just kidding.
* * *
I really don't care about this message on the rear of Melania's jacket.
We have things that are a lot more important to be discussing at the moment. Over 2,400 children have no idea how long it will take them to be reunited with their parents. Congress is considering a budget that they can push through after the mid-term elections on a lame-duck basis; that makes massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for the tax cuts for the wealthy.
We should be talking about what's going on at the borders. What's going on with attempts to influence the upcoming mid-term elections. Not the message on the back of the First Lady's jacket. Maybe her next jacket message will be "Trump Hotels Are the Best."
* * *
There is a story in Rolling Stone about how Johnny Depp burned through hundreds of millions of dollars. The part I'm having trouble wrapping my head around is that he spent $3 million to shoot the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson into space.
* * *
LaVar Ball can't cash the reality check he was handed by the NBA when his son LiAngelo went undrafted in the NBA's annual draft. It has no value.
The idea that he could work the system to put all three of his sons on the Lakers was never realistic. The problem is not that LiAngelo was dumb enough to get busted for shoplifting in China. That isn't the issue. The issue is he doesn't have NBA level skills yet. The word is that the Lakers weren't even interested in signing them to their G-League squad, the South Bay Lakers.
I suspect that the only way his three sons will play on the professional team is if they go overseas to play.
* * *
That is an M240 machine gun. It is the type of weapon that disappeared from an Air Force armory at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. It was found in the home of an unnamed enlisted person. A colonel in charge of security forces was fired over its disappearance, along with the disappearance of a box of 40mm MK19 grenades. Apparently the grenades are still missing.
How did that fired officer, Colonel Jason Beers, wind up with a position with the Air Force Special Operations Command? Makes no sense.
posted by me at 10:46 AM
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