Acountability

I have a policy when it comes to qualifying personnel onboard for anything. I always ensure that they have had adequate training and that they retain the information that I present to them. Once my signature is on the line item, I am ultimately responsible for that person’s response when quizzed on said item.

The other day I was at flight quarters, which is where I sit around and wait for the Helo to have an issue or someone to get hurt so that I can earn my pay. For those of you who don’t know me… I am partially deaf as a result of spending 40+ months on a Navy Warship. The Helo Hanger is as loud as a Metal Concert, and I can barely hear what people have to say when hanging out there. So while some of the Damage Controlmen may give training and signatures, as a rule of thumb, my policy is that if someone wants training, they will schedule it with me after Flight Quarters.

There is an E-6 A-hole on the crew that pretty much called me an A-hole for not giving training someone when asked and proceeded to inform me that I am worthless. Mind you… this guy is anything but a stellar Sailor… in fact, he’s actually quite the douche-bag. He’s such a douche-bag in fact; that his own Chief punched him in the face because he was disrespecting him. The only valid point that he had was that I wasn’t doing anything at the time; however, as I have stated before, I don’t like to give training in the Helo Hanger due to noise issues. This douche-bag proceeds to tell the guy asking for medical training that he will sign the qualifications for him but will not give the training. For those of you who don’t know what that is called, click on GUNDECKING

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, that I do have a qualifiers list for Medical Training on the ship. There are about 10 other people onboard who are qualified to give the training and sign for Medical Qualifications. This is primarily attributed to the fact that I am the Leading Petty Officer of the Medical Department, and that I actually have more important things to do with the rest of my day than to stop what I am doing for the convenience of a new crew member in order to qualify them. I am also the sole qualifier for the Navigation and Administration portions of the Enlisted Surface Warfare specialist Program onboard my ship, and one of two qualified American Heart Association CPR Instructors. That’s not even factoring in my underway working hours. I am usually in the office from 0700 until after Taps (2200). Flight Quarters is really the ONLY time that I have to relax, so I do. Call it selfish… or laziness… but everyone is entitled to some down time, and since I never get any, I think that flight quarters is the best and most appropriate time.

I wish there were a better way to control the quality of the “leaders” or higher ranking sailors… but if that were the case, we would have few leaders, an entirely too many followers.