The Contradiction that is my Ship

If I hadn’t said it before, I will say it now… If there is a rule or regulation in place that was created by the Department of Defense or US Navy, my ship will contradict it. If someone is a shining example of what a sailor should be or strive to be, they WILL NOT SUCCEED at my God-forsaken command. I really hate being so negative, but it is the god-honest truth.

There is a sailor onboard who is a complete “Yes Man.” When he is tasked he does what is required and does it efficiently… you would think that this is a good thing… but it’s not. He does what he is told at the detriment of those who work for him. He is all about pleasing the bosses and has no regard for his subordinates.

This dirt bag of a human being was also reduced in rank back in late 2005 for Drunk Driving (he flipped his vehicle and almost killed himself and a shipmate.) This past summer, he was meritoriously advanced to E-6… mind you, this guy has been an E-5 three times. (He was busted once before for something.) Oh, I forgot to mention that he wasn’t legally eligible for advancement yet (even meritorious.) But, because he is a “Yes Man” his bosses pushed it and got it.

Recently, he also got the opportunity to compete for Senior Sailor of the Year, a title which can in many instances help someone achieve the rank of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer). There is a good chance that he was selected too… because his competition wasn’t that stiff, and the person that probably originally won it isn’t a “Yes man” or totally in the good graces of their boss (both guys work for the same person onboard.) This guy is anything but the example of what a Senior Sailor should be. He’s worthless as a leader, and if the message that my ship is trying to send is that it’s ok to drink, drive, and almost kill your co-workers… then they are succeeding.

Some would argue that he is an example that you can get into trouble and still succeed in this organization… I beg to differ… if you get into trouble and you kiss enough butt, then you can succeed in this organization… but you really have to kiss butt and cut the throats of your peers, while stabbing your subordinates in the back. All in all… you need to be a Blue Falcon (Buddy #$cker) in order to truly make it after screwing up.

I have become extremely disillusioned with this ship and it’s upper chain of command. I just hope that when I make Chief, that I can rectify the injustices that I have witnessed at this evil and soul-sucking place. I really need out of here… July can’t come soon enough.