Navy to de-encript enlisted ratings
The Navy Times reports that soon, we’ll all understand Navy ranks and ratings;
The Navy deep-sixed all of its 91 enlisted ratings titles Thursday, marking the beginning of an overhaul of the rigid career structure that has existed since the Continental Navy in a radical shift sure to reverberate through the fleet and the veterans community beyond.
Sailors will no longer be identified by their job title, say, Fire Controlman 1st Class Joe Sailor, effective immediately. Instead, that would be Petty Officer 1st Class Joe Sailor.
I’m sure that swabbies will be upset by “this tectonic shift in Navy’s personnel system” as the Navy Times calls it, but the rest of us will be relieved that we can finally understand WTF their ranks are now. Next thing you know, they’ll have to have to say “left” and “right” instead of “port” and “starboard”. They’ll have to use toilets instead of heads and they can go “downstairs” instead of “below decks”.
Category: Navy
Not that this will help, but this is a online Petition, for keeping Navy rates.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/restore-traditional-navy-rating-specialty-titles-disestablished-9292016
Whiskey Tango F’in Foxtrot, Navy! What the hell? Mabus is a cocksucker.
This is total, unadulterated BS. Guess Mabus, the hater of all things navular, felt he had to plunge his dull, rusty blade into the backs of every Sailor, past, present and future one more time before he leaves. Has any SECNAV loathed the United States Navy more than that guy? To answer my own rhetorical question “HELL NO!”. Josephus Daniels cared about Sailor’s morale than Mabus does.
Josephus Daniels cared more about Sailor’s morale than Mabus does.
This nonsense upsets me so much I have caught the vapors and can’t grammar correctly.
http://www.duffelblog.com/2016/05/mabus-admits-he-hates-navy/
The intent of this, as quite a few other changes, is to fundamentally change the US Armed Forces.
Into a Tyrolean Cluster Fuck that couldn’t fight its way out of a burning shithouse.
Undoing all this stupid is going to take a generation or three, and the interim will make the post-Vietnam era military look like the Legions of Rome.
If I read Raymie the Gigantic Farting Flying Maggoty Asshole Maybe/Maybenot correctly, he doesn’t like being a ‘MAN’ because REAL men can outdo him in every possible way, and he knows it.
This is his and the Fool on the Hill’s last chance to make the military in general implode into uselessness and incompetence.
Why bother with all of this ‘change’ when the next person who gets the job of president maybe revoke all the damage being done now?
Because anything that goes wrong will be blamed on whoever gets that job. I’m guessing the Inglorious Basterd in the Oval Office thinks it will be shrillary. If so, this is his lowliness’s way of giving her the finger before she even gets the vote count on Nov. 8. If its the Donald, ditto, in spades.
This is the best idea SECNAV has had since they decided to get rid of the Cracker Jack uniforms, and replace them with yachting jackets in the mid-70s.
We all know how well that went over. It was such a shining success, we still see those jolly sea faring lads strolling down the street looking like CPOs.
And, hell; the Coast Guard all look like they’re in the Air Force! What a fine look for a SEA based service organization.
How about “Hey you! with the bell-bottom jeans and the fucking dog bowl on your head”?
Worked back in the day.
Just kidding, I always liked our taxi service.
Re an above post concerning the cost of this transition, I remember when, oh, maybe 30 or so years ago, the Navy in a MENSA moment decided that barracks and Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) had to be changed. Why? Some living in the barracks were married, but due to assignment were temporarily separated from their spouse. Also, and probably the greater ‘need’ for change, the term bachelor typically refers to an unmarried male. This, of course, rubbed some the wrong way so a change was necessary so as to be more inclusive. Maybe the change was throughout all services. Anyone know? So, the name was changed to UEPH (Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing). My understanding is that all signs outside all barracks were changed to reflect the sensitivity of the new Navy. Guess what? Sailors today refer to it as a barracks. It will always be a barracks regardless of what a sign says. $$$$$ wasted.
I was and still am pleased to be called Corpsman, Doc, Chief, Chief Jones, etc.
Unnecessary stuff such as this erodes the morale of the troops. It does. Troops want certainty. Mostly they dislike change unless the change can be seen as beneficial. They question why the need for change in which they see no benefit. Where is the benefit in removing rating insignias? It’s a rhetorical question.
They made a similar change with the officer corp in the Army.
While it was not as much of a “tectonic shift” because the army did not refer to officers by their branch specialties but it stripped the branch collar insignia from their duty uniforms.
Without data I am not sure how much of an effect it had. While I missed the collar insignia personally I think the officer corp at the staff level became more collaborative overall. And I suppose officers in less prestigious branches felt more integrated.
I guess that is the problem with these changes. It is unclear if they have a positive benefit overall without some pretty extensive research on the effects instead of anecdotal impressions.
I am not sure that research is being done and the effect of a change like this, if the effect is not positive it is difficult to reverse because the time for the effect to take place changes the culture in the navy.
And here all this time I thought when Big Army changed from the BDU over to the ACU, the branch insignia simply went away.
Now I find out the change was made only to make the officers feel bad about themselves.
Thanks, Nik, for enlightening us.
BTW, what the Hell are you doing up so early? Planning on trying to be “First” on the WOT? If so, get ready to be roughed up along the way.
Saying “OS1, PH1, HM1,” is similar in the confusion factor as saying, “36B3O, 46Z4O, 91C2O”. Even being in the Army, I have to reply with, “Which is?” When I was in, we alternated between saying “OSC” and “Chief”, or “OS1” and “Petty Officer 1st Class”.
On the terminology, both the Navy and Marines use port and starboard, as well as head. When I was in, we used “head” where we use “latrine” in the Army. When someone was sent to do latrine detail, they were sent to the head cleaning detail, or “working party”. Once in the “head,” Joes were detailed to clean the commodes, shower stalls, etc. Granted, Marines and Sailors would say, “I’ve got to use the head,” as an alternative to, “I’ve got to go to the head,” But, I’ve heard this in the Army: “I’ve got to use the latrine,” as an alternative to, “I’ve got to go to the latrine.”
The Navy does use “left” and “right” when doing DNC. They say, “Column Left, march,” and not “Column port, march.” Speaking of DNC, the Navy and Marines have one additional command that I wasn’t able to use in the Army, and that’s the “oblique”.
Also, the term “downstairs” was used in conjunction with “below decks”. Both are interchangeable and used in communication. I also remember using terms like “main deck,” second deck, 01 level, 02 level, etc.
On a side note, there is an MOS in the Army that also uses, “decks” and “below decks” outside of the 88K folks.
Also, just as we say, “Sergeant” to address E5-E7, the Navy also says, “Petty Officer” to address E4-E6.
Does this also mean they will do away with the color coded stripes for strikers, and strikers altogether? I can’t get the article to open on my phone and don’t recall if that part was mentioned, though it would seem like another obvious change they’d just love to make.
Yes, they’ve been stricken out and only “Seaman” will be used. From the linked article:
Yeah, that sucks big time. I found one of my striker badges from “A” school. If you qualified for a school in boot camp, you got the designated striker badge the week of graduation.
So I’m assuming that if the striker badges no longer exist, it’s because somebody get his feewings hurt for not getting one in boot camp.
So it’s our fault he’s too stupid to get any school of any kind at all?
So I was talking to a YN on the smoke deck, and I think he may have fixed this whole mess with “I identify as a Yeoman, and I’ll thank you to respect my pronouns.” I have no idea if this also helps with uniforms.
Well, those of us that we’re Navy are saying we are proud that it doesn’t affect me, but think about this: if you are eligible for a headstone from the VA at death, will it say PO2 or HM2????? I want mine to say HM2
It will say whatever whoever filling out the form selects to have engraved upon it. In my case, my request is already in file at the cemetery where I will be buried.
WOW – what a no-reason, no-impact move. “This is the first step….” my khaki ass. Sailors have been changing rates for career progression since the 1800s.
What a slap in the face for the nautical traditions handed down by fleets who flew bonnie flags ranging from the British, the Norse, the Romans, and the Greeks.
Brenden
HMCS(DV/FPJ/FMF)USN Ret.
You left out the Phoenicians, Senior Chief.
I don’t really care what the Navy calls themselves. I don’t understand the rates, rank designations, or much else about the system they use. But, if it works for them, my opinion just doesn’t matter.
The few times it could have made a difference, I just asked for a translation to the more universal E- system. That seems to satisfy us all. Otherwise, it’s mostly just none-my-business.
Much ado about nothing. Again, some more. Meanwhile, what are they doing behind curtain #3?