America, meet H. Lucien Gauthier, III.Read it all.
No, that really is his name. And, no, with that name he’s not a St Tammany Parish indigo baron strolling about a cypress-draped plantation in a white suit, a julep in one fist and an ivory cane in the other. He’s a sailor.
In the interview, Lucien has come book recommendations. Here they are for your review.
While we applaud Luciens increasing popularity and status, another equally dedicated but not as eloquent a sailor is being kicked out the Navy for...being slightly overweight. AT1 Charles Berleman, as fine a sailor and as dedicated as they come will be leaving the service in the near future.
ReplyDeleteADM Harvey, if either you or your staff follow this blog, then I will tell you this: YOU SCREWED THE POOCH. You are kicking out a man I've known since he was an E2 and who eats sleeps and drinks Navy Blue. Just a crying damn shame, a damn shame.
If you knew this sailor like I do, you'd give him six months to get squared away and take the chance that the Navy wouldn't lose a dedicated sailor. So don't give me that crap about standards. I'm all about them. At the same time, I see officers and chiefs, most of them female, taking up entire passageways with their bulk...and they're still serving. AT1 failed the body fat test by a whisker...passed once, then failed. So he's damn close. And he's more than worth taking a chance on.
ReplyDelete"Then, home for two and I PCS’d to Belgium."
ReplyDeleteWell...At least there is Stella Artois...and some other treats there as well YN...
I mean...if you gotta live like an Expat...there's worse ways!
8-)
Glad to see you have things so black and white. Charles isn't a sorry ass welder protected by a union, he's a damn fine sailor...one of YOURS. If you're an officer or chief, then thank God I'm not serving under you since you seem to care so little about the people that make up the Navy. He's more than worth saving, much more. And since I've known him since he entered the Navy and you don't then you don't have a clue about whether or not he is. To the point, your opinion means less than nothing to me.
ReplyDeleteguest, you don't get laid much, do you?
ReplyDeleteStop this treadjack now. One more comment on this topic by guest and everyone gets deleted.
ReplyDeleteI read the article. Way to go, HLGIIIYN2!
ReplyDelete(He's goin' places. I can tell!)
:-D
YNSN is every Divisions Officers wish, every CPO's dream, every parents desire, and every Americans example of a citizen.
ReplyDeleteGood on you YNSN, youre turning into a great Sailor, seasoning into a great leader and you are already a great American.
and to think we knew him when he was a wee laddie...
PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletewhat in the wide wide world of sports is goin on here!?!!?!
ReplyDeleteyou know, one of my observations on this blog is this: we only get a brief opportunity to glimpse into the character of the posters who reply to what our host posts. The aggregate of the reponses, the termity with the defense of a comment or anothers, is what we learn about each other. It determines quickly if we would buy a beer or hell, even drink one with some of the folks around here.
ReplyDeleteI like the cut of YNSN's Jib. He has simply validated by the new article what the rest of us of the same cut, have known for years...
YN2 is indicative of the many rising stars in our Sea Services. If only we know where to look, then to listen and then to facilitate. I am happy to know him and applaud Sal for encouraging him to write...and knowing where to look. He is a breath of fresh air and made quite an impression on the folks at USNI.
ReplyDeleteThere are many others out there. I get dissappointed by the pitfalls of equating age with experience. Not that it should be underestimated. But sometimes experience and age don't equate.
With respect to YN2, we can encourage, encourage, encourage - not all answers are right but reading, writing, speaking honestly and respectfullly, and yes - blogging are a great path.
BZ Lucien! BZ Sal!
"I hired you people to get a little track laid, not jump around like a bunch of members of a politically protected victim group from Kansas City!"
ReplyDelete(Scuttles away and under porch)
Of note - when I made the comment above, there were a series of posts by "guest" from a variety of IPs that were insulting to the big boned in the services and took Byron's comment about AT1 and turned it in to a general attack on the stout.
ReplyDelete"Guest" self-aborted and took his comments away. You missed the fun - and though it looks like in now that he cleared his smears .... my comment was not directed 100% at Byron sitting there in the corner next to the pile of steamed mudbugs and shrimp.
YN is very obviously alot more squared away than I ever was...
ReplyDeleteI just took the "saddles" quote and ran with it.
ReplyDeleteI prefer "husky" to big-boned. But HLGIII is a high quality young man, very bright and full of promise.
We can cure him of that.
One of the things I tried to impress upon my students coming out of the academy was that their enlisted might, just might, have more degrees than they. The days of degrees being solely for the O's is over. I just had a conversation with a LSC working on his PhD in finance. There are a lot of good Sailors out there, a lot are getting PTS'd out too. Maybe the postive we can take out of it is that we may be making our country stronger through the training and release of these fine people into the gen pop of America. One can hope, one can hope.
ReplyDeleteSpend the day doing a fundraiser BBQ and I miss all the comotion?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn't for Sal's Front Porch.
You all are my mentors, and I am eternally indebted to all of you for your guidance, words of wisdom and support.
I should also add that you all are my first and most lasting mentors.
ReplyDelete(mutters...that wouldn't take much...) :)
ReplyDeleteT'ey empty shells now, you! ;)
ReplyDeleteBetter to blame "thread jacking" on someone else, instead of the jacker.
ReplyDeletewhen I showed up at the reserves after time in active duty, my sorry junior officer ass was awed that in my enlisted ranks I had a NYPD detective, NYC prosecutor, two PhD physicist Gunners Mates and one BM2 with a mathematics PhD.
ReplyDeleteThey all called me Sir. While sometimes it felt like a slap more than a salute, as my old Master Chief Bosun's Mate told my young self on mighty warship Austin, "I call you sir as much respect for you and your rank as to remind you of your duty to the Captain, this ship, her crew, and the Nation at large."
Nobody's said it yet so allow me to be the first: Euro Trash Techno Music? Really? REALLY?!
ReplyDeleteThat's what happens when quality Navy Sailors get sent to join the Narmy...they come back with all sorts of bad habits.
That quote should be standard reading/indoc for anyone going through a commissioning source. And then repeated a couple times a year for the rest of their careers. I heard similar thoughts before but never so insightful, but not a back-handed compliment either.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days I will remember to check the login name first...last comment was mine.
ReplyDeleteYeh, saw that too. That caused an eyebrow lift too.
ReplyDeleteBUT, when in Rome...
Hank III - Thank you!
My Marine would be sooooo disappointed if I didn't jump in right here and ask.......but who's ya Sea Momma?
ReplyDeleteLOL!
ReplyDeleteI was a DJ before I enlisted. Carl was, less than generous, with his portrayal of my taste in music.
YOU ARE MAGGIE!
ReplyDelete... but you still need to go to the Love Parade in Berlin before you leave Europe before you leave. I recommend taking the train though.
ReplyDeleteHey!...
ReplyDeleteI was a paragon of the "Fuzzy Navy"
Which means I should get some kind of veterans bennies!
8-)
as a man of YN2's age, I applaud him for making us younger ones on the front porch looking so good!
ReplyDeleteSal, this brings up a good point for a future posting though. What is the requirement for physical fitness in the surface community and what standard do we hold people to?
ReplyDeleteTwo people died at the love parade a year or so back. They don't have it any more.
ReplyDelete