Posted on 10/09/2004 5:32:12 PM PDT by EnjoyingLife
Original U.S. Navy links: http://www.news.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=9538 (has a larger image than the one above + the full caption) and http://www.news.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/030916-N-2716P-120.jpg (a large high-res photo)
The photo is the October 9, 2004 "Photograph of The Day" at the ChamorroBible.org website (http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw.htm), and one of four heartwarming photos in the October 9, 2004 gallery or collection. What a unforgettable sight it must have been seeing this "eager son" managing to break away from the crowd, walk or run towards the U.S. Navy officers, then stop in front of Dad and extend his right hand in congratulations. It must have been tough for his father to keep a straight face (the other officers standing also!) and not reach down and pick up his proud son. Thank you U.S. Navy Photographer's Mate 1st Class Paul J. Phelps for capturing this moment. Some photos just have a way of cheering one up!
Very sweet picture.
How sweet is that!!! I hope he didn't get into trouble!
Those aren't officers in the picture. Those are chief petty officers (CPOs), or senior non-commissioned officers at pay grade E-7 (equivalent to the Army's sergeant first class or the Marine Corps's gunnery sergeant). One can tell very easily that they're chiefs and not officers because their combination caps have black chinstraps, instead of officers' gold.
Chiefs, like most senior NCOs, traditionally resent being called officers; hence, the traditional retort "Don't call me 'sir,' I work for a living."
Forgive me. I used the title "officers" in the generic sense and certainly didn't mean to offend anyone. Thanks for the lesson.
You would be interested in this.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.