Free Republic

Navy leaders are reversing their controversial decision to eliminate sailors’ ratings and will restore job titles across the fleet, according to a Navy message set for release Wednesday. Effective immediately, enlisted sailors will officially regain their ratings, the traditional job titles that have inspired a deep cultural loyalty and that have defined enlisted career tracks for generations, Navy officials said. The move comes three months after the Navy stunned sailors around the world in September by eliminated ratings titles, including those such as boatswain’s mate that dated back to the founding of the service. The extraordinarily rare move comes after...

Now that women will be allowed to serve in all combat jobs, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are dropping the word man from some of their job titles to make them inclusive and gender-neutral. Much like the term fireman has evolved to firefighter, an engineman could be called an engine technician. A yeoman could be called an administrative specialist. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus says this is one more step in how the force has changed. …

No one can say Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon lacks imagination. Perhaps she took the $11,000 seminar presented by the creative folks from Disney too much to heart. Maybe she has a Peter Pan complex and doesn’t want to grow up. Whatever the reason, her office has dreamed up the most cartoonish job titles conceivable.