When I was an E-8 and the flight Superintendent I had a Second Lt., fresh out of the Air Force Academy as the OIC. He wanted to be a pilot but had to wait for a slot. So they made him a Comms officer. I had an office with a door, he had a cubicle.
Every morning he’d knock on my door and ask me what we were going to do for that day—meetings, etc. I’d tell him and like a puppy, he’d reappear at the appropriate time clutching his flight cap and asking if was time to go.
I would walk on his left side so he felt like he was in charge (and that’s military protocol, allowing him freedom to salute or return salutes). He’d sit next to me in meetings and whisper questions like, “Is that true?” or “What should I say?” I told him what to say and he’d say it like a good El Tee.
Actually, after a year I retired and he did a good job. It was a great experience watching him mature. When he made Captain, he asked me to come back on base and pin his shoulder boards on at his promotion ceremony. I heard he finally got a flying spot, flying C-17s. WTG, Capt. Dee!
That 2nd Lt. thing is frequently real (perhaps even usually real) and you can also see it in new engineers fresh out of school, they can appear pretty stupid when they are just starting.