That phrase has gone through my mind recently as I reflected on the increased use of vulgar words across all media.
When I was an enlisted man in the Navy (50 years ago) we were told not to swear in front of officers. I also never heard an officer swear in font of us, although I imagine they did when among themselves. The point was to uphold military decorum and protocol.
“”The point was to uphold military decorum and protocol.””
And sadly, I fear, that ship has sailed (sunk, and is rotting at the bottom). My dad was retired Naval Air and I never heard him swear... ever. (my mom would have cut him off, probably...lol).
I wish I could remember how I conducted myself around my soldiers. I was an ADA officer from 76-84. I didn't go out of my way to swear, though there were a few times on field exercises where I used profanity with great volume...lol.
I do recall a tac eval that sent me over the ledge. I had to wear the XO & Maintenance Officer hats, and things were falling apart: a platoon leader missed his morning mission time by 30 minutes, my CO encoded a mission's coordinates incorrectly, and there was a lack of urgency throughout the battery. I blew up in the evening meeting, I was an equal opportunity flame thrower.
I didn't realize how effective it was until I bumped into the Chief Evaluator outside our CP. I thought, "dammit he heard it all". Instead, he gave me a big smile and said, "that was beautiful, LT." I'd like to think my performance played a role in passing that evaluation.
You're right, though, profanity does not enhance military bearing.
I now work in the tax department of a real estate company in Dallas. I'm surprised and chagrined with the prevalence of f-bombs from several coworkers, to include my supervisor. Another coworker noted his displeasure with a woman who favors using the acronym LMFAO. She's an acquired taste that has taken me over a year to get used to.
I'm happy to sit in my cubicle and do my work.