My dad was the “Leading Chief” in an A-6 Intruder Squadron
in the last years of his Navy career in the early 1970s during two long WESTPAC cruises on Yankee Station off the coast of North Viet Nam. He and the other Chiefs took care of their sailors.
He did what was best for each sailor and helped those who wanted to change jobs to do so.
Met several of his former squadron mates at a reunion three years ago on the USS Midway in San Diego. I was amazed at the number of his fellow Chiefs and sailors who told my mom and me how much respect they had for him. Even heard about a few times when he would chew out a few junior officers for some stupid stuff they did. One on them went to the CO to tell about. The CO told the junior officer that if Chief “Rattlesnake” chewed him out, there was a reason and he should listen.
His squadron didn’t have desertion or suicides because they knew their superiors cared about their needs and futures.
I understand completely. On my last assignment before retirement as an E-7, my O-6 used to assign freshly commissioned butter bars to me for seasoning. We'd have coffee on a monthly basis and part of our coffee meetings was to provide performance feedback.
Your dad, the ‘leading chief’ reminds me of the CPO’s that I feared when I joined the Canadian navy I. 1978. They’d also put junior officers in their place when warranted. When they joined they learned from chiefs with WWII experience. How could that not build character?