Learning Names is Important
Names of your Sailors are important. The sweetest sound to anyone is his or her own name. Learn it and use it!
After a formal and impressive change-of-command parade and ceremony at one of our larger NIOCs, the departing CO was honored at a reception at the officers club. As he greeted the line of Sailors, officers, Chiefs and their wives, he called each by name, asked something about their families or status and then greeted the next.
Someone in attendance remarked, “He is one of few COs in recent memory that I have served with who can do that. And I can guarantee you that not one member of his command will ever forget him, and many will seek to serve under him again.”
6 comments:
Captain Lambert,
Thank you for this post, my two CO’s on the USS Tecumseh insisted that they knew some particulars about every Sailor on board, as well as their wives, and their children. I as COB was required to take a photo of each new Sailor on board and have them fill out a form that gave basic information about their dependents, this was a valuable tool for these Commanding Officers, it helped me as well as I felt I should be aware of the name and general status of every Submariner on board, because that was part of my job to know every Sailor and Shipmate on the Tecumseh. As COB I made a complete tour of the Boat nearly every day and I attempted to greet each Shipmate that I came across by name, these Sailors knew that I was in their element and territory as a friend and Shipmate, we did not wear nametags in those days and I attempted to address all Sailors by name and have a short conversation with each of them when I encountered them on their watch stations. During these tours I insured that I had a few non-quals in tow to help them in their Submarine qualifications and they learned not only Submarine qualifications but also some of the Shipmates that they may rarely come in contact with.
If you are inclined to continue your efforts as a career Sailor your Shipmates need to be called by name, that is very important, my thought is this, if you never address this Shipmate by name it is very evident to that individual that everything that follows is impersonal.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
And if there are 600 Sailors in the command?
And if there are 600 Sailors in the command?
This sounds fabricated.
Anon @ 2:55 PM
Everything here is fabricated. As the blogger states - NO ORIGINAL THOUGHT.
Even your thought is not original and seems fabricated, as all anonymous posts are - including mine.
Scott Raymond,
For my last over 20 years in the Navy I only served on one ship that had over 300 Sailors as Ships Company on it at any one time. That was the Submarine Tender USS Hunley (AS 31) I was only on that ship for about a year and that ship was certainly a lot different than the remainder of the ships I served on during those last 20 years. The other ships were Destroyers, Auxiliary Ships and an FBM Submarine, your question about a 600 man crew is in order but a wise CO would certainly insure that Department Heads and their respective Division Officers be very familiar with their members of the crew. You repeated yourself but I understood you the first time, I catch on rather quickly in most cases, that was the way the Navy raised me.
Anonymous, November 27, 2012 2:55 PM and November 27, 2012 4:09 PM,
I have no idea what you folks think might be fabricated about what was written in this blog concerning this subject, to enlighten you two non believers, an FBM Submarine in the Cold War period carried about 128 crew members on each deterrent patrol, I made 7 Deterrent patrols in my career and I never found it beyond my capacity, or the capacity of my Commanding Officers, to know and understand a great deal about each of my Shipmates on my Submarine over the off crew period and the deterrent patrol period each being about 90 days. Evidently neither of you anonymous folks know anything about Submarines or their operations at sea.
You got that right Anonymous November 27, 2012 4:09 PM, your post is fabricated as you admit. Captain Lambert only posts those things that are significant, and then uninformed individuals are allowed to attach their irrelevant responses and apply their anonymous positions in the hope that someone may think these anonymous individuals have some idea what they are espousing. As it turns out these folks generally have no idea what they are talking about, in most cases
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
Post a Comment