This Navy needs the mess of the 80s, 90s and , 2ks.....

With every passing year that I make board and don't get selected, I am less and less interested in joining the Mess. MCPON is basically admitting that there are "genuines" who need to go through the Season again because they obviously didn't actually learn anything from their Seasons. P.S. the ELD courses are being mandated, but that also means it's just a check in the box. We happened to have a week in port, so 3 Chiefs are doing the FLDC for all the forward E4s in a classroom on base. They've reduced it back to PO Indoc but with a better curriculum.

The problem isn’t the season it’s the chiefs mess. This is a perfect example all the things you are saying. The selects come in with this mentality. That everything is superfluous and doesn’t matter and they end up doing and learning nothing. Prioritizing doesn’t mean not accomplishing shit. You still have to get the things done. Also the longer you are in the mess the more you realize no one cares about you anymore. So quit crying and get it done. There are already too many chiefs who prioritize themselves and hide behind their families. Yes as you progress and learn it should get fun. I’ve also never been in a mess who if the selects were right they were “still wrong”. This is honestly just people feeling sorry for themselves.

Kassulke Fords

Mark Mall

Skiles Rapids

Armstrong Center

As a brand new Chief, this is awesome! Great advice!

I’m having a hard time believing there’s sailors that are not being accepted… I can name 3 selects that should have never been accepted… literally we went out of our way to accept… my humble 2 cents.

How the hell have I never heard of Tradition of Change?!

I'm living with my Navy daughter & helping her with her kids. I'm not a spouse or a dependent. I feel completely ignored by the military. I haven't been able to find any support in the Navy (like spouses have). I can't even buy gas on base or use the commissary, which feels like an affront. I feel invisible. It makes it so much harder to support my daughter. It takes a toll on my mental well-being, which makes it harder to care for my grandkids & my daughter. I'm sure there are many grandparents and other relatives who are doing the same as me.

The whole basis of Chiefery is technical competence. With me, you couldn't be a top-rated chief without being THE technical expert, no matter the rate.

Can I get a charge from you?! Much appreciated!

Absolutely love the content of this episode so far. Most Chiefs get to the position they are and forget they have to train Junior officers, Junior enlisted as well as Mentor their Petty officers and how to conduct that training.

Thank you for making this. My Selectee mind needed this.

Was lucky enough to go through season with an NSW unit. The games were minimal, and season didn't disrupt my work/home balance. Minimal super early/super late days, flexibility to take care of family/work, and common sense. Since leaving NSW I have stopped doing season stuff, as the mess are obsessed with terrorizing selects and get butthurt if not called everyday or asked for a charge.

Two things. Frist, Yes, R-supply is where things are ordered. (From a random LSS1) Secondly, I found your pod about a year ago and I really do enjoy every episode. Keep killing it!

I really think this depends on the Mess, some are better than others. I would say in general we’re moving away from the FUCK FUCK games. Everything needs to have a reason for doing it. If it’s not adding value, we are removing it. It’s not perfect, we have some old school Chiefs that get off the rails, in fact a Chief was removed from this season for his conduct towards selects. We are policing our own. Good Podcast. Keep up the good work.

I guess if you even know what a "Season" for US Navy Chiefs is, then you're in a whole different Navy than most.

Wouldn you mind posting the reddits? I'm not familiar with how reddit works and would like the context you're talking about

Going through right now, it feels like a rehashed version of a lot of the same stuff I've already done. The mess isn't bad, but the forced elements of having to go to people repeatedly that may not like me or are pretending not to is annoying.

Didn’t make it. Did everything they wanted and asked. Checked all the blocks. But apparently 120 others had the same as me and more 😞 I had 3 EPs all press 100 lol 😂

CPO season is a process that separates the CPO ranks to the rest of the ranks! That is why it is needed but haters going to hate because they could not do it and cannot make it! It is earned not given

My list of Favorite Post-Tour Submarine COs is as follows: 1. Butch Dollaga (SSN 766) 1st boat CO 2. Jay Pittman (SSN 725) CSS-6 Deputy, met while on (SSN 789) 2. Dave Grogan (SSN 789) 2nd boat CO 2. Drew Miller (SSN 766) 1st Boat 3rd CO

Damn good episode, I didn't know you dropped these on YT, but I'm glad I tuned in.....thanks

It’s crazy to me to hear you describe a disfunctional quarters to a tee, and I could agree with you more… and it be a direct description of the quarters I made Chief under, experienced a terrible season with and were the people that turned me on to you IN MY SEASON ORDERS… but then it’s relieving to hear you describe a good quarters and it be a direct representation of the quarters I transferred to.

Not saying you are, but please don’t lump all of us chiefs into the proverbial shit put your describing, I agree it’s an issue, but myself having been through the season and having a terrible time, have shifted from “shit on the selects” to “BUILD UP THE SELECTS” and we need to find a way to get the rest of the navy wide Quarters on board. Now having said that, there are still people that make Chief that STRUGGLE even senior Bros with 15+ years in the navy, over half as a 1st, that still struggle and still get selected.

This hit home for me today for some reason going through some of your stuff agian, I’ve listened to you for a bit, but today it hit. I have put the mission and sailors above not only myself but my family to often, and it’s not worth it anymore man, the sailors dgaf whether you bend over backwards for them or not. As a Chief it’s just harder now when there’s no real reward for doing your job, you’re literally just expected to give up everything for the navy, and nothing else matters. I’m not saying I need the mental health help, but it’s hard for people actually dedicated to our jobs like me to get that help, especially when the PRP is brought into the picture, which I know you know something about.

Great interview! I’m surprise there is not more views and any comments.

I totally agree with you! To think that someone could just arbitrarily tell a selectee that they aren't accepted after going through everything is a load of shit. Believe me, the blue shirts hear about stuff like this, and talk about it a lot on social media. This affects the E6 and below working for the Chief as well as that Chief. It's completely unfair, and needs to be stopped. It just pisses me off to no end. I can see where many Sailors would just think the Chief's Mess is a mess, a total shitshow. It's just disgusting and appalling.

Great video! I just found you via Reddit. I've been reading the CPO stuff on r/navy and saw your video. I'm a retired reservist YN Chief. I was initiated in 2004, long time ago. I learned some things about how they do things now. I was very fortunate that when I went through, we weren't hazed. Yeah, there were some head games, but nothing bad. I had a great sponsor who was a very good mentor. Our group was small. There were just five of us. Early on, we figured out what was generally time wasting bullshit. It took me a while to start pushing back, as I'm very shy and introverted. Once I found my voice though, oh boy! My sponsor talked to my husband and told him if he had any concerns to call him. I had more fun with the latter half. As a reservist, I found out early June I was selected, and we didn't get pinned until late September. Final night was a hoot. I totally agree with you that there needs to be a formal written instructor course. It's all over the board as to whether the season is mandatory or not. On both Facebook and Reddit, there are so many different opinions on this. Who knows? Your videos are very informative and entertaining. I can relate to much of what you say. Keep up the good work.

I think part of the reason the Navy has gotten this way is that certain training which was a lot less formalized used to happen a lot more often. But the modern Navy is a lot more instruction heavy and sees fit to blast people for not adhering to the thousands of lines of rules that a sailor has to deal with on a day-to-day basis which creates a very negative minded mentality on what a sailor is responsible for doing. That might be glamorizing "the glory days" a bit, and I certainly wasn't apart of that, but I genuinely think that there's been a shift in thinking with the Navy where if it's not written down it doesn't matter, which is a very dangerous place to be. Obviously, good ideas should be codified to some degree, but some things are best left out of being formal because the formalizing of it would potentially get in the way of whatever those things were trying to accomplish. A lot of the training I received in active duty was check-in-the box stuff that either missed the point of the training or was so ingenuine that whatever positive message you could glean from it was effectively lost in translation. And I think that the mentality of not doing something simply because nothing says to do it outside of vague platitudes is cancerous because it restricts a lot of training, mentorship, and development that are the backbone to making not only good sailors, but good people. I was trained, outside of the Navy, to care about the person to my left and right, and that if I wasn't doing that that I was a failure to both my teammates and myself. On the flip side, if we all, or at least most of us, did that and worked for each other and watched each other's backs, then you would have a successful unit because all of your "corners" are being watched even if one person can't see them all. This includes developing newer people and being developed by senior people, because you should pass down what lessons you've learned while striving to learn more from those with more or different experience simply because it makes the team better. I don't know what the solution is, but if sailors keep leaning on "command development" and instruction based teaching as a crutch instead of actually going beyond just following orders, then it'll only get worse.

24:00 Every time we tried to get Sailor 360 going, the random Chief that the 9s picked to lead it half-assed it out of existence

We could barely do CPO 365 at a recruiting district back in the 2010s. Problem is many things that need to be taught in an OJT setting are being shunted into season, which by then it’s too late. No way to make an effective chief in six weeks. Dumb policies, admin requirements, etc. are obstacles to spending time with your guys making them better. On ship, we barely had time to send guys to “required” NEC schools, but could teach them better on board. Every season is ad-hoc shoved in between all the other requirements and instead of teaching and coaching, you’re right, it has mostly turned into chaos, and selects wonder WTF is going on. The stuff covered should be imbued into everything we do as sailors from the beginning.

48:00 "Those people are not going to self-correct" - You sure those people aren't balls deep in the MCPON Initiation memos?

@43:00 You describe who you want the MCPON to be, but the MCPON is picked specifically because they will not rock the boat. It's nearly impossible for anyone striving for these changes to make Master Chief, much less the entire CMC pipeline to MCPON and the decision process that comes with it.

Your "Command developed" comment was so true. The guys making these (not even) policies are so far removed from the actual Navy. The CO is there to manage risk, and this activity is such low risk and doesn't impact the mission that it won't get done any more than getting a check mark on a CRAV review.

All points spot on!

Retired CT Chief here. Thank you for putting this information out there. I wish I could have listened to this before season. Season broke me and it took me years to get back to a place where I wasn't pissed off at the Navy. I opted out to put my mental health first and it took a real deal Master Chief to get me to acceptance. I've never really talked to anyone about this.

Hi DGUTS were you aware that your podcast has not been on google podcast (Now KZbin Music) for some time? Would love it if you could get back on that platform.

Just listened to this while out for a walk. I appreciate the information! I'll be sure to submit my " I love me binder"...in its ENTIRETY. 😅

Yeah I'm not going nukes 💀💀💀 I'm already emotionally stunnted as it is. No need for extra unnecessary trauma, the bonuses, and the fake validation of being told how smart i am by my recruiters and instructors lol A nuke recruiter rep told me id have a mentor all the time, suuuure... Will just do another rate 🤗

I think what you've been asking for this entire time is for an institutional CPO charge book. One that gets revised yearly on important lessons learned which every Chief should know. Integrate learning objectives into those lessons even if some of the tasks are impossible to complete and that might be the lesson.

Some people are so toxic they would rather let troubled sailors die than help sailors in trouble..

In 1967 as a young sailor, coming on active duty, I was assigned to the transit barracks in NavSta Charleston, SC. As one of the Barracks Masters-at-Arms, I had the honor of working for James E., (Willie) Williams. BM1, Later BMC. He was a good man, taught me how to be a better leader and took me bass fishing on the weekends! RIP Boats, Williams!

Not sure why the algorithm recommended this but it was an interesting topic. I've always felt that loyalty and respect are closely intertwined. My default slides up and down based on recent actions and past precedent. If I get a new boss at work, they get a basic level of respect and loyalty until they prove whether they deserve more or less. I also feel corporations deserve zero loyalty as they have none to their employees. They are beholden to shareholders, not the members of that company. So I have no problem when someone shafts a Corp. I work now for a local civil organization, so my loyalty is more towards the public I'm supposed to be supporting because all our local taxes are what pays me and my coworkers.

I can tell you that you will be loosing binary thinkers over this one.

Haven't even finished listening and I'm excited for this topic. 👍

Been there and done that (and can't hold a candle to Williams!) 365+ days; over 300 patrols; 22 firefights; saw 1 ship sunk (Baton Rouge Victory) "Boats of Glass" "balls of Brass" "PBR Forever!"

We didn't get the audio from the discord, only from you, bro.