Funny Thing Happened At Reserve Training...

[BrettGC]

I've been in the Active Reserve since I left full-time service in 2007.  It mainly involved filling in shortfalls in shore billets with the occasional jaunt out to sea for a few weeks/months at a time.  Nice tax free dollars and being at sea was something I always enjoyed and as I spent the majority of the last 12 years of full-time service either in the bowels of a submarine or running around with the Army being shot at, being on a "skimmer" again had been great. 

 

I regularly help out with the local reserve unit and last night had a very pleasant surprise.  Yep, you guessed it, Warrant Officer Brett at your service.  Particularly satisfying given the fact I turned down the promotion to leave full-time service nearly 6 years ago.  Very touching was that one of my former CO's flew from Canberra to perform the ceremony.  I first met Rear Admiral James Goldrick when I was a young signalman and he was a Lieutenant aboard HMAS Darwin.  Despite the difference in rank we became friends of a sort.  We crossed paths many times during the course of our careers in many different roles; he as CO twice and once as my XO, are just a couple of examples.  I saw him as a mentor and a friend within the limits of the NCO-Wardroom relationship and  we've stayed in touch for most of our careers and he's the one that convinced me to commence my studies whilst still serving, amongst many things.  He is the real deal.

 

RADML Goldrick: "Congratulations Mr BrettGC, not before time I might add."

Me:  "Thank you Sir, didn't see this one coming - how did you manage to keep it quiet?" (Promotions aren't normally kept a secret, and you know well before time and "aft water-cooler" buzzes are normally rife anyway)

RADML Goldrick: "Well Brett we do manage to keep some things close to our chest, even from Chiefs.  Given your attitude in the past to this sort of we knew you were just as likely not to show up if you had an inkling of what was going to happen.  Now all I have to do is convince you to accept a commission."

Me: With a twinkle in my eye "............" (the extended delivery)

At which point RADML Goldrick snorted and burst out laughing despite himself and the gravity of the ceremony. 

"You'll never change will you Brett?"

"Unlikely Sir."

"Good."

 

So there it is.

 

Rear Admiral Goldrick's Wiki for those that are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Goldrick

 

Edit:  I've never been accused of doing things the easy way :whistling:

Edited November 28, 2013 by BrettGC

[Old55]

Well deserved I am sure! :cheersty:

[robert k]

Congratulations! Glad it wasn't one of those other kind of stories where some rocket scientist tried to fire a live round with a blank firing adapter attached. :tiphat:

[BrettGC]

Congratulations! Glad it wasn't one of those other kind of stories where some rocket scientist tried to fire a live round with a blank firing adapter attached. :tiphat:

 

Or drop firing a mortar and looking over the top when it doesn't go off.....  Yes I've seen that happen lol.

[Jake]

I regularly help out with the local reserve unit and last night had a very pleasant surprise.  Yep, you guessed it, Warrant Officer Brett at your service.  

I must apologize for my belated congratulations.  That is really good news, especially being promoted while you're

still in active reserve.  Seriously, they only pick the cream of the crop.  

 

Speaking of cream....I will now relinquish my personal chief's coffee cup and announce that you're the next head

mo-fo of HMAS PEF (Philippines Expat Forum) chiefs mess.  Don't worry about that pond scum actively growing

at the bottom of my cup.  As you know sir, it's a long standing chief's tradition to never wash your cup, ever. 

 

I took the liberty of studying the RAN badges regarding rank and specialties -- very nice indeed!

 

 

Most respectfully -- Jake

[BrettGC]

Thanks Jake!  Yeah, pretty unusual here too to be promoted as a reservist but I'll take the extra cash free dollars - there's much more to it than that as most of you know.  Now I just gotta figure out how to go back full-time for a minimum period to get my pension bumped accordingly without actually having to go anywhere I may get shot at again and avoiding a commission at the same time :dance:

 

Speaking of cream....I will now relinquish my personal chief's coffee cup and announce that you're the next head mo-fo of HMAS PEF (Philippines Expat Forum) chiefs mess. Don't worry about that pond scum actively growing at the bottom of my cup. As you know sir, it's a long standing chief's tradition to never wash your cup, ever.

 

Why is it, that in navies around the world, the most junior person of a particular rank gets shafted with the mess jobs???  Baptism of fire maybe???  But on the upside Jake, I have two cups, one for coffee, the other for tea.  There's a very nice build up of tannin in the teacup and a suitable build up of coffee whitener in the other :thumbsup:

[Papa Carl]

Perfect another two cup man! (Jake stay away from that one! I said a two CUP man! Nothing to do with cup sizes!)

 

Congrats!

 

 

Papa Carl

[Jake]

Thanks Jake!  Yeah, pretty unusual here too to be promoted as a reservist but I'll take the extra cash free dollars - there's much more to it than that as most of you know.  Now I just gotta figure out how to go back full-time for a minimum period to get my pension bumped accordingly without actually having to go anywhere I may get shot at again and avoiding a commission at the same time :dance:

 

 

 

Speaking of cream....I will now relinquish my personal chief's coffee cup and announce that you're the next head mo-fo of HMAS PEF (Philippines Expat Forum) chiefs mess. Don't worry about that pond scum actively growing at the bottom of my cup. As you know sir, it's a long standing chief's tradition to never wash your cup, ever.

 

Why is it, that in navies around the world, the most junior person of a particular rank gets shafted with the mess jobs???  Baptism of fire maybe???  But on the upside Jake, I have two cups, one for coffee, the other for tea.  There's a very nice build up of tannin in the teacup and a suitable build up of coffee whitener in the other :thumbsup:

Good morning Chief Warrant Officer BrettGC,

 

This is a nice mug that is only reserved for one guy.  The most senior enlisted head Mo-Fo of US Navy.

Have a good one sir!

 

[BrettGC]

Been doing some reading on the history of the Warrant Officer, interesting stuff.  Most of it I already knew such as I'm not commissioned but rather have been issued a "Warrant" by the Queen (or representative) and am not to be saluted but nonetheless still addressed as "Sir".. So I still do work for a living!  Neither am I an NCO anymore either, but there's a space in-between. 

 

Here's the article on Wiki, interesting stuff the way different countries' military observe the rank with an excellent historical perspective:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_officer

 

Here's the NATO break down of RAN non-commissioned ranks:

 

Warrant Officers

OR9 or E-9 Warrant Officer (WO)

 

Senior Non-commissioned Officers

OR-8 or E-8 Chief Petty Officer (CPO)

OR-7 or E-7 – No equivelant

OR-6 or E-6 Petty Officer (PO)

 

Junior Non-commissioned Officers

OR-5 or E-5 Leading Seaman (LS)

OR-4 or E-4 – No equivelant

 

Enlisted

OR-3 or E-3 Able Seaman (AB)

OR-2 or E-2 Seaman (SMN)

OR-1 or E-1 Recruit (RCT)

 

 

Funny thing is, a Petty Officer in Commonwealth navies is considered a Senior NCO.  He is a member of the Senior Sailors mess, wears a peaked cap and no longer wears the sailor's collar and is issued his authority by the Queen (or representative) rather than local command. When I was promoted to the dizzy heights of PO, I was posted to Ft Meade in Maryland (yes, I was one of those types.. Shhh, or I'll have to kill you) and went through the USN Chiefs initiation.. Fun times!!

 

So Jake, yes, I'll happily accept your coffee cup :D

Edited December 12, 2013 by BrettGC

[Jake]

Been doing some reading on the history of the Warrant Officer, interesting stuff.  Most of it I already knew such as I'm not commissioned but rather have been issued a "Warrant" by the Queen (or representative) and am not to be saluted but nonetheless still addressed as "Sir".. So I still do work for a living!  Neither am I an NCO anymore either, but there's a space in-between. 

 

Funny thing is, a Petty Officer in Commonwealth navies is considered a Senior NCO.  He is a member of the Senior Sailors mess, wears a peaked cap and no longer wears the sailor's collar and is issued his authority by the Queen (or representative) rather than local command. When I was promoted to the dizzy heights of PO, I was posted to Ft Meade in Maryland (yes, I was one of those types.. Shhh, or I'll have to kill you) and went through the USN Chiefs initiation.. Fun times!!

 

So Jake, yes, I'll happily accept your coffee cup :D

Hello BrettGC,

 

Talk about rank and privileges, my wife Judy is my commander in chief with that 3rd star vs my humble 2 stars.....he, he.

It was an old US Navy tradition that young junior officers with no salt behind their ears yet, should always ask the chief for

any technical and leadership advice.  Unfortunately, the modern high tech navy has erased that tradition.  

 

The ranks of warrant officer is a proven fact that they are technical leaders and specialists.  But yet, the ensign even from

the Naval Academy is too proud to ask a salty chief or warrant officer.  As a young chief, I ran a division of about 25 techs

and my division officer was usually a chief warrant officer.  We got along fine, like brothers in crime.

 

As formal command master chief of a missile cruiser, you would not need to politely knock on our door leading to the chief's

mess (goat locker).  Warrant officers have earned my salute.....they went beyond the call of duty.

 

Respectfully -- Jake 

Edited December 14, 2013 by Jake
spil chek