Gladly, my Navy quickly about turned and brought back the 'old' rating titles they just did away with a couple of months ago. I think. Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly what they're saying in these confabulated articles MILPERS puts out.

So I can say "Yo, Boats" again without running afoul of "You must call him Aviation Bosun's Mate Petty Officer First Class". If I'm reading it right. Life was simpler a few years ago (decades?). Wonder if the ACDU folks can say "Yoeman" now without facing HR charges. "Master Chief, that rude sailor called me a Yoeman when I'm a Yoewoman!" ... Or "I'm a YoeUndecided!" ... Well hell, let's just make it easy and say "Yo, Yoe!"

I s'pose tradition is bad. If it wasn't so !@#%$, I'd be ROTFLMAO

===

Navy, Marines torpedo 'gender sensitive' job titles in new system Sep 29, 2016
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/29/navy-torpedoes-job-titles-for-new-system-airman-fi/

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTimes) -- All 91 of the U.S. Navy’s enlisted job titles are headed for Davy Jones’ locker. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus prodded the Navy and Marine Corps early this year to look for ways to create gender-neutral rating titles. The Marines responded with new job titles in June, but the Navy ultimately decided to go with a complete overhaul of its system.

“We’re going to immediately do away with rating titles and address each other by just our rank as the other services do,” Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke toldNavy Times for a piece published Thursday. “We recognize that’s going to be a large cultural change, it’s not going to happen overnight, but the direction is to start exercising that now.”

Marines Strip ‘man’ From 19 Job Titles like 'Infantryman': ‘We Have Reached Peak Crazy’

The move, which officials say will make service members more employable post-service, does away with titles like airman and fireman in favor of Navy Occupational Specialties (NOS).

“Under this new system, for example, Gunner’s mates will be identified as B320 and quartermasters will be B450,” Navy Times explained. The title seaman will remain the last nonrated rating remaining for those with a rank of E-3 and below.

Vice Adm. Robert Burke told the newspaper that NOS will be configured into broad career fields within 13 communities of service. The new system aims to give sailors a greater number of duty stations and more flexibility in terms of how their careers advance.
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Navy Reverses Quickly, Brings Back Rating Titles Dec 21, 2016
http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=98240

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNS 161221-04) -- On Dec. 21, the Navy announced that effective immediately, Sailors may continue to be addressed by their Rating Titles. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson, with the support of Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Steve Giordano, made the announcement in NAVADMIN 283/16.

"Our Navy needs to be a fast-learning organization - that includes Navy leadership," Richardson wrote in the NAVADMIN. "The Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority states that our most junior teammate may have the best idea and that we must be open to capturing that idea. We have learned from you, and so effective immediately, all rating names are restored."

"The SECNAV, MCPON and I, along with other Navy leadership, have had the opportunity to speak with thousands of Sailors during our travels throughout the fleet. The feedback from current and former Sailors has been consistent that there is wide support for the flexibility that the plan offers, but the removal of rating titles was unnecessary and detracted from accomplishing our major goals."

The rating modernization working group will continue its work on the substantive portion of the rating modernization effort. "As we looked at rating modernization effort over the past few months, we saw that we could still achieve the positive results we want without changing rating titles right now," said the Navy's Chief of Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke. "However, modernizing our industrial-age personnel system in order to provide Sailors choice and flexibility still remains a priority for us. Our personnel system has not fundamentally changed since the 1970s, and just like our ships, aircraft and weapons systems, it needs updates to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. We must not shy away from adapting to meet the needs of a 21st century Navy -- including the way we manage our people."

"As we move forward into the execution stages of the rating modernization, more and more Sailors will have multiple occupational skill sets or ratings," Burke continued. "Before we get there, we will need to tackle the issue of managing rating names. We will involve Sailors throughout the Fleet and leverage the Rating Modernization working group to figure out how to best do that."

Sailor 2025 is a set of initiatives collectively aimed at modernizing the personnel system, improving the training process and improving career readiness of the Navy's Sailors. The program has been a major focus of effort for SECNAV and CNO as they seek to better prepare the workforce for the current and future operating environment.

===

 

Good to hear.

I thought this was funny at first, but these days I'm starting to wonder if that hasn't already come up on some boat somewhere.

 

And is it going to change after Trump is officially in ?? I should have asked Henry as I just had dinner with him .An 85 year old Marine ! He probably has some rare common sense . How close am I to the Marines ?? Well I danced with a Woman Marine back in the '60s ! Today I guess I'd have to check the rating and badge -- woman, bisexual, trisexual, confused , etc, etc !!!

 

This turned into a long spiel...

I keep track of this stuff after spending most of my adult life in the military. After working in the stockyards, a gas station, leather tannery, restaurant etc I'd hoped it wouldn't happen in 'my' military. But considering our almost-past administration I should have guessed. All of the service CINCs, except Marine Gen. Dunford, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Army Rangers, towed the administration's new policy line without a vote by Congress. Or got replaced by a PC correct sweet lips. Gen. Dunford was replaced by Gen. Dempsey. The fact of the increasing male rapes are barely getting reported in the news is a sign of the times. Here is an article on Trump's plans, he's fine with gays and unknown on transvestites in the military. But Trump changes his mind and announced policies every 15 minutes so it's hard to know what he's doing.

Trump Victory 'Terrifies' Gay and Transgender Groups Nov 10, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/us/politics/trump-victory-alarms-gay-and-transgender-groups.html

I try to be open-minded (but that's in the eye of the beholder), even after nearly getting seduced by transvestites on liberty in Naples and Pearl Harbor years ago. Both were foxes, it hurt. I'm certainly getting out of touch now, sometimes purposely (we live on 2 acres Donna and I cleared inside our 8 acres of woods out here in the sticks) so asked my 25yo and 27yo nephews what they thought. No service time, the oldest is a chemical engineer on the North Slope and the youngest is a college-grad window washer hiking through Laos of all places right now. They're fine with gays, but got weird expressions when talking about transgenders. I can deal with professional female sailors - Chief LeAnne H. and PO1 Sheree D. i knew for years on watchstanding, I'd serve on the sea or under the sea with either and be glad to have them. Sharp, didn't mind the hours, welcomed challenges. But then a couple of years later, a 35yo female chief with no sea duty said to me (I was the CMC) in a meeting with my CO while we were on easy shore duty in 1998, "You're a dinosaur". Hmmm. I replied that she had zero experience living on a ship, a boat, or in foxholes in the sand where the full weight of these changes in military policy come to bear, and that I didn't place much value in her opinion. As for her judgement, she was married but sleeping with a PO2 working for her that caused favoritism problems in the command. I'll take 'dinosaur' and consider the source. It's a whole different real world on deployment, and I'm really worried about combat unit cohesion. We can't win without teamwork, and are having enough trouble winning already.

Just some of the headlines the past few years (yeah, i copy them to my 'news' files) In {} is my comments:

-Chelsea Manning ends hunger strike in Leavenworth after Army agrees to gender replacement surgery Sep 14, 2016
-US boosts military with 600 more troops in Iraq ahead of Mosul battle {now about 6,000 ground troops} Sep 28, 2016
-Transgender Air Force crew chief who lives as a man must wear female uniform Jul 15, 2015
-Obama orders US military to lift transgender ban next month; gays, bisexuals already serve openly Jun 25, 2016
-Secretary Carter OKs final orders for women in combat forced by president "right away" Mar 12, 2016
-U.S. special forces not ready to integrate women, resisting directive, Rand report finds Feb 16, 2016
-Erika Lopez, fourth woman to enlist for Army combat role, deserts during training Feb 4, 2016
-U.S.-led coalition, now with Britain and France, continues airstrikes on IS in Syria, Iraq Feb 3, 2016
-Russia continues air and missile strikes on all anti-Assad forces in Syria Feb 3, 2016
-Saudi-led coalition continues airstrikes, ground operations against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen Feb 3, 2016

-Obama explores whether to make women eligible for military draft after opening all combat jobs Dec 4, 2015
-SecDef promises same standards for women in direct combat roles Dec 3, 2015
-Secretary of Defense Carter Rejects Studies Showing Mixed-Gender Units Perform Worse Dec 3, 2015
-All combat jobs now open to women despite Marine Corps objection: Secretary of Defense Dec 3, 2015
-Defense Secretary Carter announces plan to formalize transgenders in military Jul 7, 2015
-Transgender Air Force crew chief who lives as a man must wear female uniform Jul 15, 2015

-All 19 women and 119 men have washed out of Army Ranger School in first phase May 8, 2015
-Navy SEALs see no barrier to female SEALs, will not lower standards May 4, 2015
-Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik from Pakistan identified as San Bernardino killers Dec 3, 2015
-Obama unsure if San Bernardino shooting was terrorism, calls for gun control Dec 3, 2015
-ICE gives away $113 million, says not enough illegal immigrants to deport Dec 3, 2015

-White House pressures Marines to lower combat standards for women Apr 20, 2015
-No female Marines pass Infantry Officer Course, 81 males also cut Apr 11, 2015
-Integrating women into combat reduces effectiveness, harms unit cohesion: U.K. report Mar 19, 2015
-Tattoos, prescription drugs, obesity eliminate 70 percent of Army recruits Feb 16, 2015
-Army Ranger preparatory course passed by 5 out of 26 women Feb 5, 2015
-Female Marines now 0-26 on Officer Infantry Course Jan 17, 2015

-Army is worried too many white men lead combat units Sep 12, 2014
-Veracity of PTSD Claims Questioned as Disability Awards Grow to $49 Billion Aug 4, 2014
-Chelsea {Charles} Manning to Receive 'Gender Change Treatment' at Fort Leavenworth Jul 17, 2014
-Seal Team 6 Member Becomes Pentagon’s Poster Girl in Transgender Recruiting Jun 26, 2014
-Military Sex Assaults Increase 50 Percent; 14 Percent Are On Men May 1, 2014
-Pacific Air Force Commander appointment is 1st woman, non-pilot Apr 12, 2014

-Few Army Women Want Combat Jobs: Rand Survey Feb 25, 2014
-Marines Delay Female Fitness Test After Half Fail Course Jan 3, 2014
-Three of Fifteen Women Pass Marine Corps Infantry Training Course Nov 19, 2013
-DOD Offers Marriage Benefits to Gays; Texas Guard Refuses to Process Same-Sex Applications Sep 3, 2013
-Male Rape in Military an 'Epidemic' Says Victim May 16, 2013
-Repeal Of Military Gay Ban Gets Mixed Reviews After Three Months Dec 22, 2011


USN 1971-2000

 

The first cruise I was on after it had been decided to allow females aboard combatant ships there was a standard announcement (slightly modified) that came over the 1MC (ship-wide comm) that cracked up everybody:

"TAPS, TAPS! Lights out - now all hands turn into your OWN bunks..."



I'm pretty sure that was the last cruise I went on with USS Carl Vinson circa early nineties


From 1985 to 1990+ at Miramar NAS (now MCAS) there used to be bomb threat drills in the Enlisted barracks which were CO-ED. There were six two story buildings that shared the parking lot with the E-Club, and the top deck of one of them was reserved for females. At one point, they were doing this two or three times a week, and the thing that stunk about the whole deal?

EVERY SINGLE TIME there was a senior male and female PO taking notes of what rooms and who came out of the female barrack rooms on the second floor of the last building, and all of those people who had COED habitated were brought up on disciplinary charges.

It was as if the NAVY had just discovered consensual SEX - and had no idea what to do about it...

*I didn't get to be an AT because I was dumb. The one time I might have been caught, I just stayed in her room and told her not to fret about it. Like a concrete building even COULD burn down...

"We know why they're doing this - and I don't want to get YOU ALL in trouble. Just go on out and don't worry about it"

When my girl came back up, she said:

"You were right."

*They were four to six person rooms, be we all liked and respected eachother. 'Nuff said

1985 was the one and only year I suffered myself to live in a barracks without doing something about it.
Still, it was interesting...

The social interactions were constrained, complex, and very eye opening


Regardless how any outside influence attempts to treat mature adults as if they are children who do not know what is good for them - people will adapt.

 

Got my first taste of co-ed barracks at a C school in Pensacola in the late 70's and liked it muchly. A school command is about as laid back as a military installation can be for returning 'old salts'. From the open windows of the 'barracks' on base (2-story apartments) music from the Stones, Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac etc made it all cozy, most everybody on the same wavelength. A lot of beer. BBQs in the Quad. Not much of "the military climate" there and it was almost cozy.

Then back to 'real Navy' in Japan and served with women on watchstanding duties. Several of the gals in particular were very hardworking and 'dedicated to the cause', would serve with them about anywhere. More than I could say for several of the guys.