What Was Your Best Experience With a Superior While Serving? Share and Be Entered to Win!

While serving in the Navy I was put in a situation where I saved lives and millions of dollars worth of air craft. My Commanding officer Was the late Senator John McCain. spoke with him often and received letter of commendation.

I would say my most memorable moments with a superior was when I got called into his office and got screamed at for about 15 minutes about not paying on a truck I had supposedly purchased. When he was done he asked if I had anything to say. So I stated I didn't even have my DL yet let alone bought a truck so you obviously have the wrong person and the look on his face was priceless.

We had been on Vieques for about three weeks providing comm support for the annual fire-ex and on the day we were leaving we had all the gear stowed in cases and Bags and were sitting around waiting for the truck to carry our gear out. A Lieutenant we didn't know walked up and told us that that there wouldn't be any truck and we should carry all that gear down the hill. Well we figured that there would have to be trucks at the bottom of the hill and they could just damn well drive the half mile and pick up our gear. An hour the Lieutenant was back and livid, cussed us out and told us that if we didn't get that gear down the hill he would be most unhappy. Same discussion, same conclusion. Our First Sargent showed up and said, "Men, I have checked and there are no trucks available until much later and if we want a shot at liberty we've got to get moving." He grabbed a 70 pound antenna crate, threw it on his shoulder and started down the hill. We had all the gear to the staging area in less than 45 minutes.

My boss refused to let her boss assign me another collateral duty when I had too many hours of work and ended up with pneumonia that would not go away. They were testing me weekly for HIV because my immune system was not responding to anything. She knew that I would do what it took to do the job right, but my assignment plus collateral duties were simply ridiculous. This was during a time when it was considered "fair" to load the unmarried member with off-hours duties because they didn't have a family to take care of. I never minded taking holiday duty so others could be with their families, but having someone in an identical job yet not expected to take on any collaterals simply because they were married was unfair, and my boss stood up for me. It meant a lot to have someone who cared about my well-being.

In the jungles of Panama 1975, an SF sergeant said to us as we looked down a boonie trail path, "When in doubt, back up, regroup, and find the means to accomplish the mission". All the Way!

Commander Bruce Lewia, my EMO aboard the USS Eisenhower CVN-69. By far the best Officer I served with. The real life conversations we had still stick with me to this day. We served together from 1988-1992. Great person and better mentor and confidant.....

Ordered too go on an telling my superior.like to .but we just ran out of gas.

After AIT was trying to flag down a cab to head to the airport but couldn’t find one. A brigadier general pulls up and says hop in I’ll take you! Turns out he was from my home state and we had a great conversation before delivering us to airport. Will never forget his kindness.

Back in 1983, while I was a SGT/E-5 serving with the 5th Special Forces Group at Ft. Bragg, NC, a young 2nd Lt. came and sat down at my table in the mess hall where I was dining alone. He was very open, friendly, & curious about my experiences in the army since he was still in the medical ROTC program, and he was at the Ft. Bragg Hospital as a summer intern. We quickly became friends, and to this day, we're still in touch and still good friends -- 38 years later!

While stationed in Germany one of my favorite supervisors was SSG Newton. He was a blessing to me with positive words, motivation and determination to keep me moving in the right direction, throughout my military career! A big hug & thanks to SSG Benjamin Newton.