What are your thoughts on Honorary Titles for Individuals?

R. Lee Ermy honorary promotion is understandable as he plays a Gunny in one of the greatest war movie ever made while he only reached SSgt before being discharged. I'm sure he would've made 1st Sgt if not SgtMaj if not for medical issues. However, the fact of the matter is the Navy emphasis too much on the "Chief" rank when there are plenty of "Petty Officer" that are doing nothing but seaman's work. And giving any civilian an Honorary "Chief" rank is a slap in the face of the sailors in the Navy.

Cpl Tou Lee Yang We've had others as well. Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle) received not only the Honorary Marine title, but Honorary Promotions (LCpl, Cpl, & Sgt).

We're bestowing an "Honor." That's all. When doing so, it doesn't take anything away from anyone else. It doesn't degrade anyone else's accomplishment. Just because Jim Nabors holds an Honorary Sgt rank doesn't slap you are me in the face. Good for him.

Just because Gary Sinise or Chuck Norris never went through boot camp, doesn't make us less of Marines, because they can now claim the Honorary Title.

Giving and receiving honorary title and rank is understandable. I'm just confused why it has to be a Chief, instead of say a Petty Officer and then get promoted like Jim Nabor. It seems as if those other rank in the service has no meaning and only the rank of a Chief has any significant meaning.

In the Navy, and I expect it is the same in the other services, there are milestones you pass that evoke different levels of respect. I had a close friend who was washed out of Annapolis for academics (despite being an exceptional Midshipman otherwise) in our third year. He went on to accept an enlistment. Some years later, I ran into him after he made Petty Officer First Class. I've heard that he recently made Chief. If true, were I too meet him again, the friendship would be the same...However, we would be, despite that tying bond, representatives of two different facets of leadership. For that brief time tradition and discipline demands, we would accord each other the respect our ranks deserve...and I would accord him the same respect as any other NCO in recognition for his commitment to the service over rank and privilege. At the end of the day, hopefully over a couple of cold one's, we would still be two Sailors and Shipmates.

Point taken, however, civilians don't have a clue about the level of leadership each rank brings. Not that any rank of E6 and below are of any value, since they're not. I guess reaching the E7 rank in the Navy give people a form of achievement since they reach the pinnacle of their career. The goal of receiving respect because of the anchors on their collar.

Mr. Yang- I can see that there are perhaps experiences you've had that would make anything I can present, irrelevant to you. However, I will add that I've known very few people in the military, of any branch or rank that would consider E6 and below lacking in value. More to the point, even fewer of these individuals rise to E7 and above without having proven some level of concern for their sailors, marines, soldiers or airmen. As to "receiving" respect...I am certain Senior Chief and PO1 will back me up on the fact that respect is never "given", but earned.

Cpl Tou Lee Yang -I disagree with you. As an E-6 SSG. I took the duties of a SGM/E-9 slot in a major NATO command for 6 months. Neither I nor others in the command felt I was lacking in value. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. There were subordinate commands who knew what m authority was both in my SSG slot and what I was responsible for regarding the higher slot. It was not in writing, just in assumption of responsibility of what had to be done in the office. I was the one who was called. I was the one who got the things done. In fact, it continued after the new guy came in.
Do not blankly across the board negate junior NCOs...I have seen Marine LCpls walk the walk, talk the talk and make E-5s in other branches seem wanting. It depends on the individual and the training the person has.
By the way, I made the E-7 list in my 10th year---back then it was good for a woman.

SCPO Joshua I Senior, I apologize for this. While I had nothing to do with it, someone must apologize to you. As a SCPO you have much respect from me and others who have been exposed to USN CPOs, SCPOs, and MCPOs.

Cpl Tou Lee Yang - I think that you are full of yourself. From what I have read of your comments, I know that you have no clue as to what you are talking about. Let us start with your comments about dining - I have visited two Marine Corps bases during my service and both had the same type of facilities, they were Enlisted Mess, Staff NCO Mess, and Officers Mess (Here we are talking about what the Army calls a Dining Facility). I will also note that on board a Navy vessel that the Marines are separated on the dining decks in a similar manner, but the change is at the E-7 level and not the E-6 level like at a Marine on shore facility. And this was during the time period of your service that you have claimed. I have seen this at both Camp Pendleton, CA and Camp Lejeune, NC.

How did I end up spending time at Pendleton and Lejeune, three ways - deployed to both locations, visited with uncle at Pendleton, and visited a cousin at Lejeune.

I won't go into your other statements, other than that it suffices to say that you are not much different than a lot of other PAC/Admin Clerks that I know.

Yang, no disrespect brother but wow lol. Onboard ship I guess we just clean stuff. The ship sails itself, maintains outbound/ inbound comms and launches/ recovers aircraft.

SCPO Joshua I.

I'm going to try to ask for some clarification. Because it seems to me that the statement of "The responsibility of a Chief is very different from the responsibility of any other Sailor of a different grade." seems to me to fall under "Thank You Captain Obvious." It is its own rank in the Navy among you sailors for a reason.

Is there anything "stand-out" by comparing a Navy Chief Petty Officer, to perhaps a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, an Army Sergeant First Class, or an Air Force Master Sergeant/First Sergeant? These are all people who reached the rank netting them a retirement option (which is actually only E6 for the USMC, and I'm unsure about the USCG.

So a Navy E7 has different responsibilities than a Navy E6 or a Navy E8, huh? Really? I don't mean to nitpick, but that's what I got from your words.

Please explain. =) Otherwise, I must confess that what I got from your words, is merely "A given rank to its specific branch has different responsibilities that that branches other ranks."

Perhaps you could also shed light upon why a Marine Corporal's general level of authority seems unlimited in comparison to a Navy Petty Officer 3, yet both are "NCOs".