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Short Rounds
“One Question, General . . . ”
One day a very young general came to Washington, sent from the Southwest Pacific with the mission of explaining to Army Chief-of-Staff George C. Marshall how Gen. Douglas MacArthur wished to fight the war against the Japanese.
The young general made an impressive presentation, albeit that it was much too long Worse, the presentation was not very cogent. Needless to say, it was also not particularly convincing. When he concluded, the general added, "I will stake my military reputation on the soundness of these plans."
At that, Marshall, who could explain the strategic, logistical, and tactical problems of the American Civil War in under 20 minutes, leaned across the table and asked acidly, "Just what is your military reputation?"
Some Informal Honorifics in the U.S. Navy
The officers of the U.S. Navy are divided into a number of specialized “communities,” such as surface warfare, aviation, and so forth. Each community was a special pin, such as wings for the aviators or dolphins for the submariners.
For many years now, the principal warfighting communities have honored the senior-most member of the community by date of “pinning” – not by actual rank – with an special, albeit highly unofficial, title.
| Community | Senior Sailor |
| Surface Warfare | “The Old Salt” |
| Aviation | “The Gray Eagle” |
| SEALs | “The Bullfrog” |
Apparently the only combatant community that does not have this custom is the submariners. But they do have a somewhat similar custom. Regardless of rank, the longest serving pinned enlisted man in a submarine is traditionally called “The Bull Nuke.”
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