Blue Poofy Folders

After about twenty years of government service, I've managed to accumulate a giant box full of various awards and commendations in those nice blue poofy folders (Well, most are in folders. Some commands are cheaper than others and use construction paper folders instead). Every now and then I'm temped to buy a bunch of cheap frames and spend a day setting up my own "I Luv Me" wall, like some forty year old who still wears his letterman jacket from high school.

Which is why I also put copies of my evals from my first boat right on top. As soon as I start feeling nostalgic for "the good old days" I just read a few of those, and the box goes right back under the bed like an old used kleenex.

Here are some direct quotes from all five of them:
"Petty Officer XXXXXX shows exceptional technical ability and troubleshooting skill. However, his attitude is not conductive to a good working environment and thus his recommendation for advancement has been removed." [I only looked skilled in comparison - I think I was about average, based on what I saw elsewhere in the Navy. My attitude was about average, too.]

"He is frequently critical of his department head." [I was. But he didn't like me, either]

"Petty Officer XXXXXX has at times demonstrated a reluctance to adhere to authority." [I did, but only when I was supposed to screw over my guys and I didn't]

"His performance has been erratic; tasks he agrees with have been completed extremely well; those he does not receive only minimal effort." [umm... duh?]

"Petty Officer XXXXXX has often set his own goals and pursued them at the expense of divisional responsibilities. Specifically: [followed by a list of collateral duties I voluntarily took over because no one else gave a shit. Everywhere else in the Navy they call that "showing initiative".]
So... quite the little dirtbag, right? Maybe so, but the CO wouldn't let me transfer when my tour was up because I was "too valuable". In fact, I lost my guaranteed C-school when I got involuntarily extended twice. I couldn't advance and I couldn't leave; needless to say, stuff I thought was BS didn't get my full attention, especially towards the end.

The funny thing was that I racked up two NAM and three LOCs (one was an admiral's letter) at my very next command, and I assure you I didn't change one iota as a person. I just wanted to set the record straight, as some of you assume I'm some sort of dig'it who created this site to reminisce about how great being a sailor was. Most of the good times I remember from those days were in spite of the Navy, not because of it.