Shoeshine Boy
There are certain jobs in the Army that are very important to career officers. For Army captains that are in the aviation field one of those choice positions used to be the weapons (gun – Cobra) platoon leader in D Troop 1/9 Cavalry 1st Cavalry division. Many times being a great young officer was not enough to get the job. To get this highly visible job knowing the right person was also required.
We had a new platoon leader come into the unit and take over the platoon. He was a sharp young officer and had his act together. After just a little bit we had a chance to sit and talk with him and ask what he had done prior to this job and where he came from. After a little conversation we learned that his last job had been as an aide to a general.
What many people do not understand is that the very top positions in the military often come to those who have a sponsor to help them climb the ladder. If a young officer works for a senior officer and does a good job the senior officer remembers him and helps the young officer to get the right jobs down the road. The senior officer finds the good young officer for future assignments and has him on his team as he rises through the ranks. They are often really good young officers but an equally good young officer can be left behind if he doesn’t have a good sponsor.
I have been told that General Dwight Eisenhower was an aide to a World War I general. General George S. Patten was an aide to a general in World War I. General Westmoreland was an aide to General Eisenhower. General Abrams was an aide to General Patton. And if an officer gets the right job as he goes up the ladder he is almost guaranteed to get his star and become a general. When the names of possible officers are brought in to the decision maker for the special position he looks them over. Often when he recognizes the person that he knows and has been a sponsor for, he makes his decision. He picks the man he knows and trusts. Our captain got this job because he told his general that is the job he wanted after his time as an aide.
So into our unit comes a general’s aide. We didn’t know exactly what an aide does but we just imagined that he shined the general’s shoes. That would make him a shoeshine boy! So the logical thing to call the new captain was shoeshine boy. There are some folks that don’t like the nicknames they are given. Some times it’s best that people don’t know the nicknames that other folks have for them. Some folks can get angry about it.
Of all the units I have been in that one had the best knack for giving nicknames to people. There was one warrant officer that was the master of naming people. He could see someone for just a few minutes and come up with the perfect name for them. We had “big duck”, “little duck”, “bob the cobbler” and on and on the names went. I may have been the first one to let the captain know that the name we had for him was shoeshine boy. Most of the time he seemed to take it pretty well. There was one day that I saw the captain get really upset when he was called shoeshine boy.
The captain and I were walking back from the flight line when we ran into another pilot walking the other way. This pilot was Cobra qualified but was flying scout helicopters and so didn’t belong in our platoon. He seemed to be disgusted about the day or something. He was not known to be a real tactful officer. Matter of fact there were lots of people that didn’t like him.
When we passed this scout pilot sarcastically said something like “hello shoeshine boy”. The captain instantly exploded! He called the scout pilot to attention and started chewing him out. It wasn’t pretty. I just stood by and said nothing. I had often joked with the captain about being a shoeshine boy. Every time I called him that nickname I did it with respect.
It is not only what we say it is also how we say it. It may even be more how we say it than it is what we say. The captain was not offended when I called him shoeshine boy because he knew me and understood that I meant no disrespect. I was calling him by a name that we used to just to tease him. The scout pilot used the nickname viciously. It is good to remember that when we speak people will not only hear the words we use they will also get a feeling of what we mean by how we say it and posture and everything else. Our true feelings come through in more ways than just the words we use!!!
We had a new platoon leader come into the unit and take over the platoon. He was a sharp young officer and had his act together. After just a little bit we had a chance to sit and talk with him and ask what he had done prior to this job and where he came from. After a little conversation we learned that his last job had been as an aide to a general.
What many people do not understand is that the very top positions in the military often come to those who have a sponsor to help them climb the ladder. If a young officer works for a senior officer and does a good job the senior officer remembers him and helps the young officer to get the right jobs down the road. The senior officer finds the good young officer for future assignments and has him on his team as he rises through the ranks. They are often really good young officers but an equally good young officer can be left behind if he doesn’t have a good sponsor.
I have been told that General Dwight Eisenhower was an aide to a World War I general. General George S. Patten was an aide to a general in World War I. General Westmoreland was an aide to General Eisenhower. General Abrams was an aide to General Patton. And if an officer gets the right job as he goes up the ladder he is almost guaranteed to get his star and become a general. When the names of possible officers are brought in to the decision maker for the special position he looks them over. Often when he recognizes the person that he knows and has been a sponsor for, he makes his decision. He picks the man he knows and trusts. Our captain got this job because he told his general that is the job he wanted after his time as an aide.
So into our unit comes a general’s aide. We didn’t know exactly what an aide does but we just imagined that he shined the general’s shoes. That would make him a shoeshine boy! So the logical thing to call the new captain was shoeshine boy. There are some folks that don’t like the nicknames they are given. Some times it’s best that people don’t know the nicknames that other folks have for them. Some folks can get angry about it.
Of all the units I have been in that one had the best knack for giving nicknames to people. There was one warrant officer that was the master of naming people. He could see someone for just a few minutes and come up with the perfect name for them. We had “big duck”, “little duck”, “bob the cobbler” and on and on the names went. I may have been the first one to let the captain know that the name we had for him was shoeshine boy. Most of the time he seemed to take it pretty well. There was one day that I saw the captain get really upset when he was called shoeshine boy.
The captain and I were walking back from the flight line when we ran into another pilot walking the other way. This pilot was Cobra qualified but was flying scout helicopters and so didn’t belong in our platoon. He seemed to be disgusted about the day or something. He was not known to be a real tactful officer. Matter of fact there were lots of people that didn’t like him.
When we passed this scout pilot sarcastically said something like “hello shoeshine boy”. The captain instantly exploded! He called the scout pilot to attention and started chewing him out. It wasn’t pretty. I just stood by and said nothing. I had often joked with the captain about being a shoeshine boy. Every time I called him that nickname I did it with respect.
It is not only what we say it is also how we say it. It may even be more how we say it than it is what we say. The captain was not offended when I called him shoeshine boy because he knew me and understood that I meant no disrespect. I was calling him by a name that we used to just to tease him. The scout pilot used the nickname viciously. It is good to remember that when we speak people will not only hear the words we use they will also get a feeling of what we mean by how we say it and posture and everything else. Our true feelings come through in more ways than just the words we use!!!
posted by Bruce | 9:40 PM
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