Three Stars and a Crow

by Walker, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9781938467066
• ISBN10: 193846706X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-01-01
• Publisher: Koehler Books

Summary

Bob Walker loved the U.S. Navy from the moment he met it and set out to become the best by devoting himself to serving his country and the other men and women who serve. After joining the Navy at 19, Walker rocketed through the enlisted ranks to achieve the rank of Chief in just eight years. Filled with typical no-bull, Walker language and humor, Three Stars and a Crowis sure to become a classic guide for the enlisted who want to rise fast and make a difference, as well as for civilian entrepreneurs with the same goals.

Excerpts

Someone once told me that when you recognize something the first time you see it, it’s because it was already yours. I owned the U.S. Navy from the first time I saw myself in a Sailor uniform. That feeling changed with my first taste of leadership. Suddenly ownership without leadership felt profoundly inadequate. While it could be debated whether I personally owned the Navy or it owned me, there’s no doubt that pride of ownership, combined with a hunger to lead, makes a damn good Sailor…no matter what my father said when I enlisted. What he literally said was that I wouldn’t “make a pimple on a Sailor’s ass” because I chose radar as my career field.

My total infatuation with the U.S. Navy has endured for six decades now. I am no longer naïve enough to think I own it, but my sense of responsibility has never faltered. The Navy made me a leader and in return I made a lifetime commitment. Today when Sailors talk about the “old Navy” they are talking about my Navy, not my dad’s Navy. If Dad were still around to share sea stories, he probably wouldn’t have anything good to say about what his Navy has become. When he was a chief and later, when I became a chief, it never occurred to either of us that petty officers would ever be in a position to affect Navywide policies. From the days of sail to the creation of the office of MCPON, petty officers were powerful but silent partners in decision making that affected the Navy. After 1967, I saw that change. Senior petty officers throughout the Navy were expected to be advisors at the command, force and fleet levels. Giving advice or making recommendations might not be considered decision-making but at least the enlisted voice was heard. While my dad and his predecessors may not have benefited, it was most certainly the result of the legacy they created and left behind.