A dear friend of mine is a retired Navy Captain, a four-striper. He's one of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle men I've ever known. He loves everybody. I can only imagine what it would have been like serving on his ship.
He actually told me that being First Officer on a ship was his favorite rank. He liked that a lot more than being Captain, because he actually got to work with his men. He was lonely as Captain--surrounded by only a few of his officers every day.
He ran a project during the Vietnam war to provide South Vietnamese villagers with the wherewithal to raise livestock to support themselves. He'd give them a couple breeding pigs or a small flock of chickens, and his department would train them to raise them and care for them. This was something he dreamed up and got support for pretty much on his own. His men refered to him as "CinC Pigs and Chickens".
Amazing guy. Really an inspiration.
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