I am all in favor of pay raises and quality-of-life/service improvements, but I believe that by putting so much energy into these issues we have neglected the root cause of our poor retention. We have let "structure" slide, specifically in our chief petty officer community. So yes, my message here is primarily to the chiefs: get back in touch with your people. Lead from the front. Run your divisions, your departments, and your commands. Get involved in every aspect of your people and your commands. Too many of today's chief petty officer messes are doing the same thing we gripe about our junior sailors doing. They come to work, do their time, then go home. They have lost the desire to bond.
What about this "being a member of the most exclusive of fraternities, that of the Chief Petty Officers?" We all know that a solid chief petty officer mess will foster a solid first-class petty officer mess, which in turn will foster the desire in those junior sailors to become part of one of these organizations. Does this mean putting more time in at work? Perhaps it does. But I believe it also means putting more time in at play. Many messes discovered this a long time ago and are making great strides in this area, but, sadly, many more have not. It is no secret that involvement at the chief petty officer level has phenomenal results on retention. We can guide this Navy well into the future, but only if we are willing to make the same sacrifices we ask of our people.
Master Chief McLain is Command Master Chief, Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South Carolina.