A "WRINKLE OR TWO" IN HANDLING MEN
By Captain E. J. King, U. S. Navy
Practically all of the herein described "wrinkles" have been tried out and found useful in dealing with men. While the writer does not recall having seen or heard of many of them during some twenty-five years of service, it is more than likely that all of them came to his knowledge and attention in that way. It is known, however, that most of the practices herein described are not in general use in the service. It is hoped that their relation may prove of interest and possibly of profit.
Holding "Mast"
First, the preliminaries of holding mast should invariably include the assembly of all concerned in the uniform of the day. Whether this takes officers and men from their work for a longer rather than shorter period would seem to be of little relative consequence compared with the advisability of indicating to "all hands" that the holding of mast is an "occasion," as it is. The commanding officer, representing the Government (Secretary, President, People), is about to hold court for the administration of justice.
Second, men who are up for commendation, for swearing to claims, beneficiary slips and for similar reasons should be dealt with before delinquents.
Third, the division officer of each delinquent should be present as a competent witness as to character, reliability and general conduct. The division officer should be called upon for a statement by the commanding officer before decision is made in a given case.
Fourth, when all is ready for dealing with the delinquents, the commanding officer should himself read aloud Article 1, of the Articles for the Government of the Navy:
The commanders of all fleets, squadrons, naval stations, and vessels belonging to the navy are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination; to be vigilant in inspecting the conduct of all persons who are placed under their command; to guard against and suppress all dissolute and immoral practices, and to correct, according to the laws and regulations of the navy, all persons who are guilty of them, and any such commander who offends against this Article shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
The reading of this article will serve to indicate clearly to all present that the proceedings thus begun rest on the firm foundation of the basic naval law, and to emphasize the impartial and judicial nature of the proceedings. It is sometimes well, before this reading of Article 1, to explain in a few words the origin and history of the Articles for the Government of the Navy,
It may also be advisable, on suitable occasions, to read further pertinent extracts from Articles, as Article 8 (1) in a case of gambling:
Such punishment as a court-martial may adjudge may be inflicted on any person in the navy.
(1) Who is guilty of profane swearing, falsehood, drunkenness, gambling, fraud, theft or any scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals.
Fifth, many men—most of them, in fact, are helped to a better presentation of their own cases where they are asked "What seems to be the matter?" "How did this happen?" or similarly phrased questions indicating a desire to hear all that the man may have to say in his own behalf. The usual stereotyped "What have you got to say?" is likely to invite a hopeless, defensive, or even resentful attitude, which is not helpful to the main issue—that of the administration of justice.
Sixth, in some cases it is useful, before announcing a decision, to read aloud that part of Article 24—the punishments that can be awarded by a commanding officer—relating to men.
Seventh, the foul language used by all too many of the men is an abomination—soap and water for washing the mouth may be effective but is probably of doubtful legality—but extra duty as special masthead lookout will put the offender in a "cleansing" atmosphere, for a time at least.
Probation Without Trial
Still another method of dealing with delinquents would appear to merit consideration. In cases where trial by deck court or by summary court-martial is indicated as commensurate with the nature of the case and the character of the evidence, it might be well to consider placing the man on "probation without trial."
Such a procedure could only be used: first, where the nature of the case permits; second, when it is the man's first serious report on his current enlistment or his first offense for a long time (say, over a year); third, with the distinct understanding that if the man again commits himself he will be tried for this offense, as well as the new one. It should be clearly made known that if the man completes his probationary period (three to six months) with good behavior, the award on the original report will be "cancelled" or altered to "warned."
The incentive to the man is obvious, while the discipline of the crew if anything may be expected to improve by such a procedure. A "by-product" is the elimination of time and energy in carrying through the trial by the convening authority, the members of the court, the reviewing authority, and many others. It is, in effect, the employment of "suspended sentence" by the commanding officer.
The only point in this suggestion which seems to require confirmation is whether it is permissible thus to involve the delay in trial of the original offense, as is inevitable in a case where a later offense makes necessary trial for both. But the circumstances in such cases seem to justify probation on the one hand and to sanction delay on the other.
Release From Confinement
Men released from solitary confinement should be required to bathe and put on clean clothing throughout and should also be given a haircut and shave. They should then be brought to the mast and formally released by the commanding officer, who can appropriately say something like this: "Well, Jones, you did so and so and you have had to be punished for it. Now that your punishment is over, just remember that the slate is clean and you can now make a fresh start."
Formal release from expiration of confinement or other punishment by sentence of a court-martial, and especially upon completion of periods of probation where months have elapsed since offense, trial and sentence, can well be dealt with in a similar manner. It would seem to be helpful to a man completing his term of probation to be told that entry to that effect will be made in his record.
Honorable Discharges
Men entitled to honorable discharges are due to receive some attention above and beyond those who are only entitled to ordinary discharges. Men receiving dishonorable, bad-conduct, and undesirable discharges are usually read out of the service before the assembled ship's company. It would seem that the least that can be done for men entitled to honorable discharges is to see that they receive their honorable discharge certificates and honorable discharge buttons from the commanding officer himself. The commanding officer may well say something like this: "Well, Smith, you have completed your term of enlistment and are about to be discharged—you are to be congratulated on having successfully completed your contract with Uncle Sam in such a way as to receive this honorable discharge certificate which I now hand you—and your honorable discharge button, which you may well be proud to wear."
The man may then be asked what he intends to do—if he says re-enlist it is usually practicable to say, "We'll be glad to have you with us (or in the service) again." If he says that he is going to make a try at it in civil life, suitable comment can be made, as: "Well, Brown, we all wish you every success and every good thing in life. We all expect, and feel sure, that if Uncle Sam should say he needs you at some time in the future, you will be prompt in returning to the service—and we will all be glad to see you."
Such a little "ceremony" takes only a moment or two of time but it would seem certain that such considerateness will loom large in the memory of the man so dealt with, that his recollections of the service will be colored by the manner of his discharge, and that the benefit to the service will be appreciable.
Arguments
A great number of reports made by petty officers and others in authority will be found largely to have been carried into the "report stage" as the outcome of an "argument." This is an all too prevalent practice that is destructive of discipline.
The petty officer is, or should be, right, and therefore must be taught how to stop the general tendency to engage in an "argument," even if the "argufier" is a free-born American citizen.
Probably as useful a method as any is the precept—and practice—of that trenchant saying of Theodore Roosevelt which runs somewhat in this way:
"Guarantee to every man his full rights—and exact from him the full performance of his duty."
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DISCUSSION
A "Wrinkle or Two" in Handling Men
By Captain E. J. King, U. S. N.
Captain L. McNamee, U. S. N.—The question of the best method of handling men is always timely and one which in the past has received too little discussion by experienced officers. The opinion of a ship's officers and men as to whether or not they are getting a square deal from the Captain is directly reflected in the morale of the ship's company.
I am in cordial agreement with most of what Captain King recommends and will therefore confine myself to some points, on which I would be inclined to make reservations. I quote "men who are up for commendation, for swearing to claims, beneficiary slips and for similar reasons, should be dealt with before delinquents." Men for commendation yes, but the others should be seen by the executive officer at another time and place. If necessary the Captain can administer oaths better in his own cabin.
Mast should not be made tedious and tiresome with extraneous matters, but should be kept strictly to the object in view—to publicly reward the good and punish the wicked. The reward of the good is just as important as the punishment of the wicked, and it is important that those who have committed offenses should have before them as an example their shipmates, who by especially meritorious actions, are receiving on that account the personal consideration and recognition of the Captain, which the others are denied only by reason of their neglect, delinquency or comparative inefficiency.
Enlistment records have a column for record of offenses and meritorious acts, but if one examines these records in nine cases out of ten, to be conservative, nothing appears but offenses. The "meritorious mast" is just as important as the "punishment mast," and the reason for a meritorious entry should be as carefully inquired into as the nature of a delinquency. Fulsome praise as well as unqualified condemnation should be avoided in serving out even justice. The "meritorious mast" was given a thorough trial with great success under Admiral Wilson when he had command of the fleet.
I agree with the writer about the abomination of foul language, but the resort to extra legal punishment such aS washing out the mouth, etc., would be rather inconsistent with the recommendation of a previous solemn recital of the punishments that may be awarded by a commanding officer.
Nor do I agree with the advisability of giving "lookout" duty as a punishment. Any duty prescribed as an extra duty for punishment has the effect of lowering the standard of that duty, whereas a lookout should be impressed with the great importance and responsibility of his post. Extra duty is always a problem, but in my opinion, it should be confined to extra and unusual cleaning, of which there is always necessity on board ship.
In regard to the reading at the mast of the Articles for the Government of the Navy there may be special cases where it might be advisable, but if made a matter of routine it would soon degenerate into a meaningless formula. It should be done once a month with great formality at a general muster. Few men have ever doubted or questioned the right of the Captain to punish and such technicians are usually sea lawyers that know the regulations better than the old man.
The practice of putting men on probation is an excellent one and works well in practice. It is best, however, to apply it when the ship is off on a cruise away from home ports. That is, where it is reasonably sure that the man will have an opportunity to serve out his probation and not be transferred to another ship where a new transgression could not bring about punishment for the old offense.
There is one point I would like to emphasize and that is in hearing cases at the mast everything should be done to help the man in his own behalf. Whether his case is good or bad he should be encouraged to get it all off his chest. If the Captain sympathizes with him and really makes out a better case in his defense than the man could do himself, then he is sure when the punishment is assigned that the Captain was at least not prejudiced against him. Any man who leaves the mast with his story locked up and rankling inside of him has been permanently injured and not benefited by his punishment.
The greatest problem with which Captains have to contend is what to do with boys that are reported as worthless. In very few cases is this verdict a just one. If the boy is physically or mentally defective he should be discharged, but most cases are due to poor handling and neglect of personal attention on the part of division officers. The best thing to do in cases where discharge does not appear warranted is to transfer the boy to another division. If this fails to effect improvement he should be placed in a "preparatory squad" under the constant supervision of a chief petty officer. This squad should be a permanent working party with separate mess and distinct from all other divisions. They should be required to turn out one-half hour before reveille, bathe, put on clean clothing and turn to. They should have daily bag and bedding inspection and be exercised and instructed constantly until they are recommended for return to their divisions. By this method I have seen the most hopeless characters transformed in a couple of weeks into the most valued men of a division.