In December 1927, Rear Admiral R. E. Coontz, Commandant, Fifth Naval District, submitted an article to the United States Navy Weekly. Forty-four years later, his grandson, Captain Robert J. Coontz, U. S. Navy, found a copy in his grandfather's papers and it was forwarded to the editors of the Proceedings. An excerpt follows.
The world moves on and times and situations change, but the fundamental principles of human nature endure.
In the course of 47 years of service in the U. S. Navy, I have naturally watched and experienced many changes in the character and duties of the naval personnel. Since the Act of August 5, 1882, which sounded the death knell of the sailing vessel and ushered in the era of steam and electricity in the Navy, the changes have been great. The Naval Appropriation Bill passed in 1882 called for a Navy of 7,500 men and 850 boys. At that time, the majority of men were of foreign extraction and were enlisted either directly on board ship or else on the so-called “guard-ho.” Many of them had been in the Navy since the Civil War. Nearly all of them, particularly in the seamen and engineers’ branch, wore beards, and all looked to be years older than they really were.
The bluejacket of 1885 was hard-working, nimble, and alert—a hard-swearing, hard-drinking man. I often recall my feelings on my first cruise in the Constellation when we landed in New York and the sailors were given 48 hours’ leave by watches. It was considered the proper thing, toward the close of a 48-hour leave, for the men to stagger down through the Navy Yard to the vessel and drop in the so-called “boom-boat” area and sleep like logs until the effects of the bad liquor they had drunk would wear off. Then they would go for several months on board without drinking. And this was in the days of the “Sundowners.”
Now, important improvements connected with men-of-war call for specialists in all lines, and require more education, as well as more sobriety. Some 97% of our enlisted force now come from good families in the various states of the Union and, strange to say, many are from inland states far away from the sea coast. The Service schools call for the best of the boys who enlist. These youngsters are keen-eyed, clear-headed, and sober, and are ready to gain the best results from the experience the Navy gives them. They all know that the road from the forecastle to the cabin and to flag rank is open to the deserving.
An enlisted man’s whole career may be shaped by his first division officer. The division officer and the executive officer who treat their men squarely are highly appreciated and respected, while those who lack the proper requisites for the handling of men, are generally in hot water themselves and cannot understand their hard luck. The two items most needed in the handling of enlisted personnel by officers are tact and common sense. Many officers are born with these characteristics, just as many of them are born qualified for leadership. Those who fail to possess these important qualities must cultivate them in order to succeed. In the process of handling men in the Navy, as in all other walks of life, the qualities of self-respect and mutual good will must govern, and above all, the idea of both the officer and the man should be that each must put forth the best he has for his country’s service.
Time is relentless. Officers change; men change and go to other ships and other service, but the spirit of the Navy remains constant. I find that it is just the same now as it was in 1881. Let us always work to keep it so for all time.