Having missed this thread the first time around...
"I've also spent considerable time defending my ground crews from silly bloody WO's and Majors who wanted them parading around in full uniform with spit shined boots while sweating their arses off working on aircraft in the open in tropical conditions."
How true, in 1986 I was a Sgt in Headquarters & Maintenance Squadron 13 (USMC)... which provided second-tier maintenance for 2 A-6E, 4 A-4M, and 1 KC-130 squadrons.
We got a new Sgt Major... fresh from Infantry via Embassy Duty. He was horrified by our lack of training in the essentials of "Grunt Marine", and proceeded to institute all sorts of PT (daily, during normal working hours), leadership training, etc. to "make us better Marines"... including changing the weekly "working uniform inspection" to a daily one, with other uniforms being worn for inspection once a week.
He was especially disappointed that the 365 E-4 & 5 NCOs were "not properly supervising the E-3 & below enlisted (all 375 of them) on liberty"... despite the fact that there was no formal liberty on MCAS El Toro (southern California), as all personnel were considered "on liberty" any time they were not at work or in the active "duty section".
This all used up ~15 hours of our normal 40 hours per week of work time.
It all came to a head when the 3rd Marine Air Wing CG came over for the monthly flight hours needed to keep his flight status... and all of the aircraft he was qualified on were "down". It seems that the engines that went in that type were
all in for repair... and the techs were
all out doing their training!
The next morning the Sgt. Major found another Sgt. Major in his office... with orders for him to report to the 3rd MAW CO for "reassignment"!
