DS,
Well put. I have now served with two ALM sqn ldr and also met a wg cdr ALM. The wg cdr was 17 years ago and must have been off the shinies as he was too big for a Puma; a cnut.
The two sqn ldrs, one a quater century ago and subsequently OC the AA Training at Finningley was possibly the best SO2 I had come across at that time and I had worked with some very good ones. As an aside he was replaced by a nav, Wally by name, wally by nature - the contrast!
The other more recently and also far superior to the two navs be replaced.
The good guys do thrive and deserve to be commissioned.