The MSO Series Part Nine, Nick the Dick Has His Parting Shot
Posted on
I had started my morning looking over the list of boarding's and making sure my boarding bag had all of the items I was going to need for the day when MK1 (E-6) Harry stuck his head in the bullpen and said to me that Lt. (O-3) Nick the Dick wanted to see me ASAP. Any meeting with Nick the Dick was always tiresome, almost never anything of value, but at least the man kept them short.
I dropped what I was doing and walked the short distance down the hall and to the office that Nick the Dick and LtJg Aka (0-2) occupied. I tapped on the open door and said to Nick the Dick, “You wanted to see me sir?” He turned on his office chair to look at me and said, “Effective Monday you are being transferred to MSD Concord”. I looked blankly at him for a few moments digesting the news. “Do you have any questions?” he asked. “Sir, I don’t want to go to Concord.” I replied. “Well, you're going and that is just how it is”, was his response. He then turned back to his desk signaling that the meeting was over.
Knowing that he was not the person to protest too, I said, “Yes, sir” and walked out of the office. I turned back down the hallway and talked some ten steps to LtCdr (0-4) I-Love-Alaska-and-Everywhere-Else-Sucks who was the senior officer for Port Operations and knocked on his door. He looked up at me and said good morning. I told him that I had just been informed that I was being transferred to MSD Concord effective the coming Monday and that I did not want to go. He waved me into his office and to have a seat which I did. “Concord needs a Petty Officer and you live the closest” he started the conversation. “Concord needs a Petty Officer that is a qualified pollution investigator” I replied. “I am not a qualified pollution investigator. I am a qualified boarding officer. Petty Officer Lichen is a qualified pollution investigator and he lives in Concord proper. That is both much closer than where I live, which is in El Sobrante, and he is a qualified pollution investigator”. I then added, “Sir, my enlistment extension contact specifically states that MSO San Francisco is my duty station, not MSD Concord”.
LtCdr (0-4) I-Love-Alaska-and-Everywhere-Else-Sucks took it all in and motioned for me to close the door to his office. I did and returned to my seat. He renewed the conversation, “MSD Concord is a part of MSO San Francisco, it has a supervisor and not a commanding officer. It is not a separate command, it is not a transfer to another unit. This is effectively a transfer from one department to another department. It would be as if you would be transferred from Port Operations to Marine Environmental Response in this very building”. I made my reply in a deadpan voice, “I have a contract, a legally binding document that very clearly states that this place, MSO San Francisco, is my duty station, not MSD Concord. I extended my enlistment on the very item of MSO San Francisco. Otherwise, I would have left the service at the end of my four years”.
I-Love-Alaska-and-Everywhere-Else-Sucks once more took it all in. He then reached up with both of his hands and folded into his shirt the part of the collar that sported his rank insignia. I did the same. This something of a tradition in the Coast Guard signifying that what is about to be said is not on the record and rank is irrelevant.
“You are a very good Coast Guardsman”. he said, “I’ve never had a problem with your work, your attitude or skills. Your handling of the grounding off of Point Pinole got you a commendation. Your work in the last Fleet Week also garnered you a commendation which is in the works. While you were not selected, your volunteering to go on the Jeremiah O'Brien for the 50th anniversary of D Day has not gone unnoticed. Your work with MST2 (E-5) Bill on the nationwide project to clean-up all files for unaccounted documents vessels was top notch. However, it is pretty apparent that Lt (O-3) Nick and Captain (O-6) Mac do not like you”. There was a long pause as he let that sink in.
... I silently mouthed the words “Fuck me”...
He continued on, “Remember, I was an enlisted man too. I started out as an ET in the Navy and I have advanced as far as I’m going to get because I’m not a ring-knocker. In a couple of months I’m going to retire with my 20 years”.
He continued on, “My best advice to you is take the transfer and wait it out. Lt. (0-3) Nick is out the door Tuesday and Captain Mac (0-6), as much as he wants to be promoted to Admiral, will not be one, and he will promptly retire. All this will happen before your extension contract ends. When those two are gone you will have a better shot at things”. He then flipped his collars out so his rank insignia were visible. Now it was my turn to let things sink in. I turned out my collars, got up out of the chair, exited his office and walked back to the bullpen.
I flopped into my chair, crestfallen. “You ok?” asked MST 2 (E-5) Bill. I looked over and told him that I was being transferred to Concord. Bill looked back over, shook his head and said, “Someone doesn’t like you”. Bill continued on, “Concord is where they transfer people they don’t like. “Did you know that you were nominated for the most recent Sailor of the Quarter and the command vetoed it”. Bill continued. I looked at him in shock. “I was? I didn’t know that? “Yeah” said Bill, “I found that out when I was awarded Sailor of the Quarter instead of you. Sorry man”.
“Fuck me” I once more mouthed the words. “MST2 (E-5) Bill, MST2 (E-5) Jeff and BM2 Dan all nodded their heads in agreement.
Next up
The MSD Series, Part One
[link] [comments]
Subscribe to our newsletter
Promotions, new products and sales. Directly to your inbox.