NAVADMIN 000/RET SUBJ: GUIDANCE FOR RETIRED CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS STAYING SALTY & INVOLVED WHETHER INVITED OR NOT

1. Effective immediately, all Retired Chief Petty Officers (CPOs) are authorized and expected to continue issuing unsolicited wisdom, sea stories, and critiques of how things used to be better, regardless of time, place, or relevance.

2. Uniform Wear Policy:

a. Retired Chiefs may wear khakis to breakfast diners, hardware stores, and Navy Balls.
b. Ball caps must reference a ship, rate, or deployment nobody has heard of. Bonus points for fraying.
c. Cargo shorts and high socks are authorized for all civilian liberty attire, with or without accompanying retiree ID.

3. All retiree critiques must begin with, Back in my days and end with a mysterious reference to that one port call we do not talk about.

4. Chiefs currently serving are reminded to listen intently, nod respectfully, and pretend to take notes when Retired Chiefs give advice, even when the advice involves equipment that’s been decommissioned since 1997.

5. Retired Chiefs are authorized to appear at command events, DRBs, and CPO initiations and assume leadership without warning or approval. This is referred to as taking charge, not crashing the event.

6. Retired Chiefs who wander into Chiefs Messes must be greeted with black coffee, a chair, and at least five minutes of uninterrupted rant time.

7. Questions regarding this NAVADMIN should be directed to the nearest Retired Chief. They will respond with a long sigh, a story that does not directly answer the question, and a life lesson you did not know you needed.

8. Released by The Eternal Mess, Keeper of the Anchor, and Founder of The Salty Retirement Association.
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