At the end of WWII, all the towns and cities across the country were looking for a “Hero” to celebrate Am…erica’s victory with.
Los Angeles chose Admiral Halsey and had a ceremony on the steps of the LA County courthouse to honor America’s hero and at the end of it when Admiral Halsey was leaving, they had a line of sideboys.
The sideboys were active duty and retired Chief Petty Officers that had been brought in from all over the country who had served with Admiral Halsey at one point in their careers.
Admiral Halsey approached one of the retired Chiefs, and they winked at each other.
Later on that evening at a reception for Admiral Halsey, one of the civilian guests at the event asked the Admiral about the wink he shared with the Chief.
Admiral Halsey explained,…….
“That man was my Chief when I was an Ensign, and no one before or after taught me as much about ships or men as he did. You civilians don’t understand. You go down to Long Beach and you see those battleships sitting there, and you think that they float on water, don’t you?”
The guest replied, “Yes, sir, I guess I do.”
To which Admiral Halsey stated,……
“You are wrong. They are carried to sea on the backs of those Chief Petty Officers.”