My father, CTRC "Tex" Matthys, passed away on February 28. I am posting this in here because my father absolutely loved his time in the Navy and loved his time as a Chief. He was proud to be a member of the "largest fraternity in the world" (as he once put it).
After my father retired from the Navy, he was having a few beers in a bar with his buddies when the local recruiter (a Chief) walked in. The Chief sat down, took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves. My father watched him for awhile and then walked over to the Chief. He said, "Excuse me Chief, I'm a retired Chief and it bothers me the way you are wearing your uniform. You're a Chief and you need to set an example." My father said he waited for the Chief to tell him to *$^# off but the Chief looked at my Dad and said, "You're absolutely right." He went outside, fixed his uniform and came back in.
I joined the Navy and went to bootcamp at Great Lakes. My parents came for the graduation and my father surprised me by wearing his uniform. When my friends met my father, they didn't know wether to salute him or shake his hand. My Dad had a blast saluting all of the recruits. I will never forget the smile on his face that day...the Chief's uniform with 5 gold hash marks is quite impressive.
I've rambled long enough...I just wanted to leave a small memory here of my father as there was nothing he loved more than being a Chief!
Thanks for sharing that with us Michael. It's a good story to share about a fellow Chief. Sorry though to hear of his passing. Feel free to post a tribute to him in our "In Memory of our Departed Shipmates" thread here.
