USAF to bring back warrant officers?

[chuckman]

In the Marines WO’s are like a specialist at their job or trade. In arty we had a WO in charge of the Survey/Met shop, Counter Battery Radar, gun mech shop and so on. They were smaller shops that didn’t require a “real” officer for lack of better words but needed more than a Staff or Gunnery Sgt. they were well respected and treated well by officers. I once watched the CWO 3 in charge of my sur/met shop chew out a Major in charge of a battalion over something that happened in the previous field opp. As a LCPL I was never treated better for two weeks in the Palms.

I saw a Marine CWO4 a few times, gray high-and-tight, wrinkled face, chain-smoker, never in uniform, always in khakis and a polo. I was told he was in intel (maybe it was CI, I don't recall), spoke several languages. He addressed a 2-star by first name, and the 2-star hung on his every word. He carried weight and authority.

I knew two Marine WOs pretty well, one on active duty, a Gunner, and one in the reserves, and I have no idea what he actually did lol. I think the Gunner is the coolest job in the Marines.

[Averageman]

Once an Army Warrant made W3 the coffee cup became permanently attached. When they made W4 the cup became self filling, no matter how much was drunk from it it never went below half full or ever got cold.

Our maintenance warrants, both signal and missile, were full on wizards with the robe, pointy hat, and staff. Some of them could fix things just by reciting the magic incantation "WORK YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

Years later after I retired and went to work as a Maintenance Contractor I ran in to Chief Mac again. Still the smartest guy on the block.
A great honor to have known him.
There's another W-3 that I served a life long mentorship under. If I had a problem specifically with cannons and recoild mechs we could talk it out on the phone and 99% of the time we could work it out together and some of these calls he had long since retired and took the call from the couch during "The Price is Right."
Uncle Larry is a stud.