March 26, 2024

Some Obsolete Navy Ratings

Pigeon trainers, airship riggers, and buglers—these are just a few of the enlisted Navy ratings (jobs) no longer in use due to technological advances. Let’s take a look at some of these ratings and the part they played in the Navy’s history. (Note: this overview is not all-inclusive.)Ratings Established before or during World War IBugler (BUG) The

Dec. 1, 2023

Naval Legal Service Command Turns 50

On Nov. 3, 1966, the 22nd Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Navy, Rear Adm. Wilfred Hearn, spoke about a “legal explosion” during a dedication ceremony in Norfolk, Va., for the Navy’s first-ever Law Center. Hearn told the assembled crowd, “The Law Center is the Navy’s response to the legal explosion which both the military and civilian

Jan. 3, 2022

The Legalman Rating Turns 50

“In the early 1970s, I was a yeoman, working in Pensacola, Fla., in the legal office at the U.S. Naval Communication Training Center. I told my boss: ‘They ought to come out with a rating that’s strictly focused on legal work,’” said Bill VanDeren, a retired Navy legalman. “Lo and behold, a message was released, and I converted to the legalman