The  bottom  line  is  this:  The  officer  and  the LCPO  are  a  team  working  toward  the  same  goals. The LCPO will bend over backwards to assist and teach  the  officer  if  allowed.  Conversely,  the LCPO will soon stop trying to help if the officer doesn’t  accept  support.  When  that  happens  the officer  ends  up  with  numerous  problems. Relations With the Command Master Chief (CM/C) Probably  the  most  vital  link  between  officer and   enlisted   personnel   in   a   command   is   the command   master   chief   (CM/C).   The   CM/C serves  as  the  senior  enlisted  adviser  to  the commander  or  commanding  officer  on  all matters  relating  to  enlisted  policy.  The  CM/C carries  out  and  promotes  command  policy  and enjoys   special   command   trust   and   confidence extending  to  the  administration  and  management of  enlisted  personnel. The  CM/C  often  provides  guidance  and counseling to enlisted personnel. Division officers should seek the advice of the CM/C on personal problems  of  members  of  their  division.  The CM/C,  having  years  of  experience  in  the  Navy, possesses a wealth of knowledge. More often than not the CM/C is more than willing to assist both officers  and  enlisted  personnel.  Division  officers can’t  expect  the  CM/C  to  run  the  division  and perform  their  duties;  but  if  they  have  problems in communicating with a member of the division, they  can  count  on  the  CM/C  to  help. FORMS OF ADDRESS Custom,  tradition,  and  social  change  deter- mine  the  form  of  verbal  address  you  use  to introduce members of the naval service. Although tradition   and   military   customs   generally   pre- dominate, methods of addressing and introducing military  personnel  differ  according  to  whether  you are in civilian or military circles at the time. (See fig.  7-1.) Except  as  provided  in  the  paragraphs  that follow,  address  or  introduce  all  officers  in  the naval service by the title of their grade preceding the surname. You  may  address  officers  of  the  Medical Corps or Dental Corps and officers of the Medical Service Corps or Nurse Corps having a doctoral degree   as   “Doctor.”  Likewise, you may address an  officer  of  the  Chaplain  Corps  as  “Chaplain.” However,  if  the  doctor  or  chaplain  prefers  to  be addressed  by  lieutenant,  commander,  captain,  and so forth, honor that request. When addressing an officer  whose  grade  includes  a  modifier  (lieutenant commander  for  example),  you  may  drop  the modifier  (lieutenant). In   general,   calling   officers   of   the   rank   of commander  or  above  by  their  title  and  name  is preferable; that is, “Commander rather   than   the   impersonal   “sir”   or   “ma’am.” Address  other  officers  in  the  same  manner. However,  in  prolonged  conversation,  in  which repetition  would  seem  forced  or  awkward,  use “sir”   or   “ma’am.” Address   a   chief   warrant   officer   as   “Chief Warrant   Officer .”  In  military circles, address a midshipman as “Mr. or Ms. (or Miss) .” When with civilians, in- troduce  the  midshipman  as  “Midshipman ” and address the midshipman as “Mr.  or  Ms.  (or  Miss) Aboard  ship,  address  the  regularly  assigned commanding  officer  as  “Captain”   regardless   of grade. Introduce  naval  officers  to  civilians  by  title. The   method   of   introduction   should   cue   the civilians as to how they should address the officers from then on. If you were introducing an officer below the grade of commander to a civilian, you might say,  “This is Lieutenant Jones. Mr. Jones is  an  old  shipmate  of  mine.”  This  introduction serves  a  double  purpose;  it  gives  the  officer’s grade,  and  it  also  gives  the  correct  method  of address,   “Mr.   Jones.” Because  many  people  are  not  familiar  with Navy  grade  insignia  and  corps  devices,  make any   introduction,    however   brief,   reasonably informative.   You   may   introduce   a   female lieutenant  with  the  words,  “This  is  Lieutenant Johnson.  Miss  (or  Ms.  or  Mrs.)  Johnson  is  in the   Nurse   Corps,”   or   “This   is   Lieutenant Commander Jones. Miss Jones is on duty in the Navy  Department.” The Navy today is a cross-section of America. In  the  same  family,  one  man  may  be  a  Chief Machinist’s  Mate  and  his  brother  a  lieutenant.  An ensign may have a sister who is a Yeoman second class,  and  so  forth.  General  Pershing  held  the highest  United  States  military  rank,  General  of the  Armies,  but  his  son  entered  World  War  II as  a  private.  The  first  Secretary  of  Defense entered World War I as a Seaman second class. Accordingly, even though the distinction between officer  and  enlisted  personnel  still  exists  in  all formal  and  official  relations,  it  does  so  less  and less  in  nonmilitary  relations. 7-5 ” ”