One of the fringe benefits of all my one-on-one interviewing was the insight it gave me into each sailor’s life. Nothing was more useful—and moving—than learning why a kid had joined the Navy, and whether he or she had dreams or was just drifting. Most of my sailors had never had this kind of attention. No one in authority, let alone a ship captain, had ever sat down with them, discussed their goals, and helped them devise a plan to reach them.
