As a retired Navy E8 (ETCS(SW) There were E9s and there were master chiefs....the E-9's wore the two stars, but let the officers walk all over them.... the Master Chiefs ate the officers and spit them out. My experience with navy rank structure was the Chiefs, Senior Chiefs and Master Chiefs ran the navy, the smart officers listened to them, and realized that the Navy Chiefs could make them or break them.... Personally as a Senior Chief I always respected the rank, but the man had to earn it.... same with my troops....I had their respect because I had the anchor and star..... but I too had to earn their trust....
I told my young sailors that the anchors on my collars were shit filters....all the BS from above had to get past me..... after a short time they figured out that I was there to take care of them, get the job done, and make sure my junior officer learned the right way...my job was to train the J.O.s had a ball.....
Capn