Retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Bill Plackett, who improved off-duty education opportunities for enlisted and led efforts to counter sexual harassment as women joined the fleet in greater numbers, died on Friday. He was 78. and helped women integrate into passed away March 4 at the age of 78.
Plackett took "the chair" Oct. 1, 1985 relieving MCPON Billy C. Sanders serving until Sept. 9,1988, when he passed the cutlass of office to MCPON Duane R. Bushey.
Plackett, a native of Paxton, Illinois, and joined 1956 training as a radioman. He rose to chief petty officer in ll in 1967 and master chief 12 years later in 1979. Along the way, he’d served in numerous at sea and overseas assignments rising to be the and the Atlantic Fleet fleet master chief in 1982. He took "the chair" of MCPON in 1985, where he served for three years.
A strong advocate for off-duty education, Plackett was selected in 1971 to an now defunct enlisted associate's degree completion program, from which he graduated with honors. He didn’t stop there. With at least a year left on the degree completion program he was awarded an academic scholarship at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, graduating Mmagna Ccum Llaude with a bBachelor of sScience degree in vocational education just a year later.
On the eve of his selection to MCPON in 1985, Placket was interviewed by Navy Times reporter John Burlage, expressing his desire to continue the developing greater professionalism among the senior enlisted community and stated it started much earlier in a sailor’s career.
"We're on a brink now of stepping over the boundary of traditional uses and employment of enlisted personnel," he said.told Burlage. "We're going to have to work smarter with fewer people doing more jobs, we're going to have to develop a professional progression through through all the enlisted ranks as we go along — we need to tighten up our leadership training at all levels."
Plackett expressed this desire during his interview with then-cChief of nNaval oOperations, Adm. James Watkins, who himself was also a strong advocate of leadership education and who considered the office of MCPON "a very important job and one which I assign the highest priority," he said at a press conference announcing Plackett as his choice.
Plackett delivered on his promise. Even though leadership education already existed in the Leadership Management Education and Training pProgram, he felt it wasn’t as effective as it should be and instituted changes to make it more effective, from petty officer indoctrination programs all the way to the most senior ranks.
Though it wasn’t finalized on his watch, He laid the ground for the creation of the command master chief course, too.
"We had a command master chief program but nobody knew what the hell it was about," Plackett pointed out. "There were command master chiefs out there who didn't know the resources that were available to them. Were not familiar with the Navy directives that would have been helpful to them."
There was much more that Plackett navigated during his time in "the chair." Women were just gaining a foothold at sea and he worked hard for equal opportunity and integration in the ranks. He also worked to rework and reinforce up-and-out policies at all ranks, creating the basis of today's high-year tenure policy.
"The challenge as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is to face that new situation, deal with each with dignity, and overcome the problem," Plackett told the Norfolk Navy newspaper Sea Services Weekly on the eve of his retirement.
"My goal as MCPON was to do these three years and finish knowing that I have not made any chief petty officer ashamed of being a chief. It goes back to ethics and being able and having the courage to stand up to the CNO, or any flag or captain — because you hold those individuals in high esteem — and say to them that they are wrong. It's a very lonely feeling, but that's what this position is for."
Plackett retired in Sept. 9, 1988 and lived out his life in Virginia Beach, remaining active in the Navy community.
"Hearing the news of MCPON Plackett's passing was difficult," said current MCPON (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens. "Bill was instrumental in tackling some of our Navy's most challenging issues. If legacy is the lantern that lights the path for others to follow, there is no doubt in my mind that Bill's path shines brightly today for all Ssailors."
He is survived by his wife, Karen Plackett, of 64 years; his children, Cheryl White, Richard, Julia, and Brian. He leaves behind seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
