You know why they chose you?

Alan Smith,
Angier, NC.

This was said to me by an instructor, as an 18-year old US Navy sailor, having just completed submarine training in Groton, CT in 1978. I graduated 14th of 98 in my class, and was presented with an award for excellence by the Eastern Connecticut Council Navy League of the US. This slight woke me up to attitudes that are still prevalent today.