... Becoming a Chief is not easy. Some politics, but mostly dedicated service.... It's more likely you made Chief with 22-24 or more years of service when you sewed it on.
No, it's no an entitlement. You earned it. Don't let anyone tell you different.
Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, put it on at 22 and a few months. (I had declined promotion testing twice as an E-4 and once as an E-5 because I wasn't ready to be a supervisor. Can't do that anymore -- decline testing once and you're out!). My friends from those days voted me "least likely to make Chief"; I was the only one who did. I wore the stripes for more than six years and worked hard at not taking advantage of the "privilege" that came with them.
No politics here. I got on better with the young folks because I could relate to them. I was hard on my peers and senior officers for outwardly "taking" the "executive privilege" or demanding respect. I was not a Chief's Chief!
Believe me, nobody ever "told me different."