This is a Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Marine who really does not exist. They are the person you might see on a recruit poster and in a TV advertisement. Most serious service members strive to be this type of person, but it is nearly impossible.

To be AJ Squared away a person needs to be flawless, a perfect blend of knowledge, common sense, and ability. Some of the smartest people I ever met in the Navy could not shine their shoes worth a darn. Then the people who could shine their shoes to a mirror finish could not add 2+2 and get 4. Other people that knew to come in out of the rain could do a decent job at shining their shoes, but could not tell you what and the heck the Pythagorean Theorem is.

Now, I will try not to brag all too much here, but I felt I was a pretty decent mix of the above areas. I could do an above average job on my shoes. Iron my shirts as well and any of the dry cleaners could. Recite the start sequence of a LM2500 from memory and even walk, talk, and chew bubble gum. Bu try as I might, I was never close to being AJ Squared away. For one example, read Amateur night.

The main goal was to be a close as possible. Those service members who just were putting in their time would ridicule those of us who wanted to make the military a career. There were a few of us who did try to be perfect. Then there were those lifer dogs that were true dirt balls. So maybe working to be AJ Squared away was just a pipe dream, but it did give us something to shoot for.