Concerning your "commanding officer" comment, along with an earlier "ranking officer" comment on another message board:

A long, long time ago, a very short young snuffie came up to me and said, "Lieutenant, do you know who outranks the Commandant of the Marine Corps?" I responded, "Yes, the Commander in Chief." He thought a few seconds, then asked, "Do you know who outranks the Commander in Chief?" "There's no one who outranks him," I replied. He grinned and responded, "Oh yes there is. A private with his discharge papers!" Five minutes later he was didi-ing towards the main gate. I didn't realize the wisdom of this young fellow until I got my DD214. He was right.