Ensign Bafflestir Ensign Bafflestir is a cartoon strip created by the artist Ron Marlett during his enlistment in the United States Coast Guard . The cartoon ran from 1971 to 1974 in the US Coast Guard publication " Pacific Shield " , and featured a tongue - in - cheek look at daily life in the Coast Guard , as expressed through the exploits of a fictional ensign . Background . As a teenager , Marlett ' s sense of humor was influenced by " Mad " magazine , especially the one - page cartoon strips contributed by Don Martin . In 1970 , Ron joined the Coast Guard and was stationed aboard the 255 - foot cutter " Winnebago " , homeported at Honolulu , Hawaii . The following year , the Coast Guard District Office was in need of a driver who would also serve as a representative in their Public Relations office . . Ron was chosen for the position , and within a couple of weeks was spending most of his time answering the public relations phone and working on a monthly news magazine called " Pacific Shield " . The public relations officer Lt Gary Boyer came up with the idea of having Ron create a small cartoon strip that would run every month in " Pacific Shield " . Ron drew a four - panel strip , and JO1 ( Journalist 1st Class ) Jim Gilman wrote the dialogue for the characters . Gilman named the tall , skinny ensign in the strip " Ensign Bafflestir ; " Ron liked the name so much that the next issue of " Pacific Shield " saw the strip christened " Ensign Bafflestir " . Ron took over the responsibility of writing his own storyboard , and the strip eventually became a full - page piece . " Ensign Bafflestir " became famous within the Coast Guard , and Ron enjoyed an unusual working relationship with the commissioned officers . After Ron ' s discharge from active service in 1974 , he pursued a career in the fine arts , and " Ensign Bafflestir " was shelved . Setting . The adventures of Ensign Bafflestir take place in the 14th Coast Guard District , which encompasses the Hawaiian Islands , Guam , and American Samoa in the early 1970s . The main characters were assigned not to one station , but to different stations , depending upon how the location served the storyboard . The locations included cutters stationed at the Coast Guard Base on Sand Island , Honolulu , Hawaii , and various aircraft at Barbers Point Air Station . Other locations are imaginary , such as the Chung Wong ' s Polynesian Restaurant and the Coast Guard One Man Station . Characters . Ensign Bafflestir is a tall and skinny ensign with an adult - child demeanor . Bafflestir ' s devotion to the Coast Guard is equally matched by his extreme enthusiasm to perform every task in his life to the extreme . His motto might have been " if it ' s worth doing , it ' s worth overdoing . " Captain Doinkadilly is a captain who has adopted a short - fused temper and uncontrolled rage to compensate for his small physical statue . Like Bafflestir , Doinkadilly takes his life too seriously and becomes easily disappointed in his experiences . Chief Barnflower is a large , overweight chief boatswain ' s mate who is constantly eating while overseeing the deck department . He dislikes officers , and expresses his frustrations by tormenting the sailors under his command . Seaman is a curly - haired , small young seaman who becomes the innocent victim of Ensign Bafflestir , Captain Doinkadilly , and Chief Barnflower ' s predicaments . His youthful appearance represents the contrast in age between new recruits and older career personnel . Popularity . After spending a year aboard the " USCGC Winnebago " , Seaman Ron Marlett was transferred to the district office in Honolulu . His duties included being a driver for the District Office and working as an artist on the " Pacific Shield " , a monthly publication that presented interesting stories and news for the coastguardsmen and their families living in the 14th Coast Guard District . " Ensign Bafflestir " started as a small , four - panel gag about coastguardsmen concealing long hair beneath their hats . JO1 Jim Gilman conceived and wrote the first cartoon and had Ron illustrate the story . After receiving positive feedback from the 14th Coast Guard District Commander , Admiral Prins , the Admiral ' s Aide , Lieutenant Gary Boyer , gave Ron creative control of the cartoon along with the request that " Bafflestir " fill a whole page in future publications of " Pacific Shield " . Ron ' s sense of humor originated from the pages of " MAD " magazine , especially its featured cartoonist , Don Martin . When Ron took the responsibility of writing his own cartoon strip . , he applied his style of exaggeration toward military cliches and Coast Guard culture , which instantly catapulted " Ensign Bafflestir " into a controversial arena within the Coast Guard . Some coastguardsmen and their families saw " Ensign Bafflestir " as amusing entertainment , while others saw it as undermining military discipline and promoting unfair criticism of the service they devoted their lives to . African Americans serving in the Coast Guard during the early 1970s embraced the cartoon as a symbol of their fight for social equality . " Seaman ' s " curly hair and broad nose made the character easily identifiable to blacks , who saw " Seaman " as a black being treated unfairly by " Bafflestir " , " Doinkadilly " , and " Barnflower " . After a year of publication , " Ensign Bafflestir " was circulated in other Coast Guard Districts . Coastguardsman Jim Castagnera from the 9th Coast Guard District wrote a several page spread on Ron Marlett titled " The View From Here " , which appeared in the 9th District ' s news magazine " Shipmates " . Castagnera included several " Ensign Bafflestir " pieces and compared Marlett to the famous military cartoonist Bill Mauldin . During an admirals ' conference in Washington DC , some of the admirals voiced their opposition toward " Ensign Bafflestir " and complained that Ron ' s cartoons promoted insubordination within the ranks . Admiral Prins defended the cartoon strip , proclaiming that " Ensign Bafflestir " was good for morale because it provided entertainment that coastguardsmen could relate to . This belief was shared by the majority of district commanders . In 1973 , Admiral Morrison replaced Admiral Prins as District Commander and Lieutenant Mark O ' Hare replaced Lieutenant Boyer as Admiral ' s Aide . The change of command was favorable toward Marlett ' s cartoons , with the exception of one incident : Marlett created a storyboard that poked fun at a recent district inspection that the admiral planned and managed . Admiral Morrison called Marlett to his office and made it clear how offended he was with the cartoon . Marlett apologized to the admiral and the offending storyboard was replaced with another idea . After the uncomfortable situation with the admiral , Lieutenant O ' Hare became more vigilant and required Marlett to have future storyboards meet his approval before turning the sketches into original artwork . Ron Marlett was honorably discharged from active service on February 9 , 1974 . The day before Ron ' s discharge , Lieutenant O ' Hare planned a surprise lunch for him that included all the 14th Coast Guard unit commanders and civilian employees . During the luncheon , Ron was presented with the Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal and a plaque that recognized his creative talent in drawing the " Ensign Bafflestir " cartoons . Lieutenant O ' Hare became the conservator to all the " Ensign Bafflestir " originals and had each cartoon strip framed . Before O ' Hare was transferred to Washington DC , he successfully shipped the framed cartoons to other district offices as a way of preserving the history of an unorthodox approach to Coast Guard morale in the early 1970s .