Posted on Jun 28, 2015
Along with the daily challenges of military service, are we taking care of our people?
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I do not feel that the civilian leadership cares about the troops, the organizations, the veteran or the retired. The military is now a test bed for the Administration's liberal sociological agenda. Social experimentation is not conducive to winning wars. I detest what is happening to the United States Military. For my entire life, the Military has been a bastion of tradition. Now in one presidency, more has been done to weaken the US and our Military from the inside.
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Capt Seid Waddell
SSG Roger Ayscue, the question is whether or not the next president can undo the damage this president has wrought to the military and the country.
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SSG Roger Ayscue
No Sir, I do not believe that he can. Not easily at any rate. Carter gutted and hollowed out our military. The "Anointed One" is using the Military as a Social experimentation Laboratory. We need a man with the Strength, Character and will of Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan saved this Country and it will take a man like him to do it again. Our current POTUS, I believe is at best a Socialist and at worst a true Communist. If you look into his past, his father was a Marxist Revolutionary in Kenya, his mother an extreme Liberal, His maternal Grandfather and Grandmother were affiliated with the Communist Party USA and selected Frank Marshall Davis as the young Barry Soetoro's mentor. He was raised by and influenced by Communists, the same Communists that started Korea, Vietnam, and that held Europe and Cuba in their grasp for over half a century.
I will say this and let the chips fall where they may. I despise our current POTUS because he is a Communist, not a BLACK Communist...Just the fact that he is a Marxist Communist. I believe that he has a very serious "Daddy Issue". He wrote a book "Dreams from My Father", a father that was little more than a sperm donor, who deserted the child and only saw him once after he reached an age to remember him. The book should have been called "Dreams that I HAD a Father." He is the little boy that was not wanted. His father deserted him and his mother shipped him off to his grandparents so she could travel the world as a Sociologist. He was not wanted by either parent.
I honestly believe that he is ruling in a manner that he feels WOULD please is Marxist Father, were he still alive. BHO is trying to earn the love and acceptance that his father never gave him. It is sad, but true. We are being led by a POTUS that is trying to earn the love and respect of a dead man.
Ronald Reagan saved this Country and it will take a man like him to do it again. Our current POTUS, I believe is at best a Socialist and at worst a true Communist. If you look into his past, his father was a Marxist Revolutionary in Kenya, his mother an extreme Liberal, His maternal Grandfather and Grandmother were affiliated with the Communist Party USA and selected Frank Marshall Davis as the young Barry Soetoro's mentor. He was raised by and influenced by Communists, the same Communists that started Korea, Vietnam, and that held Europe and Cuba in their grasp for over half a century.
I will say this and let the chips fall where they may. I despise our current POTUS because he is a Communist, not a BLACK Communist...Just the fact that he is a Marxist Communist. I believe that he has a very serious "Daddy Issue". He wrote a book "Dreams from My Father", a father that was little more than a sperm donor, who deserted the child and only saw him once after he reached an age to remember him. The book should have been called "Dreams that I HAD a Father." He is the little boy that was not wanted. His father deserted him and his mother shipped him off to his grandparents so she could travel the world as a Sociologist. He was not wanted by either parent.
I honestly believe that he is ruling in a manner that he feels WOULD please is Marxist Father, were he still alive. BHO is trying to earn the love and acceptance that his father never gave him. It is sad, but true. We are being led by a POTUS that is trying to earn the love and respect of a dead man.
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Capt Jeff S.
While the good SSgt did express some of his personal opinion, he isn't the only one with those opinions. I'm not sure I could come up with the same analysis as to why our rainbow colored Cmdr-in-Chief does what he does, the mere fact that he has used the military as a test bed for social experimentation can't be argued. There is also no arguing that he DOES have a very sketchy past and the public STILL doesn't know who he really is. We have yet to see irrefutable proof that Obama is who he says he is and that he is qualified to be in office.
I don't despise Obama personally, but I despise what he has done to our military and more importantly, what he has done to our nation to compromise our National Security and set back our relations with our Allies.
Obama should not have been run on the Democratic ticket because his campaign forged signatures to get his name on the ballot in several states back in 2007, and because he failed to present actual, credible documentation of his eligibility. Alleged scans of official documents posted on whitehouse.gov don't cut it. Are we just supposed to buy what members of his party tell us?
* Sheriff Arpaio's team of professional forensic investigators proved beyond doubt that the documents Obama submitted as proof of his eligibility were generated on a computer. Who is going to hold Obama accountable? Corrupt Justices with ties to Obama have dismissed every case against Obama on technical grounds, or by lack of evidence (when the evidence is overwhelming, albeit circumstantial)
* Obama's IRS investigated itself and found no evidence of wrongdoing.
* Obama's State Dept investigated itself and found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Does that mean there was no wrongdoing or are they simply lying about it? 10 guesses, but you probably only need one.
Self-loathing Progressives, desperate to be put back in power, knowingly ran an unqualified candidate and counted on the ignorance of voters to get their "man" in office. The rampant election fraud, most of which was never even investigated let alone prosecuted, was just insurance to ensure his victory. And the whole notion of "He was elected, deal with it." is a testament to the arrogance of Progressives, whose media ran interference and got Obama elected. It's also a testament stupidity of American voters. IF voters would have taken the time to vet who they vote for, they would have never voted for someone whose past was so sketchy. And if voters had considered Obama's record of achievement while in office, they would have never re-elected him.
The problem isn't Obama. It's us! We elected him not once, but twice (albeit under dubious circumstances).
It's one thing to identify the problem, the other is to present a solution. The problem is one of accountability. More specifically, a lack of accountability. We have not For starters, we should impeach Obama and try him for treason. I'm pretty sure there's enough evidence to convict. We should also investigate those members of Congress who were in on the corruption and fraud Obama that Obama committed. The justices that threw out cases against Obama need to be stripped of their titles and lose their gov't pensions. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed, who supported Obama's fraudulent candidacy need to be tried for their role in that, as well as their role in directing federal agencies to suppress opposition. (Harry Reed used BLM for his own personal gain to try and intimidate ranchers off land in Nevada, he used his position to block legislation by the GOP from reaching the floor of the Senate, the Obama Administration directed the IRS to suppress the Tea Party, etc., etc.) John Boehner and those that knew of the corruption and suppressed efforts within their party to investigate the corruption of this Administration should also be tried. Through their knowledge and lack of action, they are, in effect, willing accomplices to the Administration's corruption. Every one of those who have contributed to Obama's fraud [either by commission or omission], should be forced to step down and stripped of their pensions and benefits when convicted. They can live off social security, and their investments like the rest of Americans... This would cause tremendous chaos, but short of revolution, it is what's needed to begin fixing the abortion that we call our government.
I don't despise Obama personally, but I despise what he has done to our military and more importantly, what he has done to our nation to compromise our National Security and set back our relations with our Allies.
Obama should not have been run on the Democratic ticket because his campaign forged signatures to get his name on the ballot in several states back in 2007, and because he failed to present actual, credible documentation of his eligibility. Alleged scans of official documents posted on whitehouse.gov don't cut it. Are we just supposed to buy what members of his party tell us?
* Sheriff Arpaio's team of professional forensic investigators proved beyond doubt that the documents Obama submitted as proof of his eligibility were generated on a computer. Who is going to hold Obama accountable? Corrupt Justices with ties to Obama have dismissed every case against Obama on technical grounds, or by lack of evidence (when the evidence is overwhelming, albeit circumstantial)
* Obama's IRS investigated itself and found no evidence of wrongdoing.
* Obama's State Dept investigated itself and found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Does that mean there was no wrongdoing or are they simply lying about it? 10 guesses, but you probably only need one.
Self-loathing Progressives, desperate to be put back in power, knowingly ran an unqualified candidate and counted on the ignorance of voters to get their "man" in office. The rampant election fraud, most of which was never even investigated let alone prosecuted, was just insurance to ensure his victory. And the whole notion of "He was elected, deal with it." is a testament to the arrogance of Progressives, whose media ran interference and got Obama elected. It's also a testament stupidity of American voters. IF voters would have taken the time to vet who they vote for, they would have never voted for someone whose past was so sketchy. And if voters had considered Obama's record of achievement while in office, they would have never re-elected him.
The problem isn't Obama. It's us! We elected him not once, but twice (albeit under dubious circumstances).
It's one thing to identify the problem, the other is to present a solution. The problem is one of accountability. More specifically, a lack of accountability. We have not For starters, we should impeach Obama and try him for treason. I'm pretty sure there's enough evidence to convict. We should also investigate those members of Congress who were in on the corruption and fraud Obama that Obama committed. The justices that threw out cases against Obama need to be stripped of their titles and lose their gov't pensions. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed, who supported Obama's fraudulent candidacy need to be tried for their role in that, as well as their role in directing federal agencies to suppress opposition. (Harry Reed used BLM for his own personal gain to try and intimidate ranchers off land in Nevada, he used his position to block legislation by the GOP from reaching the floor of the Senate, the Obama Administration directed the IRS to suppress the Tea Party, etc., etc.) John Boehner and those that knew of the corruption and suppressed efforts within their party to investigate the corruption of this Administration should also be tried. Through their knowledge and lack of action, they are, in effect, willing accomplices to the Administration's corruption. Every one of those who have contributed to Obama's fraud [either by commission or omission], should be forced to step down and stripped of their pensions and benefits when convicted. They can live off social security, and their investments like the rest of Americans... This would cause tremendous chaos, but short of revolution, it is what's needed to begin fixing the abortion that we call our government.
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PO3 Jody Wangen
organizations do not take care of people, people do. you will get taken care of if the people in you chain of command care enough to take care..
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Sir, people are our greatest and most valuable asset, no matter what the branch of service! This is an outstanding topic here Lt Col (Join to see), several things are involved in "really" taking care of our people:
- communication (ensure every knows what the end state is, and that everyone is part of getting us there. It doesn't end just at work, encourage them to stay connected with family back - wherever back home is)
- teamwork (being on a winning team is important to all of us, but being part of the team part is most important)
- predictability (in their lives at work and at home)
- humor (this will carry you through the worst of times, we've all seen the leader without any emotions whatsoever)
- challenge them (Physically, Mentally AND Emotionally. This leads to tremendous growth)
- talk to your team (schedule regular development opportunities and monitor their growth)
- accountability (for ones actions, bad AND good. Too often we are quick to counsel and write someone up for negative performance, I challenge you to write one positive counseling every month, just one per month and see what happens to your organization)
I could go on and could probably write a book on this subject. I am very passionate about taking care of our team. I absolutely love being in the service and being around the best people of our society. There are so many acts of selfless service every day, and the sense of duty and pride in which our Soldiers complete their missions and tasks is truly inspiring. It is an honor to serve alongside and with our nations treasure and we have to keep that in mind, as it truly is a limited resource!
- communication (ensure every knows what the end state is, and that everyone is part of getting us there. It doesn't end just at work, encourage them to stay connected with family back - wherever back home is)
- teamwork (being on a winning team is important to all of us, but being part of the team part is most important)
- predictability (in their lives at work and at home)
- humor (this will carry you through the worst of times, we've all seen the leader without any emotions whatsoever)
- challenge them (Physically, Mentally AND Emotionally. This leads to tremendous growth)
- talk to your team (schedule regular development opportunities and monitor their growth)
- accountability (for ones actions, bad AND good. Too often we are quick to counsel and write someone up for negative performance, I challenge you to write one positive counseling every month, just one per month and see what happens to your organization)
I could go on and could probably write a book on this subject. I am very passionate about taking care of our team. I absolutely love being in the service and being around the best people of our society. There are so many acts of selfless service every day, and the sense of duty and pride in which our Soldiers complete their missions and tasks is truly inspiring. It is an honor to serve alongside and with our nations treasure and we have to keep that in mind, as it truly is a limited resource!
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CW2 Ernest Krutzsch
I have been retired for almost 18 years, I would venture to say that the answer is the same answer I get when I ask a Lawyer a question...It depends. What does it depend on? The Command environment! There are Commanders who truly care, and there are Commanders who use troops to advance their careers. The 1st group takes care of the troops, the latter do not!
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Lt Col (Join to see)
CSM Uhlig, great response! I was taught to strive for what you describe, and I've tried to live up to that set of criteria/goals, but I will admit I've been puzzled when I've not seen the effort consistently. I always thought that as you become more senior, that was exactly what you were supposed to do, as you no longer are the tip of the spear. Your people do that work, and not for you, but for the mission. Thanks for your excellent perspective!
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Lt Col (Join to see) Sir, I am always happy when I see leadership ask these questions. To me it means they either do care about their troops and are trying to actually make a difference. There are a minority who would use this as a tool to quantify a bad decision or as a way to take benefits from people or use these results against the troops. Since I don't know you I shall assume you are the first category and make every attempt to give constructive feedback, because good leaders of people are hard to come by and when we find them, we must support them.
I said yes, but the answer is actually maybe. As a retired AF MSgt I can not speak for the current Military, but since I got out in 2013 I think I still have some relative insight. Why Maybe, simple, most times leadership depends on the person, as I talked about in the first paragraph. I remember the names of good and great leaders I worked for. Some were strict, others were hot tempered, some were very mild mannered. The common trait was, respect and honesty. Didn't matter what transpired, an honest, straight forward leader who respects you is someone I would always admire and look up to.
As I was leaving the military I had a few that mentored me. It was a boon as before then they seemed far and few between. While I had good supervisors, there were quite a few who did not have these traits. I found myself as an E-6 without a mentor who was answering questions that E-7's would. I was in a toxic environment and each leader that came in failed to pull us out. They would worry about their own career and their own stripes. The Airmen and NCO's became a second or third worry. They would use our accomplishments to promote themselves when we did good, and separate themselves from us if something bad happened. I hated that with a passion. Once promoted I took full responsibility for my troops. If they did good I placed them on a platform showing them off like a trophy. If they failed I stood between them and leadership, but made sure they knew the consequences. I loved my job and my people.
Problem was in the Air Force, if you do what I did and neglect yourself, you are not looked upon as a promotion prospect. Oh I know I did it too myself, and no one is to blame for it but me. And honestly I don't regret my decisions. Just wish more leaders would become more involved with the people instead of themselves.
For the upper group, the Generals and Congress. They play way to much politics at those levels. While the normal leadership answer is "Well they are at the Government level" I see more and more disenchantment with our upper level leadership and our civilian leaders. As many in this thread have suggested, there is a disconnect between them and us, and we feel like a secondary notion, instead of a primary tool for diplomacy. IF that continues, and the obvious corruption starts continues to spread more and more, I seem moral plummeting beyond anything a SrNCO or lower rank officer can handle. Its not there yet. But its a downward trend in my opinion.
Sir if you made it through this I want to thank you for your time. I hope I am right about you. As I said, many good leaders need to be given support and tools to excel. You have my advice, and moral support. Good luck!
I said yes, but the answer is actually maybe. As a retired AF MSgt I can not speak for the current Military, but since I got out in 2013 I think I still have some relative insight. Why Maybe, simple, most times leadership depends on the person, as I talked about in the first paragraph. I remember the names of good and great leaders I worked for. Some were strict, others were hot tempered, some were very mild mannered. The common trait was, respect and honesty. Didn't matter what transpired, an honest, straight forward leader who respects you is someone I would always admire and look up to.
As I was leaving the military I had a few that mentored me. It was a boon as before then they seemed far and few between. While I had good supervisors, there were quite a few who did not have these traits. I found myself as an E-6 without a mentor who was answering questions that E-7's would. I was in a toxic environment and each leader that came in failed to pull us out. They would worry about their own career and their own stripes. The Airmen and NCO's became a second or third worry. They would use our accomplishments to promote themselves when we did good, and separate themselves from us if something bad happened. I hated that with a passion. Once promoted I took full responsibility for my troops. If they did good I placed them on a platform showing them off like a trophy. If they failed I stood between them and leadership, but made sure they knew the consequences. I loved my job and my people.
Problem was in the Air Force, if you do what I did and neglect yourself, you are not looked upon as a promotion prospect. Oh I know I did it too myself, and no one is to blame for it but me. And honestly I don't regret my decisions. Just wish more leaders would become more involved with the people instead of themselves.
For the upper group, the Generals and Congress. They play way to much politics at those levels. While the normal leadership answer is "Well they are at the Government level" I see more and more disenchantment with our upper level leadership and our civilian leaders. As many in this thread have suggested, there is a disconnect between them and us, and we feel like a secondary notion, instead of a primary tool for diplomacy. IF that continues, and the obvious corruption starts continues to spread more and more, I seem moral plummeting beyond anything a SrNCO or lower rank officer can handle. Its not there yet. But its a downward trend in my opinion.
Sir if you made it through this I want to thank you for your time. I hope I am right about you. As I said, many good leaders need to be given support and tools to excel. You have my advice, and moral support. Good luck!
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Lt Col (Join to see)
MSgt Pellam, I did read all the way through. Great response! First, my questions are ones that I truly wanted to ask and see what the responses were. I am interested in hearing what our people have to say. I hope that by focusing our conversations on core issues like this, we can improve our service where we can. It isn't a memorandum or change in the AFI's that does it, but it is the collective efforts of our personnel that make the USAF the dominant force it is today. Second, I know that many of our leaders want to ask these questions and interact in forums like these, but are not always able to. I hope that I can add to that effort and do what I can where and when I can.
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MSgt Robert Pellam
Lt Col (Join to see) Thanks for the response. I hope your leadership style becomes infectious. I do know many Commanders and leaders are busy. Found my Col. sitting in her office at 8pm one night doing work when we had a tornado warning.
I noticed you said collective effort, in your statement and as I said I hope it spreads, but also do not forget, one person can make a difference. I have seen many commanders bring squadrons to life by just infusing their energy and personality into. What I am saying is don't get discouraged if others don't share your vision. There are always negative people out there who, for one reason or another, just become part of the problem and not the solution. But from what I read so far, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir.
My only other advice is to keep talking to your people. While always listening to the squeaky wheel, keep an eye on parts that are working great, and make sure they are still good to go. Sometimes parts break without warning. Again, good luck sir but I think you won't need it.
I noticed you said collective effort, in your statement and as I said I hope it spreads, but also do not forget, one person can make a difference. I have seen many commanders bring squadrons to life by just infusing their energy and personality into. What I am saying is don't get discouraged if others don't share your vision. There are always negative people out there who, for one reason or another, just become part of the problem and not the solution. But from what I read so far, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir.
My only other advice is to keep talking to your people. While always listening to the squeaky wheel, keep an eye on parts that are working great, and make sure they are still good to go. Sometimes parts break without warning. Again, good luck sir but I think you won't need it.
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