Along with the daily challenges of military service, are we taking care of our people?

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 02:46:32 -0400

Response by SSgt Zachary Hunter made Jun 28 at 2015 2:52 AM

SSgt Zachary Hunter — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 02:52:39 -0400

When I was going through the process of being forced out due to the ERB, the general concensus was "You don't belong to us anymore. Figure it out your self. You're on your own"

Response by SSG Roger Ayscue made Jun 28 at 2015 3:27 AM

SSG Roger Ayscue — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 03:27:26 -0400

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.

Response by PO3 Anthony Lay made Jun 28 at 2015 3:50 AM

PO3 Anthony Lay — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 03:50:45 -0400

It took me many years after being out for someone to help guide me through some of the VA service's I was entitled to , they sure in hell were not going to openly tell me I had service's to available to be used.

Response by PO1 Shahida Marmol made Jun 28 at 2015 4:51 AM

PO1 Shahida Marmol — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 04:51:18 -0400

Speaking on command level, I believe we try to, but sometimes it seems like some people want you to fix all their issues. Some sailors are not used working it out on their own, or following up. It makes it hard on us when you people you have to handhold through each and every issue.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Jun 28 at 2015 5:43 AM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 05:43:25 -0400

Sir, people are our greatest and most valuable asset, no matter what the branch of service! This is an outstanding topic here Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member, 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!

Response by MSgt John Grollimund made Jun 28 at 2015 9:17 AM

MSgt John Grollimund — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:17:33 -0400

Retired.. took time to go through the VA process with little or no help. I now work on base and see current leadership (POTUS down) has a mission first, people last mentality.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 9:54 AM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 09:54:48 -0400

Sir,
I am a late in life enlistee, so my view is not that of the typical lower enlisted, joining married with 3 children in my mid 30's. I have taken a few younger soldiers under my wing, I open my home to them and share my experiences. We eat together and they get time away from the barracks. I ask questions about their career, education or finance plans. I encourage them to maximize use of what the military has to offer. I have heard so many times "I heard about x but didn't know how to start..."

Young SM's need mentorship and guidance not just check the box leadership or Duty Hour leaders. It starts with us, if the older SM's simply took one or two of these younger members and said come over for dinner or come hang out at the pool. Then we would truly have SM's who are cared for. The loyalty and friendships built over a home cooked meal cant be challenged by rank or job title.

One of my soldiers has taken to calling my wife Mom and is always excited to join us for dinner, he shares his life progress, goals and dreams but the best part is he has taken a brand new soldier under his wing and shares what he has learned. He is growing into a leader I would want to follow.

The Military offers so many great programs but is failing SM's daily by under utilizing them. A DOD wide system or metric to track everything you participate in that follows you everywhere would help. In the Army, a CDR cant help if he cant see. Once a SM moves units, their new leaders start all over.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 10:10 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 10:10:03 -0400

Sir, we are the bastardized generation of Americans. They use us like toliet paper and then toss us by the way side, so many of us are getting out of the service with nothing but PTSD and a system that is broken beyond repair and still rate people based on a 1945 system that is outdated

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 12:43 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 12:43:55 -0400

I think when it gives to taking care of our people, must leaders have good intentions at heart. But it's the few bad apples that can rub off on the good ones and make them bitter. Especially towards PCS.

That, and communication has always been an issue. The bigger the command, the more that gets lost. It's like a game of telephone. By the time word gets to the proper people, sometimes important details are left out, overlooked, or it could simply just be too late.

And lastly, you can do everything to try and help someone. But if that sailor isn't receptive to being helped, there's only so much that can be done by a third party.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 12:46 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 12:46:18 -0400

Ignore my typos... autocorrect is killing me here. I meant "comes" and "most" in the first sentence.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 1:49 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 13:49:44 -0400

My response to the survey should have been "Maybe." There are so many qualifying factors to that question, many of which have been effectively raised by others in the ensuing comments. Let me add another observation. I started my military career with the USN in 1969. After the Navy, I spent a few years in the Army Reserves. Finally, wishing to return a service branch that used nautical terms, I joined the USCG Reserves, from which I retired in 2002. That said, a major factor in the answer to this question lies with the size of the organization itself. The Navy was, in my day, huge. It's still very large. Ditto with the Army. As such, it is, as I sometimes felt, easy to feel like a number the lower down the ladder rungs one stands. That feeling is also impacted by one's individual duty station, etc. My first Navy assignment was an old WWII destroyer. We ORDERED our eggs, our way, every morning. My next ship was a carrier. You ordered nothing. In the Army, when we bivouacked, it came out of a large can, one way...cold and tasteless.

Now, in the USCG, we were and are so relatively small that I met and worked protection details with the the Secretary of Transportation, Elizabeth Dole, about every month for a few years. Libby knew everything about each one of us on her detail. In private, she required that we call her Libby. For nearly twenty years, I had the casual, commonplace opportunity to "chow down" with various Commandants and Vice Commandants on numerous occasions. My point is this: in the USCG, we were and we remain like a very large family. It is impossible not to exhibit a great deal of personal care at every level in the CoC right down to that E-1 or E-2 who stands on the very bottom of the ladder. Do we have our "dickheads?" You bet. I had the extreme misfortune to know and serve under two of the most notorious A-holes the USCG ever had in its ranks. But, overall, I'd simply, though in a rather lengthy fashion, would like to say that the USCG truly exemplifies the most authentic and personalized care for and about its personnel, from top to bottom. Semper Paratus!!!

Response by MSgt Jim Wolverton made Jun 28 at 2015 4:28 PM

MSgt Jim Wolverton — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 16:28:49 -0400

Speaking from an Air Force perspective as I just recently retired Dec 2014, I can honestly that my superiors tried their best to take care of me and in turn, I tried my best to take care of my troops. The Air Force can't really take care of anyone, all they can do is work within the limitations and guidelines they're given, which in turn trickles down to the lowest levels of leadership. I know that taking care of my troops the way I saw fit didn't necessarily help my career but doing the right thing made my career an amazing one. I don't think we can expect the services to really take care of anyone, only minimize the damage of limitations put on them from government leadership.

Response by MSgt Robert Pellam made Jun 28 at 2015 4:29 PM

MSgt Robert Pellam — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 16:29:40 -0400

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member 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!

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jun 28 at 2015 4:34 PM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 16:34:04 -0400

IF the military were taking care of its people, we would not have E6's on Food Stamps. We would not have cuts in BAH, we would not have cuts in pensions, and the destruction of the pension system, etc etc etc. Our So-called leaders have decided that putting the pain of Sequestration on the Personnel budget is the best thing to do. And, NOT the civilian forces, but the military forces. You don't see any civilian leadership from 1600 Pennsylvania on down taking cuts in pay, benefits or pensions, yet they have decided that's what we get...

As Scott Adams said famously, "Don't step in the leadership..."

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 28 at 2015 6:01 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 18:01:11 -0400

This is a small sliver of life in the military. Some of the PTSD soldiers are expected to go to all unit formations and get therapy. As if this is not bad enough, some are also made to work after hours.

Response by SSgt Rilene Ann made Jun 29 at 2015 12:13 AM

SSgt Rilene Ann — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 00:13:06 -0400

Can not please or solve all problems but by asking you start a dialogue

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 29 at 2015 4:33 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 16:33:14 -0400

Let me give you one example. Unit knows soldier has PTSD but has to go to all formations, day long therapy, and forced to work in the evening.

Many of the WTU's have downright rude people working there who never learned that they have the mission to take care of soldiers.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jun 29 at 2015 9:09 PM

PO1 John Miller — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 21:09:48 -0400

Isn't it our job as Petty Officers/NCO's and Officers to take care of our people?

Response by CDR Michael Goldschmidt made Jun 30 at 2015 8:57 AM

CDR Michael Goldschmidt — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 08:57:25 -0400

When a 2LT Platoon Leader is imprisoned for life for eliminating those shadowing his unit's movements in a combat zone, when Generals and Admirals are relieved of command for ordering, or attempting to order rescue missions for troops and missions under attack, we can't say we're taking care of our people. First and foremost, our people need the means of their accomplishing their missions and support for their legitimate decisions made under stressful combat conditions.

Response by PO1 Don Mac Intyre made Jun 30 at 2015 7:11 PM

PO1 Don Mac Intyre — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 19:11:33 -0400

The Military has gone full PC. Senior enlisted have to answer to junior officers, even E-7, E-8's.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 7 at 2015 2:42 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 02:42:03 -0400

Sir,

I believe we do care about our people and we are doing as much as we can to take care of eachother, but that is not the issue, sure you have some awful people who only care about themselves, but majority genuinely care.

In my opinion, it all leads back to the doing more with less and we have stretched ourselves so thin. We expect more to be done because we can, due to the technology that we rely so much on. By the way I am a Comm Airman.

Every day I deal with customers who could care less about the technology they use but you better believe that the moment e-mail is down or a website doesn't work they want it fixed immediately. Forget the 10 other customers who opened a ticket before me....my job is more important. 9 times out of 10 they are lying or over exaggerating. The frustrating piece is, you don't realize all the other additional duties I may have, or the training we never get too, and now we have a face to face 2 hour training session over here and a commander call, etc.

Do I like the fact that users have to create a ticket for computer issues? Not at all, I miss the days when I was assigned to the maintenance squadron and I was a phone call away or down the hall. With the way our manning is we can't support it anymore, we barely get by now as it is. Which brings me back to the training comment.

You would think working in the communications career field we would be great communicators, but we are by far the worst. You think it's bad you have to open a ticket to get help, what happens when we can't fix it and we need help since we don't even manage our own equipment? You probably guessed it, we open a ticket with someone else stationed at another base.

No one shares information. Would it not make since to just keep everything centralized? I thought that what the AF Portal was for, then SharePoint came along. It's not as simple as just googling the information.

I spend half of my day repeating the same answer to the same users, "Yes, we need a ticket." Then rest of my day trying to find information on how to do my job. Assuming I don't have any annual training or additional duties that need attention.

The bottom line is, it is very hard to find the time in a day to get all the "technical work" done. Then you have to take care of your people, which should be the easy part. I think the lines are getting blurred and many of us are so wrapped up in getting the job done first because of the increased pressure and expectations and decreased manning. Technology is a great thing but in some ways we rely on it way too much and we need to find a way to get back to the basics.

Does any of this make sense? Or Am I completely off target? I would love to hear other opinions.

Response by CPO Robert Wilkins made Jul 11 at 2015 9:46 PM

CPO Robert Wilkins — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 21:46:34 -0400

This is something that will never change, so it is important that our government take care of them when our people complete their service