Are we being too soft on Soldiers?

I am sure if you asked my 1SG 18 years ago if my generation was too soft they would say yes.

The smoke session is still an available tool in the NCOs kitbag. We must watch how we use it. Like many other things that tool will only work sometimes on some Soldiers. It is not a one tool fix all.

20 years ago the majority of my NCOs didn't care if I had a financial issue or family's problem. They focused on my fault and either smoked me or encouraged me by yelling at me. Today we are taught to identify the underlying problem and fix that.

I honestly believe you are a better leader if you talk to your Soldiers instead of smoking them, but understand that a smoke session can have a great impact if used properly and at the right moment.

I also think a lot of this has come around because of society. I got smacked as a kid and my butt would be black and blue for any mistakes I made. I can honestly say that does not work on my kids. I can get through to my kids more effectively by talking and giving them a verbal dress down. Times change and we must change with them.

Find out how to get through to your Soldiers and then use the right tool for the job. If a good ole fashioned smoke session is in order do it correctly and don't abuse it. I think you will find that just talking to the Soldier will yield better results. Like I always tell my NCOs - you have to be approachable to be an effective leader.

Just like anything, i believe that the Army and just society in general are taking things too far. I personally am not going to change the way I am. But I approach people differently depending on the situation. I am a firm believer that if you have a mutual unspoken agreement with the Soldier in which he/she understands the severity of the mess up, then it's all good, as long as you dont kill the individual. Now, if you are trying to 'smoke' everyone for every little thing and not wanna hear what they have to say, you just lost that tool, because Soldiers will know that they're just gonna get smoked, and will just use it to get stronger, in a sense.&nbsp;<div>Always build that bond with your Soldiers. When they see your serious face and automatically know that they messed up, you won't even need anything else. On top of that, when you're able to congratulate them for good things they did, you have become a fair and impartial leader, which we need nowadays.</div>

While I think a Soldier should be able to endure a good physical corrective training session (it does, afterall, improve physical fitness) punishment needs to fit the crime.  It is therefore, the responsibility of the correcting NCO to relate the correction to the infraction.  For example, making a Soldier who maxes his APFT do push-ups really doesn't affect him/her, does it?  Also, the object of correction is not to inflict pain, but to make the Soldier connect the corrective action to the infraction.One remedy that is usually successful is taking a Soldier's personal time.  Having a Soldier assist the Extra Duty crew takes his/her time and shows what further infraction will result in.If you are not connecting the punishment to the infraction, you are not making an impact and are failing as a leader.

SSG,I do agree that the options to correct a Soldier are limited this days.  However, what once you could do with a "smoke session" must now be done with a paper trail that aims to disciple the Soilder by taking away their money which for some could be more painfull that a "smoke session.

We are being too soft on Soldiers, and that starts at BCT, which is run by a bunch of metrics-obsessed, numbers-driven, risk-averse paper pushers.  Drill Sergeants' hands are tied so much, that we can't even use the latrine without getting a permission slip.  Don't misunderstand - there was and is no place for DS misconduct. However, the pendulum has swung so far the other way, that BCT Soldiers are weaker in both mind and body than even 15 years ago. That has got to change, and the change has to begin at BCT land.

SSG Brown, I think we are being too soft on Soldiers. I think the good old fashion Smoke Session is long overdue for the Army, but due to a lack of maturity in our ranks, we can't trust our Junior NCO's to do it properly and with out getting themselves in trouble. The NCO corps needs to gain the leaderships trust back and then we will be able to execute corrective training that teaches Soldiers discipline and make them stronger in the process.

Yes, we are being to soft on Soldiers. It's not because of institutional limits, its a lack of creativity on the part of senior NCOs and company grade officers. Everyone has an affinity for the romanticized "smoke sessions." When Soldiers were barely educated, minor trauma was a good learning tool. Soldiers are better educated (for what it's worth). Corrective training must adapt to that. My favorite corrective training is to make people hand copy regulations. They get time limits, and very strict rules about mistakes and errors. You might make enemies, but you will make knowledgeable enemies.

I do agree to a point. The paper trail is the new smoke session, as stated by CPT Montanez. I am not going to say that I have seen a soldier getting a chewing while in the front leaning rest, but that could be the "farthest" a smoke session could probably go without someone making a complaint. I have also heard the rumor of "stress cards" in BCT and AIT. We are dealing with a new generation of technology driven teenagers that are as not tough, as we were say 10 or 15 years ago when technology was not as prevalent, and the Army has recognized that and has adapted. 

Vital to know your Soldiers...each one is different and responds differently to different tactics.  Approach each Soldier individually, learn which ones need an aggressive NCO and which ones that almost self correct and get more out of simple positive reinforcement.