Blood rank. Did you do it, did you get it? Was it wrong?

I've gotten blood rank (and blood badges). I never really got into the spirit of giving it. If it was going on I'd give a cursory tap on the pin but I don't care to slam it into a guy's chest or grab it and twist it.

I think the best way to do it is the way I got my EOD badge. It was entirely optional with no pressure. The instructor pinned it on at the ceremony and then before he walked away he said "you can come see me later if you want that pinned on right". I knew exactly what he meant. He wasn't just standing right at the sideline staring at me either. I actually did have to go look for him. It took me wanting to partake in that tradition. And then we went out of sight and it became a blood badge.

I've never run into that instructor again. I didn't feel any pressure to do it. There was no public shaming that would have occurred if I had chosen to get in my car and leave after graduation instead.

In my mind, this is how it should always go. I chose to participate. It was straightforward and didn't get out of hand. I just don't understand the craziness where people are getting hit with mallets.

I still have two neat pin-hole scars from my jump wings, that required stitches to get out, but I was a proud SOB when I got them...all of our Ranger flight (yes flight...AF Rangers) tagged them on for me, and J.D. Welsh broke off the pins in me. Pretty sure I had heart palpitations for a week...I think it is tradition and only the little pansie-asses would call it hazing...

What is happening to Military?

I didn't mind getting hit it was the leaders that would pull the rank out of my skin and then slowly press it back in...that was brutal...

I did it, it happened to me as well. If it don't kill you....you know the rest. Today's military might frown on this, but that's because the media would blow it out of proportion. I can get out of hand however, blood rank that is. If not done properly I have seen someone break a collar bone. Its a tradition, bad or good...I mean do you even know how to earn a Mountain Tab? YOU DONT WANNA KNOW!

Should be allowed if the SM requests it

I got mine when I pinned Corporal and Sergeant, in addition to Air Assault. All were when I was in the 25th ID (L) and I would do it all over again, given the chance.
To me, it was a sense of camaraderie and Esprit de Corps. I saw it as being welcomed into a special brotherhood. But, Soldiers back then were smoked for hours and didn't cry about it, we would just Charlie Mike.

My very own wife pounded my EIB in my chest and jammed the safety pin with my Ranger Tab so deep in my skinny little arm I think it popped out the other side. In the early 90s, I hit a kid so hard putting his Specialist rank on that I broke his collar bone. I stopped doing it after that and didn't allow it in any of my squads/platoons.

Relieved a SFC about six months ago for doing platoon blood pinning's. Had statements from Soldiers and NCOs that said they agreed with it, it was tradition, etc. Bottom line it is against regulation and specifically states in reference to "tradition".

Oh please... seriously?  What is this prima dona ville?  We used to earn our "blood wings" by going down on a chick who was on the rag... now that's a rite of passage... but this question is more out of hand than the tradition... this is a symptom of the wussification of America.  If my eyes rolled any harder, I'd have to sue whoever wrote this post for straining my eye-rolling muscles... excuse me while I go remove a pea from my mattress.

I had a SFC punch me hard enough in the chest to knock the wind out of me when I got promoted to 1LT. So the tradition may have been adjusted to the new uniform but it's till around. I went through a small hazing ritual when I was the XO of my Company. I got a few scrapes and ended up muddy, but I'm ultimately no worse for wear. Some of our more sensitive Soldiers probably think traditions like the spur ride are hazing too. I think like anything else, "hazing" traditions are fine as long as they don't get taken too far. One of the units I served in had a tradition that Soldiers ETSing would get carried into the showers until they were soaking wet after final formation. While it's probably "hazing" by the modern definition, it also showed the troop leaving that his buddies were going to miss him. Getting wet never hurt anyone either. Where it gets taken too far is situations like the video of the 1SG hitting a newly promoted NCO in the chest with a large wooden mallet. A tap with your fist is one thing, a hammer blow is entirely another.

I had a friend of mine talk about becoming a shellback in the Navy once. I think I'd rather get poked by my rank.