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

Look people, I'm not saying whether right or wrong, but never ever under any circumstances do you rat out your own people. You keep it in-house. Simple as that. This is coming from a very old-school person. Yup I'm rusty out of touch maybe with reality, and if I've been promoted as many times as I've been demoted I'd be the Sgt. major of the universe. But you know what, I got the respect of everyone I ever met in the Army, both officer and NCO and EM. I love my job, I love the Army and I had the grandest of time. One thing I never did, is rat out my people. Unless there was safety involved like rape, prejudices, or article 125 violation of the UC MJ. Or something to that effect that was not manhood-ism. Blood strides is cool. It shows you part of the unit, platoon, squad or something like that. It's a sense of belonging. I know you probably don't understand, back in my day, in the early 80s our chain of command use to invite the EM's to the local club across from the motor pool. They buy some of the beer and we had a good time and a good belonging. That's what it's all about.
If you think about it, the worst thing the Army did was get rid of the NCO clubs and the EM clubs. Man those were some good times.

Got and received. Would do it again and again. Had to walk the gauntlet when I made NCO as well. Blood stripes and pinning are a privilege, not hazing. You should be proud to receive them

Care must be taken that it doesn't get out of hand, however I support maintaining the tradition.

I received "blood rank" when I was promoted to SPC way back in '89, had no issues with it at the time and still don't, I viewed it as a right of passage not as hazing, my only concern at the time was not flinching when the CO gave me the rank, I was his tank driver and had watched his previous driver flinch out of fear and I was damned if I was going to!! As I progressed up the ranks and got the opportunity to as a PSG to promote my younger Soldiers, I maintained the tradition as well as the "walking of the gauntlet" and no one ever complained, whined or bitched about it. I guess with the much publicized cases where it was taken to the extreme, ie. 1SG using a huge wooden mallet to the chest of an individual, it is seen more nowadays as hazing which is a shame, but as usual one "aw shit" screws up a whole lotta "attaboys"!! "Treat 'Em Rough!!"

As long as the participant fully agrees to have it done and is not coerced in any way by peers or leadership then I see no harm in it. There are a lot of traditions that may seem brutal or too aggressive but that is how the military was built to where it is. Tradition is a big part of the military.

I whole heartedly believe in the blood rank but giving it to what I assume is a cook, do they deserve to uphold that tradition? I think not. Just an infantryman with his infantry beliefs. Not meaning to upset anybody.

I don't find the value of this as a means to prove some trivial accomplishment. I got blood rank once. I didn't have a choice in the manner. I didn't really appreciate it or felt better for doing it. I just thought it was stupid. Some got blood wings for their wings, I passed. The last thing I wanted was some random guy from Airborne School who never deployed and was never in a real Airborne unit before getting to the school house do that. Some will never go to an airborne unit but are brag about their blood wings. It just doesn't make sense. I have never got a blood CIB or EIB. If one feels that this validates their career I would question if this was really something that one should aspire too.

I know it is tradition but it is still hazing. It is tradition I have yet to hear the roots of. If anyone can explain this I with a source I would greatly appreciate. To do something and when questioned about you can only say "well it was what happened to me" isn't a means to justify it. This is not with keeping the professionalism of our military. Pfc. Thomas Nguyen comes to mind. He was in an extreme case but there are no lines. Once you go into the gray area you don't know how grey it is until it is too late. He was being hazed or as others saw it as a right of passage.

“Our Army is much better than this, and to see this form of immature frat house activity with leaders knowing it is going on, is just criminal" U.S. Army Europe commander Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling


http://www.stripes.com/news/army-struggles-to-define-deter-hazing-1.194051

Look up the Gold Wings scandal at Camp Lejune in the early 90's.

When I got my CIB my team leader pinned it with a full swing from a Kpot, blood pinning is tradition.

i my self had blood rank and it was given to me by my Cheif Warrant, it was a proud day didn't see it coming but looking back some 23 years ago it made me proud that he did it to me.