Posted on Feb 11, 2022
Can a corporal in a team leader position have me do corrective action (“smoke” me)? And was I wrong to tell him to eat a bag of dicks?
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We just got a new Corporal who recently reclassed to mortars. He’s highly motivated (hooah), and during a training event, we had a disagreement over how to perform large deflections. He told me to "drop," but the fire mission he was calling would’ve put us outside the safety fan during a live fire and could have potentially caused injuries to other elements participating in the exercise.
Now, I understand and respect his rank, but I’ve been a mortarman longer and currently serve as the Gun 2 gunner. The fact is—he was wrong. He just became an 11C, and when he wouldn’t listen to correction or reason, I told him (admittedly out of frustration) to eat a bag of d***s.
I’m curious to hear what others think—especially when it comes to situations where rank clashes with experience and safety is on the line.
Now, I understand and respect his rank, but I’ve been a mortarman longer and currently serve as the Gun 2 gunner. The fact is—he was wrong. He just became an 11C, and when he wouldn’t listen to correction or reason, I told him (admittedly out of frustration) to eat a bag of d***s.
I’m curious to hear what others think—especially when it comes to situations where rank clashes with experience and safety is on the line.
CPL
Corporal
11C: Indirect Fire Infantryman (Mortarman)
Edited 5 mo ago
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 358
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Are you wrong for telling him to eat a bag of dicks?
Yeah, you are.
Does it matter if you were right? No it doesn’t. You can’t flex on higher ranks like that and act surprised when it comes back on you.
He is in the wrong because he needs to have a different approach and be humble but in the end both of you stepped in it and showed your backsides.
You can’t publicly throw uninformed leaders under the bus like that. This is an important lesson to learn. You don’t see Platoon Sgts telling boot lts to kick rocks all the time. It takes tact to put people in their place while preventing you from getting in hot water
Yeah, you are.
Does it matter if you were right? No it doesn’t. You can’t flex on higher ranks like that and act surprised when it comes back on you.
He is in the wrong because he needs to have a different approach and be humble but in the end both of you stepped in it and showed your backsides.
You can’t publicly throw uninformed leaders under the bus like that. This is an important lesson to learn. You don’t see Platoon Sgts telling boot lts to kick rocks all the time. It takes tact to put people in their place while preventing you from getting in hot water
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You know you are wrong. I also suspect you know your leadership and how they will move forward with this situation.
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Well there SPC. You see, Your wrong. WAY FRIGGIN WRONG!!! Regardless who was right and who was wrong, YOU need to adjust your shot group. It might've changed back to being able to drop Soldiers for push ups again. Up to you to research it so that you don't get your a$$ in a sling. As the SFC stated before me and it's great advise, You do what your rank can afford. UCMJ actions will not benefit you and might create hate and discontent. Within you.
So cut the BS, talk to the CPL on the side and professionally correct him and have the material to back up what you say. For it can look like your just pulling it outta your butt. Be good, keep your head on straight and work at getting those hard stripes. Good luck.
So cut the BS, talk to the CPL on the side and professionally correct him and have the material to back up what you say. For it can look like your just pulling it outta your butt. Be good, keep your head on straight and work at getting those hard stripes. Good luck.
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Haha........... too many responses for this post.
If the 1SG walked in my office with the issue, and being the poster is NG I'd assign at least one "U" for the day of Drill, and effectively docking pay for that half day. It's a lot less effort than reducing rank. I've done it. It's not that hard, but it was a SPC lipping off to a SFC. Make a "U" on the pay book next to his name, sign it, have a counseling statement to back it up in the event the soldier reaches back to IG, and done.
I suspect a CPL-SPC issue would simply be handled at the section NCO level, at the very most the PSG level.
If the 1SG walked in my office with the issue, and being the poster is NG I'd assign at least one "U" for the day of Drill, and effectively docking pay for that half day. It's a lot less effort than reducing rank. I've done it. It's not that hard, but it was a SPC lipping off to a SFC. Make a "U" on the pay book next to his name, sign it, have a counseling statement to back it up in the event the soldier reaches back to IG, and done.
I suspect a CPL-SPC issue would simply be handled at the section NCO level, at the very most the PSG level.
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I wouldn't insult anyone like that, right or wrong. I had one fellow on my gun who it seemed couldn't do anything right. I kept my cool and 36 years later my search for those guys from New York I served with started with him after the 911 attack.
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More often than not, it's how you say approach something that will get you hemmed up more than the topic itself. When I was a young Corporal in Afghanistan, I told my commander and first Sergeant they were wrong quite often. When I had those talks, they were always out of sight of the company (Ops cell was ok) and I always had documentation to back me up. At the end of the day, the decision was theirs, but I built a great rapport with them and had their trust. Something to consider
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Hey brother you were wrong in your approach,again we weren’t there. As the experienced 11C, explaining to why you did was right, you missed an educational moment.
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SPC - judging how you wrote this, you probably were disrespectful in how you disagreed with him, did so in front of the team, thus undermining his authority. He dropped you not because you disagreed, but how you did it. Quite frankly, if I saw or heard any of my troops telling one of my NCO's to eat a bag of dicks, no matter how right they might be, there would be an event oriented counseling statement containing the magic bullet for violating art. 91 of the UCMJ. there is a right way and a wrong way to disagree with your superior, you chose the wrong way.
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You are the problem with the military today. You’re all mouth and hurt feelings. After taking an ass whipping you should have ended up in the brig. Grow up. You will never be able to lead until you learn how to follow.
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