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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Very disappointed in you. We can be right without being stupid. Your behavior in this situation is horrid.
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One lesson about life is don't burn your bridges because You might have to cross them again...
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I did have a similar issue, I was an ET-3 (E-4) at the time and the ET-1 (E-6) took umbrage when I told him he was wrong. However unlike you instead of making a crude suggestion, I showed him in the documentation where he was wrong. Actually I told him the Document Title, Section, and Page. The rest of my time there, anytime someone had a question about SOP, he would send them to me.
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You were wrong, period! A junior NCO told you to do something you do it. You don't ask questions you do it! He will get his in the end if he is wrong. It is not up to you to decide if he is right or wrong. That is for someone that has more rank than you to decide. You were wrong, period!
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Consider yourself fortunate that you don't live in the era of wall-to-wall counseling. You would have gotten thrown into a brick wall. But yes, you disrespected an NCO. So you were definitely wrong for what you said and he can administer corrective training. But you were also wrong for not helping your new leader become more efficient and effective at their job.
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Is this really today's Army? The fact that you should even ask that said just how far we've sunk. If I were that CPLs platoon sergeant I did have had you in front of the commander so fast your CAC card would have had to run to catch up. You are a SPECIALIST. Who do you think you are to speak to an NCO like that?
We need to drop all watered down conduct standards that have been adopted over the last 40 years, stop worrying about the little troopies' feelings and get back to the business of running an ARMY. My God in heaven!!
We need to drop all watered down conduct standards that have been adopted over the last 40 years, stop worrying about the little troopies' feelings and get back to the business of running an ARMY. My God in heaven!!
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So, in the National Guard, you don't need to keep military bearing? You don't need to show respect for an NCO? First, he was wrong by trying to smoke you. Second, you were even more wrong by showing such blatant contempt and disrespect to an NCO, albeit a junior one. You should have pulled him aside, given him the benefit of your experience, and taught him the right way to do large deflections. Put your ego in check. Act like a seasoned troop, using a situation as a teachable moment. And on a more personal note, trust me, after a comment like that, you and I would have been meeting up after drill, and you would be walking funny for the rest of your life.
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Take the rank and position out of it. You told another person to "eat a bag of dicks".
You're wrong. I don't care if you're a 1SG and you say that to a PV1...you're wrong for doing so. If you've been a mortar man that long, you should be able to explain his error in thinking using your knowledge. Period.
Now, he's an NCO and you're not. I don't care how long you've held an MOS. If he's a team leader, if he's an NCO and you disrespect him, he likely did you a favor by "smoking" you. He could have put that on paper and put you on the path to exiting the Army. Count your blessings.
You're wrong. I don't care if you're a 1SG and you say that to a PV1...you're wrong for doing so. If you've been a mortar man that long, you should be able to explain his error in thinking using your knowledge. Period.
Now, he's an NCO and you're not. I don't care how long you've held an MOS. If he's a team leader, if he's an NCO and you disrespect him, he likely did you a favor by "smoking" you. He could have put that on paper and put you on the path to exiting the Army. Count your blessings.
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Oh dude you are a screen door on a submarine, a soup sandwich 6 down 7 across and 8 the fuck up. Learn a little tact, it’ll help you in every facet of life.
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