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?

No, as a retired corporal (yes, retired), we are the hall monitors of the E4 mafia. In the army, it's a rank where E5+ can dump the boring tasks to us. All the SNCOs in this thread just don't want the truth to get out.

You must have lost your mind. A Cpl is an NCO rank. Second those who are Cpl's are considered outstanding soldiers who have shown a high degree maturity and a great attention to detail in the performance of their duties. As stated earlier you should have been brought up on UCMJ.

11c Nco here, I would have to say you are in the right. As the experienced gunner, that is your gun and the way the gun operates is determined by you and only you. Don’t be afraid to tell an nco they are wrong. Even a… cpl lol

Should have told him to eat two bags of dicks. Assclown was on a power trip.

Corporals are learning to be Sergeants, and even Sergeants screw things up. That's just something you live with and try and work with them on. Should he have tried to lock you up and drop you? Probably not, something he'll learn to gauge as an NCO going forward.

Should you have told him to eat a bag of dicks? I don't think I've used that exact verbiage, but I have been disrespectful when disrespected so I can understand the urge and yes it is funny. This however would be better handled on a sideline discussion, you being a "senior" Specialist having more experience can and should be assisting a Corporal in their instruction.

The situation is salvageable, you have the knowledge he doesn't. Use that to help him and your team succeed and let him know that that's all you want to do is ensure you all succeed.

Last time i checked He better be dropping with you! If not I believe he cannot smoke you. Now as far ss your comment that shouldn’t have been said it’s disrespectful. If he was completely wrong then as a soldier you have thr ssme responsibility as a NCO and should have pulled him to the side and taught him the right way and if that didn’t work go to his first line Superviser and get those attitudes corrected. Power trips need to be nipped quickly for a new NCO to become a great NCO.

There’s always someone placed in authority over you. Being disrespectful to that authority can get you in trouble. Sometimes rank means nothing. Like my stepson. Major in the Air Force. Was assigned to the Pentagon. Totally in charge of a section. A 4 star general had a meeting with the entire staff in that section. Introducing him. General says he in charge and what he says goes. If you have a problem with his rank or even date of rank you can request transfer, or resign but you will not question his authority. There were 2 LT Colonels, 2 Colonels, even a one star general in the midst along with a couple dozen enlisted but nothing below Sgt.. 3 months later he was promoted to LT Colonel. I know some take the rank and dare of rank seriously, like two corporals with a date of rank two days difference arguing on who out ranks the other.

If there is a safety violation then by all means call it out, Safety first, Rank second, Disrespecting a NCO in front of God and everybody can be punishable under UCMJ. You had the high ground when it came to safety Plt Leader, 1SG, CSM, CO, but you lost all credibility regardless of how " high speed low drag" you are. Take your licks and learn unfortunately it might be the hard way.

Ok, I get what you’re saying. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. My first question is, was the order he gave in compliance to the fire mission given? I spent sometime as an 0341. I was on Gun 4 which was used to dial in a fire mission. Given the fact you were on Gun 2, in my experience, would have fired under the FO’s direction to the FDC. Some I’m a bit confused. Did he or didn’t he give you a contradictory order to what came from the FDC? The problem is, you challenged an NCO in front of his troops. That is a no no. You don’t challenge ANY superior in front of troops. Don’t get into my co@k is bigger than yours situation because it is a losing battle. You could have called a “check fire” and settled it in a more amicable manner. ANY mortarman is allowed to call check fire if they see an unsafe action. If you’re wrong, you get a little blow back, which suck it up, it’s normal in the Corps. However, if you’re right, you may have to deal with that person trying to get revenge. It’s a sh@t sandwich that happens in the Corps on a regular basis. So, to answer your question, yes, you were dead wrong. You need to put your ego aside, and figure out how to handle that situation differently. I have to congratulate you. You have now put a target on your back with this NCO. I would suggest you doing a public apology to this NCO, in front of the troops that you challenge him in. Tell him you were wrong in what you said, it was unprofessional, and yadda, yadda, yadda.