Did you get an Article 15? What was yours for?

Missing movement - 35 feet of it.

Our whole company was formed up in the parking lot to move to the airfield for an airborne op. We were waiting on the buses to the flight line or the weather call or the flight approval - who knows ...nobody tells us SPCs anything. But we'd been sitting in the parking lot for a while. It was getting around noon, and a few of us were grumbling, so I asked my platoon sergeant and when he was okay with it I asked the 1SG if I could drive four blocks down the road to the quickie-mart to grab some lickeys-and-cheweys for a bunch of us. 1SG agreed - even asked me to grab him a can of dip. I got a buddy to watch my gear and moved out smartly.

Fast forward 20 minutes. I pull back into the parking lot only to find the whole company sitting on the opposite side of the parking lot from when I left. I started to hand stuff out, but everybody said "the commander's pissed and wants you in his office. Now." Apparently, they had called a headcount while I was away, just to make sure everyone was sharing the misery.

Long-story-short: my CoC didn't stand up for me and I wound up with a summarized Article 15 for Missing Movement ...across the parking lot, apparently. I served the extra duty during our JRTC rotation later that month, so that wasn't a big deal. But I still didn't appreciate losing money over it.

I can't remember if I've shared this on the forum, but here goes.

I left active duty in December 1989. I joined the ARNG for the remainder of my service commitment. In November 1990 my transportation unit was activated and deployed for Operation Desert Storm. I was given a horrible assignment during our "acclimation period" in Dharan, so my platoon sergeant finagled a better assignment when the unit deployed to the desert with an active duty battalion (I had experience dealing with them AND the command while stationed in Germany prior to ETS). I was assigned to the purchasing officer, a screwball 1LT from my unit named Wright. He would place supply orders in the local economy, an active duty SFC would arrange payment, then I would pick up the supplies and deliver them in my 5-ton cargo truck to battalion HQ in the desert. Goofball LT never traveled with me. It was a 300 mile trip one way. After the first trip, I'd make it a one day round trip.

Aside: the purchasing officer managed to not place ANY orders during the ground war. I think he was afraid he would have to accompany me if I had to deliver during that time.

Back to the story: After a couple of months the LT tells me that we are rejoining the unit. I think he was looking to get a rise out of me. I said, "Okay." "We leave tomorrow!" "Okay."

We had to drive a couple of hundred miles on MSR Dodge. It was the main supply route running east/west in northern Saudi Arabia. They had a 40mph speed limit. When I tell that part to civilians, they can't believe it. They laugh at the next part.

I'm cruising down MSR Dodge in my 5-ton, and no, I'm NOT doing 40mph. Suddenly I see flashing lights behind me. I pull over. LT slinks down in the passenger seat, then REALLY ducks when he sees the silver oak leave approaching. I managed to get pulled over by the MP Battalion Commander. He writes the ticket, and I proceed toward LB Echo. LT demands to see the ticket. I told him I would take care of it.

Fast forward to LB Echo: I deliver my load, and then proceed to my unit. I don't tell the LT that battalion asked me to return to Dahran and continue the supply mission. Upon arrival, the LT demands the ticket. I tell him again that it is my problem, I'll deal with it. As soon as I can, I report to the CO. Turns out the LT ran to him and reported me for insubordination. I correct that misrepresentation, then my NG CO says, "I don't know if you are aware, but I started a policy that any safety violation will be an automatic Article 15 and a $100 fine." I thought that blanket punishment was silly, but I simply said, "Yes, sir."

Meanwhile the ticket has to proceed up their chain and down my chain of command. Fast forward again a few weeks and I've returned to the unit. One day my assistant platoon sergeant comes to seek my input regarding command policies. "Who is responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle? We have a situation in which a lower enlisted troop got into trouble, but a SGT was in the vehicle." I have all but forgotten my speeding ticket. I inform him that the CG had issued an order while I was in Germany stating that the senior person in the vehicle is responsible. In fact, when we dispatched vehicles in Germany we had the senior person sign a statement in the log book that they understood this order.

About 30 minutes later my platoon leader comes out and asks about the standing order. I repeat it for him. He leaves and returns awhile later. "That speeding ticket you got? Don't worry about it."

I never saw it. 1LT Wright received a written reprimand.

Final thought on this long story: If the LT hadn't been a jerk, I would have argued against it. I was an E-6. I was prepared to take full responsibility. However, when he lied to the CO in an attempt to bring MORE charges against me? Too bad, idiot.

My parents got a kick out of the fact that I received a speeding ticket in a combat zone.

I never got an Art 15 myself. Should have several times but luckily never happened. There was a soldier in my unit in Iraq that got the most interesting Art 15 I've heard of. Excessive Masterbation. His NCOs couldn't take their eyes off of him cuz he would disappear for anywhere between 30 min to an hour or more to go beat his meat at least 4-5 times a day. They'd catch him in porta johns, trucks, bunkers just about anywhere you could think of. I know it sounds like the guy from Full Metal Jacket movie but it's the God honest truth.

Well, I will just say--the Good Conduct Medal doesn't mean you didn't do anything. It just means you didn't get caught. Also known as the "undetected crimes" medal.

Never ever got an Article 15, but was threatened with one in front of the entire Battalion Awards Ceremony with one by the Battalion Commander LTC James Pasquarette.

I was put up for the Soldiers Medal by my Company First Sergeant and Brigade Command Sergeant Major for my actions as Charlie Company Charge of Quarters at Ft Hood Texas... It was down graded to an ARCOM and was threatened with an article 15 in front of the entire Battalion formation in the motor pool.
26 April 2003, I had gone to do barracks checks about 2 or 3 in the morning and since it was a weekend the soldiers were either up late in the barracks, sleeping or down in Austin enjoying their time off. I had herd a loud bang from across the barracks courtyard and went to go see what it was and then herd a few more and saw an individual running towards me. I took off and ran towards him and he eventually ran past me and I took off the other direction towards our barracks and caught up to him I don't think he saw me or was aware I was chasing him. I managed to over take him and grabbed his ass by the pack of the neck and slammed his head face first into the pavement in front of my barracks stack. The other charge of quarters was yelling from across the field that he had a gun the entire time. When he fell I grabbed the pistol from his hand and unloaded it and put it in my front bottom BDU shirt pocket and had his hands locked behind his back and hauled his ass to the Brigade Staff Duty Desk because my Platoon Sergeant was on Staff Duty there. All the while this guy was fighting me. I got to the brigade building and went up the steps and called my platoon sergeant out. He was all like "What the fuck you call me out here for Homer!" I told him what happened and handed him the gun and he went and called the MP's to come get him. This guy was all pissed off that his room mate left him at the post NCO club/sports bar that was 2 blocks away and his ass had to walk back to the barracks that he just had to kill his ass. This poor individual kept begging me to let him go to his room to shower and change cloths. I told him that he just fired a weapon off and his cloths are evidence since they are impregnated with powder residue and he is essentially evidence in a criminal investigation. He kept begging and pleading with me. I told him Not on his life "what ever that amounted to" He said that the reason he needed to shower and change cloths is because when I tackled his ass he had shit him self... Literally he was scared shitless and his pants were so full of shit it was running down his leg and on the concrete and the brigade tile when i hauled his ass up the steps for the MP's. I went back to the company area and told my runner about what had happened. I waited and wrote statements for the MP's and the Brigade until the early sun up hours when I was finally relieved and saw my First Sergeant, 1SG Ray Canales and the Brigade Command Sergeant Major. CSM Neil Ciotola and at that time I was talking on my cell phone to my dad about what happened when the CSM walked up and grabbed the cell phone from my hand and announced who he was and said these most memorable words to him. He said this "Hello Sir, This is Brigade Command Sergeant Major Ciotola. I just wanted to tell you that your son Sergeant Homer is one of the finest NCO's I have in my Brigade and that he showed great courage by tackling a piece of shit in my barracks and preventing soldiers from getting Killed and or seriously injured because the shithead was firing a gun off in my barracks. Thank you sir and have a great day HOOAH! I was really baffled and speechless after that because CSM Ciotola is a fine leader and speaker and is someone who could command the hide and horn off of a rhino and lead it into battle and be victorious. At ant rate during the Battalion formation not only were all battalion First sergeants present but the Battalion Sergeant Major and Command Sergent Major present but the Brigade, Division and Core Sergeants Major present for this ceremony. To have the Battalion Commander look at me and say "Sergent Homer I am presenting you with this ARCOM for what a foolish thing you did that you were put up for a Soldiers Medal but I had to down grade it to an ARCOM but what I really should have given you was an Article 15 for what you did to that poor guy" That was a fucking slap in the face and I could see the senior leadership get red in the face. They told me after the formation that they had put me in for that medal and they were pretty mad that he had downgraded it. I am glad I never saw combat with that man as my Battalion commander ever. He got himself lost elsewhere just before we deployed to Iraq.

ok im sorry one more lol when i was in saudi i was assigned to central command in the capital of ryaud( not spelled right) well i had an e-4 new to the unit that day and he asked me what do i do with my weapon and i told him when he was finished inprocessing i would assign him one and he said i dont need one i brought mine well i was puzzeled and asked him to explain he said he brought his m16 with him from the states in his duffle bag well i thought he was shitting me because he flew over civilian air and in saudi it is illeagal to have a weapon in the civilian sector but some how he got through security in the states on board the plane and through custums in saudi with this rifle now this was in 01 before 9/11 but still he had brought a rifle with him into country so i called his unit in the states and they say they have all thier weapons accounted for i asked the e4 how he got his m16 he said with my weapons card so i asked the supply sgt to check and he said no i have that weapon right here i read the serial number to him and he said ya its right here so i asked to speak to the 1sg and he told me the same thing so i asked to talk to the co the co said the same so now i was getting upset because i knew they were lieing because i was holding the rifle in my hand so i told thier co all we had to do was a lat transfer and nothing would be said but the co tried to pull rank and say now listen here sgt so i was pissed and i asked the capt. how fucking stupid can he be that i was holding the m16 and all i wanted to do was fix the problem next thing i know he hung up and called my Col. so i was called to his office and told him what was going on and showed him the rifle so the Col gets back on the phone and says to the Capt. " how fucking stupid can he be?" lol they sent the lat trans paper work asap to this day i do not understand how that e4 got the m16 into country but the Col did tell the csm to make sure the kid was assigned to the mess hall so if anything come up missing when he pcsd back to the states it wouldnt be an m16

Battalion formation. Our BC was yelling at us because our company led all of fort Polk in STDs. A (National Guard earned) SPC who always treated us privates like POSs, and also messed with the nastiest "ladies" in Leesville, was in the squad behind me, and when he BC said that,i turned my head towards him and then back to the front. He pushed me and asked "what the f#*k are you looking at. I turned around, punched him, knocked him out cold, turned back around to continue listening to my BC.

Some acts are so embarrassing for a unit, corrective training and no counseling statement are issued. There I was, a newly promoted to Specialist at Fort Steward, GA, in the 3rd ID as a Dogface Soldier in 1999. I pulled a prank with another Soldier. We had this guy named Steven Benge who we weren't that fond of. He once washed our dishes in Pine Oil. We urinated in separate containers and poured our urine into his iron. When his girlfriend came over to iron his uniform. We both heard her say, "Steven, you're iron smells like urine", and crap rolled down hill from there. We were on roving guard, full battle rattle, for 14 days around the barracks during our personal time. Several months later and even a year I heard that people got wind of our prank as far as Europe.

So there I was, circa 2005. I was a SSG and the PSG for my infantry platoon. I had this awesome Russian paratrooper AK. I thought it would be a good idea to disassemble it and place it into a folded cot.

I wasn't present when the guys were loading the connex; I would have told them to abandon doing it since Navy customs were shadowing them. A white knight decided to tell them to check the cots. Yep, 7 of us got nailed.

A few days later I got the harshest punishment. I was busted to SGT and lost half a months pay for two months.

I like to use my story as a teaching point more than anything. I learned many valuable lessons in life when it happened. I also learned much more afterwards when I had to try and rebuild my reputation.

Well, I never actually got one... But, I almost was... I was read one in 1982, by 1LT(P) Orlando Jesus Perez, MP, Commanding, for being out of my patrol area (MP Dog Handler), and not calling out of service at a fight/brawl at the NCO club... First, I had no patrol area, aside from the whole post... and second I did call out of service, but our radios sucked (he should have know that)... luckily the Fire Department was next to the NCO club and they heard us all call (or try to - but no one answered) out of service when we/I arrived....

It went in the trash can quick, when my boss (SSG Joel Head) heard tale of it...

But, I also learned, as a future commander, to ensure before you considered NJP, you need to provide due diligence, and ensure you had all the facts, and never rush to judgement. Orlando was an idiot... with all due respect.

I gave Art 15 (Larceny of NVD) as a Company Commander, 1 as a Battalion Commander (Prescription Drugs), and only dealt with appeals as a Brigade Commander.