Does anyone else think the Army is getting soft? I mean like a very thin skin, overdoing "Political Correctness". It seems out of control.

Does anyone else think the Army is getting soft?

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SSG(P) (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

I think the Army as a whole has gotten a bit soft and as a whole I mean AD, Nat. Guard and Reserves.

We have a lot of Soldiers in our ranks today who don't take the level of pride in self that they should, but we also have a lot of leaders who don't enforce the standards appropriately and instill that pride.

SFC Gates is 100 percent correct in his response where he mentioned that we have Soldiers who whine and cry to someone who will listen because they got their feelings hurt, but then what are we as their leaders doing to put a stop to it? Many do nothing at all.

My 1SG tells NCO's in our Unit often that we as leaders need to make sure we do our Soldier counselings on a regular basis. Not just to ensure that our troops know where they stand performance-wise, but also to make sure that when we push for a non-recommend for promotion or a discharge that we have our justification of why.

I can't stand a cry baby in my ranks. I have no use for one and they irritate me to no end, but I as a leader have the ability through appropriate justification (Performance Oriented and Developmental Counseling) to have such Soldiers expedited out of my ranks.

Too many leaders don't do the counselings as needed and then have no justification to have a Soldier removed from service or held up from promotion due to performance issues. What that ultimately leads to is Soldiers who didnt take pride in self and cried about getting their feelings hurt were allowed to be promoted through the ranks and now those NCO's are perpetuating the cycle.

I will never say it is "failed leadership" because I truly believe most leaders are doing their damnest to train their Soldiers and set the right example, but we as leaders at all levels have to use the tools at our disposal to make sure we have a well trained force of motivated Soldiers.

I really believe it all boils down to counseling properly.

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SFC (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

America is getting soft and overdoing "Political Correctness" as a whole. I often visit forums for films and nearly every time someone has to claim something is racist, sexist etc. It is not just the army.
However, a society that conducts itself with effective compassion and cohesion can then swiftly step forward in a new frontier of social evolution. However, too much political correctness creates a false reality and forces others to complain about things that do not exist. Every generation seems to complain about the one after them. However, each generation brings something new to the table. Someone from my generation invented FB and exploded social networking. He is now a billionaire and I am sure the very website we are talking on right now is based on his work. It has been said throughout history Brains VS Brawns VS Beauty(professional appearance). I feel we can have all if we find a perfect medium. The army of today is filled with individuals who do not blindly follow, they are critical and creative thinkers. Now, there is a time and place for this but with today's options, it can happen. There was a time that an Enlisted Soldier did NOT keep their rank when they transferred units, they were brought back down to square one. only Commissioned Officers kept their ranks during that time period. Once this was changed I am sure the previous generation complained about how EASY the next generation had it because they got to keep their rank/grade. Every change you see throughout life is simply that, change. The best way to deal with a shifting river, is to ride along.

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SSG Oliver Mathews

Posted >1 y ago

SSG Nebel,
I agree that portions of the military are getting softer. I believe the primary change started when they took Drill Sergeants out of Basic in an attempt to make AIT more a kin to college life.

I had a female show up to the unit, on her 3 or 4th day at the unit she showed up late. When told by a Non Commissioned officer to Do pushups she said "No, i dont wanna. Just counsel me and get over it". She went on to express that this is how it was in AIT and she never did anything her NCOs told her to do unless she wanted to do it. It took weeks to get her to go to Parade rest when she spoke to an NCO.

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SSG Oliver Mathews

>1 y

SGT Ruehs,

You would have made it a point to get her kicked out? I dont agree with this being the correct process of thought. If a soldier has a problem, hell if the soldiers attitude is a problem its OUR RESPONSIBILITY, as Junior NCOs to correct the situation or exhaust all efforts trying.

To many times have i seen a soldier that has a hard time, or isnt "up to snuff" get put out of the army. We need to change our thought process back to a little bit old school. Be a true leader/NCO and train/mentor/lead that soldier to be better.

The adage says 10% will take 90% of the time. I believe its those 90% that truly help shape a person into an NCO. Its that 90% that helps teach you how to lead the best. what would you learn from only dealing with the 90%?

I guess i should have added that Yes she did reshape to be a pretty decent soldier, and we never gave her an Article 15.

Leadership needs to Empower the subordinates. NCOs that are empowered have the ability to change the dynamics of a Unit.

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SSG Oliver Mathews

>1 y

SSG Woods,

Welcome to the world where no one is punished for being a Rude inconsiderate (BEEP) (BEEP)ing (BEEP) (BEEP)er as a child.

I wanted to beep a bit today...

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MSG (Join to see)

>1 y

Bar To Re-Enlistment

Look it up

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SPC (Join to see)

>1 y

I'd make her wish she never joined

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SFC Eddy Meador

Posted 4 y ago

It is to the point that I am actually ashamed to say I was even in the Army because I don't want to be lumped into the mess that is there now. I retired in 2007 because I saw how it was starting to become a social experiment instead of a fighting institution. The leaders you have now I wouldn't follow because they lack the military bearing and intelligence that I demand in someone that wants to lead soldiers.

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SSG (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

Oh my guy, I know I'm 7 years late but you should see it now..

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SGT (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

Absolutely, we all need to toughen up!

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SPC Andrew Griffin

Posted >1 y ago

The Army ISN'T getting soft! You just have men in POWER who are expanding their THINKING!

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Cpl Christopher Bishop

Posted 10 y ago

Is this where all Marines insert a Yes vote? Oh I see....you cleverly left out the actual Vote mechanic. LOL

I am of course just halfway yanking your chain...however...anyone that gets too bent by my comments only serves to argue my point for me. =)

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SFC (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

Simply, yes. We had a soldier get to the unit, and claimed PTSD, having never been deployed, simply from getting yelled at. Other soldiers are walking around not doing as they know they should thinking that they can just fight back, and push off officers and NCOs because they don't want to do something. I made an on the spot correction for a soldier not wearing his gloves(a requirement during the winter months in Alaska), and he simply responded with "yea, they're in my car. I'll put them on later." I acted on it by finding his nco, and found out later that nothing had come of it, because the soldier whined until his nco dropped the matter. When I signed my contract, I knew I wasn't going to be able to speak my mind at times, and expected to get yelled at. Being politically correct isn't something that we need to take so close to heart in the military, as it will slowly tear away at the fabric of our culture that is necessary for the good order and discipline that is required to go into combat, and have everyone come home alive.

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SSG Jeffery Nebel

Posted >1 y ago

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to respond.  What I was trying to get at was the way the Army has transformed over the past 13 years.  Some of us that were around "Pre-9/11" remember the days of in ranks Class A inspections more than 1or2 times a year.  Or perhaps the soldiers nowadays asking "Why?" To things we wouldn't have imagined questioning, we just did it because we were told to.  

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