Posted on May 28, 2017
During your service, did you ever get into trouble for doing the right thing? If so, did it effect how you viewed the military?
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I vividly remember my time as a Unit Armorer. I was a stickler for following the regs because it was the most responsibility I had ever had up until that point. I actually told the SCO, SXO, CSM, OPSOIC, and OPSSGM, that they had to sign out, clean, and return their own weapons. I was chewed out even though it was in the regs. It forever changed how I viewed senior leadership from that point on.
Posted in these groups: 
Regulation
Leadership
Regulation Leadership
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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I refused to put an out of rating period bullet on an NCOER at the request of the Senior Rater (my Rater). The consequence was the worst NCOER of my career --- Didn't change how I viewed the Army. Didn't seem to impact the career either. ;-) In the end, do the right thing...you have to live with yourself a lot longer than with the military.
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SSG David Fetty
Way to go CSM! I was removed as a rater when I could not rate a REMOS E-5 higher than average. I dunno if you were around in the 70's, but to be average then, and not have all 4-5's was the kiss of death to a career. When he arrived, he went totally ROAD and would do nothing. I could not in good conscious give him more, when he actually deserved less.
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SGT Joseph Gunderson roger that, when I was the S3 NCOIC in Afghanistan in August 2013. I had a stubborn inexperience OIC who was incompetent and couldn't make a call to turn the convoy around because he couldn't make a judgement call. For me it was easy, lack of route security bring them back. I had been out there before, after the Command Sergeant Major made the call after my advice. He despised me the rest of the tour for that decision. The Chain of Command had my back. I did not view the military any different, however I knew it was a uphill battle going forward and finally retired after 25 years and 3 days.
LTC Stephen F. LTC Stephen C. ] MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SP5 Robert Ruck SGT Philip Roncari SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SFC Shirley Whitfield MSgt George Cater SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 (Join to see) SGT Michael Thorin
LTC Stephen F. LTC Stephen C. ] MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SP5 Robert Ruck SGT Philip Roncari SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SFC Shirley Whitfield MSgt George Cater SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 (Join to see) SGT Michael Thorin
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SGT Steve Hines-Saich B.S. M.S. Cybersecurity
Trouble no....however I was known for speaking up...and standing my ground when things didn't make sense. I also relived a lieutenant as convoy commander on verbal orders by the company commander in South Korea because the young fella didn't know which way was up.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SGT Steve Hines-Saich B.S. M.S. Cybersecurity - I can relate to that!
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SPC Justin Foster
SGT Michael Thorin - I stopped reading after you said your CO in the first guard unit told you not to salute him and to call him Robert. That is not the norm in National Guard units, at least post 9/11.
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SGT Michael Thorin
Sadly, I experienced this through several Guard units across AL. It may not be the norm for the Guard units in which you served, but out of 12 companies I served with, only 2 (coincidently, combat arms units) practiced set military customs and vourtesy on M-Day status.
Not sure what state your in, but keep in mind that each individual state has their own version of the UCMJ while in Title 32, and in AL, the ACMJ (Alabama Code of Military Justice), the ability to discipline is extremely limited.
I'm glad that your units in your state don't match the Alabama norm. I had served since 95 in the National Guard, and pre- and post 911 had no affect on their respect of those customs and courtesy.
Not sure what state your in, but keep in mind that each individual state has their own version of the UCMJ while in Title 32, and in AL, the ACMJ (Alabama Code of Military Justice), the ability to discipline is extremely limited.
I'm glad that your units in your state don't match the Alabama norm. I had served since 95 in the National Guard, and pre- and post 911 had no affect on their respect of those customs and courtesy.
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Anyone who's spent more than a year in a leadership position has run into this issue. Mine included being told to have my Medic deny treatment to a severly burned little girl (I said my radio was not working), being denied water for my Soldiers from a CSS unit which had two water buffalos full (800 gallons), and being ordered to go up an unsecure route, with known enemy activity, with limited assets to secure a piece of equipment which was not needed. All you can do is what is correct according to your sense of duty. That's why you're in the leadership position in the first place.
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LTC Russ Smith
As a senior major, I turned down Battalion command twice, in writing, as articulated very clearly that I refused to work for a specific National Guard Colonel. He was a serial sexual predator, but, micro manager, and we hated each other. I refused to put my career in his hands. He wrote in my OER "This officer toothed down Battalion command twice because he did not want to work for me. This is a prima donna who thinks he gets to choose who he works for." The One Star, my senior tater wrote "I non-concur with the rating officer. Major Smith performed magnificently during this ratting period." They held the command spot vacant until the COL rotated out, assigned placed me in command, and I made LTC the first time through the DA board. I was perfectly willing to retire a major in exchange for NOT working for a malignant narcissist.
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SP5 Peter Keane
I had an incident similar to yours. I was medic who was behind a lambretta bus that hit a mine. I treated the civilian casualties, and gave one morphine. A LTC came up to me and said he was gonna get me courts-martialed for using it on a civilian. Nothing ever came of it, and my BN Surgeon signed off.
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