Posted on Jun 23, 2017
How do you address any challenges with getting young soldiers involved and having pride in your unit?
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I began my career in the military almost 18 years ago. Back then it wasn't rare to see ALL Soldiers including young, more involved with unit activities and having a sense of pride. Now it's like pulling teeth to get Soldiers to do anything outside of what they think is the normal 9-5 duty day. It's frustrating to say the least.
MWR
Company Commander
Unit Pride
Esprit de Corps
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 114
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I am a retired military NCO working in the Pentagon as an Ops Officer. Our organization were having a dining out, you know how hard to have people attend the event. They finally made their numbers the last day prior to the event. This is not the same Army I came from and retired in 2000.
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I was a dumb doctor who assumed command of a wonderful unit. This was RVN and nothing like the military today. I let the guys have their "beer tent" that produced some money that I think was put to use for the mess Sgt. to go to Saigon and buy up stuff from the black market from the general's mess. My men had periodic meals of ham, steak, lobster, and everything else.
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The best way is to create a culture of family. My PSG required that the platoon including the PL eat together in both the field and in garrison. We were encouraged to hang out with each other. The PSG regularly had Platoon functions outside of work. We operated as a family with a strict hierarchy structure. I contend that if you were to make similar overtures on a company level and showed the Joes that you have their backs, the unit cohesion will happen. It requires the 1sg, CO, XO, and platoon leadership to be on board though. I have no doubt you can accomplish this as most combat engineer units have an atmosphere of brotherhood already. I hope that my beloved corps of engineers isn't becoming broken.
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What exactly are you having the troops do between 9-5 that would so demoralize them they have no pride in themselves or their unit? The efficiency and morale of employees are the responsibilities of management. If their lack of morale and efficiency are challenging your management skills. Perhapes now would be a good time to update your resume'.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Their jobs, specialist. The question presented is about getting Soldiers interested in extra curricular activities, not doing their jobs. You probably don’t understand this yet, but there are several levels of management before reaching the company commander. Its attitudes like yours that create problems instead of helping to resolving them. Perhaps now would be a good time for you to educated yourself on the chain of command, duties and responsibilities of a team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, platoon leader and company command teams.
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SPC Mike Davis
A company commander is first level "management." Plt leader has no administrative authority, same for team leader, Squad leader, plt Sgt. (supervisor level.) Again, the company commander is first level management (administrative authority.) Thus, the company commander is responsible for everything and I mean everything that takes place in his little kingdom. I was a branch manager(administrative authority.) I would get calls from district wanting to know why the tide was late in Houston and why the team I had there did not fix the tide. Yes, it seemed to get that silly. But, district had every right to demand my branch never bring discredit upon the company name or reputation. Each team consisted of my engineers (all by the way prima donna's.) Their training, and competence was my responsibility. The lead engineer was responsible for the technical demands of the project. The engineers were responsible for their individual lead engineer assignments. I was responsible for the tide rising and falling on time and that the entire project was completed on time and to the satisfaction of the customer and a fair profit to the company. Failing to maintain such management level of responsibility twenty four hours a day seven days a week would make updating my resume" a top priority. MY supervisory level personal knew my policy and carried them out. But, the key to my response to your last comment is: They were "MY" policies. If they failed it was my responsibility not the supervisor. "I" the big "I" manager set all branch policy. Supervisors implement (execute ) said policy ( I am not free to implement such policies as I am engaged in controlling the rise and fall of the tides.) Civilian and military have the same chain of command. There can only be one captain on the ship.
P.S.
Soldiers are salaried (on duty twenty four/seven) extra-curricular is job specific if expected. I understood your first comment.
P.S.
Soldiers are salaried (on duty twenty four/seven) extra-curricular is job specific if expected. I understood your first comment.
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MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU ARE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD???? I SERVED POST VIETNAM AND I RECALL THE ARMY DRILL SERGEANTS (ALL VIETNAM VETERANS) AND OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM HAD ATTITUDE WITH NG'S AS WELL AS AR'S. I SERVED 3 YEARS AND WITH ONE EXCEPTION DUE TO BLOOD POISONING FROM A KNIFE WAS ALWAYS OUT OF MY RACK AT 6AM WILLING AND ABLE TO DO WHAT WAS REQUIRED OF ME WHILE STATIONED AT PINDER BARRACKS A BTRY 1-22ND FIELD ARTILLERY. WHETHER GOING TO THE MOTOR POOL TO MAKE SURE OUR VEHICLES WERE READY TO ROLL WHEN AND IF SOVIET BLOC COUNTRIES CROSSED INTO NATO TERRITORY OR DOING FIELD EXERCISES OR GOING TO GRAFENWOEHR FOR LIVE FIRE EXERCISES, WE WERE ALWAYS, ALWAYS KEPT TO THE HIGHEST EXPERTISE OF OUR MOS. ALL DUE RESPECT SIR, HAVE YOUR FIRST SERGEANT, PLATOON SERGEANT AND/OR SECTION CHIEFS KICK THEM IN THERE ASS. IF THEY CANNOT GET THE TROOPS TO FALL IN LINE, THEY SHOULD BE DEMOTED AND ANOTHER SPEC 4 OR SERGEANT TRY GETTING THEM MOTIVATED. IF THEY CAN DO IT THEY SHOULD BE PROMOTED AND KEEP THEIR NEW RANK BECAUSE THEY ARE LEADERS, NOT BUDDIES.
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Everyone is motivated by different things. The trick is to find out what gets your guys' motor running, and offer that as a reward for participation. There is such a thing as "peer" leadership. The navy does this more than the Army ever did, but when i was in the navy we had a "leading airman" he was kind of like a first sergeant, he was the airman with the most seniority, and it was his job to interface complaints from the junior enlisted to the division officer(s). If the leading airman is a shitball, the unit will have no esprit de corps; but if he is motivated and gung ho, his enthusiasm will be infectious.
You probably have a few specialists running around who are smart, and they bitch, and the other LE members, see them, and look to them as examples, and their shit attitude is infectious.
You probably have a few specialists running around who are smart, and they bitch, and the other LE members, see them, and look to them as examples, and their shit attitude is infectious.
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Young soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines are the hardest of the military to get involved into a unit. They have to prove themselves to the old hands, try to make friends and feel accepted in the unit. Young troops seem to get the "shit" details. Some thing the old hands have gone thru, when they were younger. A nesccessary evil, should be abolished. Take younger troops under your arm. Help them and the unit adjust to each other. The young troop will feel more as a part and pride in his unit as long as he feels he is, and as long as he/she is in that unit.
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Young folks today try to do as little as possible to get by. However, those that do their best at what they are assigned have a senses of self-purpose. The operative words are tabula rasa trying to get some of them to be better soldiers/citizens. I may sound cynical but it is a fact.
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Welcome to Obama's Army. He had eight years to screw it up ... will take twice as long to fix it.
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Technically on call 24/7. Small group activities. ‘Nothing to it, but to do it.’ Military is not a democracy, but a regiment of forces under a leader/commander. Perhaps open to suggestions, but in the end, all tasks must be performed.
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