How would you improve the Military?

PO3 Aaron Hassay — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 18:41:33 -0500

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 1 at 2017 6:45 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 18:45:20 -0500

That is a very open-ended question PO3 Aaron Hassay.
From a medical standpoint I would improve the medical data/information sharing among the VA regions and the Military Healthcare regions.
FYI yesterday I had an appointment with my primary care VA doctor at Fort Detrick, MD. Today I had an appointment at the TRICARE clinic in Fairfax, Virginia. This was my initial TRICARE appointment. The doctor had no access to the VA system and didn't seem to have access to my military medical records [1974 - 2008]
A decade ago when I was being treated at Walter Reed AMC I learned they had no access to my Fort Benning records or anywhere else outside the national capital region.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2017 7:07 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 19:07:38 -0500

Dr. Thomas M. Barnett has an idea: https://youtu.be/hg7pZi6peD4

The Pentagon's New Map

Speaker: Tom Barnett, Senior Managing Director, Enterra Solutions. LLC Location: Middlebury College, Rohatyn Center for International Affairs Date: Apr 1, 2008

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2017 7:41 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 19:41:15 -0500

A better filing system?

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Mar 1 at 2017 8:04 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:04:59 -0500

Get DFAS off the cobol based computer system so they can actually manage pay without it being a series of 125 workarounds

Response by CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2017 8:28 PM

CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:28:18 -0500

Less time with sexual harassment briefings and more time killing terrorists.

Response by PO2 Robert M. made Mar 1 at 2017 9:02 PM

PO2 Robert M. — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 21:02:26 -0500

I have been out of the military a long time, but I would make the pay equal to the civilian market so we don't have such a loss when contracts are up!

Response by COL Charles Williams made Mar 1 at 2017 9:04 PM

COL Charles Williams — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 21:04:34 -0500

1. Ensure military pay keeps pace with inflation.
2. Provide graduate school - fully funded - options for select senior NCOs, just like we do for Os.
3. Ensure we get to real readiness vs. paper readiness.
4. Get back to basics... TLPs, counseling, training management, PT, maintenance, logistics....
5. Focus on standards.

Response by SSgt Dan Montague made Mar 1 at 2017 10:15 PM

SSgt Dan Montague — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 22:15:49 -0500

That is a very open question.... My last several years I saw a lack of discipline. Too many young Marines walking over NCO's and nothing was done about it. Paper only goes so far. More admin discharges with an OTH attached with NO VA benefits. Bring back the motivation platoons again.
Also stop trying to make the military an equal opportunity job force. The military is not a "job" Set realistic standards and hold to those standards. We are men and women trained to fight and kill.
Also bring back leggings for the cammie uniform. They looked cool.

Response by MSgt John McGowan made Mar 1 at 2017 10:32 PM

MSgt John McGowan — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 22:32:53 -0500

I would pay our vets at a higher rate. I know mine stinks.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 2 at 2017 6:04 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 06:04:39 -0500

See that everyone got adequet training in their specialty field, plus see that they took sub-courses for the extra boost in their field.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Mar 2 at 2017 8:51 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 08:51:55 -0500

This is a wide open question that I think is very hard to answer. The answers will verify branch to branch, MOS to MOS, and up and down the pay scale.

For me, during my time in, the one thing I saw that could improve from an Army standpoint is the acknowledgment of basic skills. At one unit, Sergeant's Time training was often interrupted and time on the range was limited.

Generally speaking, I think the military deserves a raise across the board and of course the entire VA system needs an overhaul but we can and have spent countless hours beating that dead horse.

Response by Dezarae Sharp made Mar 2 at 2017 9:36 AM

Dezarae Sharp — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 09:36:07 -0500

Do what the sergeants tell you too.

Response by PO3 Michael James made Mar 2 at 2017 6:45 PM

PO3 Michael James — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 18:45:33 -0500

PO3 Hassay, Sir; No one really cares... 1) When America's military is ordered into "harms way" ALL, Yes, mandatory that ALL elected officials send one of their OWN children into harms way with the rest of us.. No Children, no problem.. send a niece or nephew to represent our girly-boy elected officials.... still having a problem.. Fine, take a $140,000.00 cut in pay and join the rest of us in defense of OUR country !!! 2) No Congressional Cover-ups... like the continued Agent Orange cover-ups and the Vietnam Veterans who are still suffering a slow death from poisoning. while loyal/loving spouses are by their sides watching them suffer, and trying to raise the children... Nice treatment for Honorable discharged Veterans... Thanks Congress, wake-up, you are not destroying Veterans, you are destroying entire families, their hopes, their dreams.... 42 years, and you STILL haven't done SQUAT !! 3) finally, FULFILL the promises made to ALL military personnel, "To Care For him who shall have borne the battle" ....... You enjoy your freedoms ...... Then thank your TRUE, "First Responders".. your ONLY Responders... Thank your ARMY, your NAVY, your AIR FORCE, your MARINES...... and thank your COAST GUARD .... We have been there for OUR country... Most of us STILL are .. Thank you

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2017 12:23 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 12:23:08 -0500

The Military should go back to being a fighting force and not a welfare force. The money should go more toward training, upgrading/updating weapon systems, spend training time on warfighting skills and make people be more accountable through discipline. The military should cut down on spending on Tri-Care, BAH pay, less time on EEO and SHARP classes and stop celebrating special group month.

Response by 1SG Brian Adams made Mar 3 at 2017 1:12 PM

1SG Brian Adams — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 13:12:20 -0500

More pay...simply put, raise discipline levels in Boot Camp, Explore 10 year retirements....

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2017 5:34 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 17:34:18 -0500

go back to old school training in basics, break the civilian way to create the military way, get ride of time out cards, take away cell phones, bring the standards up to the active side, were an sm comes out doing an apft to the standards held by active, if you cant cut basic then you cant cut active, I'm not talking about the way it was 30 years ago, but also not the way it is now, there needs to be some middle ground

Response by CPT Larry Hudson made Mar 4 at 2017 7:42 PM

CPT Larry Hudson — Sat, 04 Mar 2017 19:42:39 -0500

Get politics out of it; appoint field grade flag officers who are not afraid to say no to the POTUS; restore budgets that sustain the military; increase pay scales of all military personnel; get civilian lawyers out; let the services do that which will result in victory.

Response by MSgt Mark Bucher made Mar 8 at 2017 12:04 PM

MSgt Mark Bucher — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 12:04:46 -0500

Get rid of all DoD civilians. Get rid of all Milicrats.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Aug 20 at 2018 1:27 PM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 13:27:47 -0400

for every soldier to get some kind of resume when they get out and not the one they have write in ACAP