Posted on Oct 16, 2016
LTJG Ansi Officer
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Here's the background. You're a senior E5. Your troops are in formation and you're handing out work for the day. You hand out an assignment to a fresh E2 with less than a year in and only a few months at your command. They blatantly complain and tell you to choose someone else. You calmly tell them they will do this task and they tell you to shove it and give it to someone else. How do you react?
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LCpl Stephen Arnold
14
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Call for a Corpsman, PRONTO!
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CPL Joseph Elinger
CPL Joseph Elinger
6 y
Ex Medic here.
Thumbs up.
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Capt Ed Heick
14
14
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You take the lead and responsibility you have earned and repeat the command one more time. Should the E2 not respond in a positive manner and complete the task given an Article 15 would be appropriate.
You have to take command of the situation or there will never be any respect from the remaining individuals in the formation. When you are in command. .Command.
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Sgt Jerrid Wright
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As a Marine infantry sergeant it is your job to build an unbreakable bond of trust and respect among your troops. I personally wouldn't have to take any action because I would more corporals and lance corporals on that motherfucker before it even registered with me what happened!
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CWO3 Us Marine
CWO3 (Join to see)
>1 y
Glad you said it. I've been posting all over here that about all the Sergeant would have to say is "at ease". The other leaders would know what to do without Platoon Sergeant having to say a word. Maybe a wink and nod exchanged between Platoon Sergeant and Squad Leader and it would take the natural course of events until the "situation" was squared away. It's best that way because should anyone get froggy about diming anyone out there would be no evidence of collusion. A "bad day" magically fell out of the sky all over PFC Smuckatelli.
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CPT Sean Graham
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The response must be swift and clear. While I agree with some comments about counselling in private, if you do not make your position and intolerance for the behavior public, you will erode the respect from his peers.

So... time to make the young soldier an example. Clearly and publicly instruct the SM that this discussion will continue after formation in the 1SG's office. Instruct him to break formation and wait for you there. Do not pass go, and if asked why you are there, no details are to be discussed with TOP until you are present. Inform them that they should only incline that they are there to discuss an issue of insubordination only... any additional discussion before you are present will constitute further insubordination.

This MUST be done in earshot of his peers. You CANNOT allow the perceptin that this is acceptable.


Then procede with the real conversation in the 1SG's office.
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Sgt Stan Roberts
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Edited >1 y ago
All of the answers to this question are exactly what is wrong with the military these days. All of this cotton tailed nonsense. You whip that punk into shape right then and there. The end. I was terrified of my Sergeant.
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SFC William Allen
SFC William Allen
>1 y
I wasn't terrified of my Sargent, but I had a lot of respect for him. As a result, I was never disobedient to him (or the command staff) and had a great rapport with him. I showed up with an attitude of "let's get to work" and never really had a problem. When I became the senior NCO I tried to instill pride to my soldiers. I would take the lowest E-3 and have that person lead the formation, conduct PT and run the show for a morning. I found it to be a great tool for leadership building!
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SFC Health I.T. (Hit) Systems Security Engineer
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E9865ba3
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SSG Raul Alaniz
SSG Raul Alaniz
3 y
Absofreakinglutely, I'm on the same wavelength
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SSgt Jessie Bolado
12
12
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We all have a different leadership style, however i never agreed by leadership by a pen. TSgt Earl Needham and I agree with how to handle it. If I even think my authority has been challenged in public, which has happened once or twice, i instantly correct said problem in formation and publicly loudly and aggressively. Example is made that insubordination will be dealt with quickly and firmly. As a bonus PFC Shitbird, will be a master ninja at the art of performing on working whenever they came along until I believe a lesson has been learned. Instant obedience to orders, which if you have shown leadership by example this issue should rarely happen. Once again everyone's leadership style is different.
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SGT Marcus Mason
SGT Marcus Mason
>1 y
I like it.
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PFC Food Service Specialist
PFC (Join to see)
>1 y
in bct we had a female that felt she didnt have to listen to the DS and after tehy made her life a living hell she had to drop and do push ups any time a DS entered the room and wasnt allowed to stop until they told her to.
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LTC Executive Officer
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I have never seen anyone actually killed with a knife hand, but I believe this would be the proper occasion.

In all seriousness, this issue is not about the E5 and the E2, it's about the E5 and respect from the entire unit. Blatant disrespect in public must be dealt with publicly. Your soldiers must see that you will not tolerate one second of disrespect. The method you use to communicate that to your soldiers is up to you. If it happens privately, there's other ways to deal with it - paperwork probably being most effective.
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1LT Rich Voss
1LT Rich Voss
>1 y
Major - I said much the same thing as you (previously). Had it been me, I'd have never have actually posted such a comment on a "semi-public" forum. I had a private in my platoon in Germany, many years ago, that said he wouldn't salute me, as I was white, he hadn't been allowed to elect me to that position, and the Army and Government were a big "sham" to "keep him in his place". I instructed him in the fact that I also had been drafted and had earned my new position and rank without any help from him, and that he would indeed respect my rank (if not me personally) as that was required of him. And the consequences of failing to follow the Army rules and guidelines. He held strong to his beliefs, tried to murder another one of my soldiers during his sleep with a nine inch blade switchblade, and if he's still alive, is serving a life sentence for attempted murder in Ft. Leavenworth Prison. Fortunately, my specialist was a tough young man and survived. Amazingly, since he was stabbed multiple times in the chest. There is no place in the military for a junior ranking person to disrespect one of higher rank, publicly nor privately. One does so at ones own risk.
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CPT Tom Monahan
12
12
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I would give him the command to check his /her mouth and remind him/her that his/her failure to comply with the order of a Non-Commissioned Officer is punishable under the UCMJ and that after the detail is complete you and he/she will have a discussion where you are going to decide how move forward on further chouching, counseling and recommendation to the CoC for punishment which can include an Artile 15 or Courts Martial. Have that counseling with another NCO present and decide how you'll proceed then.
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SGM Forest1965 .
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Edited >1 y ago
Alot of you guys are looking at a small problem here, however, the big problem is, "What is the enviorment of this Command where an E-2, with less than a year, is not the least bit afraid to talk to an NCO in this manner. CSM Pendry stated in his book "3 Meter Zone" that the number one problem of a "3 Meter Soldier" is the "3 Meter NCO/Leader!!!!" Leaders set the standards that they want their soldiers to follow. If an E-2 is mouthing off to an NCO; I can almost guarantee that this NCO is part of the problem. During my first week as a fresh 1st Sergeant to this unit, I witnessed a female E-4 arguing with an NCO. After it was over, I did not immediately address the soldier, I immediately chewed the NCO entire butthole out. He was the problem because he allowed a soldier to get that comfortable to believe that she could get away with this bull!!!!! Don't get me wrong, I did not allow the soldier to get away with this, however, the bigger issue was the soldiers' leadership.
Now, this is how I would've dealt with this problem. Earlier, someone made the comment of giving "praise" in the front and reprimand behind close door. Technically, he is correct and that being all fine and dandy working in a perfect world, however, if a soldier is disrespectful/insubordinate to a leader in front of others. That leader must and should discipline this individual in front of that same group. We never want the lunatics to think that they are running the insane asylum. Get into his ass where the offense occurred and then document it and provide him with alot of "PUNITIVE" remedial training after hours. I am stating this again, "NCOS/LEADERS SET THE STANDARDS THAT THEY WANT THEIR SOLDIERS/SUBORDINATES TO FOLLOW!!!" Please an E-2 with less than a year of service mouthing off to an NCO. SMH!!!!!!
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