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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David Wawrzyniak
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Sir yes sir
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SSG Mark Franzen
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There would be formal counseling and If It kept being a Problem then Put into writing and tell that is not acceptable and If it continues I would Recommend a AR15 under the UCMJ
and Be discharged. SSG MARK FRANZEN VET
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LCDR Retired
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Make certain the E@ understands that I just gave him/her an order and I expect it to be carried out.
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CWO2 Richard Rose
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I had that exact thing happen way back when I was a young RM2 and Class Petty Officer for the IMCO course that I was TAD from my ship to Attend. There was an RMSA (E-2) that was nine years my senior, but three grades my junior. I had the class members in a rotation to clean the classroom and take out the trash. When, it came to the E-2's time he refused and said, no 19 year old Petty Officer is going to tell me to do crap. Being a fleet sailor I had no problem dressing him down. Well, a Staff Chief just happened to walk by the class room as he began to mouth. You guessed it. I had my cleaning crew for the next ten weeks. I firmly believe in praise in public, chastise in private. I broke my run that day, but sometimes ou have to get down to their level to get your point across.
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PO3 Christopher Jonah Nelson
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There's obviously a good order and discipline issue here. This Apprentice obviously doesn't respect the E5's mess, and unless you were telling him to do something wildly inappropriate, it's time to find out whether or not he respects the Chief's mess.
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PO3 Petty Officer 3rd Class
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I too believe in praise in public, punish in private. So far in my military career there has only been three times where I had to really get to the heart of the matter, in my office away from the other troops with one of my other NCO peers in the room to add more weight and substance to the matter at hand. But as far as the E-2 is concerned, he has lost his frickin' mind. If I issue a lawful order not contrary to good order and discipline, then that PFC needs to just say "Aye, Aye Corporal"....and carry out what he was ordered to do. If not, that's ok cause after he does what he is supposed to...Stand by! I was always fair to my Marines and never used my position as power, but if they thought they didn't have to obey an order because they didn't feel like it, they would quickly understand that their personal concerns do not come before the mission at hand (other than threat to human life or something of that serious magnitude.)
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PFC Kyle Shrader
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Smoke him. Front leaning rests until I'm tired, then some front, back, goes, maybe some iron mikes.
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PO1 Kenneth Smith
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Failure to obey a lawful order. Write him up. That individual will not learn any clearer. S/He is trying to buck the system.
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AA Brett Pruitt
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Pulled to a private location with a witness and given one opportunity to defend their actions. Then comes the ultimatum. Fall in or drum out.
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Pvt Loren Giles
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Tell him he has no choice, I am giving a lawful order so finish the exercise
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SSG Wally Lawver
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Release everyone else to the plan of the day,,,,Keep this mouthy individual and make their day,week,month suck (as long as it takes for them to see the light) Document it with a counseling, just incase this individual continues down the road of poor choices:)
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SFC Bayardo Reyes
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is this in the Corps or the Navy? Either way, seems to be an issue through out all services. Soldiers or marines are not being broke down and build back up as they use to. So approach is totally different from 10+ years ago. Discussion can begin with "At ease", then "Stand by after formation", conduct one on one counseling verbally. (Your career can depend on it, depending on how your chain of command is)
At the same time, by experience most soldiers will do as they see (like kids with their parents) If they see NCOs or Officers do the same as example, why they cant do the same?. This is where you step in as an NCO and explain about Discipline and provide leadership instead of just barking. What kind of climate/environment is this?
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SGT Leroy Brown
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"The pen is mightery than the sword!"
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SSG Jeremy Sharp
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I would take immediate corrective action in front of that same formation. You cannot allow toxic behavior to usurp your authority in front of your command structure. The effect can be devastating on unit discipline. Military bearing and professionalism are the foundation on which duty and mission performance are built.
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MSG Steve Gipson
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Right to the orderly room, ask why they refused your order. Have a witness. Them smoke them all day.
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SMSgt John Clifford
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A Letter of Repremand would be appropriate.
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LTC Immigration Judge
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Assign the task to someone else, counsel the soldier after formation and then report the incident immediately to the platoon sergeant or if you are the platoon sergeant, to the first sergeant.

The NCO chain will then do its job either by identifying the soldier's problem (who knows what he is going through), and either informally or formally punishing as appropriate.

As a company commander I had a soldier who started mouthing off to his squad leader and platoon sergeant. The first sergeant and I talked about it a few times, and after learning that the soldier's brother had just committed suicide, we got that soldier help instead of an article 15.
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SSG Squad Leader
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Edited >1 y ago
Take them around the corner of the building after formation and perform corrective training. Don't put it on paper unless you need to and don't call them out in public.
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1LT Field Artillery Officer
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When I was in basic at Ft. Lewis in '73, I made a smartass remark that was overheard by my Drill Sargeant while we were in the field. 50 push-ups with a PRC-77 and an M60 on my back was the first phase. Then I humped those two pieces of equipment, along with my M16 and basic gear for the next 72 hours. Upon returning from the field, I had latrine duty for two weeks. It was amazing how my attitude changed, I was told.
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LCDR Naval Aviator
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Permanent shitty details until they accept one without complaint.
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