Posted on Oct 16, 2016
LTJG Ansi Officer
1.85M
16.7K
5.38K
1.5K
1.5K
0
08a24fcb
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?
Avatar feed
Responses: 3697
Votes
  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Votes
SGT Tim. Wilson
0
0
0
Well during my time I would leave him standing until I releast the rest of the platoon to go do their assigned jobs. Then I would make the private start doing pushups while I went in the off and talked to my other NCOs. Then we would probably have a trash can drill on this young private to help him straighten up his attitude. Or I would march his whiny little ass into the First Sergeants office and being him up on a couple different charges that I can think of off top of my head and request that he be put in solidary confinement until his, at minimum, Art 15 hearing.
Now a days who knows what they would do or be allowed to do. I think they are starting to develop wimps not soldiers. A lot of the guys I've seen coning out of training, hell even some coming out of Marine boot camp are going to crap their pants the first time they are put in a real life fire fight with NO tine out cards!
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SCPO Randy Breidel
0
0
0
It's obvious that the E2 maybe soon to be an E1 has some underlying issues, possibly personal that triggered his response without thinking death of a parent, loss of a close friend, etc. or the E2 has started hanging out with the wrong crowd. Immediate action is to have his section leader and him removed from formation and waiting outside your office or desk depending on unit space. Inquire the rest of the formation if they are aware of anything happening recently to the E2, if they do not wish to share they can tell you after formation. Get the facts but unless it is over whelming issue as above UCMJ punishment should be pursued it may stop at a Disciplinary Review Board depending on your Service. The E-2 would also be giving an apology to the formation for breaking down the chain of command and why to important to follow orders even when we may not like them. Also he will not take away from the sections unit cohesiveness again
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Cpl Randall Ball
0
0
0
Pick a spot 1 foot behind said shit stain. Destroy everything between you and said spot.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Cpl Robert Robinson
0
0
0
What... Are you out your mind. Do it private... Thats what I would say...
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGT Brian Laverty
0
0
0
Wall to wall counseling
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
CPO Jerry Lawrence
0
0
0
Before responding, I have read through many of the responses and agree with most of them. Through my years I have often been handed the shit-bags and several of those same shit-bags crossed over to the dark side (became O's) or promoted to brother chiefs. Being a leader means being creative with enforcing our orders and grabbing "Johnny's" attention that will make him/her understand that "if you're gonna be dumb; you've gotta be strong." Something like this would possibly mean constant supervision by myself, the the squad leader, and the team leader working in shifts while Johnny/Jane stands at attention on the footsteps under the flagpole (just an example) until the three of us get tired....that could take a long time, because we would simply be ensuring that we give a few sips of water every hour or so because we don't want Little Johnny/Jane to dehydrate while I am propped up against a tree. Every situation is different, leadership works both ways; know your troops and make damn sure they know you and your (and the service in-which you serve) expectations. You are the leader and it is your job to develop that shit-bag into a future leader. If you don't take the time to develop and guide future leaders in your shadow someone with a smaller shadow, lesser principles and skills will. Remember we can not throw them all out. God knows that I had great chiefs and petty-officers who saw something in me and took the time to put me on the right path. 10% of our troops take 90% of our time, while 90% of our troops only takes 10%.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGT Supply Specialist (S4)
0
0
0
Karate chop to the throat! GS....
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
PO3 Vernon Love
0
0
0
You shut him down first so others do not think they can do the same thing. Then take him or her to private quarters to fi d out what the problem is before punishment is handed out. Anything could have happened. The E-2 should have shown more respect for the E-5 and the situation at hand. That was the wrong way to go about it. I went 3 month in the Navy without a paycheck because of a problem with our disbursing office on the carrier I was on. I told my Senior Chief in private that I quit, until I had a chance to talk to our Captain, and that was after I went through my chain of command with no results. I ended up in Captains Mast for insubordination. Once the commanding officer found out what had happened, heads started to roll. There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. As long as respect is used, and the chain of command is utilized, then you can get things done. But always be respectful.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGT Bryce Bivens
0
0
0
can ya smell the smoke a coming................he would be so tired at the end of the day....possibly the next day too
get over the kinder gentler army crap....................i sure as hell hope mad dog corrects this shit ...pc is BS and troops doing that i would be lucky not to lose rank over that one
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SFC George Sease
0
0
0
Make sure that they will regret their shotgun mouth overloading their BB ass. Counseling Statements, extra duty, peer pressure, and some extra PT lead by myself.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Sgt Clint Scordellis
0
0
0
E2 just won everybody's work for the day!
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Sgt Josh Smith
0
0
0
Verbal tirade. Disobey an order? Disrespect an NCO? Undermine command authority? In the presence of the unit? In full view of the entire unit? The entire combat unit? Yeah. Go R. Lee Ermey on his ass. No physical contact, but unload with every torturous 18inch gun in your verbal battery all at once, everything, direct questioning with only yes/no sergeant direct answers, tie the kid up in a nice little sarcastic military logic knot. If he hangs, if he goes through it, in the presence of the unit he just challenged you in front of, if he cooperates, his body language will let you know precisely when you can take your foot off the gas. Then you ease up and go back to pretending he didn't do it, fire-and-forget, no counseling, no paperwork, no one up the chain needs to know anything because it was dealt with instantly, on the spot, and rectified. If, however, his body language indicates anything else other than instant obedience to orders and a desire to train and tend toward a high degree of unit integrity, then you verbally destroy him, then ostracize him. No normalcy, no cliques are to accept him, extra menial duties, extra firewatches, the entire unit should shun him until he cools off and asks the only logical question that should permeate his untrained brain housing group: why me? And the entire unit should be prepared, whether in agreement about this particular approach or not, to back this NCO up by saying "Because you disrespected the Sergeant, you fool." Shortly after the young lad hears these words, the unit should receive some subtle signal to ease the social pressure being brought to bear, and this sergeant would make a deliberate effort to have another series of tasks to hand out, and guess who gets an assignment? Professionally, no hard feelings, and the thing you don't tell him is we've been through this, this is your only second chance. It's here are your duties, any questions? Still no paper. Still no involvement of any commissioned- or warrant-type folks. Just an NCO training America's finest. If the kid doesn't get it, then he's untrainable, paper him for every mistake, flush him to the police shed and waste no school boat spaces and no more taxpayer training dollars on him at any time until he EASs and he goes on individual duty.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGM Retention and Transition NCO (USAR)
0
0
0
If a Soldier less than 6 months removed from indoctrination speaks openly like this? Jeez...
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SPC Les Darbison
0
0
0
I Don t know what you can do now days the hole platoon would get a little extra work out. And know to never question a lawfully order again. Pretty sure that would handle it.. if it didn't there's more extra work!!
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Cpl Shawn Dugan
0
0
0
E2 has a major malfunction if he was my marine he would drop give me 50 then his squad leader would be informed to get his man squared away and to teach his man how to tactfully bring up his problems,sergeant should also brush up on his leadership skills pass them on to his nco's !
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SPC Daniel Burke
0
0
0
You do as ordered..like yesterday. You make an example out of Pvt. Shit bird. Make damn sure everyone knows you're in charge and won't have your orders disobeyed
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
PO2 Michael Wehlus
0
0
0
Back between 66-70 I would guantee that he do the job in front of the 1st Div at quarters
If he complied fine if he continued being disrespectful we sent that person Mess cooking
Seemed to work all the time
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGT Chris Stone
0
0
0
I'm going to punish his body with py
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
PO2 Gerald Smiley
0
0
0
When I was a E-5 I had a E3 that refuse to do what he was suppose to do I followed the instuction on how to handle it & went by the book Couple days Later I come back to work I am on report & a capt mast the kid call his parents & they got a hold of someone & the Navy at capt Mast the capt told me that I was 100% right but due to the people that was on his back he had to do something I got a subpending bust for six months
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SFC Military Police
0
0
0
If this is in basic, reinforce teamwork and smoke the group. After a few times of that, everyone will get tired of getting smoked for one shitbag and the problem will solve itself. If this is at the unit, I'd pull his chain into the office and inform them that it had better not happen again or his shit is in the wind.
(0)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

How are you connected to the military?
  • Active Duty
  • Active Reserve / National Guard
  • Pre-Commission
  • Veteran / Retired
  • Civilian Supporter