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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CPO Machinist Mate
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You are senor to him and he should respect rank.
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MSgt It Manager
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Article 31 and 98
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MSgt It Manager
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Article 31 and 98
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SFC James Mullins
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Push ups till he drops
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Cpl Bud Wilson
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Take little E2s smartphone and shove it up his ass elbow deep!! Cause you know it's in his pocket
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PV2 Josh Taylor
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The cake eater getting smoked like Marlboro
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COL Scott Pacello
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Not very well. Hand him over to the NCO's to sort him out.
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SGT Marcus Mason
SGT Marcus Mason
>1 y
Excuse me Sir but the situation that we are responding to says that "YOU" are the Senior E5. It is your responsibility to deal with the soldier.
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COL Scott Pacello
COL Scott Pacello
>1 y
That's fine. I would sort him out then. I had this happen a couple of times even as an officer with a senior NCO and later a senior warrant doing the same thing. I counseled them. If you have the rank you've got to deal with it.
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PO2 Katie Mercado
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It's happened to me before. What I want to do isn't what I should do. We should be able to go blow for blow in the tool room until I show them who's in charge. Now days you have to bow out or they will complain to the upper echelon and then you get reprimanded. I would now tell them if they didn't do it, I would write them up. That's all you can do. Make a paper trail. It really goes nowhere so this is indefinitely ineffective. It's all bullshit really
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SGT Marcus Mason
SGT Marcus Mason
>1 y
The paper trail will only not be effective if you let it be. You can't just paper them and then forget about it. I had a soldier that all anyone would do was paper them and roll on. You have to follow it up yourself.
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SP5 Daniel Morea
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The proper manner to handle such a situation, would be to have the trooper understand that while wearing this uniform, legal requests are to be obeyed and followed through. That only through team work and unity can the company complete its mission. This is part of the oath the soldier took when he or she was sworn in.
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SPC Tom Stacey
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With military bearing. Enligtnen your soldier of where they are and what responsibilities they have.
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CW3 Counterintelligence Technician
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As an NCO I would have quickly corrected it. Now I let other NCOs handle it.
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PO2 Charles Rothmund
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I'm with PO Thomasson.
I probably would have told him he didn't have to do it, give it to someone else, then make life one long latrine cleaning adventure until the light dawned. The first time. Automatic write up for anything after that following proper proceedure
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SFC Combat Engineer
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PRETTY DAM EASY ! As an E5 to an e2/3, wack him up side the head or UCMJ the smart mouth for disrespect & in subordination. If you give the person that just means some one else has to 'supervise' him.
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SSG Iver Small
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Give him the day off give all his buddies double duty
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SGT Marcus Mason
SGT Marcus Mason
>1 y
What happens when the next day, someone else does it?
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SGT Brent Shires
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tell them to lock it up their at the position of attention. then take him or her of the side with another NCO and have them explain themselves. Sometimes an Art 15 or personal counseling will fit. Explain to them there is a right way and a wrong way to say things in the Army but commands can never be left open for the individual to follow.
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SGT Steven Eugene Kuhn MBA
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From my humble view, and I got out in 1993, I had the same thing happen while deployed; A PVT said "no I will not do it". I asked him again and explained that although it is no ones favourite detail, that this is mission essential and I only choose those who I know will get the job done". He stood his ground and balled his fists and clenched his teeth. I made the statement that he needs to go cool down and we speak later.
Later in a one on one he simply said he is tired of being in the desert and he is sick of being the private, he could not see the importance of this task for the mission. I let him go with a warning, counselled him and said that setting the example goes both ways; up and down, that he is a good soldier and I too am ready to go home so lets let it go.
the CSM heard all this and told me I did the right thing but at the next smallest detail, I need to lean on him hard.
That night I made the rounds to check the guards on the perimeter, I looked at who was missing and it was the same PVT, fast asleep in his fart sack...needless to say he got an Article 15 the very next day. If a soldier is a bad apple, he will remain a bad apple and the time will come where discipline is inevitable.
The real point here is your authority; did you keep control of the situation no matter what, were you calm and not emotional and did you end the discussion or did he. These points matter when other troops are watching. Remember: People follow leaders they respect, they dont follow anyone out of respect for the rank.
Good luck.
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Sabah Heim
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Discipline
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SGT Steven Eugene Kuhn MBA
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From my humble view, and I got out in 1993, I had the same thing happen while deployed; A PVT said "no I will not do it". I asked him again and explained that although it is no ones favourite detail, that this is mission essential and I only choose those who I know will get the job done". He stood his ground and balled his fists and clenched his teeth. I made the statement that he needs to go cool down and we speak later.
Later in a one on one he simply said he is tired of being in the desert and he is sick of being the private, he could not see the importance of this task for the mission. I let him go with a warning, counselled him and said that setting the example goes both ways; up and down, that he is a good soldier and I too am ready to go home so lets let it go.
the CSM heard all this and told me I did the right thing but at the next smallest detail, I need to lean on him hard.
That night I made the rounds to check the guards on the perimeter, I looked at who was missing and it was the same PVT, fast asleep in his fart sack...needless to say he got an Article 15 the very next day. If a soldier is a bad apple, he will remain a bad apple and the time will come where discipline is inevitable.
The real point here is your authority; did you keep control of the situation no matter what, were you calm and not emotional and did you end the discussion or did he. These points matter when other troops are watching. Remember: People follow leaders they respect, they dont follow anyone out of respect for the rank.
Good luck.
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PV2 Michael Rantz
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I was an E2, you don't do it! I was in the 82nd back in mid 80's. I saw the decline of respect then.
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SPC Roger Martin
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Discpline
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