Posted on Oct 16, 2016
How would you react to an E2 who "smart mouths" you in formation?
1.85M
16.7K
5.38K
1.5K
1.5K
0
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?
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 3697
Inform them that if they do not accept this assignment there are other jobs worse than this one.
(0)
(0)
While the E2 is standing at attention the rest of the group is now doing push-ups etc. all on account of the E2, that would only be the start of it.. For the next 24 hrs no one would sleep and be doing crap details except the E2.. pillow parties will fix this issue.
(0)
(0)
Sounds like a soldier who doesn't want to be there. If race or gender is a factor, I would suggest being careful and have another NCO present when you verbally discipline the soldier away from the others. Keep in mind that if there is one thing the military loves to do is, screw an NCO for harassing an junior soldier.
(0)
(0)
SGT Randall Smith
In 1966 while in Germany we had a Saturday morning inspection by the CO. When they got down to one of the Pvt's that just got to our unit the 1LT, our CO, stopped and told the First that his man had a bad smell and needed a haircut. Really embarrassed the Top. Which was not very smart. After the inspection the Top called all of us to the Day Room and explained how he never wanted to be put in that position again and we would make sure the Pvt had a shower and haircut by 06 hundred the next morning. We talked to him, since we all lost our passes for the weekend, and he told us to get screwed, he had not bathed in a week and was not going to until he was kicked out.
About 11 pm that night he was dragged from his bunk and taken to the showers. With bristle brushes he was bathed and then with regular scissors he got his hair cut. His attitude was discussed. At 06:30 the Top came in our room and inspected all of us. He told the Pvt that he looked and smelled better but his haircut needed to be improved. He did not talk to any of us for the next 5 months. Then a levey came down and he was shipped out to Nam.
About 11 pm that night he was dragged from his bunk and taken to the showers. With bristle brushes he was bathed and then with regular scissors he got his hair cut. His attitude was discussed. At 06:30 the Top came in our room and inspected all of us. He told the Pvt that he looked and smelled better but his haircut needed to be improved. He did not talk to any of us for the next 5 months. Then a levey came down and he was shipped out to Nam.
(0)
(0)
We had that problem once when I was in. A SP4 (Specialist) from 2nd Fire told an E-5 from an A&T platoon to F off after the Sergeant gave the SP4 an order. The SPC was arrested and sent to the stockade in Mannheim for three months under a new colonel. He returned a completely different person. The charge was something like disobeying the lawful order of an NCO. We were all surprised. The SPC was very short by the time he came back from the Heim as an E-1 and he was convinced he was no longer Special Forces material nor was he a lifer. He wanted to keep his head down, do whatever they told him and get out.
(0)
(0)
Hmmm....Let's see, first I would call out the team leader and have him take said soon to be dead meat PFC to the side and detain him there until I was finished the other soldiers. Once finished with them, I would calmly explain to him that either followed lawful orders or the consequences will be dire. To punctuate the meaning I would then have the team lead take said moron PFC out to the PT field and run him until said PFC puked his guts out and then run him some more. If that didn't take the starch out of his shorts, then I'd put him on report.
(0)
(0)
At this point its already gone to far! You start smoking his bags in front of all his peers, flutter kicks, front back go's etc. Until you get tired! There is no room for this in the military!
(0)
(0)
What you are describing is insubordination. You may want to warn him of a Letter of Reprimand, if it happens again.
(0)
(0)
SGT Randall Smith
A letter of reprimand? This is an Article 15 beyond a doubt. If one gets away with it then you have a whole platoon doing it for fun. When this happen in our company the CO had no problem with 3 months in Long Bin Prison for lessons.
(0)
(0)
Life would become very difficult for the young man! As others stated, I would direct the E2 to remain where he was, dismiss the others, and have a heart to heart with him. I never cared for giving paperwork to slackers or insubordinates. One time during the early '90s, I gathered my guys and asked for a 2 volunteers for a crappy job. My 2 best stood up & said they'd do whatever was needed. I sent them home for a 3 day weekend & kept the 3 slackers back and "supervised" them cleaning the toilets. Toothbrush style. Normally, I had very few slackers, but when I did, I didn't mind taking away any free time they might have coming.
(0)
(0)
Every child is supposed to be able and should follow orders. Unless the gentleman is told to do something morally wrong or unlawful, the person in charge may request that the young person change his mind. The officer should do as a father would do, take away something from the individual. An example would be to that evening declare his bunk off-limits and the soldier must sleep on the floor no pillow just a sheet and a blanket. Also, the E5 could send the person to a "head doctor" to be encouraged to re-examine why he is in the army. If the person changes their attitude then he ought to be commended, if not, additional discipline should be assigned by the "head doctor" appropriate if no change then a dis-honorable discharge from the Army which would be noted by any civilian employer in any interview.
(0)
(0)
SGT Randall Smith
I do hope that you are joking. If he made it through Basic then he knows what is expected of him. You do not and can not put up with this crap.
(0)
(0)
I think it might depend a little on your branch of service and job specialty. I was in the Army in a combat MOS. Failure to instantly follow my orders could mean death to all. in peace time with a work assignment I would write him up without hesitation. In my time, if were in the field in peace time I'd beat the crap out of him. If I thought I couldn't I'd get help. This would be the first infraction the second I would drum him out of the service. I was also a recruiter and Station Commander and in that capacity I would never do the later. It would all be paperwork.
(0)
(0)
Well first off if he embarrasses me in formation after I give him instructions to do something, then you can bet your bottom dollar ass that he is going to get embarrassed in front of his peers. Don't think that you come to my formation and then have the balls to back talk me and then expect me to take you to a private place to talk, Oh Hell No!!!! Then if you continued to get lippy then we make a march for the Platoon Sergeants Office and take it from there and oh by the way I am authorized to grab you and move you to where I want you to go. That is the problem with the military today, we have to many people that want to make a day job. Well it's not it is 24/7 365 and you are on recall at all times. Don't ever think that you have to stand down because someone talks back, if we let that happen then we will be seen as weak. It seems as we are going backwards instead of forwards.
(0)
(0)
I would take him to a private place and tell him in no uncertain terms what he is going to do!
(0)
(0)
The 'Gunny's' response is the best. Unlike when my uncle was a Marine in 1960 , the NCO isn't allowed to kick his ass. Maybe the military needs to go back to that. Of course you can PT the individual to death or if the problem persists I suppose UCMJ action would have to be implemented.
(0)
(0)
I know times have changed since the early '70's when I served aboard destroyers, but I failed to follow a simple command from an E-6, we were in a new foreign port exchanging currency and they passed the word to Report to Quarters..it was standard practice in order to give us the same info about VD, when to be back on board, be good, etc..I was nearly up to the cash guy and my friends behind me gave me their money to exchange and said they'd tell the Chief...but this 1st Class came by and told me to get up to Quarters..I tried to explain..Nope..GIT. I didn't. Five minutes later I show up, cash in hand...my friends want nothing to do with me...as the Chief zooms in...Not only do I get nary a sound out..my ass gets chewed like it had never..ever been chewed before...and I then spent an hour in a steam locker cleaning air vent filters with a high-pressure steam hose. I must have lost 5 pounds in there. The chief asked if I learned my lesson..OH HELL YEAH. After that I didn't care how stupid an order...I polished brightwork in the rain once...I did it.
(0)
(0)
Read This Next