Posted on Oct 16, 2016
How would you react to an E2 who "smart mouths" you in formation?
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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?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3697
In my 40 years in the military, I have never had that happen to me. You need to carry your self as a professional at all times, on and off duty. No matter what level of leadership you are in command of that unit. No matter what, your soldiers must know that and respect your authority. They have to have the confidence that you know what you are doing. In combat, when you give an order they need to follow that order. To many Officers and NCOs put them selves in the situation you have described. That is not professional at all. You are in the military, not in some political group.
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Demonstrate to all that this behavior is unacceptable and reprimand with with an article 15..... in the old day.... we would "smoke" that soldier so he would understand the consequences of his insubordination. Of course the extra curricular training would be related to the offense
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I would drop his a** and the rest of the formation to some immediate and rigorous PT. I would let his fellow soldiers know that thanks to Private D***head they will get more of the same each and every time he opened his mouth to say anything but " Yes Sargent ".
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EMI, After 20 or 30 fighting holes attitudes should improve. Or a wall to wall counseling session may suffice.
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The same way I handle new employees here in Civilian life...I raise my eyebrow, let them know with liquid nitrogen cold menacing calm that I can make them regret it if they don't, and allow them an opportunity to apologize and turn to.
"No second chances"
When under my leadership they should l know I won't assign anything I hadn't done myself before, and I'm not at all afraid to drag him by his short hairs if need be to the next level of authority (who probably gave me the order to pass down)...and they will decide whether or not the person needs written up.
If it's someone that's giving my seniors under me grief, I will listen, and take appropriate action, especially if it's something that is a pass down order through me. Chain of Command will be observed with little questioning and no disrespect.
"No second chances"
When under my leadership they should l know I won't assign anything I hadn't done myself before, and I'm not at all afraid to drag him by his short hairs if need be to the next level of authority (who probably gave me the order to pass down)...and they will decide whether or not the person needs written up.
If it's someone that's giving my seniors under me grief, I will listen, and take appropriate action, especially if it's something that is a pass down order through me. Chain of Command will be observed with little questioning and no disrespect.
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As a senior NCO I would have kept my military bearing the respect for this young man because he was an American Soldier but when I got through with his smart mouth that would be the last time he mad at anyone because when I got through tempting to court-martial him his life would be miserable and as a lot of senior ncos out there that would do the same thing but they don't want anybody to know it I work too hard to get where I was and I was not going to take no mouth off of an enlisted I didn't you take it off ncos of the same rank. I was a first sergeant and a line unit in Korea I was a battalion operations NCO I was in a senior instructor from my MOS I was just subject matter expert for the school,. During the first time in the desert spent numerous hours on the phone talking to people in the war zone and even had to go over there so I was not going to take no mouth off no private.
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Like the GySgt said, nip it in the bud right then and there. Any show of disrespect can have an adverse effect on the effective leadership.
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Back in my SAC SP days, anyone who disrespected anyone of a higher rank found themselves walking the Alert Tanker Area for a month. If the attitude was not adjusted by then, it usually went on towards an Article 15 and involuntary release from the AF.
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Navy! Remind Mr. Barfmouth just how deep the Pacific Ocean is, and just how far away CONUS is to swim and demand an instant replay to see if that tape was recorded properly. Furthermore, ask him if he swims faster than the sharks watching him thinking of noon chow.
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