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
Been there, this happened, and when you get promoted to an E5 faster than your coworkers, AND you have to set the detail for the day, I had one say that, like the E2 and I stated, you have a choice to do it, or be written up, I have no issues with doing that today, make it happen and get to work. The other one was much sneakier, the E3 who wasn't promoted, he said, ok, got it, and disappeared on me, after I found him in the barber shop of our boat, I stated get back to work and he was a bigger guy than me, and he started to point his finger at me, and get in my face, and he was upset, I was telling him what to do, I stated, the next thing that comes out of your mouth is sorry and I will get to work, or I will escort you to our division officer and we can have you at xo mast tomorrow. If you ever point your finger at me again and do this crap, I won't even talk to you about it. He transferred off our boat the next month. It wasn't boot camp where you can yell and get into their face, it was a ship that wasn't that big but buttheads did exist. The E2 scenario is pretty easy to deal with, there are more challenging scenarios out there where people push the limits, but you have to deal with it immediately. I was pretty young, 20, and still learning, but I got a quick indoc on slackers and the games they play.
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Also you could give members that do respect you some type of incentive for doing the right thing. Every time they turn down a task whoever steps up and take it for example, Gets a longer lunch break,a morning to skip PT, a day off, or whatever is feasible in your situation. Just do not announce the incentive until after someone step ups!
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They obviously do not understand how frustrating it is to be the person in charge, Therefore overwhelm them with responsibility and delegate things to them that require them to act as a team leader and get their fellow members to listen and follow their instructions. Thats how you get respect and build a respectable member at the same time! It also shows that you work well with adversity.
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I agree this needs to be handled immediately. But I would factor in that this is a boot camp. I would tell the apprentice to stand by after the formation is dismissed and counsel with Extra Military Instruction and document with a Counseling Chit. And make it known that the insubordination will not be tolerated and continuing insubordination will lead to further administrative action which could lead to XOI, Mast, other NJP or OTH.
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I don't care if that E-2 had less than a year or not, he'd need a new face and it would take a combat engineer to dig my boot out of his rear end.
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I had this very thing happen. I told her I'd give her one chance to obey my order OR be standing in the Commander's office at 1700 getting disciplinary action. She squeaks back "I'll take my chances with the commander." So I order her to go stand over out of the way at parade rest until we were finished (washing vehicles from the field). I did that so she couldn't change her mind 10 minutes before we were done, jump in and help at the last second and say I lied on her and that she really did obey. Within 48 hours she lost a stripe. Done deal! 14 days restriction (which she broke and got her civilian clothes confiscated), lost of a pay grade, and I believe loss of some of her paycheck.
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UCMJ...ensure your counseling is current; proper documentation showing what is expected of the Soldier upon their entry to the unit. Then recommend UCMJ for failure to obey an order!
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Back during the Nam, l would have put my foot in his, well new Military sucks, Sempi Fi.
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