Posted on Oct 21, 2016
“I'm going to fail height-weight on purpose and get booted” – how would you handle this?
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This actually happened to me while I was a battery XO in Hawaii. My brigade had just gotten back from OIF and we were in that weird period of tons of people leaving the unit, and tons of new people coming in. I was in the motor pool like a good XO and one of the guys came up to me and asked to chat in private – he was a SPC (E-4) who was on soft shoe profile and had been for a few months. He was also on some PT profile, which many were skeptical of but that’s not the point. He was also quite overweight and in bad physical shape.
“I don’t want to be in the Army anymore,” he told me. “I’m just planning to keep failing height-weight over and over until I get booted out.” So I talked with him and we went back and forth about what’s really going on with him, etc. But he just stayed firm on: (1) wanting to get out of the Army ASAP; and (2) planning to put no effort into passing height-weight, to get booted.
Obviously I know what actions I took here but I don’t want to spoil it for everyone. How would you have responded in this situation?
“I don’t want to be in the Army anymore,” he told me. “I’m just planning to keep failing height-weight over and over until I get booted out.” So I talked with him and we went back and forth about what’s really going on with him, etc. But he just stayed firm on: (1) wanting to get out of the Army ASAP; and (2) planning to put no effort into passing height-weight, to get booted.
Obviously I know what actions I took here but I don’t want to spoil it for everyone. How would you have responded in this situation?
Height and Weight
Army Regulations
UCMJ
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 259
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Just get rid of him. One jerk can destroy an entire unit. A general discharge would be deserved.
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Booted him out since he didn't want to be there anymore.. Who from the unit would trust him in a foxhole anymore beside them.
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Todays Army is a day care... when I was in the military i had a few soldiers with the same thoughts my respond was the same "there are plenty of chapters to send you to confinement you finish your contract and then go home.".. they turned around on their own..
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Some people are just not fit for military service. Some can only take so much, and you (nor they) will know until they reach that point. When it happens, and after they have been counciled on the ramifications of a less than honorable discharge and they still want it, I say give it to them. Maybe a General under less than honorable conditions. But when they start threatening any action such as this guy did he should at most get a BCD. He was insubordinate and willfully in violation of regs. Depending on his demeanor and other factors, possibly even Court Martial, 6-6-and a kick.
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Some people just can't adjust to military life! It's not a camping club and it's not the Boy Scouts. If he doesn't want to be in the military then why did he join, he sure wasn't drafted. 30 day in the Stockade, reduced in rank, loss of pay, OTH after the Stockade time. If he doesn't want to be in the Military then let him go, he would useless in combat!!
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I don’t get some people. The average enlistment is four years, you usually make E4 somewhere in your second year and in most cases E4’s are in their early 20’s. So you’re already 1/3 through your enlistment when you achieve that rank,why not go the distance and get out at the end of your enlistment honorably? By the time you make E4 you’re already in the Army life routine, it’s a cakewalk from there!
If he wants out that bad, you’re not going to convince him, but if I was on a temporary soft shoe profile, I’d concentrate on my upper body and middle while I healed up, and there’s stationary equipment at the gym for cardiovascular I could use until I could run again.
It just doesn’t make sense to me! He knew going in the physical challenges!
If he wants out that bad, you’re not going to convince him, but if I was on a temporary soft shoe profile, I’d concentrate on my upper body and middle while I healed up, and there’s stationary equipment at the gym for cardiovascular I could use until I could run again.
It just doesn’t make sense to me! He knew going in the physical challenges!
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Why'd you join in the first place? The draft ended towards end of Vietnam. So you JOINED Freaking coward.
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You document it. Straight off. This soldier has just communicated to you, the XO that he intends, with forethought to fail a standard. Not through a fault of his own but because he wants out and he sees this as an avenue to do that. Without looking it up, I am fairly certain that alone is a crime by UCMJ standards.
You inform your Company First Sergeant and Company Commander of the interaction and what has occurred thus far. It is then in the Commanders hands as to where and how to proceed.
You inform your Company First Sergeant and Company Commander of the interaction and what has occurred thus far. It is then in the Commanders hands as to where and how to proceed.
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