If you found out your Leader or Immediate Supervisor was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?

I had an experience in the spring of 1967. I was an E-3,in just over a year. Due to an auto accident I was working in supply rather than my AFSC. We had a rash of MD 3 generators coming in off the flight line with cable/cable head damage because the cables weren't stacked properly on the generator. If i remember right (i got out in '69), the MD 3 had 1 AC Gen. and 3 DC gen., each with 30 ft. of cable each attached to a breaker. A MD 3A had an AC and 1 DC Gen, a MD 3M had 1 AC and 2 DC generators. A MD 3 already had 90 ft. of cable stacked on it. All of the generators also had a60 ft. refueling AC cable on them. The 60 ft. had 2 cable heads, 1 on each end. (The generator would be parked farther away from the aircraft for refueling.). One end of the refueling cable would be for the aircraft the other would be plugged into an external power compartment. The cable heads were marked HIVALUE and had a serial number and would have to be turned in to get a replacement. The cables were marked DIFM-HIVALUE. (Due In for Maintenance). Had to turn the old to get the new. Now, SAC had a Big R Suggestion program then, and I decided to make one, as there was a award given if SAC bought it. I probably made a mistake in asking our QC Inspector about how I should go about putting one in, but I was young and dumb, and asked him about it. Well, "If it's a good one, I'd be happy to help you with it."

My suggestion was to eliminate the 30 ft cable, attach the 60 ft to the brkr. there by saving 30 ft of cable and 2 cable heads.Thereby giving more room to stack cables and less chance of the cables falling off during transport. It would make a big savings.

Well guess what, he helped me all right - he put it in as his suggestion! SAC bought it and HE was awarded $900.00! Think about it. $900 bucks, as an E3, I'm making less than $100 a month! To me that was a chunck of change! Now it gets better! The replacement cables w/cable heads came in free and clear! no DIFM, no HIVALUE! So the shop is changing them out and piling the old cables in the corner. One Saturday,I went in for stand-by duty and there was SSgt. .... I know his full name but I won't put it here, had his POV in the hanger loading his trunk up! He gave me a song and dance about how he had to make sure this all got back to Col. Obus. OK, I didn't buy that for a second, but I didn't rat on him. I had visions of me, an E3 making waves for a ssgt. I'd wind up in deep dodo! The out come was for the rest of my time there, I could do no wrong in the shop and always got expert on my evaluations.

Real easy.......the Army doesn’t ask us to have Personal Courage.....it requires it. See something wrong, report it. Don’t be a coward.

Not in the military, but in a civilian job in a small company, I was ordered by the people financing our company to ship materials as USDA accepted when they were not. I declined, saying "There are worse things than a bankruptcy." I was fired a week later. There are worse things than a bankruptcy.

My boss faced down a senior officer who wanted to continue a practice that we had determined was illegal. My boss made it clear that he was not backing down, and would report the officer to the installation commander if the officer persisted in conducting the illegal activity. As the installation commander had already been briefed about the illegal practice, and had authorized shutting it down, my boss's position was a safe bet. Even so, the level of physical and psychological intimidation by the senior officer was something to behold.

As you might have guessed, my boss won that argument.

Worked with a ass hole captain We had a mutual hate for each other. He would come in every morning, put his Harmon his desk and disappear. My partner was a former security policeman. He asked me if I smelled booze on the Captain. We started watching him. He would leave the office for a hiding place in the hangar where he would meet friends and drink. We went to our director who called the Wing Commander. Next morning the OSI showed up at their secret meeting place. The captain lost his PRP so had to move. He went to personnel

There are hotlines for most ethical lapses, however many situations require a name which will likely become known to the perp(s), I would like to think most people would report it, either via the chain of command or through NIS, CID or similar routes. If you do not report it, you may be deemed culpable down the road when it does come out. Fat Leonard is a good case study in the blowback that occurs when it does.

Inform them that I was turning them in then turn them in

In a heartbeat! I’d go the JAG and find out what my options were and drive-on!

Is blackmail a viable option?

First I would make absolutely sure it was true without a doubt....then I would confront him/her....then I would tell them that they better stop and depending on the situation, I would tell them to either turn themselves in or I would.