Is the discipline of junior soldiers in steady decline, or is my perception of the situation changing as I mature in my career?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 20:48:07 -0500

I'm having a hard time deciding whether the discipline and general day to day attitude of junior Soldiers is steadily deteriorating or if my perception has changed due to life experience and the maturation of my career.

While I realize that ten years ago my first platoon sergeant probably had the exact same thoughts about my generation of recruits, it seems hard to believe that I was as undisciplined and out of control as some of the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen I've encountered recently. I am an instructor at a joint-service school, and the situation doesn't seem to be isolated to any particular branch. Don't get me wrong - there are still outstanding young men and women coming into service every day, but in general it seems like the quality of recruit is declining. I can't be the only one that feels this way, can I?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2015 9:01 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:01:07 -0500

You make a good point, SFC Private RallyPoint Member. I'm an old (retired) Soldier, so I feel what you are describing. I see Soldiers every day at my work. As you noted, there are some great Soldiers serving. That gives me hope. And then there are discipline issues that would not have "flown" in my day. I guess this is a generational phenomenon -- things just keep changing, and old timers think that the changes, especially when they relax standards, are for the worse.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2015 9:15 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:15:48 -0500

Could it be a case of "the older I get the younger they are"?
Granted I'm on the civilian side now, but I'm a small business owner and my wife a high school teacher, and the things we see make us wonder. Were we like that? Maybe, but I can't remember acting like that.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2015 10:31 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 10:31:13 -0400

It's not just the Army. We notice the same thing in the Air Force. It's getting worse and worse every year.

Response by SGT Josheua Cooke made Oct 16 at 2015 1:36 AM

SGT Josheua Cooke — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 01:36:27 -0400

I can appreciate your plight. I believe it is a steady mixture of both. Look at work ethics and overall sense of entitlement in millennials born between 1983 and 1994. Generally speaking, people between the ages of 22 and 33 will be more matureized, responsible and feel less entitled than those born from 1995 on.

Keep in mind as an NCO, you have been through the ringer enough to be annoyed by junior soldiers acting up or whining when it will do the least to make the situation better. I had a myriad of better analogies and examples but the TBI kicked in.

Response by Cpl Jim Gilstrap made Feb 16 at 2017 3:09 PM

Cpl Jim Gilstrap — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:09:49 -0500

It is slightly possible that maybe this kids just got back from a deployment in a combat zone and was on edge or something....in my short time in the corps, I noticed that the young Marines seemed to be more disciplined on the little things, customs and courtesies than other services. In addition, not all services are exactly the same, or weren't when I was in...87-91. Could also have been when I was at my first school (a joint service school) on an Army base, the soldiers that are at their duty station are a little different. The Army students were still under supervision of Drill Sergeants. There was also a small contingent of Air Force students there as well. However, I believe every generation probably has its problems.

Response by SSG Walter Corretjer made Jun 1 at 2017 6:53 PM

SSG Walter Corretjer — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:53:26 -0400

You're are right.The Army in recent years,has gone very low on its standars,discipline and demands.
You can even see,in Basic Training,the limited push on privates,it was seen years ago.In these days,DI's are even prohibited of making privates pull on push ups,when
performing on a substandard way.

Response by 1SG Ernest Stull made Mar 21 at 2021 5:23 PM

1SG Ernest Stull — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 17:23:36 -0400

As the leadership declines so goes the discipline.

Response by SR Kenneth Beck made Mar 22 at 2021 12:54 PM

SR Kenneth Beck — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 12:54:45 -0400

". . .but in general it seems like the quality of recruit is declining."' I can recall the same thing being said about me and my compadres in boot camp, January 1966

Response by SSG Eric Blue made Mar 22 at 2021 1:40 PM

SSG Eric Blue — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 13:40:38 -0400

Steady decline overall, but a straight-up nose dive in certain places.

Response by Lt Col Timothy Cassidy-Curtis made Mar 22 at 2021 2:14 PM

Lt Col Timothy Cassidy-Curtis — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 14:14:00 -0400

The world is changing, and will continue to change. Training practices that seemed okay years (decades!) ago have been reviewed and adjudicated. Some have been deemed no longer useful, or downright unfair and/or illegal. In addition, recruits, these days, are more sophisticated (on a general average) and their expectations of fairness are different then our day (that was another millennium...whew! That's a concept!). In several cases, the newer expectations of fairness have ruled the day. It's possible that this accounts for some of your perceptions.

The other part is that kids today feel more entitled. That'll get trained right out of 'em!