Is this West Point cadet checking her phone while marching in formation?

2016-05-22T20:09:51-04:00

What does it look like to you? It's clearly a marching formation and it looks like the cadet is checking her phone while marching. What do you think?

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made May 22 at 2016 8:11 PM

2016-05-22T20:11:07-04:00

Oops, Sure looks like it to me.

Response by SPC Terry Martin made May 22 at 2016 8:13 PM

2016-05-22T20:13:33-04:00

No Doubt!

Response by LTC Stephen F. made May 22 at 2016 8:33 PM

2016-05-22T20:33:15-04:00

It seems that Firstie SGT is checking a cell phone or some other type of electronic device CPT Aaron Kletzing. I suppose it could be a camera or less likely a GPS. :-)
I wonder if they are marching to or from Michie Stadium. That seems to be what they are doing.

Response by CPT Daniel Glorsky made May 22 at 2016 9:03 PM

2016-05-22T21:03:47-04:00

Nice

Response by CPT Daniel Glorsky made May 22 at 2016 9:04 PM

2016-05-22T21:04:19-04:00

The Corps has....

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made May 22 at 2016 9:27 PM

2016-05-22T21:27:30-04:00

Are cadets issued some sort of special gloves which work with touch screens?

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made May 22 at 2016 9:27 PM

2016-05-22T21:27:55-04:00

I think these are the seniors who are about to graduate and become 2LTs, too...nice

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 22 at 2016 9:46 PM

2016-05-22T21:46:49-04:00

This goofball will be someones leader one day. Geez!

Response by SSgt Terry P. made May 22 at 2016 10:01 PM

2016-05-22T22:01:55-04:00

CPT Aaron Kletzing definitely a phone. lol

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made May 22 at 2016 10:19 PM

2016-05-22T22:19:03-04:00

CPT Aaron Kletzing Wow! Drill Sergeants are needed in other places in addition to AIT!

Response by LTC Monte Anderson made May 23 at 2016 12:50 AM

2016-05-23T00:50:54-04:00

Too late. She's a Lt by now.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2016 3:18 AM

2016-05-23T03:18:48-04:00

She must have been using a metronome IOT keep the proper marching cadence

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2016 4:18 AM

2016-05-23T04:18:42-04:00

Are they officially marching? I see when guy staring at the ground another is looking to his left. I suppose route stepping to where they are going. I imagine checking your phone is not what you are supposed to be doing in any case. Unless she screwed up and it started ringing now she is trying to shut it off.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2016 7:04 AM

2016-05-23T07:04:09-04:00

ah....yes, yes she is ....DAMN

Response by SPC Terry Martin made May 23 at 2016 8:59 AM

2016-05-23T08:59:39-04:00

And it went Viral on the News today!

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made May 23 at 2016 9:43 AM

2016-05-23T09:43:26-04:00

Well the saying is perception is reality. If it looks like she is checking her phone, then she is checking her phone. Either way, the lack of discipline is disturbing.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made May 23 at 2016 10:49 AM

2016-05-23T10:49:59-04:00

Very sad!!!

Response by PO3 Sandra Gomke made May 23 at 2016 11:05 AM

2016-05-23T11:05:35-04:00

I hope not!! *sigh*

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made May 23 at 2016 4:18 PM

2016-05-23T16:18:54-04:00

Sad state of affairs in our military today, this is an individual who will be taking charge of a platoon in the very near future and she doesn't have the discipline to do the right thing when everyone is looking, how bout when she is "hidden" from public view?!!

Response by PO2 Robert W. made May 23 at 2016 4:31 PM

2016-05-23T16:31:18-04:00

This sort of thing really infuriates me. Yes, IF she is checking her phone and IF she is in formation then yes she is wrong, as is the fella behind her and most everyone else in the picture for various reasons. But truth be told, based on a single photo, that may have been cropped or edited, we really don't know anything about what is happening here.
Without much more back story and the rest of the photo, this is nothing more than troll bait.
But hey, if we do need to speculate about the photo, I'm gonna wonder why the firetruck is up on the grass.

Response by SGT Randel Pruett made May 23 at 2016 4:51 PM

2016-05-23T16:51:56-04:00

OMG! What's wrong with people these days?

Response by Sgt Christopher Wenzel made May 23 at 2016 5:27 PM

2016-05-23T17:27:24-04:00

That's the future of the Army right there!

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made May 23 at 2016 5:39 PM

2016-05-23T17:39:52-04:00

She is checking the GPS coordinates.

Response by MSgt John Taylor made May 23 at 2016 5:51 PM

2016-05-23T17:51:46-04:00

Why do they have phones?

Response by CPL Jay Strickland made May 23 at 2016 6:56 PM

2016-05-23T18:56:56-04:00

Were they in route step march? It looks like they were either about to start a cermonial march or after one.

Response by Sgt Kevin Curl made May 23 at 2016 8:06 PM

2016-05-23T20:06:15-04:00

Schools that are supposed to make our military officers is getting pretty pathetic , we have the black Cadets with fist in the air and now we have a woman cadet marching in formation checking her cell phone . Wow , our military has been getting destroyed in the last 8 years with cut's of good people when the under qualified get's in .

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made May 23 at 2016 9:43 PM

2016-05-23T21:43:47-04:00

I am sure it was emergency texting and could not be postponed.

Response by SP5 Hank Vandenburgh PhD made May 24 at 2016 4:11 AM

2016-05-24T04:11:56-04:00

Cadet Lieutenant, too.

Response by SFC Phillip Wiley made May 24 at 2016 11:13 AM

2016-05-24T11:13:35-04:00

And this is why leadership is so screwed up these days. A total disregard and disrespect "I do what I want attitude".. So the next question is why no one else around her has not taken that thing and chucked it like a grenade.

Response by SSgt Isidro Galguera made May 24 at 2016 7:22 PM

2016-05-24T19:22:10-04:00

I don't really care if she is marching or at route step......Should be looking forward and proud. Should not have a freaking cell phone during formation or any official uniformed event. I hope she gets counseled. One stupid mistake and your whole unit looks bad because of you. Not fair to the other cadets or the Army. Semper Fi!

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made May 24 at 2016 9:11 PM

2016-05-24T21:11:07-04:00

Looks like a gaggle to me.

Response by 2LT Ronald Reimer made May 25 at 2016 4:57 AM

2016-05-25T04:57:37-04:00

Maybe she was navigating or using Siri to make sure they were going the right direction?

Response by MAJ Pete Dencker made May 26 at 2016 1:18 PM

2016-05-26T13:18:44-04:00

Not trying to defend what she's doing -
Looks to me like this is the Senior group coming back from the Graduation parade, after they've left the Corps and after they've left the parade field.

Response by Jayden Manning made Jun 6 at 2017 2:43 PM

2017-06-06T14:43:43-04:00

Yooooo dude I can't she definitely looks like it. is she a senior regardless she should know better. Where is someone to give her a quill. do they still call them that? Wish I knew how this ended who else

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jun 6 at 2017 3:14 PM

2017-06-06T15:14:56-04:00

Oh relax people. Once you get past all the Hooah and catch phrases, remember, they're just college kids... West Point, for all it's grandeur, Hogwarts like edifice and beautifully manicured lawns, is not Leonidas's Spartan Camp. These are college kids. We all know it's not rare to see CSM's walking and talking on phones, 1SG's in front of formations on phones, people with hands in pockets, so on, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.

Phones ring. Emergencies occur. Life happens. Even in college.

Response by Maj Charles Porter made May 21 at 2022 6:47 PM

2022-05-21T18:47:58-04:00

Receiving orders in the "New Action Army". OOOP's I"m showing my age.

Response by Maj Charles Porter made May 21 at 2022 6:49 PM

2022-05-21T18:49:48-04:00

Hey, Siri, What is my position? over.

Response by SSG Byron Hewett made May 22 at 2022 7:49 PM

2022-05-22T19:49:37-04:00

Yup it sure is! that's a big fat NOGO at this station

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Jun 14 at 2022 9:28 AM

2022-06-14T09:28:43-04:00

If this is "marching in formation" there is so much wrong here that the cell phone is just one thing of many. Not everyone is in step. People are looking all over the place. Posture is horrendous. The hats are all at various angles. Arm swing is nowhere near uniform.

I have to believe this is a route march.

Response by SPC Terry Martin made Jun 14 at 2022 10:53 AM

2022-06-14T10:53:26-04:00

GIG fa sure!