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

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Sun, 22 May 2016 20:09:51 -0400

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

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sun, 22 May 2016 20:11:07 -0400

Oops, Sure looks like it to me.

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

SPC Terry Martin — Sun, 22 May 2016 20:13:33 -0400

No Doubt!

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

LTC Stephen F. — Sun, 22 May 2016 20:33:15 -0400

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

CPT Daniel Glorsky — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:03:47 -0400

Nice

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

CPT Daniel Glorsky — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:04:19 -0400

The Corps has....

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

LTC Yinon Weiss — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:27:30 -0400

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

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:27:55 -0400

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

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:46:49 -0400

This goofball will be someones leader one day. Geez!

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

SSgt Terry P. — Sun, 22 May 2016 22:01:55 -0400

CPT Aaron Kletzing definitely a phone. lol

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

CSM Charles Hayden — Sun, 22 May 2016 22:19:03 -0400

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

LTC Monte Anderson — Mon, 23 May 2016 00:50:54 -0400

Too late. She's a Lt by now.

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

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 May 2016 03:18:48 -0400

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

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 May 2016 04:18:42 -0400

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

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 May 2016 07:04:09 -0400

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

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

SPC Terry Martin — Mon, 23 May 2016 08:59:39 -0400

And it went Viral on the News today!

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

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Mon, 23 May 2016 09:43:26 -0400

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

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Mon, 23 May 2016 10:49:59 -0400

Very sad!!!

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

PO3 Sandra Gomke — Mon, 23 May 2016 11:05:35 -0400

I hope not!! *sigh*

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

SFC William Swartz Jr — Mon, 23 May 2016 16:18:54 -0400

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

PO2 Robert W. — Mon, 23 May 2016 16:31:18 -0400

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

SGT Randel Pruett — Mon, 23 May 2016 16:51:56 -0400

OMG! What's wrong with people these days?

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

Sgt Christopher Wenzel — Mon, 23 May 2016 17:27:24 -0400

That's the future of the Army right there!

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

CPT Joseph K Murdock — Mon, 23 May 2016 17:39:52 -0400

She is checking the GPS coordinates.

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

MSgt John Taylor — Mon, 23 May 2016 17:51:46 -0400

Why do they have phones?

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

CPL Jay Strickland — Mon, 23 May 2016 18:56:56 -0400

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

Sgt Kevin Curl — Mon, 23 May 2016 20:06:15 -0400

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

CPT Joseph K Murdock — Mon, 23 May 2016 21:43:47 -0400

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

SP5 Hank Vandenburgh PhD — Tue, 24 May 2016 04:11:56 -0400

Cadet Lieutenant, too.

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

SFC Phillip Wiley — Tue, 24 May 2016 11:13:35 -0400

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

SSgt Isidro Galguera — Tue, 24 May 2016 19:22:10 -0400

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

MAJ Keira Brennan — Tue, 24 May 2016 21:11:07 -0400

Looks like a gaggle to me.

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

2LT Ronald Reimer — Wed, 25 May 2016 04:57:37 -0400

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

MAJ Pete Dencker — Thu, 26 May 2016 13:18:44 -0400

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

Jayden Manning — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 14:43:43 -0400

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

SFC Michael Hasbun — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 15:14:56 -0400

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

Maj Charles Porter — Sat, 21 May 2022 18:47:58 -0400

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

Maj Charles Porter — Sat, 21 May 2022 18:49:48 -0400

Hey, Siri, What is my position? over.

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

SSG Byron Hewett — Sun, 22 May 2022 19:49:37 -0400

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

SFC Casey O'Mally — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:28:43 -0400

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

SPC Terry Martin — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:53:26 -0400

GIG fa sure!