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I find this to be humorous and also a legitimate issue. Recently I was at large training compound with multiple units there, basically a "mock up" of a FOB. So while in the latrine some soldiers, that must have been in one of the support units there were talking. They were complaining about the soldiers from the infantry unit calling them "POGs." And without missing a beat someone yells from a stall in the same building "Shut up POG." I couldn't help but to laugh.
I usually don't care what you do in the Army as long as you are doing your job and are maintaining your professionalism. These units that we were running into were far below the expectations of maintaining professionislism. There were so many uniform violations our CSM had to wear blinders where ever he walked so he could make it there without correcting every soldier on the way. If he did he would never make where ever he was going. I was just wearing ACUs. It was a bit chilly but I saw a soldier with the ECWCS gen III level 7 jacket, aka the marshmallow jacket. With some sort of toboggan cap that was not anything to do with the army. There was no uniformity and it seemed like no one in their unit cared.
I am not calling anyone a POG in this post. I have our support personnel in our unit that we view as peers. They were harder than anyone in that other unit. They act like soldiers just like we do.
What is your take on this? Do you think they are asking for it by they way they are? Should anyone be called a POG? Should they be expected to maintain the same standard as everyone else in the Army? And what is their CSM doing when this is happening?
I usually don't care what you do in the Army as long as you are doing your job and are maintaining your professionalism. These units that we were running into were far below the expectations of maintaining professionislism. There were so many uniform violations our CSM had to wear blinders where ever he walked so he could make it there without correcting every soldier on the way. If he did he would never make where ever he was going. I was just wearing ACUs. It was a bit chilly but I saw a soldier with the ECWCS gen III level 7 jacket, aka the marshmallow jacket. With some sort of toboggan cap that was not anything to do with the army. There was no uniformity and it seemed like no one in their unit cared.
I am not calling anyone a POG in this post. I have our support personnel in our unit that we view as peers. They were harder than anyone in that other unit. They act like soldiers just like we do.
What is your take on this? Do you think they are asking for it by they way they are? Should anyone be called a POG? Should they be expected to maintain the same standard as everyone else in the Army? And what is their CSM doing when this is happening?
Posted in these groups: 
Combat Arms
Support
Combat Arms Support
Edited 11 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 148
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Huh well I'm so un-hipp, prime & proper I just have to ask "what is a POG"??!!...Once I know that then maybe I can supply a good comment.
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CPT (Join to see)
Pogue is pejorative military slang for non-combat, staff, and other rear-echelon or support units. "Pogue" frequently includes those who don't have to undergo the stresses that the infantry does.
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We unanimously voted to roll on Red Air out of Camp Victory due to the extreme POG ness.
So you could call it person's other than grunts. you would be wrong the term goes back much farther and before the term Grunt was used to describe the infantry (I like 'crunchies' because that is the sound they make when tanks drive over them.).
Anyhow. Think of this, we would rather go out without air support than spend another minute in the land of the CSM and uniform violations. The 'Grooming Standard' was considered more of a threat than enemy action.
People can whine that they don't get the recognition that the infantry or the combat arms guys do. They can complain that we are out of uniform and not wearing the correct number of reflective belts. But seriously that arrogance is sometimes what keeps them coming back for more when you roll the day after taking an IED or haven't had a shower this week.
That pride, that cocky arrogant pride can keep you going when all else fails because the other option is to become a Fobbit.
If you are one of those non-combat arms types that spends lots of time out in sector, then when called an insulting term you turn around and say, 'Yeah, because it's not like i was getting shot at hauling your ass and your play station out to the COP. You signed up for that shit I got volentold.'
For the record I am now such a Fobbit that i doubt i would even know where the wire starts. Such things happen as you age. Now I have to say things that all add up to "I used to be cool! Honest!"
So you could call it person's other than grunts. you would be wrong the term goes back much farther and before the term Grunt was used to describe the infantry (I like 'crunchies' because that is the sound they make when tanks drive over them.).
Anyhow. Think of this, we would rather go out without air support than spend another minute in the land of the CSM and uniform violations. The 'Grooming Standard' was considered more of a threat than enemy action.
People can whine that they don't get the recognition that the infantry or the combat arms guys do. They can complain that we are out of uniform and not wearing the correct number of reflective belts. But seriously that arrogance is sometimes what keeps them coming back for more when you roll the day after taking an IED or haven't had a shower this week.
That pride, that cocky arrogant pride can keep you going when all else fails because the other option is to become a Fobbit.
If you are one of those non-combat arms types that spends lots of time out in sector, then when called an insulting term you turn around and say, 'Yeah, because it's not like i was getting shot at hauling your ass and your play station out to the COP. You signed up for that shit I got volentold.'
For the record I am now such a Fobbit that i doubt i would even know where the wire starts. Such things happen as you age. Now I have to say things that all add up to "I used to be cool! Honest!"
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Just had a thought pop in my head, usually a recipe for trouble, but this time I think it is a valid question.
If we do away with the term "POG", then what are we gonna call the snacks we stuff in our rucks?
If we do away with the term "POG", then what are we gonna call the snacks we stuff in our rucks?
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I will start out with personal experience from the Airborne unit I was assigned to. We 2 supply guys, in our units. The Sergeant and Specialist, both were there for awhile when I got there, and the Specialist was bucking for a promotion, but he did nothing more than he had to, and if you put in request for anything, even if all forms were fill out correctly they would be misplaced, and items never seen. Now the Sergeant on the other had for Supply guy was very squared away, he was always on top of things, if he seen any of the request that were turned in while he was away, which was often, he would make sure it was turned and gotten. He would make sure stuff we needed was doled out and not kept in the cage in the basement collecting dust. He looked after the Company the best he could, but he was always being dragged to other companies in the Battalion and Brigade to help keep their stuff straight. Even when the our Sergeant and the Specialist was able to go out on details, he was never able to be found, which infuriated Top. Which was one of many other reasons he never went before the E-5 board, besides the well known drug problem he and other had, but they could never get them piss hot.
Or the thing, that it seems that front line units always seem to get the gear they need right after it greatest need. Largely due to the fact, that someone in the rear seen something 'shiny' and had to hold onto it for little while longer. Or the fact that there is many times when say Intel guys know more facts, but don't tell the guys doing the operation all the minute details that they need to know, because they don't think they are important or they are 'Top Secret' and the troops aren't authorize to know. Well if it can get them killed or injured on the mission it kinda important don't you think.
It deep seated mistrust that has taken generations in the military to build. On today modern Battlefield it has no place since there is no clear cut Front-line like there was in during WWI or WWII. Even in the 1991, I have accounts where gear that was suppose to make to front-line units was still sitting in the rear, in some case it had been there long enough to make it to the front line units who needed it. It has been one of the Army's failing of not following the Marines in expecting all the troops of being able to perform as Riflemen in pinch. It another failing of the those in leadership in combat arms and support arms not working together to cut this shit out. We can sit here and wonder why every Service has their own Field Uniform, but the mentality even goes inside the each Service to some points. It's just silly to continue them all the time. This one them, I have always believed that not one MOS is better than other, we all need each other get the mission done. The gear and information needs to get to people who need it to get that mission done. Quit with the BS rules or believes and start acting like you are all in the same Army, and trained to the same standards, and work for the same President, and working toward the same Objective how every cloudy that may seem at times.
Or the thing, that it seems that front line units always seem to get the gear they need right after it greatest need. Largely due to the fact, that someone in the rear seen something 'shiny' and had to hold onto it for little while longer. Or the fact that there is many times when say Intel guys know more facts, but don't tell the guys doing the operation all the minute details that they need to know, because they don't think they are important or they are 'Top Secret' and the troops aren't authorize to know. Well if it can get them killed or injured on the mission it kinda important don't you think.
It deep seated mistrust that has taken generations in the military to build. On today modern Battlefield it has no place since there is no clear cut Front-line like there was in during WWI or WWII. Even in the 1991, I have accounts where gear that was suppose to make to front-line units was still sitting in the rear, in some case it had been there long enough to make it to the front line units who needed it. It has been one of the Army's failing of not following the Marines in expecting all the troops of being able to perform as Riflemen in pinch. It another failing of the those in leadership in combat arms and support arms not working together to cut this shit out. We can sit here and wonder why every Service has their own Field Uniform, but the mentality even goes inside the each Service to some points. It's just silly to continue them all the time. This one them, I have always believed that not one MOS is better than other, we all need each other get the mission done. The gear and information needs to get to people who need it to get that mission done. Quit with the BS rules or believes and start acting like you are all in the same Army, and trained to the same standards, and work for the same President, and working toward the same Objective how every cloudy that may seem at times.
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This follows the same thought process as some of our submarine terms of "endearment": NUB, SKIP, DIPSHIT, and various others that would get me in a ton of trouble here, but we still use them. Everyone who come to a submarine is a NUB (non-useful body), because frankly, people don't even know how to keep the forward end of the boat in the proper direction, much less know how to save a life during a casualty. We all, well most of us, understand this and embrace it, yet the senior sailors get into massive amounts of trouble if any of those terms are heard. Now, I am not condoning true hazing, belittling, bullying, etc... because there is a line that we should know not to cross, but you have to have that ability to crack and take a joke. Stress is something that shows people onboard the boats that you can handle anything that is thrown at you if the times comes, and leads to the crew trusting you with their lives.
I know these days we have a "New Military", but I see things getting worse especially when it comes down to the nitty gritty and be it soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, are forced to make that decision that could save or cost a life. It make me truly think when underway if we were in a situation similar to that of the USS San Francisco would we make it back with some of the sailors we have today....
I know these days we have a "New Military", but I see things getting worse especially when it comes down to the nitty gritty and be it soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, are forced to make that decision that could save or cost a life. It make me truly think when underway if we were in a situation similar to that of the USS San Francisco would we make it back with some of the sailors we have today....
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When I first saw this headline on Facebook I thought it was a duffleblog article... then I realized that it was from Marine Corps Times and I shook my head and started to get a little mad. People in the military these days, and the world in general, are so thin skinned and sensitive. In another generation or two the western world, America in particular, is going to be a bunch of marshmallows.
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CPT (Join to see)
Everyone get butt hurt way too easily. I stand by that not everyone is as important as everyone else. How does someone say a cook is as important as an SF soldier. It just doesn't sound right.
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The bottom line is this: the job doesn't get done unless we all work together. Combat arms needs support in order to get their jobs done expeditiously. I went to a BBQ with an Infantry friend and was the only POG there, of course the POG bashing was laid on pretty thick, but it came to a point where one of the grunts started talking about how he was being charged for a vest that was cut off down range after he was shot. Being the good supply guy that I was, I let him know that this POG knew that he was being done dirty and that it only took a simple memorandum signed by the Commander to relieve him of responsibility. I know the rivalry is all in fun which is why I went ahead and sent him a copy of the memorandum template. I just find it funny when Infantry talks so much crap about us POGs but when it comes down to it, they will ultimately need us for something.
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PV2 Abbott Shaull
No Sgt Woods, we need POGs for everything. If it wasn't for all the rest of for their support and know how, we would be in boat loads of trouble most of the time.
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Does anyone ever wonder if the Spartans (the battle of Thermopylae type) had these conversations.
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CPT (Join to see)
Spartans, what is your profession?
From the movie 300.
They did. As you can see here.
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I believe the Air Force is running into some of these issues with using the term "nonners". While I don't really care about termslike that I know some people who get extremely buttt hurt over it. I know some people who don't care if they're call nonners either. In today's "gentler af"(and I disagree it's them pampering everyone like they do know) I think it's more just professional courtesy to just avoid it if it will cause issues on the job. Personally if it's something that doesn't affect the job Getting accomplished I see nothing wrong with it
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SrA (Join to see)
Excuse the spelling errors in original post. Shouldn't try and type without being able to see the keys clearly
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SSgt Kevin Hopkins
lol i type like that often. its just a product of working on a computer at late hours
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In my experience, a POG is a Person Other than Grunt. I know what I was able to participate in during my time in service and wouldn't change a thing. Wear it as a badge of honor. There will always be more Combat Support and Combat Service Support as opposed to the Combat Arms.
Signed A. Proud POG
Signed A. Proud POG
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