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I joined rally point due to a few good inquiries someone posted on FACEBOOK. Just like every forum, seems people like to air out dirty laundry. Why do people bash the corps. I see SSG saying that Csm are here to gripe about grass. Not one, but a few!!!. I see juniors complaining about how NCOs get slapped on the wrist for infractions. How we don't deserve benefits. How we should imprison a career soldier for a stupid infraction. How csm aren't needed. What ever happened to loyalty?!
Why are you people so busy trying to eat your own. I joined rally point to get some good advice/mentorship from the people in here. I don't get mentored by only those higher in grade than I, but by all. I listen to problems, form an opinion and relay my response. I try not to be judgemental and cast stones.
What are you here for. If all it is to do is to complain how bad crap is, well, I think I made a mistake by joining.
Don't get me wrong, I love the comedic responses, but those are followed with an lol so we know you're kidding.
IMPROVE YOUR FOXHOLE. quit tearing down the walls that it took our predecessors so long to build. Quit taking us backwards. Heated discussions are grand and I get to see all points of view. But airing laundry, and bashing the corps, well, that's just garbage.
Why are you people so busy trying to eat your own. I joined rally point to get some good advice/mentorship from the people in here. I don't get mentored by only those higher in grade than I, but by all. I listen to problems, form an opinion and relay my response. I try not to be judgemental and cast stones.
What are you here for. If all it is to do is to complain how bad crap is, well, I think I made a mistake by joining.
Don't get me wrong, I love the comedic responses, but those are followed with an lol so we know you're kidding.
IMPROVE YOUR FOXHOLE. quit tearing down the walls that it took our predecessors so long to build. Quit taking us backwards. Heated discussions are grand and I get to see all points of view. But airing laundry, and bashing the corps, well, that's just garbage.
Posted in these groups: 
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Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 29
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Amen to what Col (Join to see) said. I like your post as well, MSG (Join to see). Especially the part about improving your foxhole. What great advice!
Last night I stumbled into a discussion about religion, and wow! People got sucked into (or maybe they went in with their eyes open?) personal attacks, down voting, vindictiveness. I left there quickly, because I don't see much good coming from that.
I agree with you that we can all learn from each other - I have already learned a lot on RallyPoint.
Last night I stumbled into a discussion about religion, and wow! People got sucked into (or maybe they went in with their eyes open?) personal attacks, down voting, vindictiveness. I left there quickly, because I don't see much good coming from that.
I agree with you that we can all learn from each other - I have already learned a lot on RallyPoint.
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SGT Richard H.
I do my best to avoid those also...I answered one about beards & tubans once and got bashed because I used the words "Religion" and "special interest" in the same sentence. Those threads are for people who want them, I suppose, but I'm not one of them....not often anyway.
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1SG (Join to see)
Head up...eyes constantly moving....pick your steps to avoid the mine fields placed here by idiots; those who feel only their opinion can be right; and those who are not open to hearing a differning opinion.. You will learn who they are PDQ.
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CW5 (Join to see)
SFC Jack S., I'm just doing my job as a member admin, checking things out, trying to make RallyPoint the best site it can be. As for down votes ... I've been on the site for eight months and I'm sure I have not down-voted even five times. I'm very careful about that, but that's just my personal "standard." Others have different ideas about down-voting, and that's fine. The "guidance" is that it's common courtesy to explain a down vote. I don't think down votes should be used as some sort of weapon (again, personal opinion). The idea is to remain professional and give our opinions on topics or questions.
As far as member admins go ... I agree with you that we should be setting the standard for professionalism in our posts. We're here to try to make RallyPoint a better place. From correcting obvious mistakes we see to watching out for spoil sports who seem to be spoiling for a verbal "fight" for no apparent reason to merging duplicate discussions ... and on and on. We don't have super powers, but we are charged with certain tasks. If you haven't looked at the member admin "rights," check out this page: http://support.rallypoint.com/customer/portal/articles/1492472
I'm very proud to be a member admin. It's something I aspired to be as soon as I learned what it was. And I'm trying my best to be a good member admin. I believe that's likely true of most, if not all, member admins.
As far as member admins go ... I agree with you that we should be setting the standard for professionalism in our posts. We're here to try to make RallyPoint a better place. From correcting obvious mistakes we see to watching out for spoil sports who seem to be spoiling for a verbal "fight" for no apparent reason to merging duplicate discussions ... and on and on. We don't have super powers, but we are charged with certain tasks. If you haven't looked at the member admin "rights," check out this page: http://support.rallypoint.com/customer/portal/articles/1492472
I'm very proud to be a member admin. It's something I aspired to be as soon as I learned what it was. And I'm trying my best to be a good member admin. I believe that's likely true of most, if not all, member admins.
What are Member Administrators? Member Administrators help manage and organize the RallyPoint community. This article ...
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Brad Miller
SFC Jack S - I very much like the (suggestion?) that if you are going to down-vote, you'd better have a REASON for it!
Disagree with someone? That's life, get over it. Smack someone? Better have a good reason!
Disagree with someone? That's life, get over it. Smack someone? Better have a good reason!
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Unfortunately there will always be the few folks will can't resist any open opportunity to stir the pot and create controversy. With that in mind, I choose to respond to postings that do not add fuel to that fire. I answered one controversial post and just got sucked in to the negativity. So I now choose more wisely. Also, there are some folks who cannot respect the thoughts of others who may disagree with them. Respect folks for their differences of opinions and for the person they are.
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MSgt (Join to see)
Col (Join to see) Sir exactly the same reason I am now choosing not to get involved in some discussions. Some of those fires are just a little to hot.
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PO3 Camille Romero
Kudos to you, Col (Join to see)! What wisdom! I have taken that same approach. I do not wish to debate 'til the death! I will comment, but pretty much know when to agree to disagree and bow out!
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PO3 Camille Romero
...alright...I just got in a hot bed of debate today and let it get the best of me....oh, boy....
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MSG (Join to see), as with all things, you're going to get the good, the bad, and the ugly. No matter what forum is used for communications, you are always going to have that percentage of participants that aren't acting in a professional manner (see a recent discussion thread by LTC (Join to see) on the decline of professionalism in the military (https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/have-we-lost-our-professionalism-in-the-army-military).
There is a LOT of great information on RallyPoint, but just as when you're traveling in unfamiliar territory, you have to keep know where to step and avoid being mired down (we've all been sucked into 'THAT' conversation at one time or another).
One of the best categories that RP started was the "Command Post" topic area. A lot more of the professional discussions are starting to appear here (perfect example is GEN (ret) Casey's recent post about 6 Keys to a Successful Transition (https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/general-casey-6-keys-to-a-successful-transition)
Alternatively, there are many that really enjoy the free flow discussions (https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/i-really-love-the-discussion-forum-on-rallypoint) and the informal interaction by all.
There is a LOT of great information on RallyPoint, but just as when you're traveling in unfamiliar territory, you have to keep know where to step and avoid being mired down (we've all been sucked into 'THAT' conversation at one time or another).
One of the best categories that RP started was the "Command Post" topic area. A lot more of the professional discussions are starting to appear here (perfect example is GEN (ret) Casey's recent post about 6 Keys to a Successful Transition (https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/general-casey-6-keys-to-a-successful-transition)
Alternatively, there are many that really enjoy the free flow discussions (https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/i-really-love-the-discussion-forum-on-rallypoint) and the informal interaction by all.
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Big fan of your "improve your foxhole" Battle!!! We are in the business of developing the Leaders of tomorrow. We do that in both actions and words. Actions are of more credence to me because if someone sees you doing the right thing, regardless of the situation, it adds to your character. Much in the same way, written words on here are a form of action and once out there, they last a very long time and may not embody the intent that one had when they hit the "respond" key. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they do not. Actions and words. Be mindful of both and remember that Soldiers are always watching, always reading the forums. Do the right thing.
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MSG Danny Ibarra, I too am new to Rallypoint, and I agree there are some unnecessary lack of professionalism in some threads. But, these are changing times. I view this as one more opportunity to mentor young officers and enlisted. They are of the he social media generation. I'm also going back to school at the moment working on a Master's. Last night on one thread I weighed in with my two cents on a very junior Airman's question. I hope she takes the advice to heart. Without Rallypoint, I'd have continued working on a paper, and she might never have asked the question. As senior leaders, we set the standard, and I intend for Rallypoint to become that positive mentoring experience.
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MSG (Join to see)
That's one part I am grateful for sir. When I see advice. Whether I agree with it or not. The fact that people are getting mentorship from all walks of life. Much better than j had it wheni was a private.
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MSG (Join to see), perhaps pick your discussion threads? Or if you find yourself in one where you think there's bashing going on, bail out. For me, I'm retired, so I've found that where I can't make a legitimate contribution I just back out and move on to another thread.
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In some discussions you are going to find water cooler conversations. Sniping, complaining, carousing become part of the back and forth exchanges. I think you find the majority here do find ways to help others, answer questions, and give information that is useful. Occasionally (& depending on the day maybe more often) you'll run into a discussion that takes off and has it's own life full of emotional, full of emotional comments and knee jerk reactions.
I can choose to see that and move on to the next conversation or I can choose to engage but it is my choice to make. I accept the fact that everyone is entitled to have a bad day - let her rip tirade over something that really got under their skin - release all that pressure then return to normal for the most part.
Many here have stepped away for a period of time for a variety of reasons. I tend to believe that RallyPoint proves useful and knowledge driven more often than not.
I can choose to see that and move on to the next conversation or I can choose to engage but it is my choice to make. I accept the fact that everyone is entitled to have a bad day - let her rip tirade over something that really got under their skin - release all that pressure then return to normal for the most part.
Many here have stepped away for a period of time for a variety of reasons. I tend to believe that RallyPoint proves useful and knowledge driven more often than not.
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CPT Richard Riley
If you want humor today - here you go: I have my two boys playing in the back yard - supposedly having fun by trying to throw an 8 foot 2x4 off the top of their club house just to see what happens and where it lands ...?
They are laughing every step of the way, I'm watching this out the window and wondering just what is so much fun about that???
I'm reminded of a story Wayne Chilcot sent me that had me laughing so hard my sides hurt .... although it is rather low humor, I can picture this happening - enjoy .....
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow
beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking
arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a
1955 40horse Farmall tractor will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough
sumbich.
That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazzard fan that I was, I
quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up Tshirt doused in chainsaw gas
tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. Keep
in mind this was 99.999% humidity swampland so there really wasnt any fire
danger. Ill put it this way- a set of post hole diggers and a 3ft. hole and
you had yourself a well.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak
stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny
brand new can of starting fluid (ether). The light bulb went off. I grabbed
the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just
spray out in a dissapointing manner... lets face it to a 10 yr. old
mouth-breather like myself, ether really doesnt "sound" flammable. So, I
went back into the house and got a 1-pound can of pyrodex (black powder for
muzzle loader rifles). At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump
and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a
little bit around the ether can but it all sorta dumped out. No biggie...
1lb pyrodex and 16 oz ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker
you know?
You know what? Screw that. Im going back in the house for the other can.
Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'. I
stepped back about 15ft and lit the 2-stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my
cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a 'clunk' as the arrow launched
from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting
out of the truck... OH SHIT he just got home from work.
So help me God, it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the
can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in
hiseyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow
pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main
pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh. Shit.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I dont know if it was
the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk backfrom
235 decibels of sound. I caught a half a milisecond glimpse of the
violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust,
grass, and bugs all hovering 1ft above the ground as far as i could see. It
was like a little low-to-the-ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers,
spiders, and a crawfish or two. The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat
this... THE DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.
There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture.
Notice i said "was". That mother got up and ran off. So here I am, on the
ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats Tshirt
shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what i can only
assume is a Viet Nam flashback, 'ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE, YOUR BRINGIN' EM IN
TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE DAMIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!' His hat has blown off and is
30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the
house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000
ft over our backyard.
There is a Honda 185s 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and
the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires. I wish I knew
what I said to my dad at this moment. I dont know- I know I said something.
I couldnt hear. I couldnt hear inside my own head. I dont think he heard me
either... not that it would really matter. I dont remember much from this
point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I
felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later.... repeat this process for an
hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give
me CPR so dad could beat me some more. Bring him back to life so dad can
kill him again. Thanks mom.
One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom
had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything
about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business. Dad sold his
muzzloaders a week or so later. And I still have some sort of bone growth
abnormality, either from the blast or the beating. Or both. I guess what im
trying to say is, get your kids into archery. Its good discipline and will
teach them skills they can use later on in life.
They are laughing every step of the way, I'm watching this out the window and wondering just what is so much fun about that???
I'm reminded of a story Wayne Chilcot sent me that had me laughing so hard my sides hurt .... although it is rather low humor, I can picture this happening - enjoy .....
Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little badass compound bow
beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking
arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a
1955 40horse Farmall tractor will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough
sumbich.
That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazzard fan that I was, I
quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up Tshirt doused in chainsaw gas
tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. Keep
in mind this was 99.999% humidity swampland so there really wasnt any fire
danger. Ill put it this way- a set of post hole diggers and a 3ft. hole and
you had yourself a well.
One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak
stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny
brand new can of starting fluid (ether). The light bulb went off. I grabbed
the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just
spray out in a dissapointing manner... lets face it to a 10 yr. old
mouth-breather like myself, ether really doesnt "sound" flammable. So, I
went back into the house and got a 1-pound can of pyrodex (black powder for
muzzle loader rifles). At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump
and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a
little bit around the ether can but it all sorta dumped out. No biggie...
1lb pyrodex and 16 oz ether should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker
you know?
You know what? Screw that. Im going back in the house for the other can.
Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'. I
stepped back about 15ft and lit the 2-stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my
cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a 'clunk' as the arrow launched
from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting
out of the truck... OH SHIT he just got home from work.
So help me God, it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the
can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in
hiseyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow
pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main
pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh. Shit.
When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I dont know if it was
the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk backfrom
235 decibels of sound. I caught a half a milisecond glimpse of the
violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust,
grass, and bugs all hovering 1ft above the ground as far as i could see. It
was like a little low-to-the-ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers,
spiders, and a crawfish or two. The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat
this... THE DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.
There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture.
Notice i said "was". That mother got up and ran off. So here I am, on the
ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats Tshirt
shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what i can only
assume is a Viet Nam flashback, 'ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE, YOUR BRINGIN' EM IN
TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE DAMIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!' His hat has blown off and is
30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the
house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000
ft over our backyard.
There is a Honda 185s 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and
the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires. I wish I knew
what I said to my dad at this moment. I dont know- I know I said something.
I couldnt hear. I couldnt hear inside my own head. I dont think he heard me
either... not that it would really matter. I dont remember much from this
point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I
felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later.... repeat this process for an
hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give
me CPR so dad could beat me some more. Bring him back to life so dad can
kill him again. Thanks mom.
One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom
had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything
about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business. Dad sold his
muzzloaders a week or so later. And I still have some sort of bone growth
abnormality, either from the blast or the beating. Or both. I guess what im
trying to say is, get your kids into archery. Its good discipline and will
teach them skills they can use later on in life.
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1SG (Join to see)
CPT Richard Riley ROFLMAO! I wish had seen this a month ago when you posted it. I would give you two thumbs up for that if possible! That was well worth sharing..Thanks!
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MSG (Join to see) Great post. My main reason for joining and continuing to be a part of Rally Point is to connect with other veterans and hopefully pass something I learned in my 25 years in the Army along to those currently in uniform.
Like CW5 (Join to see) I will avoid discussions that I see no positive results coming out of. I have been sucked into a couple but have decided no more.
Like CW5 (Join to see) I will avoid discussions that I see no positive results coming out of. I have been sucked into a couple but have decided no more.
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SPC Kara Sport
I know that there is always going to be some jokes about who had the better MOS, who served the best branch, do women really belong in the service....etc. Â BUT I have seen my share of UGLY behavior as well. Â There have been some pages I unliked via Facebook because of the nasty behaviors towards women, POG's, those that didn't deploy...I could go on. Â Regardless of what we did or when we served, we all raised our right hand to defend and serve this county. Â We had different reasons why we did so....doesn't it really need to become (forgive me for being a tad crude) an "I have the bigger d**k" contest? Â I might as well stand down because I don't have one LOL....
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I must be reading the worng (right?) threads as I have not witnessed in my short time here what you speak of.
There will always be trolls on an internet forum, those that only look to agitate, simply to garner a reaction, to cause strife..Likely they have no beliefs or strong feelings on the topic itself, only look to get a rise.
There will always be trolls on an internet forum, those that only look to agitate, simply to garner a reaction, to cause strife..Likely they have no beliefs or strong feelings on the topic itself, only look to get a rise.
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I put in my retirement papers in 2009, and they were approved in 2011, while I was contracting in Afghanistan. There, I saw examples of people who clearly left the service too early.
One retired Marine CSM was constantly criticizing things that were happening in Kandahar, a mostly Army base. Some of this can be attributed to inter-service rivalry, but some of what he was unhappy about were things the Marines were doing.
I finally asked him, "Why did you get out? If there are so many things that need fixing, why didn't you fix them? Did you abandon your duty and leave it to someone else?" That shut him down, and I didn't see much more of him.
I've seen retired 1SGs who are still trying to hold a formation, and retired COLs looking for their driver, aide, and boot polisher. If that's what you want, you should have stayed in.
I'm here because I like talking to military people. I am willing to share my experience, but I don't have a dog in the fight. I appreciate the respect I get from my rank and experience, but that's not what I am here for. If you don't notice them, I am not offended.
I will remind people that there are RULES and REGULATIONS that we have to follow. Just because your personal desire/deviation/peccadillo isn't allowed doesn't make it the business of Rally Point to resolve, or campaign on your behalf. Nothing posted here is a secret, and if you want to shoot your career in the foot by arguing that card-carrying communists should be allowed in the military to get training, that's on you. (No, there's no one saying THAT, but if you haven't noticed similar threads, you haven't been paying attention.) If you want my advice, I'd say tone it down, make Admiral or General, and then start your campaign back up. If you are focused on a single issue that is opposed to current practice, while you might get a nice self-righteous feeling, you might also have a very short and unsuccessful career.
Of course, it's your life. Just don't blame me if the results aren't what you hoped for.
One retired Marine CSM was constantly criticizing things that were happening in Kandahar, a mostly Army base. Some of this can be attributed to inter-service rivalry, but some of what he was unhappy about were things the Marines were doing.
I finally asked him, "Why did you get out? If there are so many things that need fixing, why didn't you fix them? Did you abandon your duty and leave it to someone else?" That shut him down, and I didn't see much more of him.
I've seen retired 1SGs who are still trying to hold a formation, and retired COLs looking for their driver, aide, and boot polisher. If that's what you want, you should have stayed in.
I'm here because I like talking to military people. I am willing to share my experience, but I don't have a dog in the fight. I appreciate the respect I get from my rank and experience, but that's not what I am here for. If you don't notice them, I am not offended.
I will remind people that there are RULES and REGULATIONS that we have to follow. Just because your personal desire/deviation/peccadillo isn't allowed doesn't make it the business of Rally Point to resolve, or campaign on your behalf. Nothing posted here is a secret, and if you want to shoot your career in the foot by arguing that card-carrying communists should be allowed in the military to get training, that's on you. (No, there's no one saying THAT, but if you haven't noticed similar threads, you haven't been paying attention.) If you want my advice, I'd say tone it down, make Admiral or General, and then start your campaign back up. If you are focused on a single issue that is opposed to current practice, while you might get a nice self-righteous feeling, you might also have a very short and unsuccessful career.
Of course, it's your life. Just don't blame me if the results aren't what you hoped for.
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CPT (Join to see)
SGM (Join to see), I really enjoyed your perspective. It reminds me of something a very wise man once said, "life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."- John Wayne. Your advice is smart, simple and easy to follow. If only we could remember to follow it more often...
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