Similar to the E-2 question, how would you react to a young 2LT who is being unprofessional with a strong sense of entitlement?

Provided the lieutenant was in uniform at the time, my response, at the point where the lieutenant became unprofessional and he forfeited his position and authority, would have been, "Sir, I appreciate your candor. However AR 670-1 applies to you just like it applies to everyone else" all the while noting his unit patch, name, and shooting a video on my cell phone for his commander.

Apparently, this Second Lieutenant had not been properly run in. The last Second Lieutenant that was welcomed into a platoon that I was a part of found his desk chained to the outside of the company area per orders of the platoon sergeant. When the lieutenant asked about his desk, the platoon sergeant said he could move it back in to the office when he provided evidence that he would be a welcomed asset to the platoon (a team player).

We picked up a newly minted Ensign out of the Acadamy while we were in Vietnam. On the way home, we were coming up on the International Dateline. We had also picked up a couple of Enlisted personnel as well, none of which had crossed the Dateline before, or at least while aboard ship. They were considered as having sneaked in the back door and would have to unbdergo the initiation as we all did. It went fine for the Enlisted guys, there were two I think, but the Ensign decided that he was above all of that and really pitched a fit. It go so bad, that the Captain secured it ( the two enlisted had been done ). When we got home, it wasn't long before he got transferred. Word had it that it was to some Isolated LORAN Sta. in the middle of no where. Hopefully the one outside of Thule Greenland.

NCO here. Be polite, respectfully remind him that he is setting a poor example for his soldiers, and carry on. If I could get his name and unit, I would tell my Sergeant Major, and let him handle that; as I work at a battalion, our Sergeant Major as direct access to our CO, a Lieutenant Colonel.

my thought is this. mentoring Pvt's and 2lt's, you do this by being courteous and polite without being confrontational or as others have stated being professional. You get more from honey than vinegar. You dont have to be an asshole to make corrections. With the 2lt you tell him that I as a NCO enforce the standards he as the officer sets the example. If he doesn't get it, its on him/her, its their career.

If he out ranked me and didn't respond to my comments, I'd find the first officer senior to him and ask, Sir, when were headphones authorized to wear in uniform? See I didn't think so. I tried to tell 2LT Dumbshit over on aisle 2 because he's walking around this commissarry right now wearing headphones. He doesn't want to listen to me so...

First of all, I would not have said anything because it doesn't directly effect me. During my job, while in, I had a few 2nd and 1st LT's question whether I was doing something correct, or if I tried any certain way to correct whatever I was doing. I would always respond with, " Sir with all do respect, If you have thought of it chances are I have too; Thank You" ...and continued on. I found that most just wanted to learn what I was doing, and how I thought.

It's very easy to give the text book answer here, but as a good leader,, it is our responsibility to find out why he has this attitude. He may belong to a poor led unit which condones this type of behavior. If true, is it his fault he's been trained by the piss poor behavior of his superiors? Remember, he's a 2nd LT, not worldly, nor wise. Maybe his NCO support chain has neglected their responsibility by ostracizing this young LT because they think he's an asshole. I've seen it before. More times than I'd like to count. It is important to remember that most, if not all, of these young officers held "BMOC" (Big Man On Campus) status just a few months ago. It takes time to adjust to being low man on the totem pole. Some rebel. I've known plenty of young cocky lieutenants who I would have bet a dime to a doughnut wouldn't amount to a pile of crap, that I was proud to salute as Colonels and Generals when I retired 21 years later. So, here's the answer: Correct, train, follow up. That's all that can be asked of a good leader. It will be up to him to toe the line. His success and failure is fully on his shoulders if we, as good leaders, do our job. Oh, one more thing, the military is not for everyone. Don't take it personal if he elects to fail.

RESOLUTE
CW0 (Retired)
Timothy McCarthy

I would roll him out like wholesale carpet. ( I am 60 years old now, and short on nom-sense). In reality, I would probably go on about my business and let a flag officer notice him. It will be at that point that he will learn. I was a enlisted member, I doubt I could help the man get his synapses to fire correctly.

I'm retired. So I tell him to kiss my...!

In my experience in having to deal with un professional CO (not just butter bars), usually the attitude and unprofessionalism can be carried down from the upper chain of command.
No disrespect to higher ranking COs in this thread, but a lot of them "toy" with butter bars just as much as NCOs mess with new incoming PVT, PVC so on and so fourth.
Every soldier has someone above him/her who they have to follow orders from. Some times their privileged attitude is purposely incouraged to test their readiness to be a leader of the unit and not there to make friends.

But, there are a few of those hot head that come in swinging old Lucy on a stick who think their shit don't stink!... lol... that's just my thoughts on it. Thanks for sharing MAJ (Join to see)

We had one like that in the field in Nam, he thought he was better than anyone wouldn't listen to us older grunts. A Charlie sniper took care of him. He wore his shiny butter bar on his helmet.

I was a young PFC in Armor AIT when a female 2ndLT walked by. I saluted, and she ignored me. She found out real fast what the son of a Puerto-Rican 1stSgt thought of stuck up 2ndLts. She turned and returned my salute.

Kindly remind 2LT of military courtesy. ..

The SNCO jungle drum network operated at the speed of light in my day. An officer with this attitude quickly found a field grade officer giving him/her the evil eye and ordered to seek out the enlisted man and offer a heartfelt apology for being such an ass. Then officer EMI began. Although I will say that a LT who displayed this kind of attitude had a very limited shelf life. If he/she didn't get "it" in training they probably never would get "it".

Handle per the words of former SgtMaj USMC Leland B "Crow" Crawford, with firmness, fairness, and dignity. Be professional but get the job done. It's just another of the many "situations" that folks in uniform have to navigate daily. If you're junior then your responsibility to regs stops at making him aware of it and tactfully suggesting that he square himself away for the good of the service. It's a judgement call from there, but it doesn't give you a blank check to violate the UCMJ so it's tricky. If senior then it's basically a one-way conversation without debate, and should be a learning process for the 2Lt.

MAJ (Join to see) If available, find an AF First Sergeant or AF SMSgt. It's been my experience they make it a full time job making these type of on the spot corrections. They don't care who it is, seem to enjoy it.

If we are both in uniform and he really thinks I don't know better than the rules don't apply because he is a boot ass butter bar, he's either a dumbass or a jackass.
If he's a just an entitled jackass he will eventually pull that dumb shit with the wrong person and things will work themselves out.
If he is simply a dumbass who really believes the rules do not apply because he is a commissioned officer, he will likely end up hanging his own ass out to dry by walking off a dock or into a live fire range.
Or maybe I drop his name in conversation with one of the many outstanding officers who know and obey the rules as they should. One of them is likely to encounter that youngster eventually and make the correction.

I would let him go and set himself up for failure.

You can’t fix stupid. Let it go, he’ll crash and burn eventually.

What we did back in the 70's as NCO's was never give them any advice, then watch them screw up. Trust me they always do. When they ask us, we would just say "sir I don't know, I have never been in that situation. "Then sit back and watch them get their butts chews by their superiors and laugh.