Thoughts and stories on "Mandatory fun?"

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:02:16 -0500

At some point in our careers we've all participated in an event or that we were "voluntold" for (fill in the blank). So, what's your thoughts on the practice, what memories do you have from a particular event, or just feel free to share your most entertaining stories on the matter.  This should be a real blast folks, I'm absolutely sure there are some "mandatorily" awesome tales out there (both big and small) of our all time favorite military subject... mandatory fun!  So, let's take a stroll down memory lane together here folks; now, pull up a laptop and let the mandatory fun begin! lol

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2013 11:32 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:32:50 -0500

The less "Mandatory" the more "Fun"

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2013 11:35 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:35:37 -0500

I was picked to enlist unit members to play softball and it seemed as if no one was signing, save for a couple. Weather units are generally pretty good as a rule and we destroyed the instructors in a game.

However, I got frustrated at the lack of progress and started to pencil in names and decided to go with Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and others. Well one afternoon the commander of the weather unit was looking at the list and commented,

I DON'T RECOGNIZE THESE NAMES. The observer and I looked at each in stunned disbelief. Later on we laughed but this was the same observer who put metal into a microwave. LOL

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2013 11:54 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:54:07 -0500

Major Burns, one evening we had a snowstorm and a tree hit an observer's car and she got a concussion. Apparently she went to the Remote Observation Site (ROS) and volunteered to work that shift. The observer took her up on that offer, ha.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2013 5:04 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 05:04:37 -0500

My unit has started doing mandatory "fun" team building exercises once a month... but the best part is that we actually get input as to what we think is "fun" so it usually is (for most of us...)

Once, we went to play paintball... had a BLAST (pardon the pun) and really did grow closer together as a team...

Just this past Thursday was another one... GAME DAY... a couple of the guys brought their game systems and board games... we had 4-player call-of-duty and 2-player madden going, as well as a fun card game... unfortunately we had one sourpuss who wanted to play "I'm taking a nap", but most of us enjoyed ourselves...

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2013 12:31 AM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 00:31:48 -0500

Hey there RallyPointers... well, this one was just "too-good-not-to-share..." now, let's get out there and have some fun... that's an order! haha Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, many blessings, and a safe and Happy New Year! : )

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Response by PO2 Pete Haga made Dec 22 at 2013 1:02 AM

PO2 Pete Haga — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 01:02:02 -0500

loved the day trips to sea for family and loved ones we put our best foot forward so all the married sailors and ones with family near enough to come for one day at sea watching flight ops and making massive lines at the head and chow hall so the rest of us could stand a 12 to 14 hour watch to keep the floating city running smooth. fun fun fun!

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2014 1:30 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 01:30:58 -0500

Right before we deployed I basically gave my company a free few days off. I only made them show up for accountability at a bowling alley on base. Immediately after I told them they could leave if they wanted. Most people stayed. Mandatory is not fun. Ever.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2014 2:37 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 14:37:47 -0400

"Mandatory fun" is the same thing as being "voluntold". lol.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 22 at 2014 5:28 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 17:28:26 -0400

Universal for all branches......

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Aug 22 at 2014 10:03 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 22:03:36 -0400

Military balls - your presence is "highly encouraged".

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Aug 22 at 2014 10:43 PM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 22:43:57 -0400

Never on Saturdays and never out-of-pocket was the rule back in the day.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 23 at 2014 1:01 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 01:01:00 -0400

My last squadron "fun" run during my first enlistment ended at the gas chamber on New River. CS and sweat don't mix well.

Response by SGT Suraj Dave made Aug 23 at 2014 2:12 AM

SGT Suraj Dave — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 02:12:47 -0400

The FRG. I don't know why they force single soldiers to go, it literally has nothing to do with us.

Response by Cpl Michael Strickler made Aug 23 at 2014 2:58 PM

Cpl Michael Strickler — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 14:58:27 -0400

Mine was a fun day when we all got together to play softball, i was pitching, and I got hit in the face by one of my senior NCOs...

*i would say i would have rather been in my barracks from drinking and playing gears of war, but this was totally voluntary and i had SO much fun*

edit: i feel i should add hit with the softball here. not a fist or anything. Marines only do that when civis are not around.

edit during this edit: totally kidding right?!

Response by Cpl Peter Martuneac made Aug 24 at 2014 2:55 PM

Cpl Peter Martuneac — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 14:55:39 -0400

One mandatory fun day was actually not all that bad; it was a day of competition between the companies in our battalion in different sports. I played on my company's basketball team and our first game was against H&S, meaning a bunch of older officers, including the BC. Easy game, we told ourselves, but how wrong we were. Apparently the BC is a baller and was making it rain from 3-point range and some Captain was grabbing every rebound. So yeah, we ended up losing pretty bad.

But I really disliked the referee for that event. It was a gunny who apparently loved his rank so much that you couldn't even dispute a call with him in a normal, calm manner without him warning you to watch how you talk to a gunny.

Response by MSgt Shawn Wood made Aug 25 at 2014 3:26 AM

MSgt Shawn Wood — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 03:26:18 -0400

I was voluntold as a young Airman to go paint the grass green because the newly created ACC commander (4 Star General) was coming. He was coming to Cannon AFB, "THE DESERT" oh and by the way it wasn't yet spring either. Then we had to stand at attention for 4 hours in the cold (Remember not Spring yet) waiting for him to arrive. But someone forgot to tell the Wing CC that 95% of the base was waiting on the Flight line. So They drove around the base in their toasty staff car seeing the sights wile we got hypothermia.

Response by CW4 Glen Nardin made Aug 25 at 2014 1:00 PM

CW4 Glen Nardin — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 13:00:10 -0400

Mandatory fun as an enlisted member and later, as an commander, was exactly the same: mandatory fun. However, I always tried to use the time for a celebration of actual or contrived awards, achievements to also bring corporate praise to the unit. Tried to have the families present to also thank them for support and praise their spouses individually in casual conversation. I, also, tried to use that time to allow the senior officers and CSMs to connect with our folks. The final touch of making it as short as possible always seemed to reap a somewhat positive result.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 25 at 2014 4:07 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 16:07:22 -0400

Mandatory fun? Hey, oxymoron or not, might as well MAKE the light of it! It's "designed" to be enjoyable. What good are you if you act all stiff and awkward, making others and higher ups feel less entertained as well?

Every time we have 'mandatory fun', I let it go, have a good time, stay sober, strike up some good conversations, play some ball, frisbee, and whatever else. Not every day you get to chill like that with your command, so have at it!

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 26 at 2014 2:21 AM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 02:21:16 -0400

Don't forget that your morale is high as well Col Private RallyPoint Member Only other people can tell you what your morale level is. Look for my morale level statement every day on this thread.......

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2014 1:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 13:31:40 -0400

It is only fun when everyone can relax. No one feels like they can truly relax when their supervisors are around, but there are certainly things done at these events that can make them horrible! The worst thing I have experienced at a mandatory fun event was the command to "fall in" followed by, family members too!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2014 2:25 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 14:25:09 -0400

Love me some Mando Fun!!!!

Response by SSG Pete Fleming made Aug 30 at 2014 5:06 AM

SSG Pete Fleming — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 05:06:30 -0400

In a sick sorta way I see the point of mandatory fun... though it usually isn't fun at the time or the after actions aren't...

When I was a specialist my company commander had us attend a mandatory fun evening BBQ... but turned out to be a good time. Everyone partied as hard as we were 'allowed' (most exceeded the limits of common sense). Finally around 2 or 3 in the morning the good time ended and off to bed to enjoy the off day...

At 0500 we were woke up for a fun run. Most of us were beyond the ability to see straight but had to go for a short several mile jog in the morning air...

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Aug 30 at 2014 9:04 AM

CMSgt James Nolan — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 09:04:14 -0400

Only SMs would understand Mandatory Fun. And everyone is for the most part correct..Mandatory Fun tends to be UN-FUN. As soon as something is made mandatory the life gets sucked out of it.

Response by SrA David Steyer made Feb 26 at 2015 11:29 AM

SrA David Steyer — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 11:29:54 -0500

At a previous base the clinic just had their inspection, and it was made up of three squadrons. Right after the inspection results, you were given an option of staying behind at work or going to mandatory fun. One squadron stayed back and had a BBQ to shoot the breeze I know for a fact. The other two, well we had to go to the bowling alley and that sucked. I didn't want to pay $$$ to bowl so I sat around and talked with a few people. It took forever until we could leave. We had no patients scheduled and we busted our butts; all of us wanted to go home. I do recall my supervisor who was about to get out, dipped and drove home and got paperwork but he didn't care.

The next year, a few days after I hit the road for my PCS, there was a clinic picnic which happened to fall on my birthday. Had I left later that month I may have been pressured to go. They were OK... if it was a duty day but this one fell on a Saturday.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 28 at 2015 1:32 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 13:32:09 -0400

My company endeavored to raise funds which I can describe as robust. One Christmas party we had a lot of fun as it was casual, and the door prizes included boom boxes, TV, dinner gift certificates for two, electric drill, etc. A young soldier read his new poem. It was a sad and sordid poem about a small child dying. I was thinking WTF? Somebody should have screened his literary work of art.

I bought a gong and hired a DJ to who could facilitate karaoke. All the platoons had to sing a song, and they all sucked and were mercilessly booed by the audience. It helped to have a an extroverted and animated gongmiester. The prize for the solo singer winner was $200, and we heard average, bad, and good singers. Eventually the crowd became piranhas as they started to boo before singers could sing a note. It was merciless, I could see the primordial hatred come out. We concluded the event with a white elephant gift exchange. Someone always introduces a bottle of crown royal.

Response by PO2 Gerry Roberson Sr. made Aug 22 at 2015 12:29 PM

PO2 Gerry Roberson Sr. — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 12:29:19 -0400

On the carriers in which I served "you either attended Steel Beach or stand watch!" You know which way I went! Two cans of (weak)beer or water--you know which way I went--after 38 days in the Indian Ocean without dry land touching my calloused feet.

Response by PO1 Ted Woitazek made Apr 15 at 2018 1:29 PM

PO1 Ted Woitazek — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 13:29:19 -0400

20 years in the Navy, I saw everything from, prior to direct deposit, paychecks being brought to squadron picnics. I did my PRT in the late 90's at a squadron picnic and drank beer after.
One of my squadrons had 2 battle E's and the safety S on the tail the year we had the lowest retention rate in the wing. E-6 and below HATED the kakhis and didn't trust them any farther than they could throw them. That year, almost nobody bought squadron Christmas party tickets, we were told "go, or work." Most of us said we'd rather work and weren't bluffing.
This squadron worked VERY hard but was abused. To any senior enlisted out there who think intimidation works, it usually gets you back in the end.