What do people think about ADA - Air Defense Artillery, Alcoholics Defending America?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 23:20:14 -0400

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2015 11:23 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 23:23:22 -0400

Hmmmmm

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Sep 18 at 2015 2:29 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:29:14 -0400

Love It. Alcoholics Defending America, I'll have to remember that one. Respectfully DDHHD (Damn Dons Hash House Drunks).

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Sep 18 at 2015 2:43 AM

SSG Leo Bell — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 02:43:18 -0400

It's a good MOS to have but its a dying field. The people we fight now don't have the weapons readily available to them that ADA will be need for. Just like Acholics Anonymous is a dying field. We don't jump into combat zones like they did in WWII. Other nick names Puking Dragon. Screaming Chicken. Leaning ****house. Dark Star and that's just a few

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2015 4:52 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 04:52:45 -0400

I'm pondering about this moniker over a case of German beer

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Sep 18 at 2015 4:12 PM

SGT Rick Ash — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 16:12:03 -0400

SGT Jacqueem Spratley,
All of us HAWK guys thought you Patriot guys were above that. When I was in S. Korea as an E-4 every NCO that was an E-6 and above never left their Quonset hut, stayed drunk ALL the time and had their "yobosayo's" in there with them. Thank goodness we had a Raytheon rep named Rudy and a W2 with a splendid mustache. Turned up at the corners and it took a lot of "mustache wax" until trained, it was a sight to behold. But the drunkards really demoralized the entire camp. All of us HAWK guys became a "Band of Brothers" with a mission to keep all the batteries up and in a "Green" status even though we had no leaders. All of the NCO's should have been court-martialed and shot at sunrise. It was that much of a travesty.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 19 at 2015 11:05 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 11:05:48 -0400

I have to disagree with SSG Leo Bell on all accounts and yes I'm biased. As a 22 year vet...all ADA I can tell you ADA isn't drawing down like other branches...we are expanding. We have the most deployed weapon systems in the last 20+ years. With that comes coping mechanisms. Go to any post ADA is stationed and I know we don't lead the base in alcohol related incidents. I hate the many different ADA monikers like Alcoholics Defending America and A Different Army.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2015 12:59 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:59:15 -0400

I think it's a great branch full of possibilities. There is a lot of team work that has to happen to get the job done and any one of the pieces of the crew or any individual could blow it for the whole Battery. I think that when everybody is involved like that, that it takes effective leaders, but even more importantly, great professionals to get the job done. We are talking literally seconds to make a decision and get things done- that is something that demands respect. Surely a lot more respect than being called Alcoholics Defending America.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2015 1:38 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 13:38:46 -0400

I think all MOS get a bad rep from within their own formations. It is the ones most effected, who have teh most to complain about. ADA, while seemingly OLD weapons systems, IS TRYING to modernize its systems.. (THAAD, JLENS)..
The perspective of those who wanna hate on their own fields is no different when you get into the civilian sector. The grass is always greener on teh other side of the fence... or so the addage goes.

Is there room for improvement in any og the MOS fields? YES. Are you doing anything about it to improve it? (many who complain have to honestly answer .. NO)
It is what you make of it; Military or Civilian.
Keep your chin up, as much as you feel you are battling stupidity, this career is not that bad. Unfortuately to have that persepctive, you will have to ETS to appreciate what it is you are doing for your country, and how valued you really are.

As for the colorful nicknames? Bring them on, I believe it helps with morale. My favorite was CP Carrol (ROK) was more commonly called CP Carrol Correctional Institute.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 27 at 2015 8:21 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:21:49 -0400

To be an Air Defense Artilleryman is a great honor to have! As a former 16S/14S I have done some pretty cool stuff in ADA. First to fire, last to fall! Hooah!

Response by PFC Pamala (Hall) Foster made Nov 23 at 2015 5:54 PM

PFC Pamala (Hall) Foster — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 17:54:20 -0500

I was ADA and saw WHY we got that reputation. I was asked if I would do it again and here is my answer:

Enlist would be YES.
Fight harder-YES, but RECLASS due to their lack of respect for female soldiers. Sorry guys, but we have one of the worst reputations in the Army and that needs to change. And it changes with us all- Active and veteran that wear/wore the ADA title.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 15 at 2015 6:56 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 06:56:56 -0500

As a 15 year member of ADA. I can say that if it was as bad as so many say then why has it grown so much in those 15 years. I cam in and had the choice of Ft. Bliss, Korea, or Germany. Now they have added Ft. Sill, Japan, Ft. Hood, And Ft. Bragg. We've deployed to more countries in the last 10 years than just about any other Army branch. So with all that going on it puts ADA in the news a lot with both the good and the bad, with the bad always overshadowing the good.

Response by PFC Logan Earwood made Feb 18 at 2016 7:08 AM

PFC Logan Earwood — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 07:08:16 -0500

Sorry ada is another damn army i mean ada is great wish i could go back

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 29 at 2016 5:09 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:09:42 -0500

The Air Defense Artillery suffered over the last 13 years due to a focus on COIN. A lot of structure did. We made choices to change the structure of the Army based on the demands of the day versus looking at what a land based Army is supposed to do. ADA got it hard. We jettisoned tactical air defense like a goose emptying its bowels. Now, with a focus on Combined Arms Maneuver and getting the Army back to a point where it can fight a near peer competitor, we are woefully short on tactical air defense with no plans to build it back up. Instead we are focusing on long range theater air defense, which is also necessary. In a period of finite resources, the capabilities of theater air defense wins over tactical protection. This is a serious concern. We are reliant on the Air Force to maintain air supremacy or air superiority over the tactical area. That's dangerous for a ground force. The Army needs to grow and tactical air defense needs to be modernized and rebuilt.

Response by SPC Christina Rao made Nov 14 at 2016 6:39 AM

SPC Christina Rao — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 06:39:38 -0500

Serious insult and taken personally. Shame on who ever created this.
I was one of the very first soldiers to witness a test flight back in the 80's and I'll tell ya right now it was the hardest 17 months of my life. Field duty... 90 men and 4 woman. I was a radio operator and also drove for tje 1st

Response by SFC George Smith made Nov 14 at 2016 10:06 AM

SFC George Smith — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 10:06:12 -0500

interesting ... i've not heard that one since we were at Ft Sill...

Response by SGT John Wesberry made Nov 20 at 2016 8:58 AM

SGT John Wesberry — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 08:58:03 -0500

As I sit here reading these comments I have seen several different ideas on why ADA has those nicknames of "Alcoholics Defending America" and "Another Damn Army". I came in to Patriot in the early 90's. This is what I seen when I was in Patriot. Yes, there were a lot of drinking going on but that was usually reserved to rear time in Garrison and when you were off duty. In 8 years I can only recall 1 serious drinking on duty problem and that was because the guy had a serious drinking problem. At the time I came in, there were also a lot of transferring in from different Branches from Grunts, Engineers, Clerical and others due to lower promotion points and you could have 2 yrs in and be an E-6/SSG.
In my years of being on Active Duty and civilian jobs, I do not care who, what, when, or how, no matter what I have seen most issues stem from bad leadership or management. If your leaders are strong, you usually do not have the same problems as a unit or job with weak leaders or management.
Now do not get me wrong, yes up above I said that about the leaders and management but it is also on each individual as well. You take what you learn from your leaders and managers, but you also have to have common sense and self pride to do the right thing. We are all adults, we have to make adult decisions.

Response by SSG Phillip Butler made May 22 at 2017 2:36 PM

SSG Phillip Butler — Mon, 22 May 2017 14:36:27 -0400

They probably don't care

Response by PFC Pamala (Hall) Foster made May 25 at 2017 9:27 PM

PFC Pamala (Hall) Foster — Thu, 25 May 2017 21:27:01 -0400

I was the ONLY female in my section in 3-43 A Battery in 2008 and got treated pretty bad at times, but respected by NCOs and several others for being almost 40 and enlisting, plus reading LAWBOOKS and trying to get a 'hand up' to attend school later to become an attorney! There are some IMMATURE I D 10 T's that need to get with it, but when chips are down-we are ALL FIGHT! There were a few alcoholics and some used drugs, but STOP and I MEAN STOP being clowns about sections cause we ALL work toward a goal. To me that IS a 'Slap in the face' to ALL that are and had been in Air Defense Artillery. I was honored to have my first patch given to me by a SSG after my AIT graduation cause he knew where I was going and showed me respect as we need to show ALL that wear the uniform. Not all 'Missile Mutts' (as a friend in the Air Force referred to me) are bad.

Response by SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson made Jun 28 at 2017 5:17 PM

SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 17:17:43 -0400

As a former ADA soldier trained at Ft. Bliss (Blister) TX, a 16H (operations and intelligence) running the ANTSQ-73 system attached to a Hawk/Herc company our termanology for ADA was "Assholes defending Assholes. This now seems fitting considering what people have said about Air Defense Artillary. It takes a special person to take the oath to serve, it takes a very special person to take the oath and serve in a company/battalion attached to a base where ADA is thought of as a hinderance to their mission. In the 80's in Europe we were needed and respected, but in our own country we were mocked and Ridiculed.
It would take a "Forest Gump" kind of special to continue to take it. If ADA had never been established our way of life here in the U.S. would consist of a whole lot of different things, none of which any of us would like. Before you mock a fellow soldier or use some Acronym to describe their usefullness remember which team your on and why you joined that team. You asked to join you weren't drafted. And to my fellow soldiers who were drafted, THANK YOU! To the rest who serve my deepest appreciation, thanks, and condolances for what you endure and what is yet to come. May GOD bless you, your family, your fellow soldiers, and the USA.

Response by CPL James Davis made Jan 16 at 2018 7:08 AM

CPL James Davis — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 07:08:26 -0500

The 11B and 11C grunts I ran into after I got out Looked at us ADA boys as the upper crust,we were way up the food chain.

Response by SSG Diane R. made Jan 27 at 2018 11:43 PM

SSG Diane R. — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 23:43:20 -0500

Lol