What is the worst case of hazing or bullying you've seen, participated in, or been a victim of during your service?

2016-08-25T22:15:49-04:00

Over two decades ago I was given and gave blood wings to new jumpmasters receiving their senior parachutist badges. I thought it was a rite of passage that all jumpmasters need experience, but in hindsight, it did not make any of us better Soldiers, paratroopers, or leaders.

As a battalion commander, I have initiated CID investigations and administered UCMJ for incidents similar to what SPC Jarrett Wright details in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RHS5RyMsoM

CCFSPCC - In Our Company - SPC Wright - Part 1

SPC Jarett Wright was hazed and sexually assaulted while deployed to Iraq in 2010. He is sharing his story to prevent similar acts from happening to others. ...

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 25 at 2016 10:21 PM

2016-08-25T22:21:21-04:00

I liked my Blood Wings.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 25 at 2016 10:44 PM

2016-08-25T22:44:06-04:00

While no sane person would defend the abuse this specialist describes, I believe the Army has thrown the baby out with the bath water. I have experienced and participated in birthday celebrations, etc. that I now know the Army considers hazing. Do not believe it was, though I'm not about to risk my career over it.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Aug 25 at 2016 11:50 PM

2016-08-25T23:50:14-04:00

Well I think anyone in the Navy is going to say the Crossing the Line ceremony...but they wouldn't call it hazing or bullying! Most of us Trusty Shellbacks are deeply appreciative of the whoop-ass we get to give despicable wogs!

Response by PO1 Richard Cormier made Aug 26 at 2016 12:05 AM

2016-08-26T00:05:05-04:00

Standard "Tacking on Crows" for advancement. Some people went extreme and would try to tack the device on ball-cap (that was why we bent pins vice capped pins). Last watch uniform tear-down.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 made Aug 26 at 2016 1:40 AM

2016-08-26T01:40:04-04:00

COL Sam Russell The video did not come up. I believe there is a fine line between harassment, hazing and conduct detrimental to the force. You speak of growing a new mindset. I have not done so. Elite troops should be allowed to utilize "elite" rituals.

Someone must be in CHARGE! And held accountable!

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Aug 26 at 2016 2:40 AM

2016-08-26T02:40:33-04:00

It depends on what the definition of hazing is. The Blood Wings thing as well as the pounding of SGT Stripes was voluntary when I served, if you didn't want it that's fine nobody forced it on you. I've seen Blanket Parties for fun (again kind of voluntary there with tacit permission). The problem I saw with the Blanket Parties is there were always 1 or 2 people that wanted to take it too far and actually injure the person or physically leave a mark and they had to be watched. Other than that, in all my military units.....too closely knit for anyone ever to get hurt in what is defined as a hazing incident today. It would be like turning on a family member to really hurt or injure someone. Even the Chapter cases who folks wanted to harrass, never anything harmful physically and it was generally an unwritten rule not to harm the Soldier but like I said above there were one or two people that wanted to go beyond that someone had to tell them enough and/or pull them away. So all that aside. Worst case I saw was a Drill Sergeant in Infantry OSUT in 1982 beat the living crap out of a recruit for mouthing off. Hit him so hard you could hear the thuds from the punches landing and the Soldier moaning. First punch sent his steel pot flying past the formation and I started to look but he had another Drill Sergeant watching for anyone turning their head to see it. Now the guy that was mouthy was from NYC and in my view had it comming after repeated times the platoon was punished for him. Second time same Drill Sergeant but his platoon only, he was PT'ing them so bad at night after my platoon was in the barracks sleeping that some of them were puking on the PT pad under the barracks, then he made them roll in it.....kind of gross. Third time, same Drill Sergeant came in completely drunk and started messing with his troops after lights out........that was the end of the other NCO's sticking up for him and he was gone a week after that last incident. So involuntary hazing......Infantry OSUT definitely, back then in 1982 you still couldn't challenge or question a directive from an NCO, and Drill Sergeants were feared. Started to change slowly after that in OSUT and Active Army.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 made Aug 26 at 2016 3:18 AM

2016-08-26T03:18:37-04:00

COL Sam Russell I missed! SGT Polanchi(sp), did not! Drinks were on the NCO Club for new E-5s. He did not have to pay, even though he had one of everything! Until the next day! 1955, Korea, 7th Sig Co.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Aug 26 at 2016 6:20 AM

2016-08-26T06:20:45-04:00

I'm not sure what is going on in the Army these days. I had chevrons pinned on, platoon indoctrinations etc. and did so to others. Nothing even close to that ever happened nor would it have been contemplated or allowed. We were men that had to trust each other and know we could depend on each other in any situation. Anyone trying to do something like that would have never survived.

That is a homosexual rape he is describing not hazing. Trying to put an equal sign between pinning on wings or chevrons or a mild welcome aboard "ceremony" and homosexual gang rape is outrageous. That act does nothing to create unit cohesion or make anyone feel part of the team. It is a crime and those that did it should be punished. Actually they should have been taken somewhere and had the living hell beaten out of them first.

A couple of decade of social engineering in the armed forces has gotten us here.

Response by 1SG Dennis Hicks made Aug 26 at 2016 9:34 AM

2016-08-26T09:34:56-04:00

Sir, I received my first blood wings over 38 years ago and subsequently my Senior and Master blood wings over the years. Blood wings are a rite of passage and do not belong lumped in with the outright disgraceful and criminal acts that were done to this SPC. Blood wings were always voluntary and never forced in any unit I have ever served in. As a matter of fact I gave Senior blood wings to my BC a number of years ago in the same manner that has been done for decades. I guess I would have been charged with assault on a Field Grade Officer these days.
My personal opinion based upon my many years of service is that criminal actions like the ones that happened to this young man happen due to a command climate in which their piss poor leadership either knew about these activities or turned a blind eye. These attacks don’t happen in a vacuum. I grew up in the Infantry at 17 and I heard and saw some raw behavior but never to the point of assault. In my day practical jokes were employed more than this totally unacceptable behavior. My junior leadership would never allow this to go that far and anyone who attempted that behavior would have an accidental fall up a few flights of stairs and be removed from the ranks. My Introduction to my unit was thinking that I walked into the nut house between the fake wrestling matches and fist fights, the hand to hand demonstrations between sips of beer and assorted other acting that went on in the platoon area after 1700. My initiations was to be introduced to my roommate a soft spoken Mexican American from CA who offered me a beer and spent an hour helping me get my gear squared away for duty the next day. The very worst thing that was done to me was the Pysop campaign that lasted 48 hours until I earned my place by doing my job.
Anyone that would take part in this behavior should have been removed from the Service a long time ago and those imposters wearing Stripes should have been sent to Leavenworth. As a Squad Leader and a PSG I was very aware of what went on in my troop areas. If I had to hazard a few guesses I would say that eliminating CQ, absentee/ apathetic leadership and zero command involvement led us to what happened.

Response by 1SG Mike Case made Aug 26 at 2016 10:22 AM

2016-08-26T10:22:32-04:00

What that Soldier went through in that video is not hazing.....it was assault. There is not a long line of Soldiers telling about the good old days of being assaulted by one of their NCO's. Now, some Soldiers have thought of it as a rite of passage to have blood wings and blood rank, but I have seen Soldiers digging rank out of their collar bones and had no desire to do it. I equate it to a gang jump-in. If a Soldier wants his buddies to beat the rank or wings or whatever into their said chest, then let them go at it, but just not my cup of tea. In Iraq, on a Soldier's birthday, he was doused with water and rolled around in the dirt and everyone had a good laugh. Didn't see a problem with it. The worse hazing I have seen was this 1SG in the video hitting his Soldier in the chest with a mallet. I would like to take that 1SG into the woodline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG1YC0Okbts

BC Army Sgt. hit with mallet in hazing

Sgt. Phillip Roach.

Response by PO3 Jeff Mixon made Aug 26 at 2016 11:11 AM

2016-08-26T11:11:18-04:00

I got my bloody dolphins. It was a Rite of Passage in a signal to the rest of the tribe that I have passed the test. Do you think Russian mechanized Infantry gives a crap about whether or not we were rough with some of our soldiers in training?

Response by CPT Tom Monahan made Aug 26 at 2016 2:40 PM

2016-08-26T14:40:59-04:00

Seen in the military and college Grerk Life (funny thing is they are dealing with basically the same age group). The problem comes when fun becomes abusive or violent. Problem is the receiver makes that call. Someone(s) can over do it or the wrong person gets to participate (soldiers and student actually don't get along with everybody). Because of jerks over doing rituals and people not being able to opt out with honor, lawyers, IGs and Commanders had to stop the practices. Why are recruits dropped for push ups any more? Did some DI over condition people's minds and abuse bodies? Why can't you have a kid go pick their own switch? Why did we get rid of flaugging?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2016 4:07 PM

2016-08-26T16:07:44-04:00

I used to have to duck walk down the hallways flapping my arms and saying I'm Patterson the duck and I'm all fucked up. Also we would be told to stand at the end of the Hallway at parade rest facing another Private and have to high knee march at each other and then keep high kneeing the other privates legs (essentially dead legging) until one of us quit. Then Go on 6 mile runs the next few days. Good times!

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Aug 27 at 2016 3:03 AM

2016-08-27T03:03:09-04:00

I too have had my ass beat, but not like his. You got promoted, everyone who outranked you lined up on both sides and you walked the gauntlet. Some of the hits got you, others got YOU. You reach the end, turn around and do the same thing. I miss that tradition, but admit it has no real role in today's Army. As much as blood wings are tradition, the problem is abuse. The Soldier who is moitvated to get them isn't nearly as "motivated" as the Soldier who wants to give them. That's not always in a good way and can lead easily to abuse.
I won't lie, I miss the gauntlet and promotion beatings, but with the mindset many troops have now, there would be a LOT of command team reliefs, Art15, and sudden civilians with bad DD214's if caught. Is it worth it anymore..........no. We have more than enough ways waiting to kick you out. Don't give em one more.