What's the best advice you've ever gotten from someone in the military?

This is going to sound negative, so please don't be offended by my answer. But, the best advice I ever received from someone in the military was way back in the early 1990's. I was a PV2 or PFC and my team leader was CPL Stephenson. Well, as the Army was a new world to me and I was very impressionable CPL Stephenson was basically my mentor. One day he said to me, "Hurley, all I require from you is to be in the right place at the right time and in the right uniform." He then followed that up with, "If you can be in the right place, at the right time, in the right uniform, then you'll be pretty much good to go throughout your military career." I now find myself giving that same speech to my soldiers. I'm glad I got to grab that tag line from him and use it today as if it were mine.

I would also like to share one more piece of advice that, now currently retired, MSG Stephenson provided to me. He said, "Hurley, if you don't take care of yourself while you are in the military, nobody will." Now, with that piece of advice I agree and I don't agree. However, I see how it's becoming more and more a true statement then it was back in the 90's. See back in the 1990's I remember my NCO's taking care of me. They would lead me in the correct direction, give me the necessary tools to do the job, and they would ensure that I knew what I was doing before they turned me loose. However, I've been noticing a change in the overall leadership in the NCO Corp. I've noticed since the mid 2000's that NCO's have been acting less professional and more like privates and sometimes like little children. I've seen the Buck SGT and the Staff SGT being leaderless in the absents of orders, I've seen senior NCO's being outrageously single minded. But worst, I've seen todays leaders being more concerned about themselves than about these soldiers. Back in the day NCO's took pride in the troops, if they looked good it made their NCO look good. If they looked bad then it made the NCO look bad and that would start the tuning up process initiated by the NCO. I do contribute some of this to the NOCA/NCOES courses. I recall going through PLDC and how difficult and intense that school was. I recall that the 50% of us who graduated felt like we could rule the world and that there was nothing that could ever stop us. When you graduated from PLDC you knew you had accomplished something huge and difficult and only the ones who were right passed. Today, with what I understand about WLC, it seems like the backbone of the NCO Corp. has weakened and that today's SGT's and SSG's are nothing more than E-4's getting E-5&6 pay. I went through ALC almost 2 years ago and I know that the 1990's version of BNCOC wasn't as easy as the ALC I just took in California. I believe if our SPC's were still going though PLDC and that our E-6's and E-7's were still BNCOC and ANCOC that our NCO Corp. would be taking much better care of our troops.

I hope this wasn't to long of a tangent at answer your point. Also, for your E-5, 6, 7, etc... I know that there are still many great NCO's out there, you are probably one of them. Please don't think that I'm bashing all NCO's. However, I beg of you all to take care of your troops and to help correct those NCO's that you see who needs a correction as well.

Troops need help becoming leaders, help with promotions, with family issues, basic stresses and whatnot, the need good leaders to be role models, we need to be there for them so they can be there for us. The Mission comes first and to be ready for that mission your troops can't be preoccupied about there home life and garrison issues.

I appreciate this platform and I appreciate all you good leaders and admire all your great leaders.