What Was Your Best Experience With a Superior While Serving? Share and Be Entered to Win!

My senior officers were all replaced during eating time. The new CO (O-6), told me to write my own evaluation with substantiating remarks. Gave myself top 1/5% in all categories. When he read it his comment was, you think you are really good. He smiled and said he agreed. Promoted next cycle.

I was a SP4 in the 313th CEWI (Combat Electronics Warfare and Intelligence) Battalion attached to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, but I worked in the comm center of the 18th Corps Special Security Office. My boss was Major Mullins who started out as a PVT in the Korean War and was nearing retirement in 1978. He was great.

I was short, about to ETS, and pretty fed up with the military. Although I did my very best at my mission, I wasn't putting much effort into being a strac troop appearance wise.

One morning, I was walking to company area from the motor pool where I had been fixing some crypto gear and the HQ company XO, a 1st LT just transferred from an infantry unit, decided to hassle me about my haircut. Let's just say the length was pushing the regulations. He chewed me out, and ordered me to have it cut during lunch. But our duty section had a bunch of fire extinguishers that were late for their annual inspection and we were about to have an IG inspection. The boss needed this done, so I volunteered to take them to the fire station during my lunch time in my POV. I thought it wouldn't take long and there'd still be time for a quick Army haircut.

It took forever, I didn't have time for the haircut, and after lunch, who should I meet but the XO! He was really mad when he saw my uncut hair and dragged me into the company office. When we got there, he told the 1st Sergeant to write me up for an Article 15 for disobeying a lawful order. I had never been in trouble before, and this was a shock for me.

As the 1st Sergeant started typing away on the appropriate form, I tried to explain about the extinguishers, but he thought I was just BSing him. So I asked him if he would at least call Major Mullins to verify it. He did, and when Major Mullins got on the line, he chewed out that LT so strongly that I could hear him from five feet away. The LT went from smirking to frowning to apologizing as the major told him I was one of his most reliable soldiers and that he had personally sent me out to get those extinguishers checked. He told him that if he ever has a problem with one of his troops, he can bring it to him, but never, never, never, mess with them when they are doing their mission.

The LT put down the phone and the first thing he said was "Top, tear up that Article 15 on Roberts." The next thing he said, was "Roberts, you can go." I didn't see him much after that. I think he was avoiding me.

This was just one example of the many times Major Mullins helped me out. Despite my flaws, he always treated me like a human being and a valuable member of his team and not like some random troop he had to put up with. I'll never forget him. I hope he reads this because I never had a chance to thank him.

Sitting in the waiting area of Kuwait International Airport with my commanding officer and the rest of my unit awaiting our return to the US after 365 bog.

LTC Meany took me on a tour of Camp Rilea in Oregon one time, and treated me like a general. He always called me SGT Major at work, even though I was a SP/4. I always saluted him when I saw him, even in civilian cloths. I really miss my brothers and sisters in the military.

When I was a PFC, I went to the Soldier of the Year Board and placed 2nd. The CSM observed my disappointment and took me to the side and I'll never forget "her" talk. She said, "PFC Miles, do not allow this 2nd place finish to stop you from reaching the top. I can see how disappointed you are to place 2nd in the battalion but use this as motivation to study harder to win next year. I believe in you! Just this brief contact with a superior motivated me to not only win Soldier of the year the following year as an E-4, but I went on to win NCO of the year as an E-5 and again as an E-6. I will always remember this and I paid it forward as well while sitting on boards when I noticed the heartbreak and disappointment on Soldiers and NCOs who really wanted to win.

Way back in 1996 while at 41rst Ordinance Company, we stayed on Rheine Ordinance Barracks (ROB) just out side of Vogelweh, next the old Opel car manufacturer. At the motor pool we had just finally defeated a college graduated butter-bar with no field experience. He really belonged to headquarters and not the motor-pool, we caught him in the office playing "Doom" or "Duke Nukem" the original around that time, too many times to count, he would then turn and act like a 20 year veteran drill sergeant standing all of 5 foot 4 inches maybe 6 inches in his boots and 2 years older than myself at the time. He absolutely ruined the motor pools motivation and comradery. There were no secrets in that motor pool, we short joked him to death loud enough that it was never behind his back and muttered, until he got his ticket to head quarters, as he walked to HQ the angels were bellowing out "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH"
Our new Lieutenant Osbourne walks in. She is rather good looking, but stern and had a husband that could have been Hulks little brother. Something was different about this Lieutenant, she commanded respect while giving respect, something our motor pool had been missing for sometime. Within her first week, I watched as she left her office, this was the only time that door was being closed and locked, she walks right up to the motor Sargent and bluntly asked is there anything you need help with, same to the transportation Sargent.
After putting in her first parts orders for us, she came out to the motor pool, get this, in coveralls, and proceeded to climb under the old Oshkosh PLS with me and asked me "What are you doing, and How may I help?" If the woman wasn't married I would have asked in that moment. She said give me the grease gun and proceeded to help me grease 110 grease zerks on that vehicle. While under the vehicle she explained to me how she just graduated from the Green to Gold, and came out to Germany with her husband. Our motor pool had been United from a former Specialist to a Bad-Ass 2nd Lieutenant.
For the cherry on top we also received a CW4 Nuendorf (forgive any misspelling) working on his CW5, his office consisted of two chairs, one in next to motor pool sergeants desk, and the other was next to the CO's desk. That year in 1997 we received the USERAR Service, Maintenance, and Safety Award for having the most outstanding and hard working motor pool in Europe (again forgive spelling or right terminology). In my entire career, there were only three other officers that came close to the respect given to and from this lady and gentleman. Thanks you two from the bottom to the top of my heart, for the best experience with the Chain of Command I ever had.

My former Commanding General always took the time to keep track of what ever I have been doing in life like when I graduated from the law enforcement academy to took the time to show up, other times he give me call for whatever the occasion was, he was a great mentor and a great guy.

I was captains driver on USS Saint Paul CA 73. He held 2 navy crosses from WWII. He taught me a lot and was a very fine gentleman. W W McCrory was his name and he finished up a Rear Admiral.

It wasn't a single encounter, it was the entire time we were together, but it can be summed up by a single encounter.

I was an infantry Squad Leader, and our Platoon Leader had PCSed the week prior. We knew there was a new PL inbound, so we were a little worried about what we would get - LTs are a mixed bag. The PSG had the SLs in the CP, going over some random thing or other when in walks the wettest-behind-the-ears fresh-off-the-boat kid you can imagine, looking like a high schooler wearing his daddy's BDUs, with a butter bar right there on his collar. Great... one of THOSE.

This was his introductory speech (paraphrased). I'm your new Platoon Leader, and I don't know jack shit. I expect you to teach me. When we are planning things, I not only *want* you to tell me when I am fucking up, I *expect* you to tell me when I am fucking up. When we are figuring out how to get things done, I want and need your input. You have been doing it longer than me, you know the equipment better than me, and you know your men better than me. Tell me what I need to know. If you don't agree with things when we are in this office, let me know. But... Once we leave this office, there better be absolutely no one who questions who is in charge of this platoon. It is *my* platoon. Don't even think of countering me in front of the troops. Even if you disagree, once we leave this office, it is final. Yes, sir, no sir, and move the fuck out. I promise to listen to what you have to say, and to take it into serious consideration; in turn I expect you to execute, and execute violently when it is time to go to work. Does anyone have any questions? No? Great. PSG, what is the order of the day....

And that is exactly how he ran things. Best PL i have ever served with. Ever. Super humble dude, way smarter than he looked, and a serious desire to get things done, and done right. And he had the utmost respect and confidence in his NCOs - he made us better just because we refused to tarnish the image he had of the entire NCO Corps.

When I was ETSing my Captain came up to me handed me his personal information and told me when I was through with college he'd help me to become an officer! He was never one for compliments but I knew from that point on there was nothing I couldn't do in life! I graduated third in my class from college!