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

During my first tour in Vietnam in 1969, our squadron gunnery sergeant invited several of the Crew Chiefs (HMM-265) to his hootch to celebrate his rotation back home and his ultimate retirement. He broke out a bottle of whiskey and we passed it around (my first taste of straight bourbon). He told a few stories from Korea and previous tour in Vietnam. Then he proceeded to give each of us a momento, which included a holster for a .38, a flashlight-green gooseneck, wire pliers and similar things that many of us already had. He gave me his K-bar that according to him was given to him by his gunnery sergeant in Korea, which had been given to him in World War II by a senior NCO. I don't know why he gave me such a valuable treasure. It has been a treasure to me ever since. I think of that gunnery sergeant often because he also gave me great leadership in establishing my trade as a mechanic in the squadron.

My best experience with a superior was when I was at standby waiting to be discharged. Don't remember her name but the LT saw I was " eat up" with my siblings who had recently become orphans, concerned that I (their matron) was not there to help them adjust.

She decided to ask me prepare for a gala that was being given to General Braddock ask me to embroider gold stars on red satin with the general's name, to be used in cushion for him. Don't remember if I finished the task but I do remember bringing home cloth I'd been embroidering on. In any event, I felt honored at being given that task to distract me.

As an AIC I traveled around PACAF for about 3 weeks with a CMSgt doing COMSEC briefings prior to the TEAM SPIRIT exercises. It was my first time doing anything of that magnitude and Chief gave me the responsibility of putting the briefing together and presenting it. The Chief took take care everything else. After a briefing I heard a Colonel tell Chief that my briefing should be given to the all the personnel coming in theater for the exercise. I was stoked and hoped that I would get the chance the following year but I went PCS 2 months before. That was my introduction to what a Chief in the Air Force was supposed to be. Only strike against for me being a North Carolina fan, was he was a Duke fan. Great guy!

I was an Infantry (11C) Specialist in the Army. I had just failed Land Navigation at Expert Infantryman Badge testing because I changed a point on my score sheet when somebody else told me they had the same point, and they were sure I was wrong. I told SSG Brinston what happened. He looked dead in my soul and told me that if I failed the next day that would be fine. He’d personally teach me what I needed to know in land navigation, but if I failed because I second-guessed myself or trusted someone else more than I did myself that he didn’t want me back in the platoon. He didn’t need soldiers who didn’t believe in themselves. The next day, I went back out to do navigation and sure enough some “hero” out there tried to “check my answers”. I heard SSG Brinston’s words in my head and told the dude to pack sand. I finished the navigation course and had gotten all 5 of my points correct. I never missed another land navigation point again after that. In fact, I never failed another anything the rest of my time in the Army. To this day, more than 27 years later I still hear his words every time I start to doubt myself. That challenge he gave me has become one of the greatest gifts I was ever given in my life. Cheers to you SSG Brinston, wherever you are.

My basic training Co, Capt Patrick J Ronan, kept me out of trouble, because he forgot, to notify 1st Sgt I had been sent home for 7days on emerg leave, he's the one who came and got me and took me to the airport.

The Commodore's AC went out off the coast off Vietnam in stiffening heat, compressor was bad, none available without a long wait, but a watercooler compressor onboard, with a hammer, bowed the back wall of AC unit and was able to have it working n 1 day. Best friend I had, when he would take the motor launch out when we were in port he always request me for an engineman, then have a basket of fried chicken and the fixens for the boat crew. we usually went to some remote place with his GF in that port, we would go off and swim and whatever and have a picnic, real great duty.

I enlisted in the Regular Army December 3, 1954 and was sent to Ft. Dix NJ for my basic training. Two years prior to this I joined the Mass. Nat. Guard. Since I was the only recruit in my platoon with prior military training, I was made "Acting Platoon Leader" on my second or third day. Our training officer was Lt. (JOHN) Thompson. Over the eight week period, he assigned me many various duties, which I tried to preform as best I could. Because of the growing respect I had developed for him which I hoped was mutual, I was doggedly determined not to let him down. At the end of this period of our training, we were told that we had one last phase to complete- a full gear forced march at double time which was, if I recall correctly, 4 miles long. 2 miles through a forrest trail the first half and 2 miles on beach sand for the second half. I was at the head of our platoon and as we advanced along into the beach sand area, I was beginning to falter. Further in, I was seriously faltering and a feeling of dread came over me. A few yards further and suddenly I felt someone grab the back of my collar and was pulling me along and the next thing I heard was "Do not even think about it" ! I can not tell you what it was, but suddenly I was faltering a lot less and was determined to finish at the head of our platoon, even if I had to cough up my lungs to do it. I admired and respected him and have never forgotten him through out my life! I was a white boy from Boston, and he was a young black man from (not quite sure) the South. In the years that followed, I have looked upon this and my remaining time in the Army, as my Epiphany into manhood. SSgt R.A. Ercolini

Oh this is easy, thanks for the question. I was in Panama and my NCOIC was Sgt. Hightower. When I arrived on base I had my meeting with him and I told him I was one of those guys that volunteer. He liked it because most of the guys in Transportation didn't do that. I got to go to all the countries in central and south America. When I got my TDY orders for Vietnam he came along also. He was E7 and I was E4 at the time.

autumn reforger 1983 I NBCNCO/ Co. driver my wife and one of my buddies wife figured out where we were from the Chaplin and brought out a big bag of brotchen and brots to us and our platoons and the Captain was pretty cool about it and got a good laugh out of it then looked at the girls and said that was really sweet of you but please do not do it again

When I met my new C.O. when he came to Thailand. He tapped me on the shoulder (down town, Ubon Thailand) and said, "I am your new commander and I am buying you a beer, and I want to see you in my office, first thing in the morning. He was so cool.Major Robert E. Lee got fired and Major "T" got pulled from going to Nam, and they sent Lee to Nam instead. His name is Major William I. Thibedoux. I hope I spelled it correctly. I would love to meet him again.