What would you do if you had a junior Sailor that will not adhere to simple regulations and "forgets" to do what he is told?

they will only ignore you for a very short time before the punishments gets very real for them when you keep documenting.

you can't be the bleeding heart and if there is a personal problem, they should bring it up to you - not you trying to figure out what their problem is. you'd spend too much time that you shouldn't be spending on and not your original job.

What ifs are heart because it can vary according to the situation ; my general rule with the progressive discipline starting with oral counseling written reprimand Capt Mast etc. Find out if its motivational, attitude or aptitude problem sometimes people can have learning disabilities.

Verbal counseling, then written counseling if it continues with some Extra Military Instruction thrown in for good measure. If by the time Evals come along and behavior has not changed you have all the documentation for an adverse Eval and a way to legally not recommend this person for advancement. We all screwed up at one time or another during our military careers and I think almost every one of us had some leader who nudged us in the proper direction through their experience.

Sometimes bad Sailors are created by bad leaders. I never believed in inheriting "problem children" but in giving each individual a clean slate. I often think of studies showing if a teacher expects her class to fail they will fail and I think the same can hold true for those who report to us. If we decide for whatever reason they are dead-weight, they will be. I agree with the others who have written each person should be given the opportunity, training and support to succeed. It is only then can we look to see if it is a failure of leadership or indeed an unmotivated, uncooperative Sailor who would be better served serving fries.

Well back in the day SGT Aguilera would have a one on one 'smoking session' with a troop like that for the first few times. But coming from the Navy, I know it is not like that anymore; the Army has gone away from that more and more.
Make the Sailor carry a note book everywhere (make sure it is not one hat you can tear out pages, that way you can tell if the page is missing). Have him document all conversations and then brief you back what is expected and the time line to accomplish task in.
When it comes to regulations; I have found that Soldiers HATE writing - they would rather do push ups. So I have gone to report writing for infractions. The word count would be based on the seriousness obviously.

PO1 (Join to see) First I would find out if there was more going on with the Sailor than the surface issues. Sometimes great Sailors loose their way if they have huge amounts of stress or something else going on in their personal life (e.g. going through a divorce or marital issues, sexual assaulted, financial issues, family members in the hospital or recently passed, newborn child or serious medical problems with family members, etc.) because these things can affect the overall well being and mindset of the Sailor.

Now if none of these things are a factor then I would start with formal documented counseling along with the recommendation of EMI (extra military instruction) to correct whatever deficiency the Sailor may be displaying. After a few of these counseling have been documented, if the Sailor is still having issues, I would move on to a DRB (disciplinary review board). If a DRB doesn't fix the issue then I would look at recommending the member for XOI (Executive Officer Inquiry) then Captain's Mast depending on the outcome under the grounds to be administratively separated due to a pattern of misconduct as well as Art. 92.

At my first command we had a member who was not able to meet the work requirements of a Petty Officer. The command began documenting these shortcomings and later used them separate the member. Anything is possible when things are documented properly.

If this sailor was a Seabee then he would be written up and put on report so that we can weed out this type of person.

Clean padeyes with a spoon for a while, fashion show, and room inspections to start. If it keeps going do papper work, if they refuse, do paper work. Eventually they will straighten up or go up for mast

first I council them and if that doesn't work I have no choice but to put them on report. the military isn't for wishy washy, its to defend our nation. if they cant follow simple regs then how can you count on them in combat situation. I had to deal with this more as I came closer to retirement. it seemed that boot camp was being to easy on these kids than they were when I enlisted. we need back bone not baby sitting.

Does the Navy still walk the plank? Or would that be too harsh?