Posted on Jun 25, 2021
When an E-4 calls me "hey" or "hey man" knowing that I am an officer, should I bother to correct him?
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This SPC calls me "hey man" outside work. I don't work with him directly; just happened to come across couple of times at work, and he did call me "sir". Not sure whether I should even bother to correct this SPC.
Edited 2 y ago
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 840
One of the wisest things I was taught as an NCO.
If you ignore a failure to meet the standard, you have just set the new standard.
If you ignore a failure to meet the standard, you have just set the new standard.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
CPO Mark Gallup horribly misogynistic and also totally misses the point.
Are you going to honestly tell me there was never a single day in your career that you were not combat ready? Never a single day you were injured? Never a single day you had a weapon or technical certification that had lapsed? Never a single day that you were not up to date on every single vaccination, including ones that may have been started the day prior? Never a single day that you were lacking in some BS pre-deployment course that the Navy just decided last week everyone needed?
Everyone who serves long enough has periods they are non-deployable. Everyone. So you can take your misogynistic bigotry and shove it someplace very uncomfortable.
Are you going to honestly tell me there was never a single day in your career that you were not combat ready? Never a single day you were injured? Never a single day you had a weapon or technical certification that had lapsed? Never a single day that you were not up to date on every single vaccination, including ones that may have been started the day prior? Never a single day that you were lacking in some BS pre-deployment course that the Navy just decided last week everyone needed?
Everyone who serves long enough has periods they are non-deployable. Everyone. So you can take your misogynistic bigotry and shove it someplace very uncomfortable.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
CPO Mark Gallup obviously, not being Navy, I have never been Command Chief of anything during an exercise.
But I HAVE been both a Platoon Sergeant and an NCOIC for multiple real-world honest to goodness combat deployments. And every single one I had some portion of my unit non-deployable for one reason or another. And we went to war with what was left and still accomplished the mmission.
I have also been put in charge of a rear-detachment for other combat deployments - all of the folks who are non-deployable for whatever reason. Medical (pregnancy, injury, PTSD, Vax refusal, etc.), legal (suspended clearance, under investigation, pending court martial, etc.), or administrative (leaving unit, school hold, etc.). You know what my least common problem was? Pregnancy. I had ONE Soldier who was pregnant. And she was one of my hardest workers. She found out she was pregnant two days before we got deployment orders - she didn't get pregnant to avoid deployment. By contrast, I had three Soldiers who "suddenly developed" mental health issues (one PTSD, 2 depression) within a month of getting orders. I had 3 who broke bones in the 6 months between orders and deployment - not a single one intentionally.
And despite having nothing but the "sick, lame, and lazy," I still found ways to get half of them deployable (rigorous physical therapy, clearing administrative blocks, closing legal cases). And I found ways for ALL of them to support the combat mission through reachback capabilities.
So yeah, I have just a bit of experience with the "combat ineffective" troops in ACTUAL combat situations, not just exercises.
I'm not ignorant. Just not an asshole.
But I HAVE been both a Platoon Sergeant and an NCOIC for multiple real-world honest to goodness combat deployments. And every single one I had some portion of my unit non-deployable for one reason or another. And we went to war with what was left and still accomplished the mmission.
I have also been put in charge of a rear-detachment for other combat deployments - all of the folks who are non-deployable for whatever reason. Medical (pregnancy, injury, PTSD, Vax refusal, etc.), legal (suspended clearance, under investigation, pending court martial, etc.), or administrative (leaving unit, school hold, etc.). You know what my least common problem was? Pregnancy. I had ONE Soldier who was pregnant. And she was one of my hardest workers. She found out she was pregnant two days before we got deployment orders - she didn't get pregnant to avoid deployment. By contrast, I had three Soldiers who "suddenly developed" mental health issues (one PTSD, 2 depression) within a month of getting orders. I had 3 who broke bones in the 6 months between orders and deployment - not a single one intentionally.
And despite having nothing but the "sick, lame, and lazy," I still found ways to get half of them deployable (rigorous physical therapy, clearing administrative blocks, closing legal cases). And I found ways for ALL of them to support the combat mission through reachback capabilities.
So yeah, I have just a bit of experience with the "combat ineffective" troops in ACTUAL combat situations, not just exercises.
I'm not ignorant. Just not an asshole.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
Very nice... down vote, rude language, and block. The mark of a TRUE keyboard warrior.
Chief, you speak with such eloquence. I am confused as to your vehemence, though. You stated I was ignorant, and I provided evidence I was not. And for this you tell me to drop dead.
I think you may have an anger problem, you may want to check into anger management.
Chief, you speak with such eloquence. I am confused as to your vehemence, though. You stated I was ignorant, and I provided evidence I was not. And for this you tell me to drop dead.
I think you may have an anger problem, you may want to check into anger management.
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AN Tony Leding
"If you ignore a failure to meet the standard, you have just set the new standard." --- Without a doubt one of the best statements I've ever read. This should probably be applied to all things in society...
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Anonymous
Not sure what to do?! Is this even a real question? Did you miss class the day they taught leadership at OCS?
SCPO Glen Dutcher
This isn't a leadership issue. This is basic stuff. Correct the Specialist without causing a scene or being a dick. Most often a quiet reminder is all it really takes
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CW4 Todd McElmurry
SSG William Hommel - ohhh buddy... same as you.... I don't have the credit to VOTE YOURS down either... and btw..... "Feelings"? your own comment.... really?
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I don't like being put in this spot. It forces me to be the bad guy, but you are doing him a favor lighting him up verses a COL (or even his company CO, or 1SG).
The most aggressive thing I've done so far was (when a 1LT) me and another LT were walking from place to place and passed a SPC that belonged to another unit. Anyway....... he didn't acknowledge us and we were within arms length. I stood him dead in his tracks, didn't point out his discrepancy and waited for him to figure it out.
On the other side of that, I had my BC mention to me someone wearing our patch not salute him when he went through the gate. Luckily it could have been from another company, but still, it applied to a subordinate in his command be it my soldier or not.
*******
Favorite story about this sutff:
I'm USAR, we went to S Korea for an exercise and the active COL/CSM met with my incoming party to brief us (basically berate us to not step out of line while in country). Then a SGT in the audience giggled at something serious the CSM was talking about, and the CSM asked him what was so funny.
The SGT replied, and I quote, "I'm laughing at what you said man".
So I'm a 2LT (3 month TIG at this point) sitting in the audience of reservists, and prior NCO, and first thing I think is "oh god damn it, this whole brief now is going to take the whole afternoon".
Yep........... that SGT got lit the F up in an auditorium in front of all his friends by a CSM flanked by the CSM's COL (highest ranking person in the room).
********
So, remember, lighting up someone now while you are an LT could possibly save them from the story above.
The most aggressive thing I've done so far was (when a 1LT) me and another LT were walking from place to place and passed a SPC that belonged to another unit. Anyway....... he didn't acknowledge us and we were within arms length. I stood him dead in his tracks, didn't point out his discrepancy and waited for him to figure it out.
On the other side of that, I had my BC mention to me someone wearing our patch not salute him when he went through the gate. Luckily it could have been from another company, but still, it applied to a subordinate in his command be it my soldier or not.
*******
Favorite story about this sutff:
I'm USAR, we went to S Korea for an exercise and the active COL/CSM met with my incoming party to brief us (basically berate us to not step out of line while in country). Then a SGT in the audience giggled at something serious the CSM was talking about, and the CSM asked him what was so funny.
The SGT replied, and I quote, "I'm laughing at what you said man".
So I'm a 2LT (3 month TIG at this point) sitting in the audience of reservists, and prior NCO, and first thing I think is "oh god damn it, this whole brief now is going to take the whole afternoon".
Yep........... that SGT got lit the F up in an auditorium in front of all his friends by a CSM flanked by the CSM's COL (highest ranking person in the room).
********
So, remember, lighting up someone now while you are an LT could possibly save them from the story above.
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Sgt Santo Amodeo
I was an AF E3 at Sheppard afb from 68 to 70 and was a Huey mechanic. We spent many days doing 12 hr shifts, it was hard work but i enjoyed it and wanted to make it a career.
One not so fine day our base commander was flying one of our Hueys with his family to Dallas. His name was Gen Paige or Page, its been a long time. I know he was a WW2 hero and earned his 2 stars. I was told to stay away from the aircraft and 4 E9s were leaving their desks to launch him. As he was taxing out about 25 ft off the ground i notlced they did not remove the grd strap and it was swinging wildly and could have caught up in the tail rotor. I ran in and called flt control to land him ASAP.
All was good but i was told to keep it quiet and there was no cameras then. Couple of days later a capt approached me to sign papers. I thought i was getting an attaboy award or a day off. Well he told me i was getting an article 15 for the incident and when i asked why he said .... this is really bad what they are doing to you but they are not going to ruin the careers of 4 senior NCOs. I was a 19 yr old thinking i was going to the brig for many years, but then he said give me a month and i will try to make it disappear , which he did.
Shortly after that i volunteered for Nam to get away from the chicken shit, and was an advisor to the Arvn teaching them to work on Hueys . Its funny but most of the time i felt more secure there than in Tex. I was at Pleiku and it wasnt too bad.
I can only imagine if that Huey crashed and burned, no one would have believed me and the AF looked really bad., and a hero and his family would have been burnt alive.
My opinion of the AF was really low after that so i got out in 72 and worked for 3 major airlines until i retired 3 yrs ago .
One not so fine day our base commander was flying one of our Hueys with his family to Dallas. His name was Gen Paige or Page, its been a long time. I know he was a WW2 hero and earned his 2 stars. I was told to stay away from the aircraft and 4 E9s were leaving their desks to launch him. As he was taxing out about 25 ft off the ground i notlced they did not remove the grd strap and it was swinging wildly and could have caught up in the tail rotor. I ran in and called flt control to land him ASAP.
All was good but i was told to keep it quiet and there was no cameras then. Couple of days later a capt approached me to sign papers. I thought i was getting an attaboy award or a day off. Well he told me i was getting an article 15 for the incident and when i asked why he said .... this is really bad what they are doing to you but they are not going to ruin the careers of 4 senior NCOs. I was a 19 yr old thinking i was going to the brig for many years, but then he said give me a month and i will try to make it disappear , which he did.
Shortly after that i volunteered for Nam to get away from the chicken shit, and was an advisor to the Arvn teaching them to work on Hueys . Its funny but most of the time i felt more secure there than in Tex. I was at Pleiku and it wasnt too bad.
I can only imagine if that Huey crashed and burned, no one would have believed me and the AF looked really bad., and a hero and his family would have been burnt alive.
My opinion of the AF was really low after that so i got out in 72 and worked for 3 major airlines until i retired 3 yrs ago .
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CPT Larry Hudson
There is no forgiveness, or polite talk or buddy lets have a drink. Military protocol requires service members to respect the ranks of officers. Only occasion for not saluting is the case of an OCS Candidate and another soldier. OCS candidates were E-5's enlisted until the day they were granted by congress the rank of an officer and by law made a gentleman.
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SSG Matthew Fox
I concur. As I said earlier, if this would have happened back in the day when I was in, an Article 15 would have been served up immediately. I can’t believe these people think they can get away with disrespecting senior ranks.
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