Which Service Member do you remember the most?

SGT Ben Keen — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 09:54:43 -0500

There has been plenty of talks on this site asking people to say which leader they remember the most or was most influential.  That is all great stuff but now let's flip the coin.  <div> </div><div>Is there a certain Soldier, Marine, Airman, Shipmate, that you remember; good or bad? Be interesting to see with the total number of service members that a SNCO can be in charge of over their time in the service, if there is one that sticks out for whatever reason.  </div>

Response by SFC James Baber made Dec 27 at 2013 10:38 AM

SFC James Baber — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:38:27 -0500

One of my best buddies during basic training, David Cox, we were pretty much stuck together by the DSs throughout , he was country I was city, so we didn't get along to well at first, but after being forced together so much on every detail, we became the best of friends after learning so much about each other. We graduated boot and AIT, and even got stationed in out 1st unit together, we were in different platoons, but lived in the same barracks, did a lot of things together, even dated a set of sisters, LOL. We kept in touch over the years after PCSing and even ran into each again during Desert Storm, and Haiti. Wrote to each others mothers on a regular basis to let them know what we were up to since they each had officially adopted each of us without us knowing, the moms got to talking when we were stationed together at our first duty station and kept it together for years after that. I lost him during Bosnia, he was killed by what is now called an IED, then it was a booby trap, I was able to take leave and attend his funeral and give my military lifelong friend a proper goodbye and salute he deserved. His mom thanked me for coming and gave me a big hug and she still kept in touch with my mom until mine had passed, she even came to my moms funeral, which meant a lot to me. She even brought me dave and my basic/ait yearbook, I had lost mine years ago, she said I should have it to remember him by, I told her I had all the memories of him I needed in my heart and head, and even put another message next to the one I originally wrote in there to him, this one was to her, and thanking her for all she had done for me over the years and her friendship with my mother. I signed it your loving adopted son. We both had some good tears that day with each other, she also passed about 3 years ago, I miss all of them as they were all my friends and best mothers to me and my brother David.

Response by CH (CPT) Heather Davis made Dec 27 at 2013 11:25 AM

CH (CPT) Heather Davis — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 11:25:41 -0500

I had a remarkable CSM that impacted my life as an E-5, he was a Vietnam Veteran who came back in and had to go from and E-6 to an E-3. He made it all the way
back
to
CSM.

I would get frustrated due to I was not getting promoted, and he would always encourage me and challenge me to follow the path where I can grow. I
could put
my packet in for
Warrant, and I was selected.

It has been thirty years, and I hear his guidance follow the path where you can grow.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Dec 27 at 2013 11:41 AM

1SG Steven Stankovich — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 11:41:09 -0500

Good question...PFC Bass (1SG Bass now) and PFC Donofrio (CPT Donofrio now) from 2/72 AR in Korea, PFC McDonald (MAJ McDonald now), PFC Adcock (Police Officer now) and SPC Durheim (now a Chef) from 2/3 ACR, PFC Vandeweide (Civilian Nurse now) from 3/4 CAV and PFC Zufelt (now SSG at Fort Carson). All of these fine young Soldiers helped me to define and refine my different leadership styles and helped me grow into the NCO that I am today.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 27 at 2013 12:02 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 12:02:54 -0500

Man what a question. I remember so many that have had both a
negative and positive impact on my young career. COL (Then LTC) Mark O’Donell, CSMs
Jimmy Carabello, David Wilson (then SFC, 1SG) Shane Aki (my Senior Drill), SGM
Frank Hando, MSGs (Ret.) Michael Bennett, Eddie Rigsby, SFC (Ret.) Mike Pitmon,
SFC Danny Blalock, SSG (KIA) Santiago Hassel, SSG (Ret.) Nick Carney. These are
some of the NCOs and an Officer that have paved my way to who I am and with
social media I keep in contact with several of these individuals. One of the
biggest things taught by all was sticking to the choice that you have made
whether right or wrong in combat and training, making the hard right choices
over the easy wrong one as well.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 10:39 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 10:39:04 -0400

sergeant major bradley kasal comes to mind. there is a real hero.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 10:46 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 10:46:35 -0400

Ben, the sad reality is that the Soldiers that we remember the most are the ones that were the most troublesome. A saying that I will never forget from one of my BN commanders "you will expend 90% of your leadership on 10% of your Soldiers".

I am sure he got that from somewhere else but the fact is that we often have to spend the majority of time focusing on correcting the negative. Every once in a while there will be a success story of a Soldier that was a knucklehead and was shown the right path and straightened up and did right.

Response by SGT Frank Leonardo made Sep 18 at 2014 11:31 AM

SGT Frank Leonardo — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:31:36 -0400

I remember my senior drill instructor from boot camp the most. His nick name was Freddie Cruger. Because he liked to wake recruits up in the middle of night and mess with them.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 7:25 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:25:52 -0400

There's several but my first CO at my first unit. It may sound strange but as a private I learned a lot from him. He was always concerned about the welfare of the soldiers. Hell he even gave me his gloves once out in the field after he found out my gloves had gotten destroyed on concertina wire. It was hella cold in the winter in S Korea. I never saw him wear gloves the rest of that FTX, he had to be cold.

He did stuff like that all the time. Most of the soldiers in the company had similar stories. I always wondered whatever happened to him. One of the few officers who would wear the regimental numbers on his infantry branch insignia. This was back in the BDU days when officers wore their branch on the collar. Mofo could run too and he seemed to be able to ruck endlessly.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 18 at 2014 7:36 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:36:30 -0400

This might sound patronizing or convenient, but I would like to say that two general officers stand out for me. LTG Huggins was my boss as a Major General and then as a Lieutenant General (in Army G-3/5/7). I like him so much because he is not the typical hard-ass general officer. I'm sure he could turn that on, but he was a down-to-earth man when he interacted with our division of Army G-3/5/7, and I found that very refreshing.

The other man is MG Harold Greene. Again, when I worked in Army G-3/5/7, (then) BG Greene visited us several times. He was such a nice man, definitely not the typical general (i.e., hardcore/angry) officer. Maybe the fact that he and I grew up just 25 miles apart (which I learned after his death) played a role in my affinity for MG Greene.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Sep 18 at 2014 8:34 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 20:34:33 -0400

In some way or another all of the men and women I served with. My first PLT SGT, SFC Ben Moultrie, when I was a 2LT, My team at 10th MTN Div SIO office, My section that I deployed to GTMO and Iraq with, MSG(R) Don Iafrate and SGM(R) Jim Russell my eternal mentors and friends, 2 of the greatest Bde commanders its been my pleasure to serve - MG Kevin McBride and BG Jim Keighley, God the list is endless...

Response by SFC William "Bill" Moore made Sep 19 at 2014 9:28 AM

SFC William "Bill" Moore — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:28:05 -0400

1SG David Stalter, (Later CSM) 545th MP CO, 1CD, Ft Hood Tx. taught me more about responsibility and how to protect soldiers than anyone else in my 20+ years in the military.