Respect began when the Army began

I totally agreed, we should be treating our American best Soldier with dignity and respect. When I joined the Army back in the 90's that was the culture, the yelling and the cursing. But now we have a become a more aware and professional Army. I remember the words of wisdom that my SGM Joseph said to me "only ignorant people swear or curse for their lack of knowledge and words".

I am a Christian; I do not curse. I do not generally ask SM's to refrain from profanity in my presence, as I expected the profanity when I joined. If they ask about my preference -- as sometimes happens -- I tell them.
It would please me to no end to never hear another curse word, especially the casual strings of F-bombs and other profanity that I hear so often at work.

I've actually had my peers try to talk me into cursing, and tell me that the Army will make me a curser. I responded that that may be so, but for now I have both the discipline and the vocabulary to abstain from profanity.

there are pros and cons to profanity example private please bring me the ammo can. private can you hurry and bring me the ammo can. private move you fing ass and bring me that can stop pussy footing around and get the job done we all want to go home.
The simple start is to ask in a nice way and then increase if they do not get the message then cus at them maybe that will get the attention if it still doesn't work then start throwing stuff at them or remedial training respect is earned not given. There is the saying you half to respect the rank not them person but if you respect them both then you have one hell of a leader and should learn from that person. As far as just standing around and cussing there is no real call for it it just shows your lack of intelligence and sheds your self in a bad light I was a 19 delta cav scout and also a combat life saver there are times I needed to yell to get it across to someone to get the lead out of there ass and move

While I served I had the dipleasure of have several leaders see it as their mission to force out soldiers they did like. I have a very good friend who would very like have been a career enlisted soldier, but when it came time to reup he was ready to be done.

At 3 seoerate time in my career I fractured my ankle, after the first time I went from a pt score of 280 down to a 230-250 because running became very difficult for me. At the time of the first injury it was thought I had a bad sprain, it took 3 more years and two more injury's for a doctor to order xryas and see the damaged that had been done, had surgery but was never the same. Long runs were difficult and I was often asked by members of my leadership if I just wanted to quit and they would make sure I got discharged. I spent 4 years with a Sgt major wanting to kick me out for being overweight and my higher than squadron average PT score.
For me Respect was very hard to come by because while I was very respected by pilots and other maint personal for my quality of work and ability to do my job, I was a bad soldier and received little to no respect from some of my immediate leadership chain.

It all worked out for me, but that potential career soldier got out and went to college like me. Only difference is he is going back in as an officer, he receives his commission this summer.

Good leaders can motivate soldiers to be their best, while bad ones can make good soldiers go bad. I had leaders who it was a honor and pleasure to work for, who I would strive to make look as good as I could. Late in my career I had some of those guys that I had wished I had earlier, maybe I would have ended up staying in.

Amen! Respect is universal. There is a big difference between challenging a soldier to meet the standard and being a tyrant.

If soldiers don't want to perform, just chapter them. There is no need to go full metal jacket. The regulations are there to get rid of problem soldiers. We're just not using them correctly.

Many leaders need to understand the difference between fear and respect. Respect is something you earn. Fear is something you attempt to take without permission. Are you an honest broker or a thief?

If your soldiers will not follow you unless you make them afraid or threaten them, then it is YOU and your poor leadership that is the problem, or they simply cannot adapt and need to be separated.

This does NOT mean that you do not challege them. In fact I think many new soldiers are not challenged enough. We are robbing them of a sense of accomplishment after hard work and struggle if we do not challenge them. They deserve that feeling of self worth through validation. It often becomes intoxicating, which leads to habitual good performance and progress. They are not numbers, bodies, or pax. They are men and women!

This also does not mean that you cannot be direct with them. They need to know the truth. I cannot stand leaders that lie becuase they are hiding something or they think they can minipulate soldiers. That is NOT leadership. That is a lack of integrity! There is not reason to get in their face in a threatening manner that would otherwise earn you a punch in the mouth on the street. Sit down with the soldier and tell them how they are messing up, how to improve, and support them throughout that process. You will earn a lifetime of respect. I promise you!

Remember, you might meet one of these soldiers again in the future. Maybe on a battlefield where you need to count on them. Will they be there for you if they hate your guts? Will they go the extra mile for you?

Nowhere in any regulation is tyranny supported. Playing games with interpretation and relying on "tradition" is a cop out. If we are ready to throw regulations in their face when they do something wrong, then why do so many leaders kick moral values and regulation to the curb to take a leadership shortcut to employ fear and intimidation?

NCO's, I leave your with one line. "ALL SOLDIERS ARE ENTITLED TO OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP".

Entitled means they deserve it regardless of your opinion. It's not optional. We need to start thinking of that line as a punitive regulation.

Wow, I am shocked that someone voted down this post, twice. At what point does becoming a soldier mean that you have to endure profanity, at what point does it mean to be a soldier that you have to use profanity at a subordinate. Did we lose our ability to communicate. I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, I swear, I use to swear a lot, but I learned not to do it around those that found it objectionable, just like I learned not to smoke around those who found that objectionable. I am all for treating those the way I would like to be treated.

If the soldier has a preference to not hear swear words and has made this preference known, then, out of respect, I would try to watch my language around them. With that said however, if someone can't handle some profanity in the military, then Lord help them when the fit hits the shan...

Also, it has been posited that people who swear a lot tend to me more honest and loyal...

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2012/may-june-12/the-science-of-swearing.html

In a word: Professionalism.

I slightly cringe when I hear individuals tout it is a softer or new Army. I believe it is an advanced Army and we have proven the ability to accomplish the same tasks with "less." That includes motivating and developing young Soldiers.

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. If one needs to curse, constantly scream, or belittle their subordinates in order to garner results, then it is highly possible that the issue lies within the leader, not the Soldiers.

As a platoon sergeant, I was rightfully chewed out by my First Sergeant from time to time. I was not perfect, but I strived to be better. I never took it personally simply because my First Sergeant did not take my errors personally.

Nowadays, if a Soldier or leader habitually fails to perform, I never feel the need to exude an overzealous attitude, raw anger, or disrespect. It is just as effective to start the process to help that Soldier exit the Army. I know some individuals will retort that different units or branches have a different mindset or climate. I get that. I do. If someone does something that threatens safety, sterns words alone will not cut it. But, I truly believe that professionalism is not a grey area.

Now that looks like a ARMY bootcamp getting DROPPED and give me 1000 pushups photo op!? that recruit is probably pissing his pants..or saying FK what did I get into? or I won't do that again whatever it was he did. In the NAVY it was the same thing. I remember watching a lot of dudes just getting hammered dropped for a long time. I guess I scored well enough 70 on the ASVAB to be put in a decent company with other kids similar, as we were called a FLAG company. Regardless few got dropped and the kids that did not fit in got processed out of boot in a few weeks and never graduated. I was awarded a MERITORIOUS Paygrade Achievement Advancement award at graduation not knowing it was even available to earn, until it was handed to me, which really well bonded me to the NAVY and serving and succeeding. I won't get into the details of my enlistment, which I study, day and night, now 2014-15, 20 years removed from NAVY boot. But lets say things took a quick turn left and right north and south, as the training I had, and the billet was given did not match well as it was like putting a 1st grader in 10th grade and expecting good results as I review my personnel and enlistment history documentation, mixed with the "High Priority Unit" COMBAT SHIP, and things I was thrown into with my limited training, during the downsizing of the military in the 1990s squeezing the manpower with the OPTEMPO of the fleet staying the same or increasing would be felt even at muster in the days working orders, really started to get to me as the morale was low, but evals were passing, I suppose, but complaints on physicals of my "worry of the stress I felt in my heart down to my left hand",( of what I know realize after studying what I wrote in 1997 were symptoms of panic attacks attributed to hazardous duties I would be doing with very minimal experience or training), went completely 100 percent untreated undiagnosed, as the 2 or 3 enlisted CORPSMAN on the ship basically ignored and did not even take a blood pressure test(The ship did not have a MEDICAL OFFICER attached). Within that same year or the NEXT year, we had a change in COmmand Master Chiefs the highest enlisted top dog who just happened to have the same job as I did hence he was in the same department, had a nice(in his eyes) 1 on 1 physical meet and greet, FAN ROOM COUNSELING SESSION, after walking in on a conversation about my uniform needing a some tidying out at sea with a leading petty officer. Basically this new e9 that I did not know well but thought he had to kick a little dog down the street to prove a point. And he invited me" requested my assistance to work on some mooring lines alone" and once that hatch was closed WHAM BAM no thank you man...he thought he raised my obedience or somehow corrected something. Infact what he did do what make me feel fucking retarded and in the end I hated leadership, never got counseling, as the small ships did not have appropriate health programs, kept it to myself as talking about it to others just did not seem to really have any way of solving it in my head, fumed inside mad all the rest of my life basically, distancing myself from my then fiance getting dumped, blowing up on my mom over the phone all of the sudden acting really defensive all of a sudden, then discharged somehow honorably but a complete mess with no SEPARATION PHYSICAL(I Just realized to go over my handful of physicals and lousy chronological health care from 94-02) became a lunatic street fighter anxiety of people even really just looking at me, more interested in fighting then holding a job, got fired from every job I could get in civilian life eventually just giving up by 2005 embarressed and then suicide hospital embarresed upset broke and homeless...and amazingly never once bringing up that I was assaulted or was even in the military and honorably discharged to the civilian psych doctors who were trying to figure me out..then 2011 a complete mess just applied and got SSDI for anxiety and mood disorder...

that is what can happen from an older man who uses his fists to talk.to a younger man..who can not run away..and can not protect himself...while really freaking conflicted that he is smart.and originally was all about serving honorably and with valor and all the other good words...

Respect is earned never given, With that being said if you feel like you have to force your soldiers to respect you you are already failing. I would rather a soldier do the right thing because they do not want to let me down rather than they do the right thing because they don't want me to punish them for messing up. As far as profanity in the military there is a time and place and if you are counseling, coaching or mentoring soldiers there is no place for it. There are a few UCMJ Articles on this topic not directly profanity but "provoking words" Article 117. If it is directed towards another service member or soldier in a negative way it is provoking words and it is prohibited under UCMJ Article 117.