So why is it 2nd LTs get such a bad rap?

Being an inexperienced officer with three or four months experience put in charge of men with 10-15 years’ experience is no easy task either. You want to support your men and you don't want to be a damn fool; both difficult tasks to pull off with zero experience.

I was fortunate to have a top NCOIC in my first assignment who trained me well. He would come in to my office and tell me about a problem and ask what I wanted him to do about it. I would tell him what I thought, and he would say "Right away sir" and start for the door.

Then he would pause at the door and say "Sir, if we do that and this happens, what then"? I hadn't thought of that, so I would suggest that we do a second thing instead, and he would say "Right away, sir", and leave. I would find out later that he had already done that second thing a couple of days earlier, but he just wanted me to tell him to do the right thing for the right reasons.

He could just as easily have destroyed my career by just keeping his mouth shut and letting me hang myself with my own ignorance. As it was, he made me look competent until I became so. There is nothing I would not have done to support and defend him from then on out; as far as I was concerned he walked on water.

It is a team effort; just as it is important for an officer to watch out for and support his men, it is just as important for the men to support their officers wherever they can. It is a two-way street in any well run outfit.

Folks tend to forget that new SMs will think they know it all, until humbled by circumstances and the experienced. In just a few years, the spike in responsibility/accountability can be substantial. Remember that the young LT you give grief to, is quite possibly your future Commander. Help them grow, and be professional always.

Because butter is bad for you? Lol!