DickC Loc: NE Washington state

Says it all!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :mrgreen:

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

As an ex-company grade Army officer, I think you are being a bit harsh on the Lieutenants. We all had to learn how things really work somewhere, and Second Lt.s, & Ensigns, if they are lucky will get an experienced Platoon Sargent (or Chief) who will take him under his wing for a while as a friendly tutor and prevent major mistakes: "Lt., Sir, do you really want to do that" or "have the men do it that way"; it doesn't take too long to catch on. Most of the Academy Graduates I met were good officers, but despite what they are taught at the Academy's, they needed a good NCO teacher too.

I was lucky, within a month of being assigned to my unit, we were sent to FL for the Cuban Crisis. I and three other 2'Lt's (one had been Enlisted and was almost due for promotion to 1'st) took a 120 truck convoy from VA to FL. The rest of our units went by bus, and we spent a couple of months living in the field & loading cargo for air drops. It was a good learning curve and good experience. It made all the newly commissioned better officers.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Took a protective mask to my Bn commander a Lt. Col. for him to service as the regs instruct. He told me to do it. I was just out of Boot but responded with "Sir you are required to service your own protective mask. Besides would you trust a green PFC with this task and your life if I did it wrong?" He smiled and said "correct answer" took the mask and dismissed me.
Great commander and we lost him in an operation 3 years later with many others.

Ronr2 Loc: Virginia

Was told by a Master Chief that if you kicked the ego out of a chief all you had left was a pair of empty shoes.

TSHarrison Loc: Des Moines, Iowa

I was a Sergeant in the Army, working in an Emergency Operations Center at Fort Dix during Operation Desert Storm/Shield. I had Lieutenants and Captains calling all the time for equipment and personnel transfer orders. After a couple of weeks we had Air Force and Navy personnel working with us. I had a Captain that had been calling for two weeks asking for the same items (that still had not arrived) and I went off on him. As I was addressing him by his name and rank, a Navy Lieutenant walked buy and literally jumped over two chairs and crashed into my desk to get to the phone. He apologized and told the Capitan he would make sure the item was there ASAP and he would call him back by the end of the day. When he hung up the phone he had a look of (oh crap) on his face and he asked me if I knew who that was. I told him it was just some Capitan who was trying to push his weight around. The Lt. then explained that this guy was not the same rank as an Army Captain (O-3) he was a Navy Captain (O-6) or equal to a full bird in the Army. Oh Crap, now on my face.
Well a week later I'm sitting at my desk when I hear a voice coming from the Operation Center floor. Someone's asking to see Sgt. Harrison, and I recognize that voice from the phone calls. Oh Crap on my face again. I stand up and walk out and wait for the execution. This guy get's a stern look on his face and then he busted out laughing! He said he wanted to meet the Sergeant that kept putting him in his place. My Brigadier General did have a talk with me and my boss afterwards. I had to give a class on the different ranks assigned to the different branches that were working in the Operations Center as my "corrective action".

Wenonah Loc: Winona, MN

I think it's funny how many times "sergeant" was spelled "sargent" on here.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

OOPS! Must be due to 50 years since Active Duty :thumbup: ; spell-check didn't pick up on it either. :-(

EdM Loc: FN30JS

AKA " First shirt" , even if not sober.... does the morning report and heads fer the NCO CLUB, TO REAPPEAR @1600 to take the retreat formation,WITH A RED NOSE... ( I been to that movie) The Lt plays with himself all day.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Crap, now on my face.
Well a week later I'm sitting at my desk when I hear a voice coming from the Operation Center floor. Someone's asking to see Sgt. Harrison, and I recognize that voice from the phone calls. Oh Crap on my face again. I stand up and walk out and wait for the execution. This guy get's a stern look on his face and then he busted out laughing! He said he wanted to meet the Sergeant that kept putting him in his place. My Brigadier General did have a talk with me and my boss afterwards. I had to give a class on the different ranks assigned to the different branches that were working in the Operations Center as my "corrective action".


Most excellent. Thank you for sharing this.
This is a good one for humor in uniform for the Reader's Digest. You should send it in. Millions would get a good chuckle out of this.

RS Loc: W Columbia, SC

Agree . . .

RS Loc: W Columbia, SC

[quote=JCam]As an ex-company grade Army officer, I think you are being a bit harsh on the Lieutenants. We all had to learn how things really work somewhere, and Second Lt.s, & Ensigns, if they are lucky will get an experienced Platoon Sargent (or Chief) who will take him under his wing for a while as a friendly tutor and prevent major mistakes: "Lt., Sir, do you really want to do that" or "have the men do it that way"; it doesn't take too long to catch on. Most of the Academy Graduates I met were good officers, but despite what they are taught at the Academy's, they needed a good NCO teacher too.

I admire and respect your comments here about younger officers respecting the experience of some of those under them.

I retired as an Army MSG, and I remember a few Lt's who had enough sense to look to the leadership-guidance of some of the NCO's in his command - those who 'had more time spent in the chow-line, than he'd had in the service.'

That relationship worked both ways and certainly made for a better unit over all.

Thanks to all for the comments and your service.

EdM Loc: FN30JS

my experience as a hash mark PFC was uniformly positive with both NCO's and officers. Some of the negatives come from guys like me, tongue in cheek, (ref: my "Lt playing with himself" comment above) but most comes from hollywood and the movie of the 30's "The DI". .....And generated by what I term as "gay bias", in Hollywood since. Looking back with 20-20 hindsite, having been there, at the bottom, I see military leadership as generally super. (cannot figure how to spell superurb)

machia Loc: NJ

Ensigns and Lt.'s, ( LT (jg) and LT, LCDR's too ), should listen to the Chiefs and Warrant Officers. There's a lot to learn from experience.

EdM Loc: FN30JS

You don't get to be field grade by being stupid!

machia Loc: NJ

Are you calling a Warrant a field grade officer ? Just curious.