Possible stress relief

Primitive Doc

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Registered Member
Just venting in a safe forum
To all I am very thankful for this forum as it allows me to say the things freely with minimal threat; that I normally cannot say. I am doing this for fun only and a little harmless stress relief if this works for anyone else add to this thread.
Like:
“No CSM I don’t really have time, or desire to run your special pops PT program, you have made an interesting point that I am uniquely qualified to understand the various issues other MED Board Soldiers are going through. However it would not work because I refuse to shame, berate, or abuse them because that would violate my profile.”
“1SG I completely understand that you would love to get replacement Soldiers for the ones you’re going to lose in the near future due to MEB’s. To follow on with that thought I don’t agree with your policy of manufacturing Chapter actions to get rid of these Soldiers faster. And I don’t follow your logic that you are not trying to screw Soldiers out of their deserved entitlements, but rather using these Chapters to get the Soldiers to pressure the VA into giving them ratings faster, so they can leave sooner.”
“No same 1SG I don’t think it’s fair or wise to pressure Soldiers to sell their leave so that they can be forced to work till the absolute last minute for a fair minded boss like you.”
“No brand new worthless SFC who is my replacement, I am not ok with you refusing to talk to me. Or to learn your new job from me, because as you say I am a worthless scammer who just wants to cheat the Army. But then when you fail at your new job you lie to the command team and tell them I am refusing to train you, because I’m too busy with my MEB. You’re a #$@%#$#$#@ E7 act like one you useless %$^%^&^$ bag.”
“No Mr./Ms. PEBLO, VA Employee I am not ok with this process going on forever because as you say I’m collecting a full paycheck for doing nothing harder than waiting. There is more to life than suffering abuse with no recourse for a paycheck, while in both physical and emotional pain every day.”
“No CSM it would not surprise me to know that I am useless for your last minute poorly planned underfunded field problem due to my profile. Nor would it surprise me that as useless as I am I am going out to the field any way to do something like radio watch for the whole time.”
“No Mr. PA I don’t think that you with your masters degree in medicine can override two doctors one of which is a surgeon in what my profile should say and what I can do. Hey Sir I have a master’s degree in finance why don’t you sign over your paycheck to me for management. Does that make sense Sir?”
“No oh mighty 2LT with you short weeks in the Army, I do not think you have the proper experience to try to influence me to stupid suggestions of my BN Command group to violate my profile.”
“Me offended Sir or CSM? Why would I be offended that you just berated me for quite a few minutes about how I am worthless now that I am bailing on my responsibilities to you and your unit?”
“Sir or CSM; I am sorry that I am not tracking every detail of every MEB or chapter in your BN as all but one of those soldiers are in other platoons and you did not tell me you wanted me to track them for you instead of the MEDO. Sine you now expect me to do the MEDO’s and PA’s job can they do my regular job so I have some time with my family.”
“No CSM I do not think the idea of me working 2 staff duty shifts per week so I can free up able bodied NCO’s to do real work, is going to work for me.”
“Yes CSM I am getting fatter by the minute. But aren’t you the same CSM that gave me your PT and Ht WT numbers without a test and threatened me with UCMJ(for disrespect for supposedly arguing with you) if I did not produce cards? Sorry since I’ve become useless I get confused easily.”
“Yes BN CDR I think it’s a great idea to establish a weekend shuttle for soldiers that are not safe to drive, however me having that duty 2 Friday’s and Saturday’s each month seems a little excessive.”
“No command duo I am not happy that I stayed with your unit instead of going to a WTU, where I would do nothing but take care of myself and my issues; and I do not agree that all issues are better looked into after the Army.”
“No command duo I am not creating a cult of personality, I try to avoid junior Soldiers now that you have made it clear that respecting my rank and legal authority displeases you. However the public humiliations you have put me through, has inspired Soldiers who know me to have been fair and professional prior to my “Issues” to go out of their way to treat me with courtesy.”
“No Command duo I have not yet spoken to, the chaplain, EO, IG or started recording all conversations with or about you, because I am afraid not of you but rather that once I did those things my ratings would come in and I would somehow have to extend to allow the investigation into your incompetence and toxic leadership to complete.”
“CSM I am truly thankful that you feel I am not capable of planning a dining in for your unit, because of my MEB. I will in my thanks be sure to look sad and a little depressed whenever you bring it up. But this one time only CSM you ^$%$#@%% rock.”
“1SG I agree that I should no longer attend your 0530 meetings since I have an able bodied replacement on the ground. But this one time only 1SG you ^$%$#@%% rock.”
To all Soldiers, I have been an NCO for over 10 years and I made it a point to never abuse anyone going through an MEB. I am glad that I never had or I would really deserve some of the things I have experienced. I have had to relearn to verbally control myself because I had made it to a rank where I was allowed to speak my mind sometimes. Speaking one’s mind is not always the best policy. As I said earlier I am doing this for fun only and a little harmless stress relief if this works for anyone else add to this thread, I will leave you with the sum of my new found philosophy.
“Was I trying to be disrespectful? No in your ignorance you failed to understand me properly, please accept my pointing out your ignorance in the tone and manner most pleasing to you.”
 
Rough duty! I'm depressed now.
 
Dont be depressed. Its not like I was caught unawares. I have seen this type of stuff my whole time in the Army. Whatever the motivation that inspires the shabby treatment of the injured I am not by a long shot the only one to suffer. I had hoped to just start a thread that lets people say what they need to somewhere instead of swallowing it due to rank and the potential for repercussion.

Its kind of like getting away with saying "yes you do look fat in that dress" or "Wow thats an ugly baby" in a manner of speaking without getting slapped.
 
OMG!!! :0 You know how many of us are really thinking the same thing these days???? Although this involves MEB situation, much of what you vented is really going on out there regardless of MEB situations. Adding the MEB thing just enhances the validity of what you're saying.
The military certainly isn't the same as it was some 20+ years ago. They are all just looking out or themselves and end up with glowing evals and don't give a flying toot about many of the rest of us. Don't get me wrong---there are many normal common sense Soldiers out there yet. All we can do as NCOs is properly mentor others around us to the best of our ability while maintaining our integrity and morales. Thanx for sharing your vent.
 
or how about yes battle buddy (term used loosely) I know that you haven't even been referred to the MEB yet but of course I'll go to PT rather than shift and you go to shift because, your in the same boat as me...
Yes 1SG let me walk around this track in front of the unit that is doing pushup and situp improvement for an hour and feel completely humiliated, even though I have my unfit letter in hand.
No 1SG I will not take your APFT in October because my P3 states that I can do the walk. Of course I am getting fatter and you want to flag me and give me a ridiculous NCOER before I exit, and as soon as you do tape me and I fail for the first time in my career I will go to the doc and get him to state why I am unable to participate in the overweight program.

How's that???
 
I'm done mentoring, because as soon as I leave it will get pushed down their throat to only protect themselves. This is the mindset of this outstanding new "lean" army that the great SMA wants: "**** everyone else, take care of you and C.Y.A. at all times because every one is out to get you because they want your position and rank. Oh by the way if you aren't a 12:00 minute runner, to H*** with your pushup and situp score, but if you aren't a 12:00 minute runner your not trying hard enough." I'm sorry I thought my 13:30/80/80 was pretty good (prior to my MEB, LOL)!
 
Unfortunately, this type of behavior from SNCOs and FGOs is commonplace. I am a company commander and while not in the MEB/IDES process yet myself (still undiagnosed after 18 months of tests and referrals) I have 2 NCOs going through the process, one for TBI/PTSD, and another for PTSD/MDD. I do all that I can to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect and at the same time are doing something productive. I have had NCOs under me that practically beg me to chapter or UCMJ these two, but the challenge is that I have to prioritize getting them help first, and discipline second. Ill give an example: SSG with 16 years in service, Army recruiter, has depression/anxiety and calls me one morning to tell me his anxiety level is so high he can't come to work.. He is literally standing in the parking lot and cannot force himself to come into the building. I tell him no mater how bad his condition, we all have to come to work... And we all work in a building, and if he can't come into his building, then he needs to go straight to mental health and go into that building instead. He ended up getting the help he needed and medications. I could have punished him instead, but that wouldn't have helped him at all. Wen it comes to recruiting I need motivated NCOs, not disgruntled ones that hate their commander for punishing them. At the same time, I told him that ther very next time he called me and told me he couldn't come into the building and was not taking his meds that I would send him to a mental health fit for duty exam and he would have to go through the MEB process.... He has been coming into the building every day for 4 months now....

In the end the best leaders will have some compassion but still uphold the standards. What I tell my BN CDR and CSM is the old Rumsfeld quote " you go to war with the Army you have not the Army you want" what I mean by that is that USAREC sent me the guys with PTSD, TBI, MDD, and Even two recruiters missing some of their front teeth... I go to war (metaphorically) every day with them, not the perfect recruiters with no health or dental issues that I want... A good leader will take care of those not so perfect Soldiers and still make the mission.

I would have absolutely called IG on the CSM for the HT/WT card issue. I have a FAT CSM and every command climate survey I write in all caps that he appears to be out of HT/WT standards and is a hypocrite for enforcingthose standards on others. You may want to raise that issue with IG on your way out the door if your CSM is still fat.
 
Sir,
I commend you. You are absolutely right!! Never give up trying to mentor and truly take care of Soldiers. With a little bit of luck, understanding and perhaps some compassion, you may have positively influenced and/or possibly saved somebody's life in doing so.
Thank you
 
Any Officer or leader who does not take care of Soldiers (or Servicemembers of any branch) is not worth a damn and should not be in this business.

I understand where putting "pressure" on folks to perform comes from. In some instances, it is an appropriate tool. I am thinking of the pressure, whether from above, or from peers to motivate folks to do things that might be hard or a challenge for them. I can't count how many Brigade, Battalion, or Company runs I have been on where those who are lagging behind or are thinking about falling out are yelled at, cajoled, pressured, or otherwise motivated to keep up. So long as the Soldier is not being pressed to injure him/her self, this can be a good thing. But, I think this mind set and attitude can leak into inappropriate pressure or into forgetting to take care of folks or in disrespecting them. When I was in Company Command, I held all of my Soldiers to high standards. That included leaders respecting subordinates. My philosophy was that you don't get Soldiers to perform to their highest if you mistreat them- and there is flat out no reason to do so. So-called leaders who do this are not able to motivate using positive reinforcement and their units suffer from a poor command climate. They instead default to those tools used by poor leaders- fear, intimidation, and a tyrannical rule. By definition, they lack leadership.

I also took the attitude (and counseled my PL's and SNCO's) that the most important folks in the unit were the E-5's and below who were doing the bulk of the work. Everyone else was their to support them in accomplishing the mission. And, rank was not a privilege, it was a tool to aid in accomplishing the mission. I relieved one E-7 because he could not get that into his head and abused my troops (after counseling and mentoring on this subject). I think that the most important function of leaders is to provide "purpose, direction, and motivation" to accomplish the mission. A crappy command climate fails to motivate. That is the bottom line.
 
Any Officer or leader who does not take care of Soldiers (or Servicemembers of any branch) is not worth a damn and should not be in this business...

...I think that the most important function of leaders is to provide "purpose, direction, and motivation" to accomplish the mission. A crappy command climate fails to motivate. That is the bottom line.

In my opinion while based upon decades of experiences in the U.S. Army, this is most definitely the absolute truth and a validated point-of-fact; yes, indeed! ;)

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer."

Best Wishes!
 
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