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The female DIs (we were on the same training schedule as one of the female companies) on Parris Island were either hot or butt ugly but it was very hard to take any of them seriously.
The female DIs (we were on the same training schedule as one of the female companies) on Parris Island were either hot or butt ugly but it was very hard to take any of them seriously.
Rapone was a 'fuck-up' from the time he was at West Point. Being a 2nd Lieutenant with the 10th Mountain Division did not help things out. Real Army caught up with him in due time and kicked him out. I'm sure good NCOs played a role in that decision. You have two issues:I bet dudes were pissed who were about to go through the 3 week RIP and then they had to do the 8 week RASP instead. lol maybe that's what fucked Spencer Rapone up.
Instead of the NCOER centralized board determining future jobs, Rangers who promote need to go back to a selection, which includes basic tasks, physical assessment and a board. In the end Regiment decides if you’ll be a leader in their unit, or if they’re non-selecting you and pushing you out of the unit.Rapone was a 'fuck-up' from the time he was at West Point. Being a 2nd Lieutenant with the 10th Mountain Division did not help things out. Real Army caught up with him in due time and kicked him out. I'm sure good NCOs played a role in that decision. You have two issues:
. Promotion: Time in grade, schools, and evaluations.
. Assignment: Being selected or assigned to a position. You can theoretically promote yourself out of the U.S. Army if you don't have a position to fill -- MOS dependent. My experience with NCOs was that seniority took care of the position, but not always. I had two NCOs that were good soldiers but not leadership material. They had their time, schools, and evaluations, but lacked the leadership part of the equation. In a way I think neither wanted a leadership position. Too much work and responsibility. The unit had to find a place to put them.
Not sure how a Ranger Regiment deals with that situation, but I would think that all things being equal, the NCO that scores high on his NCOER would get the position. It is another Army. You have PFCs (E-3) barking orders to Privates (E-2). For fuck's sake, they are both Privates, but that is not how things work at a Ranger unit.
Even OERs and NCOERs can be biased depending on the rater (politics). Officers and NCOs can get 'screwed' on an evaluation, but that is just how things work.
Awards is another area where I found 'politics' raising its ugly head. Soldiers getting the 'Bronze Star' for not doing shit while others who did do something got the award denied.
Rapone didn’t go back to the 75th after West Point?Rapone was a 'fuck-up' from the time he was at West Point. Being a 2nd Lieutenant with the 10th Mountain Division did not help things out. Real Army caught up with him in due time and kicked him out. I'm sure good NCOs played a role in that decision. You have two issues:
. Promotion: Time in grade, schools, and evaluations.
. Assignment: Being selected or assigned to a position. You can theoretically promote yourself out of the U.S. Army if you don't have a position to fill -- MOS dependent. My experience with NCOs was that seniority took care of the position, but not always. I had two NCOs that were good soldiers but not leadership material. They had their time, schools, and evaluations, but lacked the leadership part of the equation. In a way I think neither wanted a leadership position. Too much work and responsibility. The unit had to find a place to put them.
Not sure how a Ranger Regiment deals with that situation, but I would think that all things being equal, the NCO that scores high on his NCOER would get the position. It is another Army. You have PFCs (E-3) barking orders to Privates (E-2). For fuck's sake, they are both Privates, but that is not how things work at a Ranger unit.
Even OERs and NCOERs can be biased depending on the rater (politics). Officers and NCOs can get 'screwed' on an evaluation, but that is just how things work.
Awards is another area where I found 'politics' raising its ugly head. Soldiers getting the 'Bronze Star' for not doing shit while others who did do something got the award denied.
No.Rapone didn’t go back to the 75th after West Point?
No.
He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. I don't think the 75th would want anything to do with that guy.
I think the NCO promotion process is better than the officer promotion process in the U.S. Army. NCOs get to go before a board face-to-face and plead their case (knowledge). Officers never get to sit in front of a board. They are just a name on a folder in some faraway office.NCOERs in my opinion do a moderate job at actually grading the guy. The whole bullet format is lame, and the secretive nature of the centralized board is not beneficial.
Peers and subordinates doing the evaluation? I don't know. Those would be people of your rank and below, not really a supervisor with experience. This too would have problems - in my opinion. Pros and cons. It could easily turn into a 'popularity' contest or a vendetta. Subordinates that you might have had to discipline may get their chance to 'screw' you over in a review. Do you want to be popular, feared, or respected by your subordinates? Imagine a George Patton or John Pershing being evaluated by their peers and subordinates, both made a lot of enemies in their time in the U.S. Army. On the plus side, these would be the people that would know exactly the kind of leader you are. Challenging your superiors on a particular issue can also get you in trouble - even when you are right. I think there is no 'best' way of doing this, but I think it is working well for the majority of officers and NCOs. A few will be unjustly failed by the system due to circumstances beyond their control. I'm sure you have seen your share of good soldiers being 'screwed' by an evaluation as an E-9 in the U.S. Army and the SOF community.NCOERs just changed, in format and content they’re better, but the system still sucks. In my opinion, we should do peers. What do your peers and subordinates think about you. I’d start this for E6-7 and above.
Right, peers and subordinate evaluations would be a part of the equation, assessment would have to come from above as well.Peers and subordinates doing the evaluation? I don't know. Those would be people of your rank and below, not really a supervisor with experience. This too would have problems - in my opinion. Pros and cons. It could easily turn into a 'popularity' contest or a vendetta. Subordinates that you might have had to discipline may get their chance to 'screw' you over in a review. Do you want to be popular, feared, or respected by your subordinates? Imagine a George Patton or John Pershing being evaluated by their peers and subordinates, both made a lot of enemies in their time in the U.S. Army. On the plus side, these would be the people that would know exactly the kind of leader you are. Challenging your superiors on a particular issue can also get you in trouble - even when you are right. I think there is no 'best' way of doing this, but I think it is working well for the majority of officers and NCOs. A few will be unjustly failed by the system due to circumstances beyond their control. I'm sure you have seen your share of good soldiers being 'screwed' by an evaluation as an E-9 in the U.S. Army and the SOF community.
Lol that’s good. That’s how the AF teaches you how to write bullets, too.When I first joined the AF, my cousin who was an Army Vietnam vet said "Join the Masons, I was on a board in the Army and this package came to us and we all said NO. The E-9 in charge said "He's a Mason. PROMOTE HIM." I told him that the USAF doesn't work that way and he didn't understand.
When I first tested for E-7, I missed by 0.5, I was the #1 non-selectee in the USAF (I made it the next year). I told my brother who was an Army E-7 and he said, "Man! Can't you call somebody to give you the other half-point?"
I said, "Man, there is NO ONE to call. That's it, I'll get it next year."
He couldn't believe it! I told him, that in the USAF as far as enlisted goes, it comes down to your APR'S, TIS, TIG, and PFE/SKT (actual tests) scores.
I was... Pat-esque.
He was there before West Point. He enlisted in 2010 as an 11B Option 40 and went to Afghan in 2011.No.
He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. I don't think the 75th would want anything to do with that guy.
Yes. I know about his military history (Spenser Rapone). He was not assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment after graduating from West Point. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division and was out in less than a year. Now he has to refund the government for his free education at West Point. Speaking of which, Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bombing - 1995) aspired to join the U.S. Army Special Forces. After returning from the Gulf War, he entered the SF selection program, but washed out on the second day of the 21-day assessment and selection course.He was there before West Point. He enlisted in 2010 as an 11B Option 40 and went to Afghan in 2011.
Lol that’s good. That’s how the AF teaches you how to write bullets, too.
Everbody gets a firewall 5.
That sounds like an interesting issue and story. Why do you think these Airmen, and females I'm presuming, did not follow your advice? Which brings up an interesting point. In your many years in the U.S. Air Force, did you find that females performed better than males? Did females tend to listen more than males? Women seem to ask a lot more questions than men when learning something.I've given out my share of 4's. I TOLD them this is what they need to do to earn a 5. They'd always say "Yup! I'm on it!" They NEVER did it. It wasn't like I was asking them to rescue a Nuns from a flaming bus-wreck either.
That sounds like an interesting issue and story. Why do you think these Airmen, and females I'm presuming, did not follow your advice? Which brings up an interesting point. In your many years in the U.S. Air Force, did you find that females performed better than males? Did females tend to listen more than males? Women seem to ask a lot more questions than men when learning something.
"Female trainees generally listen to and understand instruction better than males and follow directions better. They study the SMART book and ask more questions. They are more easily motivated to learn than males."
Came across this one. A real 'jewel'.
"Are there any smart people who sign up for Infantry?"
Link: https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-smart-people-who-sign-up-for-infantry
...I love the answers. Many answers and some are really long:
. Robert Patter - studied Infantry at US Army Fort Benning, wrote:
"Yes there are, but they are very few and you may not recognize them."
...more.
. Dallas McKay - I'm aware of how dumb I am, so I learned to compensate by shutting up, wrote:
"Some of the smartest and most educated people I've ever met are Infantry and related combat MOS."
...more.