Military Roll Call! Veterans, GTFIH!

San Marino said:
I believe Army NCOs in the Infantry get all their Infantry training at AIT as Privates. That is really not much training for an E-5 and above. They learn the rest of the information with their unit (OJT), unless they go to Ranger school. BNOC (I think it is now called BLC) would not cover Infantry tactics at the Platoon level. Don't know. I left the Infantry in 1994 and switched to Civil Affairs (38A). A lot has changed since '94.

When I took over as Battalion S-3 (Operations and Training), the Army did not send me to any school. There is no S-3 school, strange as it may sound. I learned it OJT as the Assistant S-3 for 2 years as a Captain. Some things are better learned through "On the Job Training."
Click to expand...
SOI is a clownshow. The longest hump is only 20km and it's not even timed. Apparently it's "not fair" to expect officers to be held to a higher standard.
 
My Spot said:
SOI is a clownshow. The longest hump is only 20km and it's not even timed. Apparently it's "not fair" to expect officers to be held to a higher standard.
Click to expand...
IMHO, the best way to learn leadership in a school environment is through a leadership billet. Have the Infantry student hold a position as a team leader, squad leader, and platoon sergeant. Multiple positions at various times. That is what we did in OCS and Ranger school. Give the individual some constructive criticism afterwards. Not the "You're a fuck-up!" like some RIs and TAC officers like to say. Folks learn through their mistakes. The learning curve may be slower for some individuals. Your confidence level grows with time, experience, and mistakes. Just don't make the same mistake twice.
 
Last edited:
Believe it or not there are some fanatical lighthouse "amateur historians", I call them lighthouse groupies, most call them tourists.

To set the scene:
Our recently renovated 100+ year lighthouse resides in a secured housing complex nestled in a national park, the lighthouse is unmanned.

Phonecon, paraphrased.
Tourist: "I'd like to tour the lighthouse"
Me: "Sir the lighthouse is an active federal aid on secured property and is not available for public tours"
Tourist: "But it's on a National Park open to the public..."
Me: "Sir there are several secured military installations on that same national park, and I assure you they are also not open to the public"
Tourist: "But the lighthouse is historical"
Me: "Yes sir it is, it is also an active federal aid to navigation and as such still access restricted. However there is a disestablished lighthouse at this same national park that is now currently a museum..."
Tourist: "but it's closed due to COVID! I don't understand why I can't see the active lighthouse.."
Me: "Sir, because due to the fact it is on an access restricted housing facility, and out of concern for the privacy, safety and health of them and their families, public access to the lighthouse is prohibited..."
Tourist: "THATS BULLSHIT! I'LL CALL THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THAT LIGHTHOUSE"
Me (the OiC of that lighthouse): "Thank you sir, is there anything else I can help with?...."
 
Blayt7hh said:
He's not doing a forced march at that weight though. I know with my kit and my bag on when I was leaving Afghanistan I was 100lbs heavier. That was with no ammo. I think all that weight is just a luxury of the current war though. If we were in a near peer war, there is no way we are maneuvering with all of that shit on that we have now.
Click to expand...
It was never a problem though until they started allowing women in the infantry.
 
Pretty sure I just bombed my servicewide advancement exam to make 8....

PCS, family issues, and operations didn't make for productive study time.

Better luck next year
 
Thrawn33 said:
Pretty sure I just bombed my servicewide advancement exam to make 8....

PCS, family issues, and operations didn't make for productive study time.

Better luck next year
Click to expand...
That bump to E8 seems to be a gamble in every service. How much of the promotion is job knowledge testing vs general knowledge vs review of NCO evaluations?
 
https://www.yahoo.com/news/navy-looking-seal-acquitted-murder-220220031.html

This dude is a goon. Wow. I find his story actually believable. Only because if he was the leader of the seal platoon I could absolutely see a complete lack of discipline. However, it’s a bit far fetched, so he could easily be lying to screw with the platoon that blew the whistle on Gallagher.

My opinion has always been that Gallagher is a psychopath who probably has a long record of crazy. Trump picked the wrong guy to help. I don’t care if you’re a silver star awardee, I knew several idiots who wear that medal, they earned it, but it doesn’t say anything except that one exhibited heroism in one specific instance.

This dude is ridiculous and even after being hooked up by the trump admin, he still embarrasses the military and will likely end up being investigated again. Bravo.
 
Thrawn33 said:
Pretty sure I just bombed my service wide advancement exam to make 8.
Click to expand...
It gets more 'political' the higher you go. Unfortunately, those that are well 'connected' have an advantage. That is how you get the 'fuck-ups' at the higher rank.
 
Mike Hagger said:
That bump to E8 seems to be a gamble in every service. How much of the promotion is job knowledge testing vs general knowledge vs review of NCO evaluations?
Click to expand...

The test at 8 is more general than job specific. The test is scored on a curve, then formulated with my evals, time in grade, sea time since last advancement and awards since last advancement.

Luckily I'm well within my time so I really don't have to sweat for another 3 years.
 
My Spot said:
It was never a problem though until they started allowing women in the infantry.
Click to expand...
That's not really what I'm getting at but I probably didn't do a great job explaining myself. Currently, it isn't a problem because for most of Iraq and Afghanistan we completely control the area. It's pretty rare that units are spending more than a day or two outside the wire. We always get to come back, drop all our shit, and recover. Imagine though if we were fighting a war more like WW2, where we are traveling across a country and we are digging in every other night trying to outmaneuver another division that is on the move. I just don't see us running around with 150lbs of shit on and being successful. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if people started dropping armor in a near-peer war.
 
This information has come to my attention. USMA and VMI rings from the 60's and 70's being sold on eBay are replicas of rings taken from dead USMA and VMI alumni who died in Vietnam during this period.

"My husband became curious about these rings a few years ago, sellers usually offer rings from the service academies and major ROTC programs. The people selling them are often based in Vietnam and we suspect the models (when accurate) probably come from rings taken from POWs, MIA, and KIA. He has already complained to eBay with no result. There are more than one seller. Please add your voice and hopefully their sale can be blocked."

As a veteran, I am outraged at this practice. The die used to make these rings most likely came from dead USMA and VMI alumni who fought in Vietnam - soldiers and Marines.
 
San Marino said:
This information has come to my attention. USMA and VMI rings from the 60's and 70's being sold on eBay are replicas of rings taken from dead USMA and VMI alumni who died in Vietnam during this period.

"My husband became curious about these rings a few years ago, sellers usually offer rings from the service academies and major ROTC programs. The people selling them are often based in Vietnam and we suspect the models (when accurate) probably come from rings taken from POWs, MIA, and KIA. He has already complained to eBay with no result. There are more than one seller. Please add your voice and hopefully their sale can be blocked."

As a veteran, I am outraged at this practice. The die used to make these rings most likely came from dead USMA and VMI alumni who fought in Vietnam - soldiers and Marines.
Click to expand...
Who is buying these? Why would you wa t one if you didn’t go to those schools??!

i guess I get it as a war trophy if you’re a foreign soldier but the article makes it sound like Americans are buying them?
 
Blayt7hh said:
Who is buying these? Why would you want one if you didn’t go to those schools?
Click to expand...
Those rings have to be earned. Only graduates from West Point and VMI wear them. Jostens makes the VMI ring and will only replace a lost ring with proper ID. The company keeps a list of all the graduates through the school. I would say it makes it for a nice collectable item, even if fake. You have non-military people collecting U.S. military medals. There are replicas of the 'Medal of Honor' for sale on eBay. It is illegal to sell, buy, or own one, unless you are a recipient. I believe that for collectors, if you had one from before the law was passed, you are allowed to keep it.
 
Last edited:
San Marino said:
Those rings have to be earned. Only graduates from West Point and VMI wear them. Jostens makes the VMI ring and will only replace a lost ring with proper ID. The company keeps a list of all the graduates through the school. I would say it makes it for a nice collectable item, even if fake. You have non-military people collecting U.S. military medals. There are replicas of the 'Medal of Honor' for sale on eBay. It is illegal to sell, buy, or own one, unless you are a recipient.
Click to expand...
My dad has a ring from King's Point and Josten's required a ton of paperwork from him when he sent it to them to get resized and have the jewel replaced with a new cut one (his had worn down when he wore it in Vietnam and years of working on the ship).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,016
Messages
55,461,209
Members
174,787
Latest member
Santos FC 1912

Share this page

Back
Top