Upon being corrected by a team sergeant

[NotActuallyHard]

I would like to know how a junior team member addresses their team sergeant when they have found themselves on the receiving end of a tongue lashing.

More specifically, in order to avoid exasperated sighs and rolled eyeballs as well as being told to go research it somewhere else I will restate what it is I am interested in learning:

When YOU, QP, as a junior member of the team, screwed something up and were being admonished for your infraction, did you answer:

Yes or No or Roger That, Sergeant (with or without last name)

or

Yes or No or Roger That, (team sergeant's nickname or first name)

I have been led to believe that nicknames and first names are the norm for day to day conversation between team members but I have found very little information about junior team member (read: New Guy) to team sergeant communication.

[sinjefe]

More specifically, in order to avoid exasperated sighs and rolled eyeballs as well as being told to go research it somewhere else I will restate what it is I am interested in learning:

.

Research the meaning of the colloquial term "Black Chinook"

[Combat Diver]

Junior member at that time then address's in a professional matter. ie Rank, Name or Duty Title. Does as directed and admits if wrong. If right uses tact to explain with said references as directed and asks for claification/direction.

Example when I was a young SSG in Tolz the Bn CSM dressed me down on the placement of my ribbons as they were offset. At a later date using the open door policy asked for his guideance on a matter. I took a copy of AR670-1 with the area highlighted where the wearing can off set the ribbons if the lapel obsures the ribbons. and how best to go about the issue. CSM said "oh, I didn't know that". Subject dropped


CD

[miclo18d]

Your bio says you were in 2/5cav. When you were a newbie how did you address your squad leader. When you were a team leader how did you address him? Same thing. Newbies have to prove themselves in SF too. Once they do, then they get the respect to have a discussion and not counseling.

Ive said it once or twice: SF isn't about breaking the rules, it's about knowing when to break the rules.

All army units get to do "Good Idea Fairy" BS all the time, to include SF. Guys screw up in SF. Real men admit when they're wrong and auto correct so it doesn't happen again. If they are in the right they can explain why they did it, whether people like it or not, they can hold their heads high. I think that Combat Diver put it all very succinctly.

There's more I want to say, but I've got to go...

[Team Sergeant]

I have been led to believe that nicknames and first names are the norm for day to day conversation between team members but I have found very little information about junior team member (read: New Guy) to team sergeant communication.


Nicknames and first names come when "they" tell you it's alright.

The rest has been covered. Now move out and draw fire. ;)

[NotActuallyHard]

Newbies have to prove themselves in SF too. Once they do, then they get the respect to have a discussion and not counseling.

Junior member at that time then address's in a professional matter. ie Rank, Name or Duty Title.

Nicknames and first names come when "they" tell you it's alright.

These three answers are solid gold. My gratitude gentlemen, for taking the time and having the patience to provide them.

[PRB]

Nicknames etc. come if they exist.

Depends upon your Team....no one on my team called me anything but Top or MSG.

I was on the same team for 7 years and loved those guys.

Old habit.

[NotActuallyHard]

Nicknames etc. come if they exist.


Thank you, very much, PRB.


I was on the same team for 7 years and loved those guys.


Asked with the utmost respect and with nothing negative implied whatsoever:

Is 7 years as a team sergeant with the same team out of the ordinary and, are team sergeants regularly/often/sometimes/ever rotated to different detachments within their own group?

(if I may be permitted to ask more than one question in the same thread I would like to do so in order to not create a bunch of stupid threads and draw the attention of the Black Chinook, again.)

[PRB]

Thank you, very much, PRB.



Asked with the utmost respect and with nothing negative implied whatsoever:

Is 7 years as a team sergeant with the same team out of the ordinary and, are team sergeants regularly/often/sometimes/ever rotated to different detachments within their own group?

(if I may be permitted to ask more than one question in the same thread I would like to do so in order to not create a bunch of stupid threads and draw the attention of the Black Chinook, again.)

I was on that team for 7 years and the Team Sgt. for 4 of those years as an E7 and then after promotion to E8. It was not unusual then but may be today.
I was the Team Sgt. of another ODA later after a rotation to the SGM Acad. (went as an E8).
The Team leadership usually stays with that ODA for their complete tour/time unless something unusual happens.

[NotActuallyHard]

I was on that team for 7 years and the Team Sgt. for 4 of those years as an E7 and then after promotion to E8. It was not unusual then but may be today.
I was the Team Sgt. of another ODA later after a rotation to the SGM Acad. (went as an E8).
The Team leadership usually stays with that ODA for their complete tour/time unless something unusual happens.

This is a tremendous help and again, I thank you PRB.

[scooter]

I was on that team for 7 years and the Team Sgt. for 4 of those years as an E7 and then after promotion to E8. It was not unusual then but may be today.
I was the Team Sgt. of another ODA later after a rotation to the SGM Acad. (went as an E8).
The Team leadership usually stays with that ODA for their complete tour/time unless something unusual happens.

I had four years of team Sgt. time, it was considered unusual. Two years is the average, and three not that unusual either. At least, that's the current state of things.

[blue02hd]

Ask your Tm SGT.

Then do pushups.

[x SF med]

I would like to know how a junior team member addresses their team sergeant when they have found themselves on the receiving end of a tongue lashing.

More specifically, in order to avoid exasperated sighs and rolled eyeballs as well as being told to go research it somewhere else I will restate what it is I am interested in learning:

When YOU, QP, as a junior member of the team, screwed something up and were being admonished for your infraction, did you answer:

Yes or No or Roger That, Sergeant (with or without last name)

or

Yes or No or Roger That, (team sergeant's nickname or first name)

I have been led to believe that nicknames and first names are the norm for day to day conversation between team members but I have found very little information about junior team member (read: New Guy) to team sergeant communication.

Your Senior will probably light you up, unless you really screwed the pooch... if a first infraction is severe enough that TOP is verbally berating you, your Senior will be standing right next to you during the CAS attack from the TM Daddy, because that Senior did not do his job in training you for your role on that particular Team.

In 99.99% of the cases, TOP will win.

[Team Sergeant]

Your Senior will probably light you up, unless you really screwed the pooch... if a first infraction is severe enough that TOP is verbally berating you, your Senior will be standing right next to you during the CAS attack from the TM Daddy, because that Senior did not do his job in training you for your role on that particular Team.

In 99.99% of the cases, TOP will win.

Well said.

And if the team sergeant feels the need to correct a SF newbie the next ass chewing will be his Sr. and that will take place behind closed doors.

[miclo18d]

I was lucky in that respect, I was always the junior/senior medic. Never enough 18d's around. When a new medic came on board, it was usually a high 5 to the FOG leaving... "Here's the key to the med locker, good luck"

When I screwed up it was me and the the Team Daddy, so I made it my business not to screw up!

[NotActuallyHard]

Thank you scooter and PRB.


I was the Team Sgt. of another ODA later after a rotation to the SGM Acad. (went as an E8).
The Team leadership usually stays with that ODA for their complete tour/time unless something unusual happens.

I had four years of team Sgt. time, it was considered unusual. Two years is the average, and three not that unusual either. At least, that's the current state of things.

The length of time an E8 will be an Operations Sergeant-

Does this mean that the average time as a team sergeant on a particular team is 2-3 years before he is assigned a new team, or that an 18Z will only be an 18Z for 2-3 years before he will have to start getting ready for SGM?

(Just my own stupid, backwards, civilian opinion but all that experience and knowledge that an E8 has at that point seems like kind of a waste if he is only allowed to be in that position for the same amount of time as an officer would be a TL. please forgive my peanut gallery commentary0

[Team Sergeant]

I was lucky in that respect, I was always the junior/senior medic. Never enough 18d's around. When a new medic came on board, it was usually a high 5 to the FOG leaving... "Here's the key to the med locker, good luck"

When I screwed up it was me and the the Team Daddy, so I made it my business not to screw up!

18D's usually smarter then the rest of us...... and then there's Guy. ;)

[scooter]

Does this mean that the average time as a team sergeant on a particular team is 2-3 years before he is assigned a new team, or that an 18Z will only be an 18Z for 2-3 years before he will have to start getting ready for SGM?
0

That's all the time you get. You won't go to another team unless there are extenuating circumstances or there is some kind of problem and you need to move teams.

Team Sergeant is usually the first E8 job an SF guy gets, unless you are in the penalty box or there is currently no room on a team for you. After that, there are a myriad of staff and instructor jobs that need post team sergeant E8s to fill. The SGM "try-out" route is to go be a first sergeant, and or a BN/Group OPS SGT. There are 21 SF E8s in an SF BN, and one First Sergeant job. Everyone in 5th SFG who made the E8 list in the past couple of years had 1SG time. I can't speak for the other Groups. Rightly or wrongly, its usually the key discriminator. You can make SGM without it, but it is less likely.

[1stindoor]

...and I'll add, be extremely thick skinned as you're going to own that screw up for a very long time. All you can hope for is someone else screws up worse immediately afterwards. You're going to be cannon-fodder for the whole team. Taking your lumps and overcoming them is part of our culture.

[Box]

...knowing when to call your team sergeant "Sergeant" is the first step towards earning the right to call him by his first name at all


just my two cents

[Joker]

Yes Sergeant.
No Sergeant, I will never do that again.
Yes Sergeant.
1 Sergeant.
2 Sergeant.
3 Sergeant.
.
.
.
50 Sergeant.
Sergeant, request permission to recover.

[NotActuallyHard]

...knowing when to call your team sergeant "Sergeant" is the first step towards earning the right to call him by his first name at all


Perfect. Thank you.

That's all the time you get.

Scooter, again, thank you!

Hope QP's don't mind the next questions:

Hollywood would have me believe that even full bird colonels ( ex: John Wayne, The Green Berets 1968) are still slinging lead (heck, maybe they did in those days, but I'm guessing this isn't the case).

I am under the impression that being a team sergeant is the last time an enlisted QP actually gets to be on the ground, going on missions, doing bad things to bad people personally.

At what rank is the QP no longer required or allowed to be part of a detachment? After an E8 is a team sergeant is there no going back?

Would a 1SGT or SGM ever go with a detachment in the team sergeant role if an 18Z was suddenly unavailable prior to a mission starting and not while the mission is taking place?

If not would the 18F take up the slack and be expected fill both roles?

Sorry, that's a whole bunch of questions.

[NotActuallyHard]

Yes Sergeant.
No Sergeant, I will never do that again.
Yes Sergeant.
1 Sergeant.
2 Sergeant.
3 Sergeant.
.
.
.
50 Sergeant.
Sergeant, request permission to recover.

Understood. Thank you Joker.

[Pete]

.....Would a 1SGT or SGM ever go with a detachment in the team sergeant role if an 18Z was suddenly unavailable prior to a mission starting and not while the mission is taking place............

Son, if you're running around on the ground trying to be a Team Sergeant as a 1SG or SGM you're not doing the job you're being paid for.

Why don't you just focus on the 25 meter target instead of what's happening on the other continent.

[x SF med]

.....Would a 1SGT or SGM ever go with a detachment in the team sergeant role if an 18Z was suddenly unavailable prior to a mission starting and not while the mission is taking place............

Son, if you're running around on the ground trying to be a Team Sergeant as a 1SG or SGM you're not doing the job you're being paid for.

Why don't you just focus on the 25 meter target instead of what's happening on the other continent.


NotActuallyHard -
I'll give you a clue as to your answer here - it is "Roger that, SGM, understood, I will shut up now." That is all.