Moral decline? - Page 2

**Pete** · 02-14-2007, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPTAUSRET

Sad state of affairs!

There are some here who were in SF prior to it becoming a branch and then after serving as 18 series.

Prior to the SF Branch there were no positions above E-7 for the Engineers. What, 1 slot at Group HQ? Commo and Medics were looking at the very few Bn and Gp slots. In the 70s, to make MSG, you were looking at a trip down the road to a conventional unit.

With hope, luck and hard service a guy could make 1SG then SGM and return as a Company SGM. With bad luck a guy departed Group as a SSG and returned as some crusty, old fart CSM with 670-1 for brains. The young stud muffins were going "Just what graveyard did they dig this old dinosaur from."

Branch came with it's own can of worms.

Pete

Retired before I became a dinosaur

BMT (RIP) · 02-14-2007, 13:49

Damn!!! I glad I made E-8 in '67. I don't fit Pete's description.

BMT

incommin · 02-14-2007, 14:04

What would be worse? Being a senior NCO in SF with everyone knowing you have a very low GT score or being a senior NCO in SF without a CIB?

Jim

**Pete** · 02-14-2007, 14:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMT

Damn!!! I glad I made E-8 in '67. I don't fit Pete's description.

BMT

Most didn't but we can all remember somebody who drifted off while they were fairly young and only returned when they were a CSM. "You've got an "S" from when you were an E-5 commo SGT in Group. You can go back as a Bn CSM."

I can remember at least one CSMs where everybody was wondering where he came from. Checking with the S-1 on past assignments, putting out feelers to everybody who was somebody asking if they knew him, phone calls to buddies in other groups who might have known him way back when.

I'm trying to recall the Bn CSM we had around the time of Brown and before Luthy (CRS on this one). He was a commo guy who went to conventional land around 65/66 and returned around 1980 +/- as a CSM. He drifted in and out and everybody forgot his name. But when he first showed up it was funny at first how many of the guys were spending so much time tracking down his background. Much time could have been saved by pooling the effort but doing that is like trying to herd cats.

I know recruiting duty got a number of good senior E-6s who only returned when they made the 8 list. Mike W, the crazy Indian, was one and last time I saw him he was a 1SG with an office in Moon/Hardy Hall around 1988.

Yeah, days before Branch had some interesting moments.

Pete

**Pete** · 02-14-2007, 14:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by incommin

What would be worse? Being a senior NCO in SF with everyone knowing you have a very low GT score or being a senior NCO in SF without a CIB?

Jim

Depends on how the individual performs. Having a low GT score can lead to poor performance in many areas that require lots of brain work.

CIB? Since I retired in 95 I'll let the ones one active duty answer that. I would think that by now it would be hard to find a senior NCO without some time in the box.

Between 1973 and 2001 there were very few SF guys who got CIBs. 7th Group did some heavy lifting down south but got very little notice. We had Grenada and Panama, very limited SF numbers. First Gulf war, again limited numbers of total SF involved. Somalia, again limited numbers. Guys on the teams knew who were working with the indig and who got CIBs while assigned to Bn/Group Staff and higher.

Boil it all down and the guys on the teams know who are doers and who has been hanging around. As the average SF guy you will still get more respect for what you do now than what you did before. The above average guys? Man, they will always be top of the list.

Everyday you pitch up in the right uniform and work your butt off to be the best. Your peers view your actions every day.

Pete

**Razor** · 02-14-2007, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

As a result, they stay on sick call...

Until you make a new rule that every sick call admission includes a daily two-finger poke from your gorilla mitts!

incommin · 02-14-2007, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

Until you make a new rule that every sick call admission includes a daily two-finger poke from your gorilla mitts!

Or 10cc cold water in the butt cheek!

Jim

Monsoon65 · 02-14-2007, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

Until you make a new rule that every sick call admission includes a daily two-finger poke from your gorilla mitts!

Yeppers, the threat of a "hover check" will get them off sick call quick. I had a kid on AD that would go on sick call far too much, so I had them send him to the butt doc (easy to do when you know the hospital staff!).

vsvo · 02-14-2007, 21:57

My dad was a doctor in one of the ARVN airborne battalions. Around 1960, fresh out of the military med school, he eagerly reported to his first assignment where one of his duties was administering morning sick call. Apparently, word had gotten out that a cherry doc had arrived at battalion. His very first sick call was filled with soldiers complaining of a multitude of ailments. My dad duly examined them and wrote passes excusing them from duty for the day. The next morning, sick call was again packed, and the pattern repeated for a couple of days.

Towards the end of the week, the very pissed off BC showed up at morning sick call. He ordered the soldiers to line up, then walked up to the first soldier. He asked the soldier what his problem was. After the soldier replied, the BC slapped him hard across the face with an open hand. He then moved to the next soldier. SLAP. All the way down the line.

When he was finished, he walked over to my dad and said, "You see Doc? I'm not a doctor, but I just cured all of these soldiers." The next morning, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of soldiers reporting for morning sick call.

**Razor** · 02-15-2007, 18:10

While deployed to FYROM, we had a change of docs mid-stay. The new doc, a young, fairly attractive female (remember, I said it was half-way through a 6month deployment

) was the replacement. The first week of sick call, the number of young troops checking in from HHD skyrocketed. The following week, she actually did put up a sign like I described above. The catch was her fingernails...they had to be at least a half-inch beyond her fingertips. Surprisingly, sick call numbers quickly fell to low single-digits (no pun intended...well, maybe just a little). So I admit the above posted idea was not original, but obviously effective through a different mode of 'ouch'.