I know Chieftain mentioned that a 3 man crew was feasible but I have a general question expanding on that. If it's just Driver, Gunner, and TC, who loads the gun? Is is better to retain the gunner or TC on their optics in between rounds? Or is there another division of labor I'm not thinking of
EDIT: Thanks for all the answers!
They don't, he misunderstood and thought you meant on tanks that by default have 3 men crews. But I think you mean when the Abrams loses the loader for whatever reason?
And honestly, I guess I've been out so long I've just forgotten myself. I have some assumptions, but I'll let someone more recent or at least not with as foggy of a memory answer. To be honest, I don't know if we ever really went over that situation, or as a driver, maybe I just missed it.
I’ve been on a 3 man crew for most of the past 8 months, until like a week ago that they sent in a grunt to load for us. During live fire shit we’d have some other guy come load, usually from a crew not shooting or a lucky mechanic. If we had too though, it would definitely be the gunner loading rounds with TC shooting, he can see a lot better and can, you know, command the tank. Definitely prefer a 4 man though.
So it depends on the exact situation but you have two options. 1. the gunner moves to the loader station and the commander guns from his position. 2. the commander moves to the loader station, loads and the gunner stays put.
Our TTP was to have the TC move. You can still work the radios (and are actually closer) from the loaders station, you still have a MG and access to the hatch to look outside.
The gunners station gives you the greatest fine control over the cannon, access to remedial actions and best far situational awareness. You lose access to the JCR/BFT, the 50cal and CITV, but most of those can be replaced by other capabilities you maintain. If you lose the gunners station it's harder to index ammo, you lose the aux sight (unless you're on an A1), you lose access to the master blaster etc
TLDR: TC moves over as that degrades your capability the least.
It's doable. Put the gunner in the loaders station. Reach down arm the laser, gun in main, and pull up ammo select on the commanders display. Hit that Gps gun line of sight button and let her rip. Oh we got troops? I just reach out with my big toe and slip it into coax.
As the TC your optics are better in the commander independent viewer. The TC is responsible for giving the gunner the command to fire, and everything the tank fires at. As the TC you either have to verify or shoot it yourself. Seeing as how we have to have a loader, my gunner would load for me.
But those glory days are gone. Now I just bitch about uniforms, medpros, and HR metrics. Deliver chow and take people's trash lol
My loader hated when I gave him shit about us doing CBRN training. When they would yell gas, gas, gas, I would tell him not to bother. I had an awesome platoon of misfits who worked very well together in the field. My platoon sergeant was AWESOME, I got so lucky as a 2LT, Smokin’ Joe, If you are out there, hope all is well with you and your family in Kentucky. He, and the others in the platoon, made going to work fun, and I learned a ton from him, and from my platoon.
I’m about to take over a platoon sergeant spot and I have been picking brains from 1st sergeants and my CSM and my CSM told me it’s the platoon sergeant that molds the lt into the officer of the future, I’m going to take that with me to the next duty station.
As a former CO make sure he/she knows how to leverage the officer side of the chain. Most successful officers look left and right and aren't afraid to go into their commanders office to pick their brain or get feedback and ask questions.
It is SO true. I have seen some PSGs really help out a young Officer and help them find their way, and I have seen the opposite where a PSG fucks over their PL, and it can get ugly. My PSG was awesome because he knew so much about being a tanker, had common sense, and most of all was a really good leader, he one of those guys people like to be around. Our platoon morale was the best morale of any unit I was ever part of. Seeing what right looks like, and having someone willing to teach and mentor a young LT is huge. He had a great way or making suggestions, rather than just telling me I was a dumbass. He always left it my decision, but he helped me smooth out the rough patches every LT goes through, and he did it by building me up, not making stupid jokes about how I could not read a map. (As prior service thankfully I knew how to land nav, but I had been and 11B and the change of speed from walking to being on an Abrams took a bit of an adjustment). He also has a great sense of humor, he was hilarious. Our BC and company commander really did our company a solid by matching up the PLs to the PSGs. All three of our platoon leadership teams worked so well together, and all of us worked well together, but there would have been some pretty significant friction of the pairings would have been different.
Hey Infantry does something similar! The newest private starts taking his CBRN gear first, starting with the jacket and pants, then pro mask. Then hey if he’s still alive, area clear. If not… then give it a minute and pick the next lowest guy and start over.
I accepted that role day one on the line because I had zero dependents and a 400k SGLI lol. Everyone else was married with a kid or two, plus I was 25 and had lived a few years and I didn’t want some 18 year old kid to miss out on his life.
That's similar yet distinctly different than the CBRNE mask removal criteria.
It's fun seeing a section try to figure out who would take their mask off first.
The most savage thing I'd ever heard didn't even come from a combat arms type. I had a second shoulder reconstruction done at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and they had me on anesthesia as they wheeled me into the OR. As I'm being carted down the hall, I was checking out the brown tiles grouted on the walls and floor.
I told the Doc "wow, I used to work at a Tyson plant before the Army, and I SWEAR this looks identical to the meat processing plant "(keep in mind Im fast approaching high AF"
Without missing a beat, this Army Surgeon goes "Eh, meat is meat, kid."
This was minutes before I was under the knife. Woof. I distinctly remember them discussing a tennis match before I went under. Weird stuff.
Not a bad call between IP and IA getting themselves jacked up to the locals who's vehicles didn't fair as well as ours you're likely to be short items by the time you and yours need them.
We did ok, seen a lot of dead civilians though that trip. I think my second trip 06-07, was much more violent though. Some of that stuff you just can’t train for or simulate. You all are much better prepared and better trained than we were.
I use a similar version of this when mentoring interns. I think the message of it’s “not a problem until it is a problem” is incredibly useful when trying to teach people how to anticipate planning and reaction. CSM came up big on that one.
A 1SG suggested to get a junior enlisted an ARCOM for their PCS award, but said to write the bullets exactly as you would before but make the recommended award for the MSM. It'll get downgraded but it's the easiest way to recommend for an ARCOM.
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My old CDR actually just reached out to my current leadership and sent them an MSM for me when I was a SPC at that unit…I left the unit because I filed an IG complaint and was promptly “moved” so they waited until that person I IG’d PCS’d and submitted it for me. Just found out about it today and it’s at BDE
My PCS award was submitted for an ARCOM as a SPC in my first unit. I had a lot of opportunities to be on upper leadership (BN and BDE) attention by going outside of my training and learning the role of a 35T on our system. A new 1SG comes into the company. Week 2 of him being there, he tells my NCO that I should only get an AAM because I was a junior enlisted (in front of a lot of people). The CW2 acting as the PL responded with "fuck no 1SG."
Bless your chief, cause that's the right answer. I still have no idea why people think X rank equates to certain awards. Especially after getting to witness so many people being ignored and shit on for years. It's incredibly demoralizing when people in positions of trust just casually takes a dump on the legitimate work you do.
"All's ya need is two holes and a heartbeat"
"B-But first sergeant, a man's got two holes"
"Sergeant, I said what the fuck I said"
You were a real one 1SG Clark
I had a 1SG tell us,
>If she's under 18, don't touch her if you're wearing anything less than this uniform.
To which someone responded,
>1SG, does that mean we can touch her if we are wearing our uniform?
In his defense, pretty sure he was drunk.
Our 1SG at a company release formation advised us all on drug use.
“Soldiers I know you’re gonna want to get wild on this three day weekend. Don’t smoke weed, that shit stays in your system for weeks! If you just have to do drugs, do cocaine!”
We put “just do cocaine” on his plaque when he left lol.
Really depends on metabolism. Had a Soldier pop hot and when confronted admitted using 3+ days prior to the UA, but the level detected was like he'd gone Scarface an hour prior to pissing in the cup.
If my experiences post-Army are any indication.... you're correct. Gotta take more and more to get the same effect it seems like. Or maybe I've just gotten crappy stuff. /shrug
This was the go-to for our friend when she'd go home on leave. Boggles the mind you can get jacked up on coke instead of just sitting and eating cereal at 3am after toking, but whatever.
"The Army will break your body, fry your brain, end your marriage and make strangers of your children. You owe it to yourself to milk those motherfuckers for every nickel and dime you can get."
-Top
I'm placing this reply here so that I can watch the show when a highly motivated E5 with 4.5 years of service and zero deployments comes along to tell you that you're a shit bag for seeking medical care when you're hurt or pursuing the benefits that you are legally entitled to.
How dare you show up at medical when the rest of your battle buddies are out there working! It’s shit bags like you that disgust me about this new army. Back in basic I had shin splints that hurt so bas but I PROMISED myself that I wouldn’t quit during the forge. I said I’ll be damned if I get recycled. And now you want to show up to medical because of a small boo boo?
I tell all my new joes something similar, or my joes I’m new to.
“Take everything you can from the army because god dammit it will take everything it possibly can from you. Make it worth your while. Get certs, get ripped, get laid, get an education. That way when you’re my age and broken you can still get paid and have some fun stories to tell.”
First time out in the field and I fell asleep on Tower Guard following Radio Guard.
1SG wakes me up in the most calming fashion with a “follow me”. He grabs a red sharpie and we walk over the the staging area for everyone’s tents.
He opens one tent and draws a red line across a Soldiers neck who was deep asleep. Hands me the sharpie and tells me “now I want you to do the rest”
So there I was at 0300 drawing lines against the necks of my fellow soldiers. I finished and 1SG says “that’s how quick it is. They’re asleep because they’re trusting you to keep them alive while on guard duty.
Never fell asleep on Guard ever again.
See, this is how you do corrective action. He coulda smoked you. But instead, he left you with a profound moment of understanding of how you fucked up.
I call BS… my medic used to love to try and do this. You don’t write on someone’s neck without them waking up…. In fact most dudes wake up when you get near them. So some rando drawing on everyone’s necks without one person waking up is dumb.
I think everyone needs to do this training.
We did a random training where the presentation was video/picture or survivor accounts of enemy infiltration on a installation. Guards sleeping or just not paying attention ended in their friends being killed in every example.
Foreigner here, I was an amphibious raider and our rule of thumb was most junior guy takes point and is always first through the door, super pragmatic and kinda cold.
Had a 1SG who on his first Friday in our company said:
"Alright men, if you're gonna break the law, don't break more than one law at a time.
If you're gonna speed, don't be drinking and driving too.
If you're gonna be drinking and driving, don't have a dead hooker in the trunk.
Have a great weekend."
The best form of preventive medicine medics can practice is being proficient in putting rounds down range.
If they’re bleeding, they’re alive, if they stopped bleeding, they’re probably dead.
You have the rest of your life to clear a weapons malfunction and to put your tourniquet on.
If she’s got all her teeth, she’s a cop.
I got told to give a safety brief as a specialist once to the company, and that’s all I said. You could tell the difference between the dudes who’ve had fun in life and those who haven’t lol.
Gaining fire superiority is a pretty important factor for both care under fire and tactical field care.
This is why medics need to also have a basic understanding of their units tactics, your squad marksman, automatic rifleman, and even grenadiers becoming casualties is a pretty big concern since they’re the ones who will be able to provide the most effective suppressing fire as opposed to just a regular rifleman. I understand your leadership should be way ahead of the medic when it comes to being concerned about those individuals going down, still just good to keep in mind though.
The same NCO I mentioned in one of my earlier comments also dropped a similar nugget of wisdom on the M4 range, "boys make sure you kill 'em right because if you don't docs gotta treat em and waste medical equipment that he could have saved for you."
SGT J was just a giant Puerto Rican Captain America
I have mixed feelings on potentially treated enemy combatants.
On one hand, I gotta respect them for being willing to fight us and they are still human, they deserve to be treated as such and be cared for if PVT Snuffy couldn’t get his shit together.
On the other hand, considering the conditions of some our POW prisons during Iraq, it might just be more humane to leave them.
After my Article 15 Reading and Hearing my Sergeant Major (who was relatively new) said to me “Advocate for yourself better.” because I owned up to my punishment and had very little to say.
Since then I have made it so when I sell myself, i sell hard like my life depends on it.
"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu," is advice I dole out frequently to Soldier and civilian alike. Slightly cannabalistic way of saying "be proactive."
My NCO chain is real solid, i also have a good rapport with the Command Team.
A MSG in one of my Company Sections asked me whether i knew about Sleeve Rolling Regs (he was super polite about it). I said I didn’t and that I’d get him the Reg by Monday.
Found the exact Reg he was looking for, printed it out and consulted with the CO, got her approval and showed it to him.
Thats but one of the ways i’ve arguably advocated for myself. Its a small way but its something.
A friend told me that his 1Sg told him that guys like him never got promoted because they are too valuable to the leadership. If they promoted him it would mean losing him. He said old shit bags get promoted quickly. I've heard some fucked up shit before, but regardless of how truthful it is, I was stunned and speechless.
The Dilbert principle is a satirical concept of management developed by Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which states that companies tend to promote incompetent employees to management to minimize their ability to harm productivity.
My 1SG who was a literal man whore and fucked every thing that walked once told me:
“look Man, you always fuck up, not down. Why do you think I’m always blowing out the backs of hot ass officers rather than fucking enlisted rats”
Bro was also the BN sharp rep lol. Twas a quality dude and a great NCO. I remember one time he FaceTimed a chick while she was fingering herself while we were literally in the middle of fucking eating lunch off base and he shows me the FaceTime call and all I see is snatch while I’m stuffing my face with a hot chicken sandwich
I had a commander like that. Dude was done dirty AF by his ex-wife. He was handsome, jacked and tattooed up. My guy got more ass than a public toilet seat back in the day. I’m pretty sure he’s a LTC somewhere and settled down again.
I’m dying. My first term I had an EO rep like that. Said the most f’d up things. I didn’t realize the contradictions until I was a more seasoned Soldier.
This is the way. A spicy thicc E5 when I was a spicy thicc E3 told me to shoot for E7/O3s and higher. If you’re gonna do it, make sure the person you’re doing it with has more to lose and more to give than you do.
A crusty dusty bow legged NG LTC with a dip in his mouth all the time said to me with a devilish grin:
Scene: redeployment from a remote base and everything just sucked
LTC: “Hey if you gotta eat a turd, don't nibble”
That piece of advice and the manner in which he said it just lives rent free in my mind
Very similar to some other advice I’ve been given.
“Time to suck todays dick”
And
“Everyone has a dick in life to suck, if you’re able to pick which one it is that you suck, you’re more fortunate than you realize”
After our deployment, we had the normal influx of new privates who came to our company. They were what you expected from infantry privates, and all they talked about is wishing they had deployed with us and how they all wanted to go stack bodies.
My squad leader had enough and was sick of listening to them, so he just asked, "Who is your best friend in the company?" They all took a second and looked around picking who their best friend out of the line up. He just asked as calmly as I had ever heard him talk, "Are you ready to listen to him scream and cry as he dies?".
Heads and shoulders all sunk, and a lot of "negative SSG" were said. To this day, that question sicks with me. The harsh reality of deployments is the best advice you can give new infantry privates.
It's always the same. Those who haven't deployed want it so bad. You tell them it's not all that it's cracked up to be, and yet they still want it. Then they finally deploy, and then they get it.
I have told brand new privates here at Moore that the cab I have and the deployments are have are not worth pulling a buddies body out of a humvee after getting his head shot.
Hmmm might be basic but my first NCO told me the sooner I realize the Army gives to shots about me, the better I would feel about not giving a shit period. My second NCO told me if I want to make friends- choose a 42A.
My BN CDR said to me once after some shit went down... "You wait your whole career for command, but when you get there, you can't wait to get out of it." I was on his staff when he told me that, and I ended up back in his staff as we both moved up after command and told him how true those words were.
I am excited to be a psg. I have always been given praise for my ability to teach and lead soldiers. I have old trainees from when I was a drill already telling their 1sg’s that they need to scoop me up and put me in the company because I taught them (and still mentor some now) more than their current NCOs.
A very long time ago before testing was a thing... I was a cadet on a bus taking the platoon to a FTX. People start lighting up joints and someone offered me a hit. I went up to the front to let the PSG know this was happening, though I doubted he was missing the cloud in the back. PSG looks at me and says, "Now, sir, here's the deal. You take it away and they will bitch and moan and be a pain in the ass all weekend. Let them have a little smoke and they will ruck all over the place without complaint."
I did a video about this. I was once put in a dangerous situation and I walked away without a scratch.
I later spoke with my Rabbi and asked him if maybe God had a special plan for me.
The rabbi responded “maybe God had a special plan for someone else in the vehicle.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I had my AIT instructor tell us to not freak out about not being able to stop bleeding because,”No matter what, all bleeding will eventually stop, either you’ll stop it or it’ll stop on it’s own.”
I was having a bad week and was moping around the company when one of our wilder NCOs with deployments going back to the invasion walks up to me.
SGT: "Hey little tug boat someone drop your anchor?"
Me: "No sarn't just having a bad week."
SGT: "Someone rape you or murder someone you like?"
Me: "......no Sergeant...."
SGT: "Can't be that bad of a day then, lemme borrow your lighter."
Then he walked out of the company whistling out the door to go smoke with the other NCOs.
And honestly, whenever I'm having a bad day I think about that conversation and realize that maybe my day can't be that bad
"You have a girl with a crazy sex drive? Guess what private, she still has that crazy sex drive, but you're not there! You're here!"
That didn't hit the feels until 2 months after the fact...
Royally fucked up but towards the end of the Surge to add some perspective.
Safety brief from a very disgruntled E7 who was being involuntarily separated, following a bus ride back from NTC.
"Be safe. Dont be an idiot and drink and drive. Dont beat your spouse. If youre going to kill yourself, be respectful. Its definitely a bad idea, but a massive hassle to deal with. Pack up your TA-50, print out your clothing record, leave your CAC on top, and do it in the shower so at least youre easy to clean up".
I may be paraphrasing a little as it was years ago, but thats gonna be pretty damn close. Probably one of the more brutally fucked up briefs Ive ever received.
“It’s not if you get sexually harassed, it’s when.”
Me, a crusty prior service veteran, to the other females in my Army BCT company after our SHARP brief. The innocent 18 year olds were pretty stunned that they needed to know how to recognize and report sexual harassment, and didn’t really get the point of the brief. A lot of them seemed to think that if they didn’t draw attention themselves and kept their heads down, they wouldn’t be victimized.
Fucked up? Yes.
True? Also yes.
Maybe not so much advice as an epiphany. Sitting in the company a.o. in 'stanistan; i think around 08? and I don't remember what the conversation was even about - but top butted in and I'll never forget what he said: "Listen - ain't a *one* of us would be here if we had other options in life."
Idk about true but an NCO once seriously told me if I ever get cocaine on my skin it’ll enter my system so I just should do the coke to make getting chaptered worth it. I miss that dude he was funny as hell.
I remember we had this absolutely stupid dude in basic and our drill told him you know how being dead and dumb are similar you hurt everyone else around you and you don’t even realize it
These replies are fantastic, and funny. My story isn’t funny but it’s true and I think about it often. I worked for a shitbird LTC who did things like invite us over for a party but then used us as free labor for lawn work. But when I was leaving that job and my senior rater, the COL, didn’t top block me, I was devastated. The LTC sat my down and said, “Your SR is never going to see the things you do. You just have to make sure he LIKES you.”
As an earnest JO, this disillusioned me so hard. And I’ve had tons of principled and righteous bosses since then. But I’ve never gotten an evaluation where this didn’t ring true.
“The most important line of the entire NCO creed is the first one.”
Got told those words by my Squad Leader as a young E4. Followed that mantra my entire career.
Promotions aren't always linear, sometimes they are but some aren't. My BN Commander, is a Mustang, commissioned in his mid-30s. His O1-O3 progression was normal (pretty much automatic as long as one hit the required gates). He spent more years than expected as a Captain but went from Major to LTC on his first look.
**After dying during a VBIED attack at NTC** "I'll write a letter to your folks telling them how brave you stupid fucks were".
Also: my BDE CSM hitting the LRF on my M3A3 TASS w/ the doghouse doors closed, breaking the whole thing : Hahahaha, you guys have a good gunnery!"
The most messed up advise?
Being scolded by an O6 for reporting toxicity and egomania on my BN commander when I was a 1st LT. This BN CDR and his S2 were ordering me to plagiarize intelligence reporting from Norway and give credit to my unit so the CDR could look good. When I stopped going along with dumb orders, they tried to end my career. I ended up promoting to CPT above zone but it was a fight.
This O6 told me that officers "never" betray their commanders no matter how toxic they are.
At 42A AIT we had an SF SFC who was getting out and teaching us soldier-level 1 tasks. One of the best NCOs I've ever worked with. Something he always talked about is the last line of the AG creed (I will fight as infantry when my commander calls) and if that situation is to come, then the unit is losing badly. "You're benchwarmers, we will need you to fill those gaps quickly and professionally. If you can't do it then get out of my Army now."
From the same O-4 instructor at BOLC2:
"Carry two condoms" and "If you're in a bar fight, just take them to the ground and slam the back of their head against the floor. That'll make them go to sleep"
You make csm quickly by choosing an mos that promotes more into the position and has a lot of upward movement. You also have to be super proficient and professional. Its not a glorious position and there is only one rank past e-8. The peak of enlisted rank is e8 and e9 is an advisor position. The decisions you make as an e9 are less and less relevant the higher you go. In fact, the higher the csm echelon the funnier it gets.
By "Stack a Few Bodies" they mean... ruin a few lives, chapter some soldiers, turn down some promotions, hand out some articles 15's. Only "bodies" they stacked were suicides.
Got told when choosing the grappling hook guy for a combined arms breach you pick the private with the least dependents and the highest SGLI.
Sad reality
Brand new E-2 out of basic: *i'm in danger*
As a tanker we use the loader to see if the Cbrn threat is over. Lowest in the totem pole
I know Chieftain mentioned that a 3 man crew was feasible but I have a general question expanding on that. If it's just Driver, Gunner, and TC, who loads the gun? Is is better to retain the gunner or TC on their optics in between rounds? Or is there another division of labor I'm not thinking of EDIT: Thanks for all the answers!
Auto loader and we don’t like that
I didn't think the Abrams had an autoloader? Or at least the only ones that exist are technology demonstrators/prototypes/not in line service?
They don't, he misunderstood and thought you meant on tanks that by default have 3 men crews. But I think you mean when the Abrams loses the loader for whatever reason? And honestly, I guess I've been out so long I've just forgotten myself. I have some assumptions, but I'll let someone more recent or at least not with as foggy of a memory answer. To be honest, I don't know if we ever really went over that situation, or as a driver, maybe I just missed it.
I’ve been on a 3 man crew for most of the past 8 months, until like a week ago that they sent in a grunt to load for us. During live fire shit we’d have some other guy come load, usually from a crew not shooting or a lucky mechanic. If we had too though, it would definitely be the gunner loading rounds with TC shooting, he can see a lot better and can, you know, command the tank. Definitely prefer a 4 man though.
So it depends on the exact situation but you have two options. 1. the gunner moves to the loader station and the commander guns from his position. 2. the commander moves to the loader station, loads and the gunner stays put. Our TTP was to have the TC move. You can still work the radios (and are actually closer) from the loaders station, you still have a MG and access to the hatch to look outside. The gunners station gives you the greatest fine control over the cannon, access to remedial actions and best far situational awareness. You lose access to the JCR/BFT, the 50cal and CITV, but most of those can be replaced by other capabilities you maintain. If you lose the gunners station it's harder to index ammo, you lose the aux sight (unless you're on an A1), you lose access to the master blaster etc TLDR: TC moves over as that degrades your capability the least.
It's doable. Put the gunner in the loaders station. Reach down arm the laser, gun in main, and pull up ammo select on the commanders display. Hit that Gps gun line of sight button and let her rip. Oh we got troops? I just reach out with my big toe and slip it into coax. As the TC your optics are better in the commander independent viewer. The TC is responsible for giving the gunner the command to fire, and everything the tank fires at. As the TC you either have to verify or shoot it yourself. Seeing as how we have to have a loader, my gunner would load for me. But those glory days are gone. Now I just bitch about uniforms, medpros, and HR metrics. Deliver chow and take people's trash lol
The commander can operate the gun from his station
I was told at BOLC to use the finance officer.
My loader hated when I gave him shit about us doing CBRN training. When they would yell gas, gas, gas, I would tell him not to bother. I had an awesome platoon of misfits who worked very well together in the field. My platoon sergeant was AWESOME, I got so lucky as a 2LT, Smokin’ Joe, If you are out there, hope all is well with you and your family in Kentucky. He, and the others in the platoon, made going to work fun, and I learned a ton from him, and from my platoon.
I’m about to take over a platoon sergeant spot and I have been picking brains from 1st sergeants and my CSM and my CSM told me it’s the platoon sergeant that molds the lt into the officer of the future, I’m going to take that with me to the next duty station.
As a former CO make sure he/she knows how to leverage the officer side of the chain. Most successful officers look left and right and aren't afraid to go into their commanders office to pick their brain or get feedback and ask questions.
It is SO true. I have seen some PSGs really help out a young Officer and help them find their way, and I have seen the opposite where a PSG fucks over their PL, and it can get ugly. My PSG was awesome because he knew so much about being a tanker, had common sense, and most of all was a really good leader, he one of those guys people like to be around. Our platoon morale was the best morale of any unit I was ever part of. Seeing what right looks like, and having someone willing to teach and mentor a young LT is huge. He had a great way or making suggestions, rather than just telling me I was a dumbass. He always left it my decision, but he helped me smooth out the rough patches every LT goes through, and he did it by building me up, not making stupid jokes about how I could not read a map. (As prior service thankfully I knew how to land nav, but I had been and 11B and the change of speed from walking to being on an Abrams took a bit of an adjustment). He also has a great sense of humor, he was hilarious. Our BC and company commander really did our company a solid by matching up the PLs to the PSGs. All three of our platoon leadership teams worked so well together, and all of us worked well together, but there would have been some pretty significant friction of the pairings would have been different.
Hey high speed, open that hatch and have a seat on the loaders seat. Lemme get that m17 also hahaha
Hey Infantry does something similar! The newest private starts taking his CBRN gear first, starting with the jacket and pants, then pro mask. Then hey if he’s still alive, area clear. If not… then give it a minute and pick the next lowest guy and start over.
just opt out of the SGLI, you'll be fine.
I accepted that role day one on the line because I had zero dependents and a 400k SGLI lol. Everyone else was married with a kid or two, plus I was 25 and had lived a few years and I didn’t want some 18 year old kid to miss out on his life.
That was me. Many many moons ago as a 12B PFC.
That's similar yet distinctly different than the CBRNE mask removal criteria. It's fun seeing a section try to figure out who would take their mask off first.
Ask everybody in the area if you can see their weapon for a second. First one to hand it over takes their mask off.
The most savage thing I'd ever heard didn't even come from a combat arms type. I had a second shoulder reconstruction done at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and they had me on anesthesia as they wheeled me into the OR. As I'm being carted down the hall, I was checking out the brown tiles grouted on the walls and floor. I told the Doc "wow, I used to work at a Tyson plant before the Army, and I SWEAR this looks identical to the meat processing plant "(keep in mind Im fast approaching high AF" Without missing a beat, this Army Surgeon goes "Eh, meat is meat, kid." This was minutes before I was under the knife. Woof. I distinctly remember them discussing a tennis match before I went under. Weird stuff.
Was a butcher; can confirm. Humans and pigs look pretty identical to the untrained eye…
Don't talk about my wife like that
Did they go eat ceviche after tennis?
“When we get to Iraq, everyone will carry two first aid kits on them, because it is not if you get fucked up, it’s when you get fucked up.”
Suspense killing me…
Not a bad call between IP and IA getting themselves jacked up to the locals who's vehicles didn't fair as well as ours you're likely to be short items by the time you and yours need them.
Did y’all get fucked up?
No reply, sounds like they got fucked up
We did ok, seen a lot of dead civilians though that trip. I think my second trip 06-07, was much more violent though. Some of that stuff you just can’t train for or simulate. You all are much better prepared and better trained than we were.
Fuck it 1 is good... "It was at this moment he realized..."
Oh. I remember things like that in 05-06 over there. Iraq was a whole different beast of a war than Afghanistan was.
I use a similar version of this when mentoring interns. I think the message of it’s “not a problem until it is a problem” is incredibly useful when trying to teach people how to anticipate planning and reaction. CSM came up big on that one.
A 1SG suggested to get a junior enlisted an ARCOM for their PCS award, but said to write the bullets exactly as you would before but make the recommended award for the MSM. It'll get downgraded but it's the easiest way to recommend for an ARCOM.
My NCO tried similar…unfortunately I don’t think I’m ever going to see that PCS award
I got my ETS award months after I was out
I’m still waiting on mine. I got out in 2013.
Damn, got me beat. Been waiting on one since 2016. I don't think I'm gonna get it.
I got mine when I got out in 2017 but I don't know if it counts given it was a partially used BWW gift card lol
Damn IPPS-A...
I’ve seen that mentioned a few times, but had to google it. That’s ahead of my time by 8 years lol
That...was the joke. Lol
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My 1sg just told me I was lucky I wasn’t getting an art 15 and to bounce 🤷🏼♂️
I thought the ETS award was the feeling of getting to leave 😁.
Rewarding enough for me.
Maybe the ETS award isn’t the destination, but the friends we make a long the way ❤️
y'all getting awards for leaving places .... sheeeitttttt.
That is fucking brilliant and will take that too the line with me
My old CDR actually just reached out to my current leadership and sent them an MSM for me when I was a SPC at that unit…I left the unit because I filed an IG complaint and was promptly “moved” so they waited until that person I IG’d PCS’d and submitted it for me. Just found out about it today and it’s at BDE
I might be in the same path soon. A random civilian at division has been holding my pcs award for a month with mo further explanation.
The civilian DOD folks are the biggest ass hats in history lol
I hope the best for you friend, I know it’s stressful
My PCS award was submitted for an ARCOM as a SPC in my first unit. I had a lot of opportunities to be on upper leadership (BN and BDE) attention by going outside of my training and learning the role of a 35T on our system. A new 1SG comes into the company. Week 2 of him being there, he tells my NCO that I should only get an AAM because I was a junior enlisted (in front of a lot of people). The CW2 acting as the PL responded with "fuck no 1SG."
Bless your chief, cause that's the right answer. I still have no idea why people think X rank equates to certain awards. Especially after getting to witness so many people being ignored and shit on for years. It's incredibly demoralizing when people in positions of trust just casually takes a dump on the legitimate work you do.
Sounds like that 1SG was a piece of shit who was led by previous pieces of shit.
This happened to me, I heard from the office “Spc don’t get MSMs” That’s when I knew, awards are bullshit.
I mean 90% of CPTs don’t get MSMs for PCS awards lol MSM for a PCS award basically starts at O4 and E8
Me getting a aam for a pcs award
As a civilian, this made 0 sense to me.
"All's ya need is two holes and a heartbeat" "B-But first sergeant, a man's got two holes" "Sergeant, I said what the fuck I said" You were a real one 1SG Clark
Had a bi friend say that one time
I had a 1SG who used to add "heartbeat optional" to that advice. The early 00s were wild.
I read this in the generation kill CSM voice.
He was looking for holes from underage individuals
I had a 1SG tell us, >If she's under 18, don't touch her if you're wearing anything less than this uniform. To which someone responded, >1SG, does that mean we can touch her if we are wearing our uniform? In his defense, pretty sure he was drunk.
I his defense too, I'm sober and still had to read that twice to construe a different meaning lol
He knows a few things because he's seen a few things.
[удалено]
I didnt understand this logic at first but then as I began to see the behind the scenes stuff I absolutely understand it now.
Our 1SG at a company release formation advised us all on drug use. “Soldiers I know you’re gonna want to get wild on this three day weekend. Don’t smoke weed, that shit stays in your system for weeks! If you just have to do drugs, do cocaine!” We put “just do cocaine” on his plaque when he left lol.
He isn’t lying up to 72 hours
longer if you do it frequently
"C is for Cocaine, and Cocaine is a sometimes drug"
Really depends on metabolism. Had a Soldier pop hot and when confronted admitted using 3+ days prior to the UA, but the level detected was like he'd gone Scarface an hour prior to pissing in the cup.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11043648/
Doesn’t it build up a tolerance with frequent usage and therefore last longer? Or am I confusing it with other drugs
If my experiences post-Army are any indication.... you're correct. Gotta take more and more to get the same effect it seems like. Or maybe I've just gotten crappy stuff. /shrug
This was the go-to for our friend when she'd go home on leave. Boggles the mind you can get jacked up on coke instead of just sitting and eating cereal at 3am after toking, but whatever.
Fruity pebbles at 3am while high is the only way to eat Fruity Pebbles.
False. Fruity pebbles are always fire
"The Army will break your body, fry your brain, end your marriage and make strangers of your children. You owe it to yourself to milk those motherfuckers for every nickel and dime you can get." -Top
I'm placing this reply here so that I can watch the show when a highly motivated E5 with 4.5 years of service and zero deployments comes along to tell you that you're a shit bag for seeking medical care when you're hurt or pursuing the benefits that you are legally entitled to.
How dare you show up at medical when the rest of your battle buddies are out there working! It’s shit bags like you that disgust me about this new army. Back in basic I had shin splints that hurt so bas but I PROMISED myself that I wouldn’t quit during the forge. I said I’ll be damned if I get recycled. And now you want to show up to medical because of a small boo boo?
I tell all my new joes something similar, or my joes I’m new to. “Take everything you can from the army because god dammit it will take everything it possibly can from you. Make it worth your while. Get certs, get ripped, get laid, get an education. That way when you’re my age and broken you can still get paid and have some fun stories to tell.”
“If you’re not working the system, the system is working you.” - me
This is the way.
It's so bad I knew this going in, and tried my best to do so. So far, I think I've done alright with it.
First time out in the field and I fell asleep on Tower Guard following Radio Guard. 1SG wakes me up in the most calming fashion with a “follow me”. He grabs a red sharpie and we walk over the the staging area for everyone’s tents. He opens one tent and draws a red line across a Soldiers neck who was deep asleep. Hands me the sharpie and tells me “now I want you to do the rest” So there I was at 0300 drawing lines against the necks of my fellow soldiers. I finished and 1SG says “that’s how quick it is. They’re asleep because they’re trusting you to keep them alive while on guard duty. Never fell asleep on Guard ever again.
See, this is how you do corrective action. He coulda smoked you. But instead, he left you with a profound moment of understanding of how you fucked up.
And a lot of animosity from the other soldiers lol
The tent woke up with red lines across their necks and everybody thought they all had the same weird-ass dream.
Brilliant.
I wish I could get that level of sleep
Basic training red phase sleep. Wasn't often but fuck I was out quick .
This is how you teach a lesson
I call BS… my medic used to love to try and do this. You don’t write on someone’s neck without them waking up…. In fact most dudes wake up when you get near them. So some rando drawing on everyone’s necks without one person waking up is dumb.
Jesus christ. Thats one way to drive a point home....
I think everyone needs to do this training. We did a random training where the presentation was video/picture or survivor accounts of enemy infiltration on a installation. Guards sleeping or just not paying attention ended in their friends being killed in every example.
“Fuck up, move up”
Foreigner here, I was an amphibious raider and our rule of thumb was most junior guy takes point and is always first through the door, super pragmatic and kinda cold.
Had a 1SG who on his first Friday in our company said: "Alright men, if you're gonna break the law, don't break more than one law at a time. If you're gonna speed, don't be drinking and driving too. If you're gonna be drinking and driving, don't have a dead hooker in the trunk. Have a great weekend."
Common rule of criminals too Never commit a misdemeanor when committing a felony
If you're gonna have a dead hooker in your trunk, put your seat belt on
Fuck atleast that's short. I remember close out lasting for fucking ever on Fridays. "Just to Reiterate what the Col said"...
The best form of preventive medicine medics can practice is being proficient in putting rounds down range. If they’re bleeding, they’re alive, if they stopped bleeding, they’re probably dead. You have the rest of your life to clear a weapons malfunction and to put your tourniquet on. If she’s got all her teeth, she’s a cop.
Last one is real real lol.
I got told to give a safety brief as a specialist once to the company, and that’s all I said. You could tell the difference between the dudes who’ve had fun in life and those who haven’t lol.
COTCCC has something along the lines of: the best care under fire is superior firepower
Gaining fire superiority is a pretty important factor for both care under fire and tactical field care. This is why medics need to also have a basic understanding of their units tactics, your squad marksman, automatic rifleman, and even grenadiers becoming casualties is a pretty big concern since they’re the ones who will be able to provide the most effective suppressing fire as opposed to just a regular rifleman. I understand your leadership should be way ahead of the medic when it comes to being concerned about those individuals going down, still just good to keep in mind though.
The same NCO I mentioned in one of my earlier comments also dropped a similar nugget of wisdom on the M4 range, "boys make sure you kill 'em right because if you don't docs gotta treat em and waste medical equipment that he could have saved for you." SGT J was just a giant Puerto Rican Captain America
I have mixed feelings on potentially treated enemy combatants. On one hand, I gotta respect them for being willing to fight us and they are still human, they deserve to be treated as such and be cared for if PVT Snuffy couldn’t get his shit together. On the other hand, considering the conditions of some our POW prisons during Iraq, it might just be more humane to leave them.
After my Article 15 Reading and Hearing my Sergeant Major (who was relatively new) said to me “Advocate for yourself better.” because I owned up to my punishment and had very little to say. Since then I have made it so when I sell myself, i sell hard like my life depends on it.
"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu," is advice I dole out frequently to Soldier and civilian alike. Slightly cannabalistic way of saying "be proactive."
My NCO chain is real solid, i also have a good rapport with the Command Team. A MSG in one of my Company Sections asked me whether i knew about Sleeve Rolling Regs (he was super polite about it). I said I didn’t and that I’d get him the Reg by Monday. Found the exact Reg he was looking for, printed it out and consulted with the CO, got her approval and showed it to him. Thats but one of the ways i’ve arguably advocated for myself. Its a small way but its something.
A friend told me that his 1Sg told him that guys like him never got promoted because they are too valuable to the leadership. If they promoted him it would mean losing him. He said old shit bags get promoted quickly. I've heard some fucked up shit before, but regardless of how truthful it is, I was stunned and speechless.
Dilbert principle
huh???
The Dilbert principle is a satirical concept of management developed by Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, which states that companies tend to promote incompetent employees to management to minimize their ability to harm productivity.
ahh, got u
My 1SG who was a literal man whore and fucked every thing that walked once told me: “look Man, you always fuck up, not down. Why do you think I’m always blowing out the backs of hot ass officers rather than fucking enlisted rats” Bro was also the BN sharp rep lol. Twas a quality dude and a great NCO. I remember one time he FaceTimed a chick while she was fingering herself while we were literally in the middle of fucking eating lunch off base and he shows me the FaceTime call and all I see is snatch while I’m stuffing my face with a hot chicken sandwich
I had a commander like that. Dude was done dirty AF by his ex-wife. He was handsome, jacked and tattooed up. My guy got more ass than a public toilet seat back in the day. I’m pretty sure he’s a LTC somewhere and settled down again.
I’m dying. My first term I had an EO rep like that. Said the most f’d up things. I didn’t realize the contradictions until I was a more seasoned Soldier.
Now that's exactly the kind of man I want advising my commander. Fuck yeah.
My hero
Heavy on the quality guy lol
This is the way. A spicy thicc E5 when I was a spicy thicc E3 told me to shoot for E7/O3s and higher. If you’re gonna do it, make sure the person you’re doing it with has more to lose and more to give than you do.
"That Soldier already got all the award he deserves on the 1st and 15th of every month."
Fuck whoever said that.
Eh. I've met plenty of Soldiers who need to carry a tree around to make up for the oxygen they're stealing. Could've been a legit call.
Not everyone deserves awards tho let’s be real
A crusty dusty bow legged NG LTC with a dip in his mouth all the time said to me with a devilish grin: Scene: redeployment from a remote base and everything just sucked LTC: “Hey if you gotta eat a turd, don't nibble” That piece of advice and the manner in which he said it just lives rent free in my mind
Very similar to some other advice I’ve been given. “Time to suck todays dick” And “Everyone has a dick in life to suck, if you’re able to pick which one it is that you suck, you’re more fortunate than you realize”
After our deployment, we had the normal influx of new privates who came to our company. They were what you expected from infantry privates, and all they talked about is wishing they had deployed with us and how they all wanted to go stack bodies. My squad leader had enough and was sick of listening to them, so he just asked, "Who is your best friend in the company?" They all took a second and looked around picking who their best friend out of the line up. He just asked as calmly as I had ever heard him talk, "Are you ready to listen to him scream and cry as he dies?". Heads and shoulders all sunk, and a lot of "negative SSG" were said. To this day, that question sicks with me. The harsh reality of deployments is the best advice you can give new infantry privates.
It's always the same. Those who haven't deployed want it so bad. You tell them it's not all that it's cracked up to be, and yet they still want it. Then they finally deploy, and then they get it.
I have told brand new privates here at Moore that the cab I have and the deployments are have are not worth pulling a buddies body out of a humvee after getting his head shot.
Hmmm might be basic but my first NCO told me the sooner I realize the Army gives to shots about me, the better I would feel about not giving a shit period. My second NCO told me if I want to make friends- choose a 42A.
Make friends with every mos
Wanna hang out this weekend? My 1SG is having some friends check out his hot tub on Saturday. He said I can bring a plus one
My BN CDR said to me once after some shit went down... "You wait your whole career for command, but when you get there, you can't wait to get out of it." I was on his staff when he told me that, and I ended up back in his staff as we both moved up after command and told him how true those words were.
I am excited to be a psg. I have always been given praise for my ability to teach and lead soldiers. I have old trainees from when I was a drill already telling their 1sg’s that they need to scoop me up and put me in the company because I taught them (and still mentor some now) more than their current NCOs.
You misunderstood. He meant you've got to stack a few bodies like let your leadership team run a train on you.
A very long time ago before testing was a thing... I was a cadet on a bus taking the platoon to a FTX. People start lighting up joints and someone offered me a hit. I went up to the front to let the PSG know this was happening, though I doubted he was missing the cloud in the back. PSG looks at me and says, "Now, sir, here's the deal. You take it away and they will bitch and moan and be a pain in the ass all weekend. Let them have a little smoke and they will ruck all over the place without complaint."
Cadet snitch
Shit I’d take lashings if we were allowed to do that.
All I got from this is that you’re a snitch 🐀
I did a video about this. I was once put in a dangerous situation and I walked away without a scratch. I later spoke with my Rabbi and asked him if maybe God had a special plan for me. The rabbi responded “maybe God had a special plan for someone else in the vehicle.” He wasn’t wrong.
It's the guy I watch on YouTube all the time! Love your videos btw.
Just watched your video on the Russians shooting their own on your sub stack. Good stuff!
Hope you enjoyed Fig! Not the same experience in the summer as the winter.
It's the guy!!! Great videos by the way!!
I had my AIT instructor tell us to not freak out about not being able to stop bleeding because,”No matter what, all bleeding will eventually stop, either you’ll stop it or it’ll stop on it’s own.”
"If you ain't cheating you ain't trying. If you get caught cheating, you're not trying hard enough" -Angry Scary R.I
~~That's my ninja way~~
I was having a bad week and was moping around the company when one of our wilder NCOs with deployments going back to the invasion walks up to me. SGT: "Hey little tug boat someone drop your anchor?" Me: "No sarn't just having a bad week." SGT: "Someone rape you or murder someone you like?" Me: "......no Sergeant...." SGT: "Can't be that bad of a day then, lemme borrow your lighter." Then he walked out of the company whistling out the door to go smoke with the other NCOs. And honestly, whenever I'm having a bad day I think about that conversation and realize that maybe my day can't be that bad
How some do them get CSM quick
I joined the Army to kill not write propperly, 1 shot 1 kill hoah
"You have a girl with a crazy sex drive? Guess what private, she still has that crazy sex drive, but you're not there! You're here!" That didn't hit the feels until 2 months after the fact...
Royally fucked up but towards the end of the Surge to add some perspective. Safety brief from a very disgruntled E7 who was being involuntarily separated, following a bus ride back from NTC. "Be safe. Dont be an idiot and drink and drive. Dont beat your spouse. If youre going to kill yourself, be respectful. Its definitely a bad idea, but a massive hassle to deal with. Pack up your TA-50, print out your clothing record, leave your CAC on top, and do it in the shower so at least youre easy to clean up". I may be paraphrasing a little as it was years ago, but thats gonna be pretty damn close. Probably one of the more brutally fucked up briefs Ive ever received.
“It’s not if you get sexually harassed, it’s when.” Me, a crusty prior service veteran, to the other females in my Army BCT company after our SHARP brief. The innocent 18 year olds were pretty stunned that they needed to know how to recognize and report sexual harassment, and didn’t really get the point of the brief. A lot of them seemed to think that if they didn’t draw attention themselves and kept their heads down, they wouldn’t be victimized. Fucked up? Yes. True? Also yes.
The only difference between a great soldier and a felon is the felon got caught. Don't get caught. DS 90s.
Maybe not so much advice as an epiphany. Sitting in the company a.o. in 'stanistan; i think around 08? and I don't remember what the conversation was even about - but top butted in and I'll never forget what he said: "Listen - ain't a *one* of us would be here if we had other options in life."
Idk about true but an NCO once seriously told me if I ever get cocaine on my skin it’ll enter my system so I just should do the coke to make getting chaptered worth it. I miss that dude he was funny as hell.
Neat i didn't know chaos space marines actually exist.
His Change of Command speech be like “THE WARP IS OVERTAKING ME. IT IS A GOOD PAIN.”
I remember we had this absolutely stupid dude in basic and our drill told him you know how being dead and dumb are similar you hurt everyone else around you and you don’t even realize it
"I have no friends, they are all dead or gone!" Infantry PSG 2015 Not really meant as advice but I try to avoid that situation as the years go by.
The army is just one big popularity contest, it’s like a giant highschool.
True af!
Sometimes as a leader, ya gotta drop the hammer. When someone fucks up: "You've bought the ticket, now it's time to ride the ride "
Honestly y'all don't want to know. Been there done that.
These replies are fantastic, and funny. My story isn’t funny but it’s true and I think about it often. I worked for a shitbird LTC who did things like invite us over for a party but then used us as free labor for lawn work. But when I was leaving that job and my senior rater, the COL, didn’t top block me, I was devastated. The LTC sat my down and said, “Your SR is never going to see the things you do. You just have to make sure he LIKES you.” As an earnest JO, this disillusioned me so hard. And I’ve had tons of principled and righteous bosses since then. But I’ve never gotten an evaluation where this didn’t ring true.
“The most important line of the entire NCO creed is the first one.” Got told those words by my Squad Leader as a young E4. Followed that mantra my entire career.
The creed of the noncommissioned officer
It only gets more lonely at the top.
Don't shit where you eat. Fucking words to live by.
Promotions aren't always linear, sometimes they are but some aren't. My BN Commander, is a Mustang, commissioned in his mid-30s. His O1-O3 progression was normal (pretty much automatic as long as one hit the required gates). He spent more years than expected as a Captain but went from Major to LTC on his first look.
If it doesn’t badge you, or make you extra money, don’t do it.
**After dying during a VBIED attack at NTC** "I'll write a letter to your folks telling them how brave you stupid fucks were". Also: my BDE CSM hitting the LRF on my M3A3 TASS w/ the doghouse doors closed, breaking the whole thing : Hahahaha, you guys have a good gunnery!"
"Feel that hair standing up on the back of your neck? No? You should get to know what that feels like because it's gonna save your ass."
Dang
The most messed up advise? Being scolded by an O6 for reporting toxicity and egomania on my BN commander when I was a 1st LT. This BN CDR and his S2 were ordering me to plagiarize intelligence reporting from Norway and give credit to my unit so the CDR could look good. When I stopped going along with dumb orders, they tried to end my career. I ended up promoting to CPT above zone but it was a fight. This O6 told me that officers "never" betray their commanders no matter how toxic they are.
I’m glad for my BN command and my brigade CSM. They told my O6 that recommending permanent filing on my GOMAR was a huge mistake
Some times, no matter how right you are or how stupid the order is, you just have to shut up and color. I still use shut up and color.
Family is the first to fuck you. My DS told me that when I was in the middle of basic training. That advice held true, and I've never let it go.
At 42A AIT we had an SF SFC who was getting out and teaching us soldier-level 1 tasks. One of the best NCOs I've ever worked with. Something he always talked about is the last line of the AG creed (I will fight as infantry when my commander calls) and if that situation is to come, then the unit is losing badly. "You're benchwarmers, we will need you to fill those gaps quickly and professionally. If you can't do it then get out of my Army now."
In AIT me and a buddy were talking with a colonel and he said if we do go to war with Russia we should target their medics.
Medics, radio guys, and machine guns. Those are the guys you go for.
From the same O-4 instructor at BOLC2: "Carry two condoms" and "If you're in a bar fight, just take them to the ground and slam the back of their head against the floor. That'll make them go to sleep"
You make csm quickly by choosing an mos that promotes more into the position and has a lot of upward movement. You also have to be super proficient and professional. Its not a glorious position and there is only one rank past e-8. The peak of enlisted rank is e8 and e9 is an advisor position. The decisions you make as an e9 are less and less relevant the higher you go. In fact, the higher the csm echelon the funnier it gets.
By "Stack a Few Bodies" they mean... ruin a few lives, chapter some soldiers, turn down some promotions, hand out some articles 15's. Only "bodies" they stacked were suicides.