Posted on Oct 4, 2014
LTC Mark Gavula
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During my company grade officer time (O1 – O3), major commands endorsed and scheduled on a training schedule “Bring Your Boss’” and “Right Arm Nights,” which were always standing room only events. The CG, CSM, and G Staff made appearances and made a few remarks. I thought they were always great espirit, and team building events. It provided an opportunity to socialize with my Officers and NCOs outside the place of duty, meet other peers within the command, and meet senior leaders within the command. Since the end of the Desert Shield/Desert Storm the conduct of these events have not been highly encouraged or not conducted at all. Has this hurt the NCO - Officer relationship, hindered the development of camaraderie and espirit?
Posted in these groups: Camaraderie by mistresszaddeh CamaraderieTeam building logo Team Building140114202911 large Alcohol
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COL Randall C.
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Edited 10 y ago
LTC Mark Gavula, I can understand your view that the pendulum has swung away from 'alcohol is encouraged', past a neutral point to an 'alcohol is discouraged' point now. As it is with everything in this litigious society, things have gone from 'personal responsibility' to 'someone else is responsible for your actions'. As such, policies have been put in effect that minimize those actions (while I don't like the situation we are in now, I can't disagree with the leadership's approach which is basically "if YOUR actions are going to negatively affect ME, then I'm going to minimize my risk by curtailing what you can do")

I do agree with PO1 (Join to see) is that team building doesn't need to be reliant upon alcohol, but I don't feel that we should go into the abstinence area that PO1 John Pokrzywa mentioned either. It shouldn't matter if your drink of choice is water, tea, soda or beer in a social setting, but it does. If you down a six-pack of water, tea, or soda it's not going to contribute to your wrapping the car around a tree (unless you neglected to visit the facilities before you left).

Punish those that can't drink responsibly? Yes. Deglamorize it? Yes. Impact everyone with policies because of those that can't be responsible? No. Make it 'unwelcome'? No.

Unfortunately, until we have a culture that swings back towards personal responsibility instead of blaming others because you made a poor choice, I don't see the current policies/view being changed.
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LTC Bink Romanick
LTC Bink Romanick
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I soldiered when soldiers were soldiers. I never went to a prayer breakfast and never would. When the army got the religion in the 80s ,it changed the complexion of the force.

I was raised in the old Brown boot army by my dad who was a CW4, the army where you could retire as a PFC if you were a good PFC. When we changed from leading to managing soldiers we lost something. The same goes to when we tried to turn soldier into saints.
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PO1 John Pokrzywa
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I feel it has definitely reduced camaraderie. The deglamorization program has gone to the point that rather than unwind and (gasp) have a beer or two with people from the unit who in much more serious situations they trust to look out for them, people instead go off by themselves, unsupervised, with people who often couldn't care less. Officers and senior enlisted alike are forced to live in a puritanical false reality, as if other people in their unit weren't the ones who might save their lives later, but we're instead potential career-ending lepers. Hence why the rise, I think, in alcohol or other drug related incidents. Joe civilian, who doesn't have random urinalysis, is quite happy to pass the spice, marijuana, or worse, but hey, at least we didn't let the troops have a beer with brothers and sisters they may have to fight alongside.
If you can't safely have a beer with the people who may be tightening your tourniquet one day, something is wrong.
I'm all for deglamorization, but only to a point. It shouldn't be the center of activities, but neither should making it unavailable, either. Moderation is good, abstinence? Seems like you don't want to let your hair down with the troops. Keep help available, but complete bans only serve to make parties away from work more desirable, and camaraderie suffers.
My thoughts, anyway.
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MAJ Bill Darling
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I think it has. Despite the derogatory term "mandatory fun" I think a lot of bonding and good socializing comes out of after hours get-togethers. Never mind that the deglamorization was itself a mixed message (career ending DUI/DWI and/or inappropriate relationships at the same time there was high pressure to use the O/E-Clubs), in my first assignment from what resembled a deployed environment (ROK), with a very tight knit group, to a 9-to-5 at Bragg job in which people never saw each other after COB in my next. It was night and day.
Sure there are problems associated with alcohol, but I think the pendulum swung too far the other way by the time I separated.
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