Posted on Sep 26, 2013

What is the nicest thing you've ever done in the military that no one knows about?

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I was asked this question not long ago. I've heard others tell me how they "donated" a missing supply item to a peer who was about to get charged for it. Someone also told me that he took the blame for something that was his friend's fault, so that his friend wouldn't lose his weekend pass where he was going to travel to see his wife and kids.

What about you?

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Posted 11 y ago

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Responses: 12

SGM (Join to see)

Posted 11 y ago

This wasn't anything that I did.  This past Christmas my Brigade signed up to sponsor an orphanage.  The Brigade signed on to purchase presents for kids ranging in ages 1-17.  My company had recently redeployed and weren't aware that this drive had been going on for the previous three weeks.  Well I found out that of the 69 kids the rest of the Brigade only signed up for 27 of those kids.  In my morning PT formation I put it out to my Soldiers.  That day, actually from 0900-0920, my amazing Soldiers signed up to sponsor the rest of the kids, 42 in all.  They continued to give, Toys for Tots, Angel Tree, anything they could find.   

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CPT (Join to see)

Edited 11 y ago

Posted 11 y ago

I was in the Frankfurt airport when a SPC walked up to the boarding area in ACUs clearly planning to join the commercial flight to Kuwait. I identified myself and took him aside and told him he needed to change immediately. Everything was checked. The gate representative told me there was no way to retrieve the bag and have him make the flight. I took him into the only clothing store in our part of the airport. The cheapest thing in there as a $40 pair of Tommy Hilfiger shorts. I asked for a big bag so he could put his uniform in it.

In Kuwait, I overheard him telling the story to another Soldier. He complained that the shorts were "chumpy" and that he looked like a clown with his green socks and combat boots. He felt the whole thing "wasn't any big deal" and that I was a dumb LT. I was pissed, handed him my contact information and told him he needed to pay me back. He didn't even bother to put a remorseful look on his face. When I got back to my TOC, I looked up his CDR, drafted an email, then hit delete. Never heard from him again.

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SSG Lisa Rendina

10 y

Ok. That makes sense. This was regular R&R. We did correct a newly arrived Soldier in Italy. She flew after graduating AIT where they instructed her she must travel in uniform. This was in 2009.

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Sgt Adam Jennings

10 y

I'm not saying you're wrong, because clearly you weren't. But I thought it was funny themat the Marine Corps required that I get a haircut every week in Iraq while on FOB. When I left to get surgery done on my ear they sent me straight to Ramstein AFB where I was given a card to get civvies with. What was so fun to me was that I still had a hige MARPAT pack and sea bag with my stuff in it that I was told to take with me along with my regulation hair cut. You'd have to have been Stevie Wonder to have not known I was military, lol. But, they never take that stuff into account either. I had tonlie to a middle eastern man at the terminal at Frankfurt when he started asking if I was military. Told him I was a firefighter, and I was before the military, that was there for a conference with our Herman brethren as sort of a meet and greet to swap ideas and check out their gear. Don't know if he bought it or not.

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Sgt Adam Jennings

10 y

I'm going to have to stop responding while on my phone, my spelling looks horrible. Haha, sorry folks.

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Lt Col (Join to see)

>1 y

Interesting, because I'm getting ready to fly to Qatar, and I was told I HAD to wear my uniform.

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LTC (Join to see)

Posted 11 y ago

I have written
letters to the VA for a Soldier who was discharged and had no record of her
deployment or IED even in her file.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I wrote a few
letters of recommendation for boards or jobs for past soldiers.<o:p></o:p>

I put together
at least 15 retroactive Combat Action Badge packets for former soldiers from
OIF 1 that have been awarded some of those who were awarded were vets and
members of other services at the time of the award.<o:p></o:p>

I ensured my
former soldiers got word of our unit award and had it added to their records.<o:p></o:p>

Once word got
out among my former soldiers that I was helping people, they kept coming to me.<o:p></o:p>

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