Posted on Mar 25, 2014
LTC Program Manager
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I see every day where some soldiers (all different ranks) like to go around and make "spot corrections".  For example, a group of soldiers is filling sand bags and the NCOIC allowed the workers to take their tops off.  Then someone on their way to Starbucks diverts their course to go over and tell them that they need to "stay in uniform" and then resumes their course to Starbucks.  And then there's the famous "Hey you should be wearing your PT belt if you are going to run on the street during the hours of darkness" even though the post policy was just changed allowing soldiers to NOT have to wear their PT belt when running in civies.

 

At what point do we get past the point of saying "Hooah! Thank you for correcting me!" and politely tell the annoying "corrector" to go find a mission somewhere and mind their own business?  There are corrections in accordance with a regulation and/or a policy and then there are subjective opinions that certain people force on us under the illusion of their authority based  on their rank.  Just because we outrank someone and think we have good idea doesn't mean that we should have the audacity/arrogance to go and order them to do something unless we have a document backing it up.  I personally have enough to do getting my own mission accomplished.  Unless it involves life/limb/eyesight, I'm staying in my lane and wish others would do the same.  Uphold the standards, but stick to written standards, not arbitrary ones out of "AR 600-my opinion" enforced by "PC Rangers".

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Responses: 8
1SG Steven Stankovich
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Sir, I really like your "life/limb/eyesight" statement. May I add "good order and discipline also?" The reason that I say is because, for one, you are absolutely right. There are those out there who have the "letter of the law" foremost in their mind and they have blinders on to mitigating and extenuating circumstances like your example of a detail with a NCO in charge. We are ingrained with the "don't walk past a deficiency or you just made a new standard" belief, but there are those times where we witness something that may irk us, but it is being handled by another...using another COA. Let it go. Or, if it bothers you that much, make a note and talk to the person in charge of those folks behind the scenes, or with their supervisor. There are times where the best COA is not to pull over, roll down the window, utter a "you guys are all screwed up, fix yourselves," and drive away. Just take a minute and think about things before you act.
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SGT William B.
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Sir,

This is extremely prevalent on Bagram right now.  I got chewed out for wearing a fleece cap (we've had 20-30 degree weather sporadically for a few months now) by a SFC that purposely blocked my path just to tell me that it was too warm to be wearing a fleece cap and gloves.  I later found out that the camp policy is that it's to be worn during cold weather, with no stipulation of what exact temperature is considered "cold." 

Stupid little things like this irk me.  It really does seem like some folks just run out of things to work on, and need to make those OER/NCOER bullets like "Enforced AR 670-1 TO THE LETTER 24/7".  It's silliness. 
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SFC Communications Chief (S6)
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The fleece cap is the black sheep of uniforms anymore. It was described to me once as: ITS A PT CAP NOT A KEEP YOUR HEAD WARM CAP
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LTC Program Manager
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Exactly.  And there is no answer for "Well what IS the "keep your head warm cap"?"  Kind of like the "No hands in your pockets!" when your hands are cold but you don't have gloves.  The answer you get back is "Well its your fault that you didn't bring gloves so your punishment is to accept frostbitten fingers."
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SFC Communications Chief (S6)
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I'm going to break out my old BDU cold weather cap. Don't recall seeing a wear-out date for it. It looked warm enough. 
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COL Sharon Leary
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All the comments above make me remember the "death of common sense." We have failed to teach our Soldiers the ART of leadership. There just might NOT be a check list of everything, so a lot of the on the spot corrections are METT-TC. I have done the drive by, from my car and my bicycle in a very BOOMING voice and continued to march. I have STOPPED turned around and corrected Soldiers of all ranks, mainly in Baghdad, where NOT wearing your eye pro, or snapping your throat guard on you IBA would cost you in term of serious injury. If you take 2 seconds before making the correction to access the situation, i.e. obvious work detail or life limb or eye site makes the way you make the corrective action decision. I have also been corrected by a Senior NCO, I failed to take by blue tooth device out of my ear, she quietly came up to me and just said ma'am you still have you blue tooth in your ear... that was all that was needed.. :-) and it take "moral courage" to correct a senior than it does to just let it go... I appreciated the NCO's correction and professionalism
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PFC Unmanned Aircraft Systems Repairer
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You have made a few posts that I have noticed, Ma'am. I may only be a private, but as long as the situation I read appears to be incorrect and not a detail allowance or similar matter, it doesn't seem right for the counterpart being corrected to get angry with me if I performed the action tactfully. I'm a little wordy, but I feel that I've said the right thing and stayed on subject.
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