What is the worst (hardest) thing you had to do while in the military?

Maj William Gambrell — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:38:20 -0400

For me, the hardest thing I had to do was being president on a Court Martial panel where we convicted a 19-year E-7 of inappropriate touching of two minors. It didn't just destroy one life, it destroyed three lives...they lost everything. His wife home schooled the daughter and I knew they had to start their lives over again. I rarely get nervous, but giving that verdict in that environment was new to me.

Response by SGT Kristjan Rahe made Jul 25 at 2015 1:39 PM

SGT Kristjan Rahe — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:39:38 -0400

Death notifications, hands down

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jul 25 at 2015 1:43 PM

SN Greg Wright — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:43:46 -0400

Getting out.

Response by Sgt David G Duchesneau made Jul 25 at 2015 1:44 PM

Sgt David G Duchesneau — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:44:31 -0400

You did what you had to do Major. Just think what would of happened if you just let him off? Once a Sex Offender starts his journey, it doesn't stop until someone finally stops it for them. Kudos to the entire Panel!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 2:00 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:00:27 -0400

Present a KID's flag to his NOK as part of a funeral ceremony.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Jul 25 at 2015 2:50 PM

LTC John Shaw — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:50:33 -0400

Maj William Gambrell Ramp Ceremonies in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when I was Ops Chief for US Garrison. We had 314 of them, my unit coordinated/conducted all of them with the assistance of many other units. It is a sad feeling to become numb to another service members death, but that is what happens over time... Worst day was three ceremonies in the same day, with one memorial being 13 soldiers killed in two simultaneous IED events and a rocket attack between the events.
Providing a flag to a wife/spouse or other loved one is the most sobering event in my life.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 3:30 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:30:05 -0400

I was stationed in England in a joint command. I had to inform the commander and senior leadership that I found one of my soldiers dead at his off base residence.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 4:23 PM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:23:09 -0400

Being NCOIC of the Honor Guard Team and performing hundreds of funerals where I had to present the flag to the families.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 4:37 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:37:14 -0400

Thanks for sharing your story Sir. That is unfortunate, but the act deserved the verdict. As for the victims caught in the crossfire, that's also very unfortunate too. They all will have to live that emotional and life changing event for the rest of their lives.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 4:42 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:42:58 -0400

As for me the worst thing that I had to do in my military career was to escort the remains of one of my mechanics back to his family from Texas to North Dakota. Not only was traveling from airport to airport and getting off the plane each time to inspect the coffin pretty hard, when I got off the plane for the last time, I instantly heard the cries of his family members, especially his mother. It took everything that I had to remain professional and to keep my emotions in. I felt terrible for his family. I stayed for the memorial and funeral services that week and it didn't get any easier.

Response by LTC Gavin Heater made Jul 25 at 2015 6:45 PM

LTC Gavin Heater — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:45:07 -0400

Talking to parents of Soldier of mine who committed suicide while on leave by luring police to his home after claiming to have taken a hostage was the worst. Talking to the parents of a pilot killed in theater after they requested additional services after his will detailed otherwise who was to get what of his benefits was the second worst. The lessor joys of battalion command.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 8:30 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:30:22 -0400

I was just a 22 yr old E-5,Patrol Supervisor in Grafenwhoer,GE. A SM crashed his motorcycle and passed away before the medics could stabilize him for airlift. His wife and kids had been following in a car about 100 yds behind. I had to tell her that her husband had died. I still remember his first name and I can still see her face and her two kids faces against the car window, all crying.

Response by PO2 Todd Voge made Jul 25 at 2015 8:35 PM

PO2 Todd Voge — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 20:35:50 -0400

Probably the worst for me was to be on the scene of a fatal helicopter crash on our base. Our base (Naval Weapons Station, Fallbrook, CA) was right on the approach to Marine Corp Base Camp Pendleton. One night, a Cobra gunship with the squadron commander and his gunner were flying over our base toward Pendleton when it augered in to the side of a hill on the base. The chopper was completely destroyed. Our first security force members on site heard one of the crew scream, but the fire was too much and he couldn't get there. When all was said and done, the only recognizable part of the chopper was the chain gun buried in the ground and parts of the engine. I had to take gear out while the Marines were investigating and saw the remains of the pilots. One had been hit by the rotor and the other was nearly unrecognizable due to fire. That vision has stayed with me since. I couldn't imagine how the families of those two Marines felt.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 25 at 2015 11:02 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 23:02:15 -0400

Bless you for the duty you had to do. I pray for the lives touched in that situation

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 26 at 2015 1:31 AM

COL Charles Williams — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 01:31:00 -0400

Hmmm... Counseling Senior NCOs... a PSG as a PL, a 1SG as company commander, and a CSM as a Brigade Commander on substandard performance was never easy... But, the hardest thing for me, aside from combat, was being the Garrison Commander of Fort Leonard Wood, MO, on 31 Dec 10, when a F3 tornado touched down and caused over 100 million in damages...

Response by PO1 Tony Holland made Jul 26 at 2015 2:28 AM

PO1 Tony Holland — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 02:28:57 -0400

Major Gambrell, I can certainly appreciate the moral quandry you were facing. My only experience with Court Martials was one my high school civics class attended at Tachikawa AFB. Two USAF enlisteds were charged with Grand Theft Auto and they had obtained civilian counsel for the trial. They had gotten drunk, stole their Sergeant's POV, drove off base with a Japanese hooker, drank some more, set the car on fire and pushed it over a cliff.

The class was totally amazed when the Court Martial returned a guilty verdict on an Arson charge which was a much more serious crime under the UCMJ even though they hadn't been charged with arson. Because the crime occurred off-base they were sentenced to a number of years of hard labor at Hachoji Prison ( apparently under the SOFA ) -- mostly underground with small slits for air and light -- no heat in the winter. It was quite a contrast to Perry Mason trials on television which was our only source of comparison in 1964.

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jul 26 at 2015 2:29 AM

Maj Mike Sciales — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 02:29:59 -0400

Identifying soldiers killed in a training accident.

Response by 1stSgt Jon Vance made Jul 26 at 2015 8:33 AM

1stSgt Jon Vance — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 08:33:32 -0400

Perform the final roll call at the funeral of one of my Airmen who committed suicide.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 16 at 2015 5:10 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:10:44 -0400

I had experience with military funerals, therefore, I volunteered myself as the unit Funeral Detail OIC as a CPT. We walked through the Concept of Operations then went full training mode. I always felt it was our job to help the family find some semblance of peace and transition. I would look into the widows teary eyes and commence with, "This flag is presented............." I presented the flag, broke eye contact, stood up and did an about face, and walked away so she could not see me anymore. We did 10 funerals that summer.

Response by CW4 Guy Butler made Oct 16 at 2015 5:16 PM

CW4 Guy Butler — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:16:55 -0400

Casualty notification.

Response by SGT Jose Perdelia-Torres made Oct 16 at 2015 5:18 PM

SGT Jose Perdelia-Torres — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:18:52 -0400

Holding a leg and chest wound on an Officer in my unit, when he was already gone by the look of his eyes, help carry his stretcher, and then wipe his blood off of my hands and uniform with several water bottles. Viewing burned Iraqi kids (victims of IEDs) and trying to get past the smell, awhile listening to the cries of their Father.

Watch over a dead insurgents bodies, that smelled literally like feces, urine, blood,etc. I mean those were the worse for me, I had a buddy drown in my arms this past summer. Wishing you could have down more, feeling guilty that you couldn't is a hard thing to live with.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2016 9:40 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 09:40:30 -0500

A 19 year old E-7??????? How in the hell.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 29 at 2016 5:42 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:42:29 -0500

leaving a combat zone burry my eldest daughter

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made May 6 at 2016 5:07 PM

MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P — Fri, 06 May 2016 17:07:47 -0400

Hardest thing? Zipping the remains of my best friend and brother in arms into a body bag.

Response by SGM Joel Cook made May 18 at 2016 5:56 PM

SGM Joel Cook — Wed, 18 May 2016 17:56:48 -0400

While I was stationed at Camp Humphreys, Korea in 1983. I had a very good Japanese American Friend his family name was Akai. We were both senior specialists waiting to make the cutoff scores for SGT/E5. He told me he was getting a lot of Racist Flak from white boys when he would go to the bars downtown. Basically they thought he was KATUSA, Korean Augmentation to the United States Army. They would hassle him and ask him what the hell he thought he was doing there. One night three of them cornered him in a narrow alley and were going to work him over. They didn't know he was a black belt in Karate. So after about five minutes he put all three of them on the ground and was about to walk away when they started in with racial slurs about his family. So he took a trash can lid and smashed all their front teeth out with it. This was a bad choice since it went from self defense to a vicious attack. So during his court Marshall I got promoted to SGT. He would have been promoted the same day if not for this incident. So after his court martial and conviction I was issued a firearm, five rounds with keys to his hand handcuffs and told to escort him around for out processing. My orders were to shoot him if he tried to run. I appealed to my 1SG and CSM to be relieved from this duty as the guy was my personal friend. They both told me that is why I got the job because he was my good friend. So he wouldn't run. As soon as I walked him to the bus stop I took his hand cuffs from behind his back and locked them in front of him. I unloaded the handgun in front of him and told him to run if he wanted to because I wouldn't shoot him. When I told him that, first he smiled, then he started to cry and told me he wouldn't do that to a friend. I always felt like crap for dragging that guy around in handcuffs for a crime those racist butt heads probably had coming to them.

Response by PO2 Donald Schortmann Sr made Jul 17 at 2018 5:31 PM

PO2 Donald Schortmann Sr — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 17:31:48 -0400

Leave the love of my life in Sydney, Australia

Response by SSG Byron Howard Sr made Jan 19 at 2019 2:14 AM

SSG Byron Howard Sr — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 02:14:40 -0500

I was a photographer and I got to take photos of dead people. Car accidents training accidents more them a few helicopter crashs a fixed wing crash the plane exploded on contact a murder in base housing couple of suicides fire victims a staging a shooting and a bunch of other. Gee thanks for reminding me.

Response by PO1 Jerome Newland made Aug 25 at 2019 12:19 AM

PO1 Jerome Newland — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 00:19:21 -0400

Assisting in the autopsies of men, women, children and parts as an untrained 19 year old Hospital Corpsman. This was in 1973 as a part of a rotation through the Pathology Department in the Bethesda, MD National Naval Medical Center. Including miscarriages and stillborn babies, people I knew and my job was to crack open the chest as well as remove the brains, and clean the bowelI don't watch Zombie movies. The Walking Dead, can just keep walking. But, it taught me to isolate my feelings and just do the job. Practiced it the rest of my 20 years. Was diagnosed with Chronic PTSD, delayed onset in 1991, the Coast Guard allowede to complete my last year in Medical Administration away from direct patient care until I retired with 20 years, 4 months, and 12 days of active duty. I still have PTSD. I probably always will since I am 65 now. But, thanks be to God, His provision of good counselors, and appropriate medication enables me to have a family, a calling, and of course a purpose. To tell anyone and everyone that Jesus Lived, died, and rose again. That He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter in times of grief and loss. If we can believe that, have faith in it, then we will never have to be alone with our problems, ever. Senior Chaplain Jerome R. Newland HS1/USCG/Ret