Came across this thread again and it is quite entertaining.crunchyo said:Presley OBannons Sword said:you should definitely complain to the BC that you cant get a live fire range ready because you have to go to a recital. you might want to go straight to the general actually.Quote:
Anyway, I get an email from one of the S3 minions today at 1627 that says something to the affect of, "Appoint a POC for an M203 range and be ready to brief the colonel at 1000 tomorrow." WTF?! No...I will not be ready because I am about to leave for my daughter's recital in the next hour.
The fact that anyone would star this is laughable. Exactly the reason I am getting out. The Army doesn't give two craps about people. It's much easier to neglect *thinking* and *planning* and then have others cover up the lack of both of these. So many of these people would get fired in the "real world."
Look, from what you have posted, I think your expectations of what you think the military owes you is very high. I had to reread your bit about not having a range ready because of a recital. I thought you were being facetious. Not even kidding.
I understand a lot of things suck. Sometimes it feels like you are the only one with a functioning brain. That literally everything you are doing is the wrong way to do something but you do it anyway because it is the way you are supposed to do it. The majority of us have been there.
I could go through each point but others have done a good job on that already. However, one thing I don't believe that has been brought up is the mentality. I don't know who lied to you but of course the Army doesn't care about you. Why would it? You are an asset. A check in the box for others to play around with. It has always been so and probably always will be. Because it works. You are a slot that is filled to do a job on behalf of the federal government until end of contract, promotion (in which case you go to a different slot), or injury/ death. In which case another will be fitted into that slot. That is what you are and it sounds like you have not come to terms with that. When I was in not only was that apparent to me day one, but it was actually dictated to me by every level of leadership I had. My earlier post about different experiences highlights this. When I first checked into my unit my squad leader took us boots to the side and laid down the ground rules for what is expected in the Fleet Marine Force.
To paraphrase: "Y'all are boots under our wing now. We will train you and integrate you fully into our unit. You will be asked to give everything you have and then some. We will train until you collapse and then you will go overseas and fight turds who need to be fought because that is what Uncle Sam wants. You sole purpose for existing since you stepped on the yellow footprints is to face the enemy in combat and kill him and break his stuff. If you survive you will come back and do it all over again. You will do this until you run out of contract or you die. If you fulfill your contract you will be given your discharge and shown the front gate. Without a goodbye. If you die, a goodbye is not needed anyways. Now go change over, PT in 10 mikes."
I was 18 when I got this pep talk. My squad leader was 20. But to be honest it has always stuck with me and I appreciate it now. There was no sugar coating. I had a job to do and the expectation was for me to do my job. Not for the government to take care of me.
So what I am trying to say is a form of "suck it up". You have a Job. That Job comes first above all else. And that Job is dictated by your superiors. Even if it is dumb it is still the Job and it needs to be done. By all means ***** about it. I once overheard an officer say that a Marine's only god-given right is to *****. But don't let it ruin your life. It is just one of those things you are going to have to make do with.
I don't mean to lecture but the majority of your problems from what I can tell is that. YOUR problems. Best and most efficient way to fix those kind of problems is to change yourself. Adapt. Make the best of it.
Also, Your point about a lot of your superiors getting fired in the "real world" might be true. However, flip side to that, most civilians would be a disaster in a war zone. Apples and oranges. Rigid structure and obedience to command might be the most crucial thing ever in a battle. It is why Marines still learn how to march in formation. Sure it may be archaic but it is the start of this process.
