When I was still active duty it was actually EVERYBODY’s job to make sure the Commander didn’t show up unexpectedly. He was the Commander and was entitled to go anywhere in the squadron he wanted. But by gosh, somebody better spot him and give a couple of minutes heads up. And my grandson’s a 2Lt right now. I told him to stay away from the compass.
I remember my first duty station was at Ft.Richardson with the 1/17th IN. As an anti tank infantryman, we were a platoon of TOW II ATGM assigned to HHC along with mortars, scouts, cooks, medics, mechanics, and clerks. My platoon leader was unfortunately lost in the Red Sea during an MFO tour, but he counseled me when I was thinking about green to gold, and he told me that an infantry second lieutenant's job was to polish his troop leading and command skills that he could competently command a company as a 1LT.
That's an important aim point for an LT. If the CO is killed, the LT has to step in and lead. But as @huckfin1598 points out, if the PSG gets killed, the LT also has to be prepared to perform some of his tasks.
When I became a SNCO I was told by my old boss, a MajGen, my job was to develop junior officers into competent Marine officers. I wish someone had told the Lt’s that. 🤣
NCOs like Hanson are terrible for the Army. Yes, NCO keep the army running but NCOs need to have the exact opposite mindset. They should see to it that they are there to teach and instruct the LT, who is still an officer in training as junior officers, and the goal is that one that LT will be a Commander one day and the NCOs can say "I helped him get there". An officer is not doing his full job until Battalion Commander and every step of way, even company commander, is part of his training to become a Battalion Commander and above (flag officer ie: general and above). Until then you're still a policy maker for your unit but still a officer in training. Battalion is when an Officer starts making a real impact on the Army and troops.
@huckfin1598 has an important theme here. There are basic skills that an officer needs to have that can only be learned from an NCO. The goofy thing about it is that it is hard for a new LT to "know what they don't know that they need to know". In the story, does the LT need to know how to rewire the OP? Probably. Certainly at a minimum the LT should be able to execute a fire mission without any help from the NCOs or even enlisted.
The effects of the COLA trap persists for your whole life. But I don't think it is worth worrying about. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G-selHS-lNk.html
funniest things I would see is a LT and Flight Chief would ride around doing post checks and when ever the LT would say something everyone would look at the Flight Chief for confirmation.
What a great story, and applicable to multiple higher levels of command as well. One of the best I received was that the Army didn't need 2LTs to run. What it did need was company commanders. 2LTs leading platoons was just the first step in getting there.
I did a video about running in the Pentagon (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5W0jAoisp_A.html) We get Majors who go pounding down the hallways past tour groups from Montana like it's the start of World War 4.
@@the_bureaucrat LOL. The only folks who might have an excuse to run work in the National Military Command Center, and they don't run. Although, the Saturday night crew have been know to hold Zamboni races on occasion.
I like to think I learned the difference between officer and NCO business from the two senior SF NCOs at my ROTC detachment, more so than the officers there. As a brand new infantry 2LT in Alaska I met my first platoon sergeant and told him "Look, I have the book learning but I don't know "$%&@" will you teach me?" He thought for a minute and said he would...he kept me out of trouble and made sure I was in the spotlight when it was appropriate. That set me on good course for the next 26 years as it's important to know the difference and use it to keep the best interests of the unit as a whole in mind, always.
Same here all our ROTC NCO cadre were 18 series or came out of Ranger Regiment or the 82nd...so we could run, shoot and navigate with the best of them but they taught us to listen, learn and team building as well as adapt to stressful situations. But most importantly they told us to trust your NCOs and don't make a decision without their input
My job as a 2LT was to keep certain NCOs from bullying the troops. As a former SSG I disliked the few power crazed NCOs that just shit on the little guys and intimated LTs. I would pull those NCOs aside and point out where I stood in their rating chain. As an LTC I would remind the new 2LTs that they had a duty to protect those that have no voice.
@@the_bureaucrat But to be fair, a certain amount of abuse is necessary. As a former Navy Corpsman serving with Marines, the "abuse" from the senior enlisted serves a purpose. Docs are not only the unofficial sin-eaters of the enlisted, but we are often the sounding board of the officers. Met so many new impressive officers, and so many senior officers who were toxic. Goes both ways. If anything, stop making advancement dependent on going to DI or recruiting duties. Send them to leadership schools, or possible commission opportunities.
retired master sergeant. i have seen good ones, bad ones but the majority were middle of the road milk toast. In 22 years I never had a single one ask my opinion on anything. I have successfully be able to provide a teachable moment to one maybe two. Most don't care. They weren't interested in being better, just good enough to blend in.
My grandfather was a 2LT during World War Two. He was just an artillery instructor out in OK. This video helped understand more about his responsibilities. He barely talked about his service.
A freshly pinned Butter Bar is a world different than that well seasoned 1st LT getting their CPT bars pinned...what a growth spurt. It doesn't matter who you are...The Army is not how you think it is before going in...huge learning curve for all! We have to break in our future leaders the only thing that can destroy your 1st 3 years is your EGO, imo.....Thanks for letting me chat Ya'll up!
The same can be said for a young CPT getting their first command and a post-command CPT in S3. During my time in, I had a mixed blessing/curse of serving with mostly seasoned officers. All officers in The Old Guard (TOG) have to have had successful PL/CO time previously, so it wasn't uncommon to see the PLs and XO get promoted to CPT while the CO got promoted to MAJ. Recruiting was the same, with both of my COs pinning MAJ within six months of taking command. It's odd, but OSUT was the one place where I saw very junior CPTs and even 1LTs take companies, but of course officers in that environment primarily exist to assume risk and sign paperwork; the Drill Sergeants essentially run Sand Hill. Later, serving on a Joint staff and in Acquisitions, there were few junior officers: a post-command O3 here or there biding their time to make O4, perhaps, but nearly everyone was already O4 or higher. So, the blessing and curse... my brief stint as PSG saw me back in TOG with a motivated and highly capable young 1LT. The XO was already a CPT and the two other PLs pinned CPT shortly after I arrived, while my own PL pinned CPT not long after I moved to higher HQ. After I left Fort Campbell in 2004, I can probably count the number of 2LTs I served with on one hand with three severed fingers. Which is good, since the Army adopted the ACU (UCP and OCP, both are a pain, and I'm sure as heck not going to stare at a female's chest to figure out whether or not to salute), my near-sighted self has a hard time seeing gold/yellow rank, so while I've walked past plenty of MAJs, 2LTs have been spared the seemingly discourteous but myopic wrath of this now-retired NCO.
I submit it hits 2x. Once as a 2LT, which is the big one for figuring out the Army. The second one is making the transition to post-command SR CPT/MAJ, because now you have to figure out the bureaucracy and learn to let go of things that worked as a FLL to CO level commander that don't as a S-staff leader or organizational level commander. We talked about this stuff in our Federal supervisor course (for NG AGR and Techs). We (INNG) were working with Dale Carnegie folks to put that course on before I left NG in 2016.
I don't know what big Army has done with CCCs since 2000, but we really didn't get much by way of the human aspects and psychology of making those transitions in CCC or the old (final 6 week version) CAS3. Lots of staff and technical TTPs, next to no real organizational leadership theory and preparing to make those transitions that I recall. Looking back, that's kinda sad.
As a new 2LT infantry platoon leader I learned a lot fast, and yes a lot of it was from the good NCOs, partially because my CO was a dick that didn't care about anything but his own ass. There is a fine line in being an LT in not taking yourself too seriously, but yet making sure that those under you did on the important things. Having some sense of humor and finding at least small ways to connect with each soldier served me well. For those smart mouths that always had something to say about everything (not that many), it was clear to see that they would never have to balls to be an LT themselves and probably weren't going to go too far as an enlisted man either.
Sounds like you are figuring out how that fine line works. Here's an interesting piece of advice from SGT Hanson about food that I found valuable over the years. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7mfuTTcIf4U.html
Well Said. The other role of the 2LT, one your BN FSO clearly learned along the way, is to learn everything he can from his soldiers and NCOs while the shit's not flying, so he can perform when it hits the fan.
@whiteb0rd, you make a good point that @huckfin1598 brought up. The LT needs to know how to do the job and as you point out, the best time to do that training is when the fan is not being hit.
Oh, happy days on the OP. The fetid stench of MREs processed thru unwashed Soldiers. Long stretches of boredom punctuated by SPC McNally seeing what happens if you heat up Vienna sausages without opening the can. Good times.
My Father fought with the 3rd Infantry division WWII against the Nazi. Wounded twice. He said on the first day of combat you were told by an experienced GI. Do what the Lieutenant and Sgt tell you to do and maybe just maybe you will survive the war. The Lieutenant was a former enlisted man with a battle field commission, who fought thru the invasion of North Africa till two weeks before the war was over, when he was killed in action. The Sgt who also fought from the very beginning of the war survive the war. My father said I have the greatest respect for both men. When My Dad spoke of the Lieutenant he always would say his first name, middle initial, and last name. After the war the SGT stated the Lieutenant was 26 years old when he was killed in action.
The responsibility of a lieutenant is too learn from his subordinates, develop his technical skills, and become a functioning leader. You and I may have served together in Alaska.
@The_Black_Knight, hit me up at chuck.weko@gmail.com if you want to chat. You are correct about the LT having to learn from his subordinates. I think the tricky thing is how to know the limit of what he has to learn? I figure he has to be able to shoot, move, and communicate, but there are somethings he will never learn as well as a SSG knows them.
You're bringing back memories. Darn commo wire to GDUs was always an issue. I remember similar from my FDO days. Fortunately, I had good S3s and Bn COs that didn't get into our business unnecessarily, but would drop in to show their interest. I did have a senior CPT (RIP Ed Schmidt) take some interest in my professional development as a new LT fresh out of Ft Sill. We were NG so it was a bit different from AD, but we were treated almost as if we were 101st DIVARTY's 4th Bn back in the late 90s.
To be fair, we had a BN FDO who (eventually) realized that digital comms couldn't just be started in the field. We started setting up in a field beside the BN HQ where the FSO, FDO, and gun line could just yell at each other when there was a problem.
@@the_bureaucrat been there, done that. We were lucky as a NG BN being in one building. Digital COMEX was fairly common, but we would still have issues with GDUs. Part IIRC was the old MX boards. Guys would get sloppy with wiring and cause a short. Got to the point we didn't let sections do their own connections sometimes. If there wasn't an FDC commo guy at the board, it didn't get connected. Some 13Bs were better than others. Once we moved to firebase ops (105MM), we just had the connection at the FDC on a new style comm box that connected directly to the computer with a Deutsch connector. That usually worked, IIRC.
That's just for funnies. If the LT has the map and compass, somebody else better be paying damn close attention to where the platoon is. So when the inevitable happens, you aren't all screwed.
In my time as an NCO, I encounterd a lot of new 2nd Lts. Some were good, some were just mediocre. But by and large, most were outstanding Marines. I did run upon a couple who would not listen to any NCO. I even had one who thought he knew more than the SgtMaj. Bad idea there. But he was a ring knocker from Annapolis so arrogance was ingrained in him.
@@the_bureaucrat It could be. As I said. By and large, most officers I encountered were top notch. I even served under one who held the Medal of Honor. Captain John McGinty. He was a mustang. A fine human being as well as a fine officer.
I was an NCO for 14 years. The best 2LTs I had were West Point Graduates. They understood my role in mentoring them and they were starving for information. Eager to attend meetings at battalion HQ. One team, one fight!
I always thought that the benefit of West Pointers was that they saw the military as a 24/7 life. ROTC folks (like me) tended to view it as a side gig.
This is a terrible video and NCOs like Hanson are terrible for the Army. Yes, NCO keep the army running but NCOs need to have the exact opposite mindset. They should see to it that they are there to teach and instruct the LT, who is still an officer in training as junior officers, and the goal is that one that LT will be a Commander one day and the NCOs can say "I helped him get there". An officer is not doing his full job until Battalion Commander and every step of way, even company commander, is part of his training to become a Battalion Commander and above (flag officer ie: general and above). Until then you're still a policy maker for your unit but still a officer in training. Battalion is when an Officer starts making a real impact on the Army and troops.
That's a pretty interesting way to flip the script. You're right, the LT needs to know how to set up the radio and complete the mission. And I'll second the point that until an officer is at BN, they aren't really "impacting" the Army.
