Holy God!!! The Marine Corps FINALLY gets it right!!!

[CrockettJW]

I know that. It changes all the time, for sure. And '95 is relatively recently.

That's one reason a lot of people get out. When I was in, a lot of guys did 6 or even 10, then got out. Why? Too many changes in the Corps that were big changes, and they didn't like it, so they got out.

I also think a lot of guys got out because of that attitude that was on this thread earlier. If you're a good Marine, do your job well, and stay out of trouble, people still teat you like you're a criminal looking for a crime to commit.

When I was in, I was always going somewhere or coming back from somewhere and I was always having to check out and check in with the career planner. Every time I was there, I'd ask him about other opportunities. Every time, he'd tell me he couldn't do anything for me.

When it came time for me to get out, this guy calls me into his office and for the first time ever, talks to me like I'm a human being, not because he wanted to help me, but because I could help him. He started telling me about all these opportunities he could find me, but only if I re-enlisted. I think that was one of the other problems with the Corps, at least while I was in.

I also think units themselves can be pretty crappy. Holy crap, every time I went down to S-1 for something, it was like I was going to the principal's office. And, if you actually were in trouble, forget it.

[AlohaMarine]

Aloha, you just made Sgt and now they will promote you again as part of that reserve package????

Ah, a different branch, following in my footsteps

Yeah, E5 still.

I'm more looking forward to the human being treatment and my ability to be like "Are you ****ing serious" when a Tech Sgt tries to tell me to pick up leaves.

[AlohaMarine]

Yeah, completely relevant to 90% of the posts I make on this forum too.

I think I may tone down the Corps hating a bit starting now. As pretty soon I will be breaking my own rules. I'm not in anymore, how should I know whats going on?

[YourPhoneIsMine]

Sounds like a good deal.

Fatty, I mean Your Phone, that video may not be representative of the whole Corps, or is it? How can you tell if it's universal within the Corps?

It's a common opinion. Whether or not it's representative of the Corps as a whole is up for debate.

[CrockettJW]

I like that new signature, it was my idea, that's probably why

Just pick up the leaves.....you can do it silently. I raked leaves at Camp Lejeune for a year, before you were born. So you can do it too. LOL

So wait a minute, are you going from E-5 to E-6 after all? You said "yeah, E-5"

Is that where the leaves went? When I got there, it was nothing but dirt, so we raked that into nice, straight lines.

I think he's saying he's going to be a staff sergeant (Air Force variety), which is an E-5.

[YourPhoneIsMine]

Just pick up the leaves.....you can do it silently.

What reason is there for a sergeant to be picking up leaves? If he screwed up in some way there are more professional ways to deal with it. If he didn't screw up then let him go back to doing his job instead of wasting time on something fairly meaningless in a time of war.

[Burke7051]

I should have went into the Reserves....... bah

[YourPhoneIsMine]

Ah, I understand. I thought you meant his situation, not yours.

That being said, I think part of the problem with the system is that people don't question stupid orders. If something is stupid it should be pointed out. The mission and the Corps is more important than the feelings of a single NCO or SNCO so if he's blatantly wrong then he needs to be informed as such for the good of the mission/unit/Corps.

I'm not saying that every order should be questioned or that orders should be questioned because someone doesn't want to do them but if it's a seriously stupid order that everyone can see is going to be detrimental to mission accomplishment then it would be criminal not to say something.

[YourPhoneIsMine]

Understandable. I don't think anyone should physically resist arrest; if the cop is in the wrong then make sure he gets reamed later in court. Though because of that I find it ridiculous that certain areas are making it illegal to record a police officer arresting someone. Every interaction between police and the public should be on record for review if necessary, especially an arrest.

If someone orders me to pick up leaves I'll pick up leaves. But if someone orders me to pick up leaves when I'm in the middle of a mission critical task (even though it's just in a training environment) then I feel it necessary to at least point out the fact that my time could be better spent finishing what I was doing. I will then pick up the leaves as ordered but if I'm later asked why a number of other things got ****ed up because I didn't finish my initial job in time then I sure as hell won't cover the ass of the dumb**** that wasted my time.

Now if I'm told to pick up leaves in a severe lightning storm next to a tall metal pole or pick up leaves out of the road in the middle of rush hour traffic, then yes I'm going to challenge that. Let them push the ninja punch, the sir will soon know that sgt/ssgt/gysgt is a moron.

[YourPhoneIsMine]

It's all a matter of degree. If there is a firefight going on and twenty people are engaging the enemy and winning, and someone yells out, fall back fall back and leave the wounded, or something really stupid, then that is a different story, but that is an extreme example.
For the most part we are confronted with perhaps petty orders etc in these other examples, and unless you are a martyr it is better to suck it up and look into it later rather than to push it.

Pointing out the stupid order then and there means: You lose

I can't comment on the combat related orders because I've never been there.

However if there's a firefight and someone orders me to put down my weapon and rake leaves I don't think it would be out line to smack him in the face with a brick.

[wildwoman73]

The Corps did the same thing in I wanna say 92. It was a downsizing thing. They actually had re-enlistment selection boards for 1st termers.

That's what it sounds like to me. You know MIRADMINS may not always make sense to you. But they make perfect sense to logistics/head shed higher ups.