# The first time you met your team chief..



## The Hate Ape (Feb 22, 2013)

Just met mine today - I think I was having a minor heart attack in the process but I didnt really think of it until I got in the car later. Was wondering if anyone else had the same experience?


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## AWP (Feb 22, 2013)

The Hate Ape said:


> Just met mine today - I think I was having a minor heart attack in the process but I didnt really think of it until I got in the car later. Was wondering if anyone else had the same experience?


 
I remember mine being an SF Communications Sergeant who is Jewish....and he wore a Hitler mustache. Things only improved from there. I think the world of that man.


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## Salt USMC (Feb 23, 2013)

I've never been SOF so I have to ask....what was so bad about it?


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## Squidward (Feb 23, 2013)

I have never felt so small in my entire life. Forgetting the fact that "chief" was a giant of a man, I couldn't help but be in awe of all that he had done.


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## NBC-Guy (Feb 23, 2013)

Similar to Deathy, I am not SOF, but one of my main influences/mentors is now a CW5 and I remember hearing stories of his frustrations and encounters. One thing for certain he took no BS.


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## Teufel (Feb 23, 2013)

Since I am in a joint command I can clarify something for all the Navy and Marine Corps personnel: the Army refers to their warrant officers as chiefs.


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## The Hate Ape (Feb 23, 2013)

Thanks for that clarification


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## Teufel (Feb 23, 2013)

Back in the day I went to an Army command with my gunner (USMC infantry warrant officer) and some Army kid called him chief.  Gunner blew a gasket and tore that kid apart for calling him a Navy E7.  Afterwards some NCO explained that you guys call warrant officers chief.  That poor young troop was so stressed out that I think they awarded him a Distinguished Warfare Medal on the spot.


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## The Hate Ape (Feb 23, 2013)

Lol - gunner don't play no bs. 

The Gunny I met yesterday didn't feel like a gasket blowing type. Very relaxed, laid back but some how still imposing? Either way as others said earlier - I felt like an insect in comparison.


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## digrar (Feb 23, 2013)

What's the normal career progression for a Warrant Officer? Ours are at the end of the enlisted track, so if you stay in long enough and are proficient enough you'll eventually be a Warrant Officer Class Two and then if you have the goods a Warrant Officer Class One and then if you're kissed on the dick you'll get Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army.

But I gather yours are technical experts or pilots. Is there a certain rank you have to achieve before you can go for a Warrant, is it something your career managers steer you towards, or something you chase off your own bat?


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## The Hate Ape (Feb 23, 2013)

Kind of wish I had the thread title as:

The first time you met your team's senior enlisted man or something


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## Teufel (Feb 23, 2013)

The Hate Ape said:


> Lol - gunner don't play no bs.
> 
> The Gunny I met yesterday didn't feel like a gasket blowing type. Very relaxed, laid back but some how still imposing? Either way as others said earlier - I felt like an insect in comparison.


 
Another little cultural note for everyone here: Gunner refers to an infantry warrant officer ONLY.  Some units will refer to other Marine warrant officers as gunners but this is INCORRECT.  You will get hazed if you do that in earshot of a bursting bomb gunner.


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## 8654Maine (Feb 23, 2013)

I'm getting some huge chuckles here.  I feel your pain Hate Ape.  But, Teufel is spot on.  Gots to use the correct terminology.


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## digrar (Feb 23, 2013)

Do you get many guys that are fully up to speed as SFMG/Anti Tank/DFSW and Mortars? We get a few guys who will get a shot at the different trades (I was recon and regi sigs, which is pretty common in recon/sniper circles and worked with a lot of blokes that were recon and assault pioneer trained) but not too many cross train as SFMG/AT/DFSW and mortars, or is that something that a WO will start learning as a CW1/2 before getting to CW5?


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## Marauder06 (Feb 23, 2013)

Teufel said:


> Since I am in a joint command I can clarify something for all the Navy and Marine Corps personnel: the Army refers to their warrant officers as chiefs.


 
Even the ones who are W1, who are technically "Mr." or "Miss."

When I was in the 160th, many of the warrants were referred to, and referred to each other as, "Mr." even though they were chief warrant officers.  In fact, I got hemmed up by the designated asshole at my assessment board for referring to a CW3 as "chief." "Why did you call him 'chief,' do you see any feathers?  Refer to him as 'mister!'"


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## The Hate Ape (Feb 23, 2013)

8654Maine said:


> I'm getting some huge chuckles here.  I feel your pain Hate Ape.  But, Teufel is spot on.  Gots to use the correct terminology.



I'm not in the army so I wasnt entirely certain who teufel was addressing. I know the difference between a gunner and my/any gunny but certainly wasn't aware of the army's definition of TC. I called him GySgt when I walked in his office. He is the team chief and is recognized as such so I guess I'm missing the point being made about terminology.


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## Teufel (Feb 24, 2013)

The Hate Ape said:


> I'm not in the army so I wasnt entirely certain who teufel was addressing. I know the difference between a gunner and my/any gunny but certainly wasn't aware of the army's definition of TC. I called him GySgt when I walked in his office. He is the team chief and is recognized as such so I guess I'm missing the point being made about terminology.


 
When you said Team Chief I assumed you were talking about an ODA team chief (aka warrant) or SOT-A.  Marines normally have platoon sergeants, company gunnies, or ops chiefs.  I'm not a MARSOC guy so maybe they have GySgt team chiefs.  I hate to say this but I didn't realize you were a Marine.  Semper Fi?


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## Locksteady (Feb 24, 2013)

digrar said:


> What's the normal career progression for a Warrant Officer? Ours are at the end of the enlisted track, so if you stay in long enough and are proficient enough you'll eventually be a Warrant Officer Class Two and then if you have the goods a Warrant Officer Class One and then if you're kissed on the dick you'll get Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army.
> 
> But I gather yours are technical experts or pilots. Is there a certain rank you have to achieve before you can go for a Warrant, is it something your career managers steer you towards, or something you chase off your own bat?


 In the Navy and Coast Guard, you must have a minimum of 12 years and be E-7 promotable to be eligible for the CWO program (with the exception of Flying CWOs).  The time/rank standards are higher than for other branches (with the exception of the USMC Weapons WO program), but instead of adjusting it to fit what seems to work in other branches, they simply omitted the rank of CWO1 to 'solve' the problem of E-7s getting paid less as a WO1 per TIS.  Navy/Coast Guard Warrant Officers all start at the rank of CWO2.


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## The Hate Ape (Feb 24, 2013)

Teufel said:


> When you said Team Chief I assumed you were talking about an ODA team chief (aka warrant) or SOT-A.  Marines normally have platoon sergeants, company gunnies, or ops chiefs.  I'm not a MARSOC guy so maybe they have GySgt team chiefs.  I hate to say this but I didn't realize you were a Marine.  Semper Fi?




Lol - Do or die. 

Gunny is MSgt select from what I've been told and every other team chief that I've met/heard of was a MSgt as well that came from the force community. This is the first MarSOC team I've been around so it's new for me too. Rather than the typical SNCOIC and OIC title it's marked as team chief and team leader. It will follow down as assistant team chief (I think) and then the element leaders. Beyond the team level I never met anyone titled "co guns" but there was your standard ops chief, comm chief, 1st Sgt, etc...

I went there early to meet the people/team I'm deploying with to see what work needed to be done comms wise and to really just meet the guys. I don't attach till late spring early summer for workups but Ill be dropping by frequently until SERE starts. When I'm certain of the break down and how stuff works within the next week or so, I'll update the thread.


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## Hangry Bear (Jul 26, 2015)

Alright...just want to straighten some things out.

MARSOC MSOT:

Team Leader, Captain
Team Chief, Master Sergeant (but almost always a Gunnery Sergeant)
Operations SNCO, Gunnery Sergeant (mostly a Staff Sergeant)
Communications Chief, Gunnery Sergeant (this billet is ALWAYS overlooked, and instead all the responsibility is given to a young MNOC graduate without the title or credit.  People created the billet Assistant Operations Chief,which is not a real billet at all, but continues to be used to put a higher ranking dude with littlepers tonal experience)
Element Leader, Staff Sergeant (there are two of these).

I know that went off topic,let's bring er back in. My Team Chief didn't say one word to me for about a month. Needless to say, I had no idea if I was doing a good job or not.


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## Viper1 (Jul 26, 2015)

The Hate Ape said:


> Just met mine today - I think I was having a minor heart attack in the process but I didnt really think of it until I got in the car later. Was wondering if anyone else had the same experience?



We stand on the shoulders of giants.  The first Team Sergeant I met was a big bear of a man from Tennessee who was on his way out to a SOCEUR position.  He looked at me and said, "Sir, good job on PT, you are good with the guys...now go gain about ten more pounds of muscle...oh by the way, what's your ethnic background?"  After I explained the melting pot that is my family tree he said "Good, we don't have one of those...we've got the entire color wheel on the team, you'll fit right in."  HA!  

Words cannot describe my next team sergeant and Warrant officer (Chief).  Both were former 18D medics who had kept up relatively well with credentialing.  Both were MFF guys, over 40, both Ranger-qualified, and between the two of them they have 16 combat deployments. To say I was in awe was an understatement.  Case in Point: My Battalion Commander called me "the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in Group" for being paired with those two.

Best 27 months of my life. Period the end.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2015)

Lets just put it this way...  my first Team Sergeant went on to become the CSM of an SF Group.


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## AWP (Jul 27, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Lets just put it this way...  my first Team Sergeant went on to become the CSM of an SF Group.



A hardship bonus for dealing with you.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2015)

Freefalling said:


> A hardship bonus for dealing with you.


:whatever::wall:


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## buzzkill.0621 (Jul 27, 2015)

Never had the privilege of being on a team, but I have met plenty of team chiefs.
They either seem to be the quiet type that you know you just don't want to rub the wrong way, or happy go lucky guys that you still wouldn't want to rub the wrong way.


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## The Hate Ape (Jul 27, 2015)

Saw the notifications for this thread revival as it has been over two years now.

Sadly, Master Sergeant Aaron C . Torian was killed on our Afghanistan deployment nearly a year after meeting him for the first time on February 15th, 2014. Earlier this year I made the trip to Arlington national cemetery on the exact date and drove back home to North Carolina shortly after. At his grave site I found a spent long-rifle casing, a Sierra Nevada bottle cap, a Raider coin, and plenty of flowers - I was glad to see this.

H/A


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