He does seem unsupervised...
Case Study: Tabs and Tyrants
- Thread starter Marauder06
- Start date
I did a find/replace in the Word version, that should take care of it.
perpetually ;)
There was outdoor Expert Infantry Badge training scheduled for the company and it lasted the rest of the day. It was “round robin” style, so 2nd and 5th Platoon never really saw each other the rest of the day. That was good, because it gave everyone a chance to cool off. Faith considered a lot of different options: he could confront Sergeant Manners, he could report him to the company commander, or he could just let it go as a “just between us platoons” issue. Given his status as the new (and un-tabbed) guy in the company, Faith wasn’t sure how much help he would get from the company-level leadership. And confronting Manners again might not be the best option. So Faith decided he was probably just going to let this one go… for now.
That night, Faith thought about the day and what Sergeant Ellery said to him that morning after everyone else left, and the decision he now had to make. Being in the 101st was turning into a wild ride; sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. What was interesting though was that everything bad seemed to lead back to one person: Private Thigpen. But then again, Faith recognized that sticking up for Thigpen that first day at the company was what put him on Ellery’s radar and got him a job as a platoon leader in the best platoon in the company, if not the battalion. Nonetheless, Faith thought that everyone, including him, would be better off if Thigpen just wasn’t around. That’s what made Faith’s decision even harder.
The next morning after PT, Sergeant Ellery had the platoon stand fast after the rest of the platoons were dismissed. “5th Platoon, bring it in,” he instructed. After the 20 or so members of the platoon closed in around him, he turned to Lieutenant Faith. “Sir, did you make your decision?”
Faith sighed. “Roger. Let’s do it.”
Ellery nodded. “Men, I’m proud of you,” he said to the assembled group. “Yesterday was a gut check… a kick in the balls, even. You went through it together, and you came out on the other end stronger. I’m proud of you for that.”
“I’m proud of you for that, but not just that,” Ellery continued. “We suffer, together. We train, we learn, we get better, together. Shared suffering builds strong teams. Strong teams get the mission done. Getting the mission done is why we’re here,” Ellery explained forcefully.
“I’m also proud of you for the way you take care of each other, and how you take care of us. And how you take care of people who are not us.”
“We are strong. And because we are strong, we can afford to be compassionate. Empathy is not a weakness, when you are strong.”
“There are many different types of strength. Some of you are strong physically. Some of you are strong mentally. But all of you are strong because you’re part of this team.”
“All of you know I don’t like hazing, and I don’t like its ugly sister, bullying. I got bullied and hazed my whole life, until I woke up one morning and realized I was 6’3” and 200 pounds and didn’t have to take anyone’s shit anymore.”
The platoon stared in totally rapt attention while Ellery talked. To begin with, Ellery tended to be a man of few words; this was the longest anyone had ever heard him talk. Additionally, it was hard for anyone to envision how someone as hard core as Ellery got bullied… ever. And finally, this was the first time any of them had ever heard Ellery use a swear word in public.
“Many of you don’t understand, or don’t agree with, my position on hazing,” Ellery continued, “So I’m going to explain it to you. Teamwork and esprit de corps are built on shared suffering and hardship—with an emphasis on the “shared” part. Because the only person doing the suffering is the individual on the receiving end. Everyone else is a bully,” he explained.
“I’m sure you, like I, am thrilled to finally have a platoon leader back in 5th Platoon,” Ellery stated. “But the LT isn’t the newest member of 5th Platoon.”
The soldiers looked confused.
“The newest member of the 5th Platoon family is going to be here in about four minutes. You already know him. You know his capabilities and his limitations. Everyone in the Army has their place. Some places are better for different people than others. We’re all expected to “bloom where we are planted,” but some people just need a change in scenery in order to grow.”
“And that’s why Private Thigpen is joining our platoon.”
There was a mixture of groans and cries of disbelief from the platoon.
“Oh, God dammit,” exclaimed Corporal Laser, accurately summarizing the platoon’s sentiment.
“At ease that noise!” Ellery shouted, silencing the sounds of disgruntlement.
“Private Thigpen is getting a rehab transfer to 5th Platoon,” Ellery continued. “I cleared it with First Sergeant yesterday, and the LT approved it this morning. Look,” he continued, his voice softening somewhat, “I recognize that many of you think he’s a screwup. But as of this morning, he’s OUR screwup. No one harasses him, except us. I take that back. No one harasses him AT ALL. We’re helping him. We all help train him. No one punishes him, except me. We protect our own,” he concluded. “Anyone who doesn’t like it is welcome to take it up with me after hours.
No one said anything. They didn’t need to. And that was how Private Anthony Thigpen became part of 5th Platoon, Delta Company, 1/327 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division.
-----
Discussion Questions:
1) Why did Ellery make Thigpen, the worst-performing Soldier in the company, a member of 5th Platoon, the highest-performing platoon in the company?
2) What steps should the platoon leadership take to ensure Thigpen’s success in the platoon… or to at least minimize the damage he might inflict on it?
That night, Faith thought about the day and what Sergeant Ellery said to him that morning after everyone else left, and the decision he now had to make. Being in the 101st was turning into a wild ride; sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. What was interesting though was that everything bad seemed to lead back to one person: Private Thigpen. But then again, Faith recognized that sticking up for Thigpen that first day at the company was what put him on Ellery’s radar and got him a job as a platoon leader in the best platoon in the company, if not the battalion. Nonetheless, Faith thought that everyone, including him, would be better off if Thigpen just wasn’t around. That’s what made Faith’s decision even harder.
The next morning after PT, Sergeant Ellery had the platoon stand fast after the rest of the platoons were dismissed. “5th Platoon, bring it in,” he instructed. After the 20 or so members of the platoon closed in around him, he turned to Lieutenant Faith. “Sir, did you make your decision?”
Faith sighed. “Roger. Let’s do it.”
Ellery nodded. “Men, I’m proud of you,” he said to the assembled group. “Yesterday was a gut check… a kick in the balls, even. You went through it together, and you came out on the other end stronger. I’m proud of you for that.”
“I’m proud of you for that, but not just that,” Ellery continued. “We suffer, together. We train, we learn, we get better, together. Shared suffering builds strong teams. Strong teams get the mission done. Getting the mission done is why we’re here,” Ellery explained forcefully.
“I’m also proud of you for the way you take care of each other, and how you take care of us. And how you take care of people who are not us.”
“We are strong. And because we are strong, we can afford to be compassionate. Empathy is not a weakness, when you are strong.”
“There are many different types of strength. Some of you are strong physically. Some of you are strong mentally. But all of you are strong because you’re part of this team.”
“All of you know I don’t like hazing, and I don’t like its ugly sister, bullying. I got bullied and hazed my whole life, until I woke up one morning and realized I was 6’3” and 200 pounds and didn’t have to take anyone’s shit anymore.”
The platoon stared in totally rapt attention while Ellery talked. To begin with, Ellery tended to be a man of few words; this was the longest anyone had ever heard him talk. Additionally, it was hard for anyone to envision how someone as hard core as Ellery got bullied… ever. And finally, this was the first time any of them had ever heard Ellery use a swear word in public.
“Many of you don’t understand, or don’t agree with, my position on hazing,” Ellery continued, “So I’m going to explain it to you. Teamwork and esprit de corps are built on shared suffering and hardship—with an emphasis on the “shared” part. Because the only person doing the suffering is the individual on the receiving end. Everyone else is a bully,” he explained.
“I’m sure you, like I, am thrilled to finally have a platoon leader back in 5th Platoon,” Ellery stated. “But the LT isn’t the newest member of 5th Platoon.”
The soldiers looked confused.
“The newest member of the 5th Platoon family is going to be here in about four minutes. You already know him. You know his capabilities and his limitations. Everyone in the Army has their place. Some places are better for different people than others. We’re all expected to “bloom where we are planted,” but some people just need a change in scenery in order to grow.”
“And that’s why Private Thigpen is joining our platoon.”
There was a mixture of groans and cries of disbelief from the platoon.
“Oh, God dammit,” exclaimed Corporal Laser, accurately summarizing the platoon’s sentiment.
“At ease that noise!” Ellery shouted, silencing the sounds of disgruntlement.
“Private Thigpen is getting a rehab transfer to 5th Platoon,” Ellery continued. “I cleared it with First Sergeant yesterday, and the LT approved it this morning. Look,” he continued, his voice softening somewhat, “I recognize that many of you think he’s a screwup. But as of this morning, he’s OUR screwup. No one harasses him, except us. I take that back. No one harasses him AT ALL. We’re helping him. We all help train him. No one punishes him, except me. We protect our own,” he concluded. “Anyone who doesn’t like it is welcome to take it up with me after hours.
No one said anything. They didn’t need to. And that was how Private Anthony Thigpen became part of 5th Platoon, Delta Company, 1/327 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division.
-----
Discussion Questions:
1) Why did Ellery make Thigpen, the worst-performing Soldier in the company, a member of 5th Platoon, the highest-performing platoon in the company?
2) What steps should the platoon leadership take to ensure Thigpen’s success in the platoon… or to at least minimize the damage he might inflict on it?
Coming from FAST Company to the Fleet, everyone thinks less of you. You show up to the Fleet not having done your grunt job for 2 years and often times show up as an NCO or very close to it. I was promoted to Corporal shortly after I arrived and was instantly promoted to a Squad Leader billet. About two weeks after I was promoted, a Marine from a different platoon in the Company called his PL a dumb Jew or something very similar to that. He was nearly NJP'd and admin SEP was being thrown around. I decided to take a flyer and ask that he come to my squad as a way to prove myself. He was known to have a shitty attitude to basically everyone higher in rank. He ended up performing successfully in the squad (still had a few minor bumps but overall he got better). He even reeinlisted and made Staff Sergeat before getting out at his 12 year mark.
Based on Thigpen's known history as a poor performer, he needs to be put on the team with the best team leader who can be there to babysit him. When babysat, Thigpen has shown the ability to be at least an average Soldier.
Based on Thigpen's known history as a poor performer, he needs to be put on the team with the best team leader who can be there to babysit him. When babysat, Thigpen has shown the ability to be at least an average Soldier.
Kraut783
SOF Support
Ellery better be careful....I saw Full Metal Jacket.....
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
1) Not the worst decision they could have made. Sounds like Ellery has everything straight and knows exactly how to build a good culture within a platoon. The foundation he already set will allow Thigpen to grow in a bunch of ways, he won't need an NCO to drag him to be better but he'll have squad mates that drag him out to the gym and for extra runs. I had guys in my platoon that looked out for each other, when someone happened to bust tape (I don't know how, we PTd into the ground), I'd then see one of my studs taking those dudes to the gym or running the brigade footprint on weekends.
2. Make sure he's with the best squad leader and team leader in the platoon. Make sure his buddy team member knows what's up, likely looking for a shithot SPC4 to take him under his wing.
2. Make sure he's with the best squad leader and team leader in the platoon. Make sure his buddy team member knows what's up, likely looking for a shithot SPC4 to take him under his wing.
Over the course of the day, Faith thought about what Ellery told the platoon. While he agreed with everything Ellery said, he found it hard to square what Ellery said, with what Ellery did. For example, Ellery allowed, and even encouraged, good-natured “birthday beatdowns” within the platoon. That involved a platoon-level dogpile of the birthday boy, and an ensuing “red belly,” where the victim’s shirt was pulled up, and he received a number of belly slaps equal to his age. Faith saw this happen a time or two within the company, and while Ellery did not participate, he stood by and watched it happen, usually with a grin on his face. The recipient of the birthday beatdown was allowed to fight back, but 20-on-1 was always bad odds. While this was meant in good fun, and in fact *not* getting a birthday beatdown meant that you were socially excommunicated from the unit, it was still a form of hazing.
The other part Faith found odd was Ellery’s active participation in blood pinning. That was specifically forbidden in the Army’s anti-hazing guidance, although it (like much of the rest of the prohibitions) was widely ignored. So it seemed odd to Faith that Ellery would be so anti-hazing on the one hand, but tolerate and/or participate in acts of hazing on the other. While he wanted to ask Ellery about it, he decided to keep that to himself for now.
With Thigpen in 5th Platoon and now under the close, direct, and constant supervision of Corporal Laser, he once again began to improve. He started losing weight again, his grooming and uniform standards improved once more, and he stopped being late for formation. But it was a huge effort, and not just for Laser. Faith found that he deeply disliked Thigpen. The man was unquestionably a complete idiot. He was barely literate, extremely awkward socially, and would ramble incoherently to anyone who was willing to take the time to talk to him… which proved to be fewer and fewer people as time went on.
Shortly after Thigpen joined 5th Platoon, Faith’s girlfriend Lilith called him to let him know that she had a long weekend and would be coming up to visit. She would arrive on Thursday afternoon and stay through Sunday. Faith had to work Friday, but would have the rest of the weekend off. This was the longest period of time they would have together in years, so Faith was pretty happy.
Faith made the mistake of mentioning his girlfriend was coming to visit, which set off a storm of speculation within the lower enlisted and the junior NCOs. On Thursday, the day that Lilith was scheduled to arrive, the company had weapons maintenance scheduled. Faith and Ellery took their weapons into their shared office, but there wasn’t enough room for the whole platoon so everyone else sat on the floor of the large hallway just outside. It was an interesting phenomenon that when people can’t be seen, they think that can’t be heard. But with the door ajar, Faith was able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on outside.
“So, the LT’s girlfriend’s coming up this weekend,” one of his Soldiers said. “I bet he’ll be in a good mood on Monday.”
“At least SOMEONE is getting laid around here,” said another.
“You’ve got no money and no game,” the first voice said. “But you couldn’t get laid even if you had both, because you’re ugly as fuck.”
“Your mom didn’t think so last night,” came the inevitable reply.
Faith grinned at the Soldier banter. It reminded him of conversations that took place in every locker room, every fraternity house, and the back of every school bus… wherever there were groups of young men who were very comfortable with each other. What he found particularly amusing was the speculation about what his girlfriend looked like.
“The LT’s a brainiac… I bet his girlfriend is like 5 feet tall with huge glasses. Like Daphne from Scooby Doo.”
“More like Shamu from Sea World. The LT’s girlfriend is from Georgia. If she’s anything like those girls in Columbus or Dahlonega, she’s probably 300 pounds and already has three kids,” said the first voice.
“Nah, officers make that big money. They’ve got fine girls for days,” said a voice that Faith recognized as belonging to Corporal Laser. Well, at least one person believed in him.
Eventually a bet was proposed. “Corporal, I’ll bet you $5 that the LT’s girlfriend is fugly.”
“I’m in on that action,” said a voice that Faith now recognized as belonging to Specialist Stringer.
“Nah, let’s make it $10 each, because that’s what I bet the LT’s girlfriend is… a 10,” argued Laser.
Ellery heard this exchange and gave Faith a “You want me to shut that down?” look. Faith waved him off. Ordinarily he might take offense at something like this, but Faith knew his girlfriend was an absolute stunner, so he said nothing. And he was glad to help Corporal Laser win his friends’ money.
5th Platoon’s office was closest to the back door of the company area. Towards the end of the day, Faith heard a tentative knock at the back door. That was strange, because during duty hours it was unlocked so people could come and go as they pleased. One of the troops sitting in the hallway cleaning weapons said “I’ve got it” and went to the door. Faith heard the Soldier say, “Hello, can I help you ma’am?” OK that made sense, someone’s dependa was at the door. That happened from time to time. But then he heard a voice that stopped him in his tracks.
“Um, hi, I’m here for Lieutenant Faith?” the voice said. Faith jumped up and hurried to the back door.
Lilith was beautiful naturally, but she really brought it today. Her long blonde hair was down, she had put on makeup that helped highlight her deep blue eyes, and she was wearing a sundress that accented her body’s curves in a way that was both attractive, and managed to still be modest. She looked embarrassed.
“Hi,” Faith said to her hesitatingly. “Um… what are you doing here?” The plan for Lilith to go straight to Faith’s on-post Bachelor Officer Quarters and wait for him there.
“I’m sorry,” said Lilith, “I got to your place, but I couldn’t find where you hid the key.”
“Crap.” Faith said. He meant to hide it on the top of his door sill like he told Lilith he would, but had completely forgotten. The key was still in his pocket. “I’m sorry babe, that’s on me,” he said, pulling the key from his pocket and handing it to her.
Lilith looked relieved. “Oh, it’s fine, I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t done something stupid. See you back at your place?”
“Sure, we shouldn’t be much longer. Wait,” he said, suddenly changing his mind, “I want to introduce you to my platoon sergeant.”
“Oh, that would be great!” Lilith said, enthusiastically.
Faith and Lilith made their way through the men seated on the floor who, uncharacteristically, were now completely quiet. For his part, Corporal Laser was grinning broadly. After the office door closed, Faith heard him say “Hahahaha… pay up, bitches!”
Faith introduced Lilith to Sergeant Ellery, and was pleased that they immediately hit it off. Lilith was gracious and engaging. Of course, it also helped that she was very pretty. For his part, Ellery was modest and actually quite humorous, a side Faith really hadn’t seen much of before. Despite the wanted distraction, Faith did have a job to do, and the sooner he got it done, the sooner he could get home to Lilith.
“OK babe, I’ll walk you out to your car and I’ll come pick you up for dinner after we’re done here,” Faith told his girlfriend.
“Sure thing. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“Well, we’ve got PT in the morning, then motor stables most of the day, and if we get to them, we’re doing radios too.”
“What’s on the menu for PT?” Lilith asked.
“Air assault ropes training, then platoon basketball,” Ellery informed her.
“Ooh, sounds like fun! Can I come?” she aked.
“Ummm…” Faith hesitated. He wasn’t so sure this was a good idea. He looked at Ellery.
“I don’t see a problem with her doing PT with us in the morning if she wants,” Ellery informed him. “I mean, if you think she can hang… . “ He was clearly teasing with that last part.
Lilith was extremely fit, and extremely competitive. “Oh, I can hang,” Lilith assured him confidently as she walked out of the office. “See you at formation tomorrow!” she added cheerfully.
When Faith came back in after walking his girlfriend to her car, his platoon gave him a standing ovation. “Fuck you guys,” he said good naturedly as he returned to his office to finish cleaning his weapons.
The other part Faith found odd was Ellery’s active participation in blood pinning. That was specifically forbidden in the Army’s anti-hazing guidance, although it (like much of the rest of the prohibitions) was widely ignored. So it seemed odd to Faith that Ellery would be so anti-hazing on the one hand, but tolerate and/or participate in acts of hazing on the other. While he wanted to ask Ellery about it, he decided to keep that to himself for now.
With Thigpen in 5th Platoon and now under the close, direct, and constant supervision of Corporal Laser, he once again began to improve. He started losing weight again, his grooming and uniform standards improved once more, and he stopped being late for formation. But it was a huge effort, and not just for Laser. Faith found that he deeply disliked Thigpen. The man was unquestionably a complete idiot. He was barely literate, extremely awkward socially, and would ramble incoherently to anyone who was willing to take the time to talk to him… which proved to be fewer and fewer people as time went on.
Shortly after Thigpen joined 5th Platoon, Faith’s girlfriend Lilith called him to let him know that she had a long weekend and would be coming up to visit. She would arrive on Thursday afternoon and stay through Sunday. Faith had to work Friday, but would have the rest of the weekend off. This was the longest period of time they would have together in years, so Faith was pretty happy.
Faith made the mistake of mentioning his girlfriend was coming to visit, which set off a storm of speculation within the lower enlisted and the junior NCOs. On Thursday, the day that Lilith was scheduled to arrive, the company had weapons maintenance scheduled. Faith and Ellery took their weapons into their shared office, but there wasn’t enough room for the whole platoon so everyone else sat on the floor of the large hallway just outside. It was an interesting phenomenon that when people can’t be seen, they think that can’t be heard. But with the door ajar, Faith was able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on outside.
“So, the LT’s girlfriend’s coming up this weekend,” one of his Soldiers said. “I bet he’ll be in a good mood on Monday.”
“At least SOMEONE is getting laid around here,” said another.
“You’ve got no money and no game,” the first voice said. “But you couldn’t get laid even if you had both, because you’re ugly as fuck.”
“Your mom didn’t think so last night,” came the inevitable reply.
Faith grinned at the Soldier banter. It reminded him of conversations that took place in every locker room, every fraternity house, and the back of every school bus… wherever there were groups of young men who were very comfortable with each other. What he found particularly amusing was the speculation about what his girlfriend looked like.
“The LT’s a brainiac… I bet his girlfriend is like 5 feet tall with huge glasses. Like Daphne from Scooby Doo.”
“More like Shamu from Sea World. The LT’s girlfriend is from Georgia. If she’s anything like those girls in Columbus or Dahlonega, she’s probably 300 pounds and already has three kids,” said the first voice.
“Nah, officers make that big money. They’ve got fine girls for days,” said a voice that Faith recognized as belonging to Corporal Laser. Well, at least one person believed in him.
Eventually a bet was proposed. “Corporal, I’ll bet you $5 that the LT’s girlfriend is fugly.”
“I’m in on that action,” said a voice that Faith now recognized as belonging to Specialist Stringer.
“Nah, let’s make it $10 each, because that’s what I bet the LT’s girlfriend is… a 10,” argued Laser.
Ellery heard this exchange and gave Faith a “You want me to shut that down?” look. Faith waved him off. Ordinarily he might take offense at something like this, but Faith knew his girlfriend was an absolute stunner, so he said nothing. And he was glad to help Corporal Laser win his friends’ money.
5th Platoon’s office was closest to the back door of the company area. Towards the end of the day, Faith heard a tentative knock at the back door. That was strange, because during duty hours it was unlocked so people could come and go as they pleased. One of the troops sitting in the hallway cleaning weapons said “I’ve got it” and went to the door. Faith heard the Soldier say, “Hello, can I help you ma’am?” OK that made sense, someone’s dependa was at the door. That happened from time to time. But then he heard a voice that stopped him in his tracks.
“Um, hi, I’m here for Lieutenant Faith?” the voice said. Faith jumped up and hurried to the back door.
Lilith was beautiful naturally, but she really brought it today. Her long blonde hair was down, she had put on makeup that helped highlight her deep blue eyes, and she was wearing a sundress that accented her body’s curves in a way that was both attractive, and managed to still be modest. She looked embarrassed.
“Hi,” Faith said to her hesitatingly. “Um… what are you doing here?” The plan for Lilith to go straight to Faith’s on-post Bachelor Officer Quarters and wait for him there.
“I’m sorry,” said Lilith, “I got to your place, but I couldn’t find where you hid the key.”
“Crap.” Faith said. He meant to hide it on the top of his door sill like he told Lilith he would, but had completely forgotten. The key was still in his pocket. “I’m sorry babe, that’s on me,” he said, pulling the key from his pocket and handing it to her.
Lilith looked relieved. “Oh, it’s fine, I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t done something stupid. See you back at your place?”
“Sure, we shouldn’t be much longer. Wait,” he said, suddenly changing his mind, “I want to introduce you to my platoon sergeant.”
“Oh, that would be great!” Lilith said, enthusiastically.
Faith and Lilith made their way through the men seated on the floor who, uncharacteristically, were now completely quiet. For his part, Corporal Laser was grinning broadly. After the office door closed, Faith heard him say “Hahahaha… pay up, bitches!”
Faith introduced Lilith to Sergeant Ellery, and was pleased that they immediately hit it off. Lilith was gracious and engaging. Of course, it also helped that she was very pretty. For his part, Ellery was modest and actually quite humorous, a side Faith really hadn’t seen much of before. Despite the wanted distraction, Faith did have a job to do, and the sooner he got it done, the sooner he could get home to Lilith.
“OK babe, I’ll walk you out to your car and I’ll come pick you up for dinner after we’re done here,” Faith told his girlfriend.
“Sure thing. What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“Well, we’ve got PT in the morning, then motor stables most of the day, and if we get to them, we’re doing radios too.”
“What’s on the menu for PT?” Lilith asked.
“Air assault ropes training, then platoon basketball,” Ellery informed her.
“Ooh, sounds like fun! Can I come?” she aked.
“Ummm…” Faith hesitated. He wasn’t so sure this was a good idea. He looked at Ellery.
“I don’t see a problem with her doing PT with us in the morning if she wants,” Ellery informed him. “I mean, if you think she can hang… . “ He was clearly teasing with that last part.
Lilith was extremely fit, and extremely competitive. “Oh, I can hang,” Lilith assured him confidently as she walked out of the office. “See you at formation tomorrow!” she added cheerfully.
When Faith came back in after walking his girlfriend to her car, his platoon gave him a standing ovation. “Fuck you guys,” he said good naturedly as he returned to his office to finish cleaning his weapons.
Time for Thigpen to go. After sleeping on it, he's a risk on the battlefield if he needs that close of supervision all the time.
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Yep. Even Private Pyle (Full Metal Jacket) finally got his ass squared away, but doing so turned him into a psycho who snapped and killed his D.I. Had he not, he 100% would have been one of those 'ear necklace' wearing dudes in Nam. No bueno.
Kraut783
SOF Support
So...Thigpen and Lilith met at PT and fall madly in love, LT is crushed and the platoon ridicules him for not being a real man and LT hangs himself in the barracks?
Potentially Dumb Question Here:
Is that normal for significant others or others to participate in this sort of stuff with the team during a normal training time and not an "open or dog/pony" event? I've never been a part of a team that allowed that so just find it interesting, but I have also never been in the military. It was always known that was a serious no-go and why there were specific events on the calendar for that stuff.
Is that normal for significant others or others to participate in this sort of stuff with the team during a normal training time and not an "open or dog/pony" event? I've never been a part of a team that allowed that so just find it interesting, but I have also never been in the military. It was always known that was a serious no-go and why there were specific events on the calendar for that stuff.
From my experience, family members have been allowed that sort of access during events like Family Day, Organization Day, etc. Spouse, friends, etc., were never allowed past the CQ desk in the units I've served in...
We had Jane Wayne Day, where spouses put on a uniform and got to participate in a few team building activities. Never saw a family member part of PT and if it were squad PT (which was most days) I would have not allowed it.
Right before my third deployment, we had to take a PT test just before block leave. It was a chilly morning by FSGA standards, so we were in varying degrees of winter PT uniforms. Our CO had his identical twin brother, who was a civilian, don a spare set of his winter PTs, and wait on a side street by our run route until the ops NCO radioed that the run had started. He then entered the route and began speed walking back to the starting line. That fucked with EVERYONE except the ops NCO and the commander, since none of us knew he had an identical twin at all.
"hate!!" lol
I used to use the Ranger gym during non pt hours but pt with the guys? Big nope.
OK, I talked to my wife about how this part went down in real life. She said the basketball game wasn't during PT hours, and that it would be weird for someone's girlfriend to show up for PT. She also says she's pretty sure the real-life "Ellery" never would have allowed it :) that part is now changed to:
/////
“OK babe, I’ll walk you out to your car and I’ll come pick you up for dinner after we’re done here,” Faith told his girlfriend.
“Sure thing. What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”
“We just have to finish up weapons maintenance, and then after formation, the young bucks have challenged us old fogeys,” indicating himself and Sergeant Ellery “to a basketball game.”
“Sounds like fun, can I come watch?” she asked.
Faith didn’t see why not. He looked at Ellery.
“I don’t see a problem with that. In fact, if she wants to play in the game we can do five on five instead of four on four,” Ellery informed him. “I mean, if you think she can hang… . “ He was clearly teasing with that last part.
Lilith was extremely fit, and extremely competitive. “Oh, I can hang,” Lilith assured him confidently as she walked out of the office. “I’ll go change clothes, and then you call me when it’s time for the game,” she added cheerfully.
When Faith came back in after walking his girlfriend to her car, his platoon gave him a standing ovation. “Fuck you guys,” he said good naturedly as he returned to his office to finish cleaning his weapons.
/////
“OK babe, I’ll walk you out to your car and I’ll come pick you up for dinner after we’re done here,” Faith told his girlfriend.
“Sure thing. What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”
“We just have to finish up weapons maintenance, and then after formation, the young bucks have challenged us old fogeys,” indicating himself and Sergeant Ellery “to a basketball game.”
“Sounds like fun, can I come watch?” she asked.
Faith didn’t see why not. He looked at Ellery.
“I don’t see a problem with that. In fact, if she wants to play in the game we can do five on five instead of four on four,” Ellery informed him. “I mean, if you think she can hang… . “ He was clearly teasing with that last part.
Lilith was extremely fit, and extremely competitive. “Oh, I can hang,” Lilith assured him confidently as she walked out of the office. “I’ll go change clothes, and then you call me when it’s time for the game,” she added cheerfully.
When Faith came back in after walking his girlfriend to her car, his platoon gave him a standing ovation. “Fuck you guys,” he said good naturedly as he returned to his office to finish cleaning his weapons.
Faith called Lilith right before final formation, and Lilith pulled up just as the formation was ending. She was wearing sneakers, sweatpants, a larger “MACON UNIVERSITY” sweatshirt, a red knit had and black gloves as insulation against the cold. The members of 5th platoon wore their winter PT uniform of gray sweats, black leather gloves, a black watch cap, and a reflective PT belt.
After the formation broke up, 5th Platoon drifted over to the PT pit on the far side of the parking lot, and Lilith joined them there. The pit contained a set of pullup bars, a situp area, and a large contraption made of telephone poles, from which two 30’ ropes dangled. After the first and last formations of the day, the platoon adjourned to the pit for pullups and a rope climb. The 101st “Airborne” Division was actually an Air Assault unit, and a significant portion of Air Assault School involved climbing a rope. Faith never quite got that, since in an actual air assault you’re sliding down the rope not climbing up it… but whatever. Practicing the rope climbs helped the platoon’s new arrivals prepare for the course.
There was no formality at all to it; everyone knew the drill. While some individuals mounted the pullup bars, others queued up for the rope. The ones who were waiting stamped and shuffled to try to help ward off the cold.
The hardest part of climbing a rope in this weather, Faith mused, was the effect that the cold had on one’s hands. In order to get a good grip on the rope, most people (Faith included) had to strip off their gloves. And of course when that happened, it exposed one’s hands to the cold, making the hands turn numb and increasing the difficulty of the climb.
Climbing a rope was all about technique, and Faith’s technique was to use his legs more than his arms anyway, so his hands were basically just used to hold himself in place when he repositioned his legs during the climb. Lilith watched as Faith easily made his way up the rope, slapped the bar at the top, and then shimmied back down. The roped were close together, and some of the Soldiers would race each other to the stop. Seeing Lilith watching the action, Sergeant Spence asked her if she wanted to give it a go. She jumped at the chance, and climbed the rope using the hand-over-hand technique, which was harder than the leg-based “inchworm” that Faith and many of the other Soldiers used.
When Lilith got done with her first climb, she took a rope in each hand and was able to pull herself halfway up the ropes using that technique before she tired and let herself back down. That technique required a level of upper body strength as well as a degree of coordination that most people didn’t possess. Only a couple of men in the platoon could do it. The Soldiers were impressed.
“Show off,” Faith joked to Lilith after she finished her second climb. She just smiled.
There was only one Soldier in the entire platoon who couldn’t make the climb. Try as he might, Private Thigpen just couldn’t climb the rope. He was weak in the upper body and had not sufficiently practiced the majority-legs “inchworm” technique. Faith wasn’t particularly concerned about this. In fact, most of the young private that came to the company couldn’t do it, because it’s not something that a lot of people do prior to joining the Army. Faith certainly never did.
That sentiment didn’t save Thigpen from getting cajoled by his platoon mates, though. “Thigpen, you suck. Even that girl can climb a rope, and you can’t.” Faith didn’t intervene. Sometimes negative peer pressure worked wonders on someone’s motivation.
After the rope climb, the platoon moved across the street to the outdoor basketball court for the game. The court was set up with six hoops, and during warm weather it was usually jam packed with Soldiers and family members. With today’s wind and bitter cold, however, it was deserted. The young Soldiers in 5th Platoon had been running their mouths for weeks about how they could take the “old men” in a full court game. The original intent was for the four youngest Soldiers in the platoon were going to play the four oldest. The young players were all quite good. Faith and Ellery were also good players, but the other two oldest members of the platoon, Staff Sergeant Spencer and Staff Sergeant Watkins, were mediocre at best. And playing full court gave the younger men, who benefitted from greater stamina, more of an advantage.
At 22 years old, Lilith was shocked that she made the cut for the “old people team.” But the Infantry was largely a young man’s game. The Young Bucks, as they called themselves, were 21 and younger. Faith was in his mid-20s, and Sergeants Spence and Miller were in their early thirties, and Ellery was, of course, the oldest at 37. The average age in the platoon was 23, and it was only that high because Ellery was an outlier.
Faith insisted on letting Lilith play, but the Young Bucks were reluctant. First of all, they didn’t want to play against a girl. Especially the LT’s girlfriend. If something happened to her, the LT might get mad at them. They also didn’t want to take on a fifth player, because the only other person in the platoon under 22 was Private Thigpen. And Thigpen, of course, was going to be a liability.
“Look, my girlfriend came all the way up from Georgia and I don’t want her sitting around getting cold why I school you in basketball,” Faith explained to the other team. “Besides, she’s just a girl. You all aren’t afraid to play against a girl, are you?” That proved to be a winning argument. The Young Bucks decided that the liability of Thigpen was offset by the Old Fogeys having a girl on their team. So now the match was set.
Now there were two things that Faith didn’t mention to his troops about Lilith. The first was that she was gymnast in her younger days. The other was that she was on a competitive intramural basketball team back at school. If she wasn’t so focused on her studies, she probably could have made the women’s team. Faith already knew that she was going to have no problems doing a rope climb, and she was probably going to put on a clinic on the basketball court.
The two teams sized each other up. Faith was guarded by a young troop with quick feet and fast hands. Faith found him almost impossible to guard. So in the time-honored tradition of old men everywhere, he started fouling the shit out of his opponent. It wasn’t anything flagrant or malicious, just a little hand check here, a little shirt grab there, a little hip check during a rebound. It might have gotten called in a college game, but it wasn’t going to get called out in street ball. Seeing her as the least threat, Thigpen was assigned to guard Lilith. This was a bad mismatch, and the first time she had the ball, she did a ball fake that caused him to leave his feet, and she then drove in for an easy basket. The Young Bucks won the first game, but it was best out of three games to 11 baskets. The Old Fogeys eked out a win in the second game, sending things to a third and final game.
Thigpen quickly established himself as the weak link on the Young Bucks team, and the Old Fogeys exploited it mercilessly. The Young Bucks tried switching from a man on man defense to a zone, but it didn’t help. In the last game, the Fogeys began to pull ahead.
Faith had expected that the rest of the platoon to hold their own game on the other court, but the Young Bucks vs. Old Fogeys was so entertaining that they stood on the sidelines and watched… and cheered, heckled, and/or coached the players. Despite his best efforts, the man Faith was assigned to guard was the highest-scoring player on either team. He was just too good. The problem was, his supporting cast wasn’t giving him much help. The Fogeys had several scorers. Faith wasn’t sure how many she put up, but Lilith had found her stride in the game and was scoring pretty regularly.
Thigpen lurched to catch up, and launching himself from the ground, swatted full force at the ball.
She switched hands mid-air in order to make the shot, which caused Thigpen’s hand to miss the ball entirely… and land squarely in Lilith’s face. Stunned, she fell on the ground. Blood immediately erupted from her nose. She rolled onto her side, using her shirt to try to stem the flow.
This, of course, brought the game to a screeching halt. Specialist Stringer, who was standing near the goal when this happened, was furious. “You did that on purpose!” he screamed at Thigpen. Faith wasn’t so sure. From his standpoint, it looked like a simple, if painful, foul. Things like this were going to happen when you played with Joe…
Faith ran to Lilith’s side and kneed down beside her. “I’m OK… I’m OK… ,” she kept saying, although it was clear she wasn’t. She kept the top of her t-shirt pressed against her face and maneuvered first into a sitting position and then, with some of the other players’ help, to her feet. Her nose was bloody, her eyes were puffy, and she was crying. It wasn’t heaving sobs, but the tears were there. Faith got it. The cold weather made skin more sensitive, and catching a hard foul in the face like that would make anyone tear up. Once she was fully on her feet, the platoon medic gave her face a quick look.
“Might be broken,” he offered unhelpfully. “She needs to get it checked out. She’s definitely going to have two black eyes,” was his prognosis. “Sir, you should take her over to the TMC and see Doc Stone, he’ll check her out and get her fixed up.”
“Thigpen, get your ass over here,” Faith heard Corporal Laser say as he pulled away to take Lilith to the TMC. “You made the LT’s girlfriend cry…”
1) Was Faith out of line in allowing his girlfriend to participate in platoon activities? What should his reaction have been to her catching that hard foul?
2) Do you think Thigpen hit Lilith on purpose?
After the formation broke up, 5th Platoon drifted over to the PT pit on the far side of the parking lot, and Lilith joined them there. The pit contained a set of pullup bars, a situp area, and a large contraption made of telephone poles, from which two 30’ ropes dangled. After the first and last formations of the day, the platoon adjourned to the pit for pullups and a rope climb. The 101st “Airborne” Division was actually an Air Assault unit, and a significant portion of Air Assault School involved climbing a rope. Faith never quite got that, since in an actual air assault you’re sliding down the rope not climbing up it… but whatever. Practicing the rope climbs helped the platoon’s new arrivals prepare for the course.
There was no formality at all to it; everyone knew the drill. While some individuals mounted the pullup bars, others queued up for the rope. The ones who were waiting stamped and shuffled to try to help ward off the cold.
The hardest part of climbing a rope in this weather, Faith mused, was the effect that the cold had on one’s hands. In order to get a good grip on the rope, most people (Faith included) had to strip off their gloves. And of course when that happened, it exposed one’s hands to the cold, making the hands turn numb and increasing the difficulty of the climb.
Climbing a rope was all about technique, and Faith’s technique was to use his legs more than his arms anyway, so his hands were basically just used to hold himself in place when he repositioned his legs during the climb. Lilith watched as Faith easily made his way up the rope, slapped the bar at the top, and then shimmied back down. The roped were close together, and some of the Soldiers would race each other to the stop. Seeing Lilith watching the action, Sergeant Spence asked her if she wanted to give it a go. She jumped at the chance, and climbed the rope using the hand-over-hand technique, which was harder than the leg-based “inchworm” that Faith and many of the other Soldiers used.
When Lilith got done with her first climb, she took a rope in each hand and was able to pull herself halfway up the ropes using that technique before she tired and let herself back down. That technique required a level of upper body strength as well as a degree of coordination that most people didn’t possess. Only a couple of men in the platoon could do it. The Soldiers were impressed.
“Show off,” Faith joked to Lilith after she finished her second climb. She just smiled.
There was only one Soldier in the entire platoon who couldn’t make the climb. Try as he might, Private Thigpen just couldn’t climb the rope. He was weak in the upper body and had not sufficiently practiced the majority-legs “inchworm” technique. Faith wasn’t particularly concerned about this. In fact, most of the young private that came to the company couldn’t do it, because it’s not something that a lot of people do prior to joining the Army. Faith certainly never did.
That sentiment didn’t save Thigpen from getting cajoled by his platoon mates, though. “Thigpen, you suck. Even that girl can climb a rope, and you can’t.” Faith didn’t intervene. Sometimes negative peer pressure worked wonders on someone’s motivation.
After the rope climb, the platoon moved across the street to the outdoor basketball court for the game. The court was set up with six hoops, and during warm weather it was usually jam packed with Soldiers and family members. With today’s wind and bitter cold, however, it was deserted. The young Soldiers in 5th Platoon had been running their mouths for weeks about how they could take the “old men” in a full court game. The original intent was for the four youngest Soldiers in the platoon were going to play the four oldest. The young players were all quite good. Faith and Ellery were also good players, but the other two oldest members of the platoon, Staff Sergeant Spencer and Staff Sergeant Watkins, were mediocre at best. And playing full court gave the younger men, who benefitted from greater stamina, more of an advantage.
At 22 years old, Lilith was shocked that she made the cut for the “old people team.” But the Infantry was largely a young man’s game. The Young Bucks, as they called themselves, were 21 and younger. Faith was in his mid-20s, and Sergeants Spence and Miller were in their early thirties, and Ellery was, of course, the oldest at 37. The average age in the platoon was 23, and it was only that high because Ellery was an outlier.
Faith insisted on letting Lilith play, but the Young Bucks were reluctant. First of all, they didn’t want to play against a girl. Especially the LT’s girlfriend. If something happened to her, the LT might get mad at them. They also didn’t want to take on a fifth player, because the only other person in the platoon under 22 was Private Thigpen. And Thigpen, of course, was going to be a liability.
“Look, my girlfriend came all the way up from Georgia and I don’t want her sitting around getting cold why I school you in basketball,” Faith explained to the other team. “Besides, she’s just a girl. You all aren’t afraid to play against a girl, are you?” That proved to be a winning argument. The Young Bucks decided that the liability of Thigpen was offset by the Old Fogeys having a girl on their team. So now the match was set.
Now there were two things that Faith didn’t mention to his troops about Lilith. The first was that she was gymnast in her younger days. The other was that she was on a competitive intramural basketball team back at school. If she wasn’t so focused on her studies, she probably could have made the women’s team. Faith already knew that she was going to have no problems doing a rope climb, and she was probably going to put on a clinic on the basketball court.
The two teams sized each other up. Faith was guarded by a young troop with quick feet and fast hands. Faith found him almost impossible to guard. So in the time-honored tradition of old men everywhere, he started fouling the shit out of his opponent. It wasn’t anything flagrant or malicious, just a little hand check here, a little shirt grab there, a little hip check during a rebound. It might have gotten called in a college game, but it wasn’t going to get called out in street ball. Seeing her as the least threat, Thigpen was assigned to guard Lilith. This was a bad mismatch, and the first time she had the ball, she did a ball fake that caused him to leave his feet, and she then drove in for an easy basket. The Young Bucks won the first game, but it was best out of three games to 11 baskets. The Old Fogeys eked out a win in the second game, sending things to a third and final game.
Thigpen quickly established himself as the weak link on the Young Bucks team, and the Old Fogeys exploited it mercilessly. The Young Bucks tried switching from a man on man defense to a zone, but it didn’t help. In the last game, the Fogeys began to pull ahead.
Faith had expected that the rest of the platoon to hold their own game on the other court, but the Young Bucks vs. Old Fogeys was so entertaining that they stood on the sidelines and watched… and cheered, heckled, and/or coached the players. Despite his best efforts, the man Faith was assigned to guard was the highest-scoring player on either team. He was just too good. The problem was, his supporting cast wasn’t giving him much help. The Fogeys had several scorers. Faith wasn’t sure how many she put up, but Lilith had found her stride in the game and was scoring pretty regularly.
Thigpen lurched to catch up, and launching himself from the ground, swatted full force at the ball.
She switched hands mid-air in order to make the shot, which caused Thigpen’s hand to miss the ball entirely… and land squarely in Lilith’s face. Stunned, she fell on the ground. Blood immediately erupted from her nose. She rolled onto her side, using her shirt to try to stem the flow.
This, of course, brought the game to a screeching halt. Specialist Stringer, who was standing near the goal when this happened, was furious. “You did that on purpose!” he screamed at Thigpen. Faith wasn’t so sure. From his standpoint, it looked like a simple, if painful, foul. Things like this were going to happen when you played with Joe…
Faith ran to Lilith’s side and kneed down beside her. “I’m OK… I’m OK… ,” she kept saying, although it was clear she wasn’t. She kept the top of her t-shirt pressed against her face and maneuvered first into a sitting position and then, with some of the other players’ help, to her feet. Her nose was bloody, her eyes were puffy, and she was crying. It wasn’t heaving sobs, but the tears were there. Faith got it. The cold weather made skin more sensitive, and catching a hard foul in the face like that would make anyone tear up. Once she was fully on her feet, the platoon medic gave her face a quick look.
“Might be broken,” he offered unhelpfully. “She needs to get it checked out. She’s definitely going to have two black eyes,” was his prognosis. “Sir, you should take her over to the TMC and see Doc Stone, he’ll check her out and get her fixed up.”
“Thigpen, get your ass over here,” Faith heard Corporal Laser say as he pulled away to take Lilith to the TMC. “You made the LT’s girlfriend cry…”
1) Was Faith out of line in allowing his girlfriend to participate in platoon activities? What should his reaction have been to her catching that hard foul?
2) Do you think Thigpen hit Lilith on purpose?
