Case Study: Tabs and Tyrants

[SaintKP]

I'll only answer the first question since it can somewhat be applied to the civilian world.

I think its perfectly fine, as bosses, managers, leaders we need to demonstrate a clear and consistent basis on how we deal with things whether it be training, new system implementation, or promotions. When you start to base your practice on what is essentially hearsay it opens up the potential for a ton of problems. Keep everything documented that way you have verifiable background to look back at whether it be for commendation or disciplinary actions.

I do have one issue when it comes his statement, it can be loosely interpreted that he is ok with certain things not being documented because as he said if its not written down it never happened. I may be reading too much into it but that's a slight impression I got from reading through it again.

 

[ThunderHorse]

1) That is a damned good policy. SFC Ellery obviously takes care of his troops. And when you go to the promotion board you need a legit counseling packet. I remember talking about my gunner with my Platoon Sergeant one time and then looking at his counseling packet after my Section Sergeant went insane. It was missing three months worth of shit. And then I spent the next few days looking at packets and some of them were complete garbage. We replaced a TC because of that.

I'll only answer the first question since it can somewhat be applied to the civilian world.

I think its perfectly fine, as bosses, managers, leaders we need to demonstrate a clear and consistent basis on how we deal with things whether it be training, new system implementation, or promotions. When you start to base your practice on what is essentially hearsay it opens up the potential for a ton of problems. Keep everything documented that way you have verifiable background to look back at whether it be for commendation or disciplinary actions.

I do have one issue when it comes his statement, it can be loosely interpreted that he is ok with certain things not being documented because as he said if its not written down it never happened. I may be reading too much into it but that's a slight impression I got from reading through it again.

So you could take this a few ways (document all fo the good stuff an none of the bad), or just matter of fact. Because when you're trying to chapter Soldiers out for patterns of behavior, or being fat, whatever it is. If the paperwork isn't straight from the beginning Legal will laugh at you.

2) So SFC Ellery fucked around with the guy who may be his new PL by putting him in a group of some of the fastest dudes in the Battalion on day 1 when the whole company did not PT. He as testing him. Not sure if he passed, but he did well. He also didn't have diarrhea of the mouth when Ellery asked him if he had anything to say after PT. On day 1 it's always better to say too little than to say too much. So, does SFC Ellery now advocate to have him?

 

[CDG]

That is a great policy for a CC to have. Looks more and more like Ellery has the stud platoon. Dudes want to put in extra effort for an NCO that takes care of them like that. The other PSGs need to quit being so lazy and do their damn job. I literally LOLd at the one PSG saying, "Yeah, my guy did all that too. And his APFT was higher". Classic Army.

I can't speak to a PSG specifically, but I can say what we look for in a new ALO/13L. We look for someone who is willing to learn from the true SMEs, those being the NCOs and sometimes even a SrA. We look for a guy who understands what he doesn't know, and is willing to educate himself. Someone who isn't afraid to come PT with the bros, or go on a ruck, or go out in the field. And we look for someone who is going to do all the officer things that we need, like holding the NCOs accountable for promotion packets, EPRs, etc. Someone who is going to go to bat for us with squadron leadership, or the Army.

 

[Marauder06]

“Listen, I’m not unsympathetic,” Jenkins continued. “But you’ve got to give me something to work with here. You know my policy: good or bad, as far as I’m concerned, if it’s not written down it never happened. If you want to take care of your good troops, or get rid of your bad troops, you need to start putting things in writing.” He paused, and Faith her the sound of papers rustling. “Looking at this packet, and in the absence of any others, SPC Wilson is getting the waiver to E5.”

“OK then, next order of business,” he continued, “You may have noticed that there’s a new LT in the company and we have to figure out where he’s going. There are five platoons and two platoon leaders. We have three open platoons and we need a new company XO too. So… who wants this guy?”

Faith listened in breathless anticipation.

…and he heard… nothing.

Faith would later learn that there were five platoons in Delta Company. Each one had a sergeant first class—an “E7” in Army parlance—as its platoon sergeant, but they were desperately short of platoon leaders. Most of the young officers were placed on “line platoons,” meaning lightly-equipped foot infantry. Delta Company was more accurately described as “motorized infantry,” because their heavy weapons systems required vehicles for movement. Delta Company was actually a “specialty platoon,” which was usually considered a reward for having been successful on the line. In practice, it was a place where they parked the rare lieutenant who came to the battalion without a Ranger Tab until that young man could get back to Fort Benning and earn it. While some platoon sergeants liked having a platoon leader around, some of them liked the autonomy of going it alone, without the hassle, as they saw it, of babysitting a new 2nd lieutenant. The platoon sergeants in Delta Company were:

1st Platoon: SFC Smith
2nd Platoon: SFC Manners
3rd Platoon: SFC Bronze
4th Platoon: SFC Maldonado
5th Platoon: SFC Ellery

“Come on who wants the new LT?” Captain Jenkins asked again.

“Not it,” said Sergeant Bronze.

“He’s literally fresh off the boat, sir,” said Sergeant Smith. “I don’t think I can make a decision on him, sight unseen.”

“He doesn’t even have a Ranger tab,” added Sergeant Manners. There it was. Faith felt his heart sink.

“Sergeant Maldonaldo,” Jenkins said, “You’re about due for a new platoon leader. You want the new guy?”

“No sir,” Maldonaldo said flatly.

This was not going the way Faith expected. They didn’t talk about “NCO rejection” at the Officer Basic Course.

“You’re about due for one,” Jenkins countered.

“5th Platoon hasn’t had a PL in over a year,” Sergeant Maldonaldo protested, “Make Sergeant Ellery take the FNG.”

“First Sergeant, a little help here?” Captain Jenkins sighed in mock exasperation.

(end)

1) Why would an infantry NCO not want a platoon leader in general, and a platoon leader without a Ranger Tab specifically?
2) How is Faith going to handle being in a company with a platoon sergeant that doesn’t want him, and soldiers who already dislike him?

 

[Gunz]

1) Why would an infantry NCO not want a platoon leader in general, and a platoon leader without a Ranger Tab specifically?

I'll take a guess at this one--with your leave--because in the USMC there's no tab or badge to distinguish one new infantry officer from another. In general, it could be anything: smack talk from his soldiers, the FNG's appearance, rumors, anything. Specifically, is it because having the Tab implies leadership abilities, maturity...and subconsciously manhood? While not having the tab perhaps implies less of a man, less of a soldier?


2) How is Faith going to handle being in a company with a platoon sergeant that doesn’t want him, and soldiers who already dislike him?

He'll have to man up and deal with it by earning their respect. It's possible to be respected and not necessarily "liked." But in order to earn respect he'll have to prove to them that he puts their welfare above his, that he can and will do anything they can do, and lead by example. It's as simple as that...but it'll take time.

 

[ThunderHorse]

1) I understand the Cavalry is a different place. And so is Mech Infantry. Things that matter are gunnery and maneuver. Now, why wouldn't a PSG want a PL. I don't know, it's a bad attitude to have because it gives you a ton of extra shit you have to do. When I showed up to my Mechanized Reconnaissance Platoon I had loads of work to do immediately. So I think that's a piss poor attitude. But I've seen that attitude around. But here's the thing even with that. The Army sends you PLs, they don't all pass Ranger School. It's not designed that way.

2) Being liked is cool I suppose, but that's a slippery slope because when you're liked you're not always respected.

 

[Marauder06]

Good answers. This part of the story was for dramatic effect. I haven't met any platoon sergeants who wouldn't take a platoon leader when offered, as long as the PL was at least marginally competent. I'm sure they're out there, but I never met any. All of the NCOs in the units I commanded seemed quite happy to have an officer there to help share the load.

 

[digrar]

Share the load, or take the fall...

 

[x SF med]

1. Laziness, and disrespect... an NCO's job is to train and mentor his people, even a brand new 2LT without a Ranger Tab. many in the Infantry see the Ranger Tab as a sign of competence in basic patrolling and leadership, an ability to handle the Infantry suck, and a measure of dick size... I've know a bunch of Officers, Infantry or not, without the Ranger Tab who were true leaders and outstanding officers, and an equal number with the black and gold shoulder bling who should have been punched in the face every time they opened their pie hole.

2. Learn from the PSG, whether it's what's right or what's wrong with the way the NCO runs things, and at the same time, use what little he knows to make the PLT a better place for the soldiers and NCOs, better board packages, more school slots, more promotions, etc. The soldiers who don't like him will learn to respect him, and value his position if he does as outlined, some may even begin to like him. He needs to drive on and lead, but not make glaring immediate changes that alienate he PSG, men or command. Changes come in small doses at opportune moments, for the betterment of the PLT, not just to change, but to change for the best.

 

[Topkick]

1) I understand the Cavalry is a different place. And so is Mech Infantry. Things that matter are gunnery and maneuver. Now, why wouldn't a PSG want a PL. I don't know, it's a bad attitude to have because it gives you a ton of extra shit you have to do. When I showed up to my Mechanized Reconnaissance Platoon I had loads of work to do immediately. So I think that's a piss poor attitude. But I've seen that attitude around. But here's the thing even with that. The Army sends you PLs, they don't all pass Ranger School. It's not designed that way.

2)Being liked is cool I suppose, but that's a slippery slope because when you're liked you're not always respected.

I'll tell you why this PSG wouldn't want a PL. Because some lieutenants come in with a superiority complex and think they are going to fix things that are not broken. A commission provides authority, but respect is earned. A good Platoon Sergeant takes great pride in his platoon and its accomplishments and usually doesn't want change, but does welcome new ways to improve. As @Marauder06 states, a competent PL is a welcome sight and if a Platoon Leader embraces his PSG, his PSG will usually reciprocate. But, that relationship takes time. In my 5 years as a platoon Sergeant, I only butted heads with one the four LTs I worked with. He was not incompetent, he was just arrogant with no experience to back it up.

 

[Marauder06]

This banter went back and forth for some time. Sitting outside his commander’s office and hearing his fate being decided, Faith felt the lowest he felt since joining the Army. Even failing out of Ranger School didn’t feel like this. It was as if his career was over before it even got started. And they were all laughing at him.

Well, not all…

“I want the new lieutenant,” Faith heard Sergeant Ellery say. He wasn’t sure if he heard correctly or if it was just wishful thinking on his part.

“I want the new LT, sir,” Ellery said more emphatically. All other conversation stopped.

“You’ve gone almost a year and a half without a lieutenant,” Captain Jenkins responded, his voice carrying a surprised inflection.

“Yes sir,” said Ellery, “That’s one of the reasons I want this one.”

“He’s not even Ranger qualified,” Brooks suggested, “what are you going to do with an infantry lieutenant who can’t even get his tab?”

“We can work on that,” Ellery countered. “I prefer to work with people who have traits that can’t be trained.”

“I thought you preferred going it alone,” Maldanado responded.

“Not if there’s a better option,” Ellery explained.

“OK fine,” Captain Jenkins interrupted. “No one else wants LT Faith, so he’s all yours, Sergeant Ellery. Now, about these blotter reports…”

The meeting went on for another half hour, but Faith wasn’t paying attention. He was emotionally awash with a flood of both gratitude and admiration. He wasn’t sure what he did to earn Sergeant Ellery’s respect, but he vowed to not make him regret it.

/////

Discussion Questions:
1) why would a high-performing infantry platoon sergeant volunteer to take on an untried (and more importantly untabbed) second lieutenant? Why wouldn’t he just keep running the platoon on his own?

2) what do you make about Ellery’s comment about “traits that can’t be trained?”

 

[Ranger Psych]

So I guess work happens if leave's cancelled... lol

 

[digrar]

All it took was a global pandemic. If only we had of know that 2 years ago.

 

[medicchick]

All it took was a global pandemic. If only we had of know that 2 years ago.

Still not a record. I took an at least 5 year break and came back to the same one...

 

[SpongeBob*24]

New case study idea: LTC Scotty is the senior ranking officer left alive on earth. Hear me out, his team consists of a crusty E9 Recon Marine that's an "outside the box" thinker, a drop dead gorgeous E7 INTEL female with durty blonde hair and a mouth like a sailor, an E6 RANGER communicator that's a Macgyver of all things 1s and 0s, an E5 PJ with hair worthy of a Paul Mitchell commercial, an E4 Promotable TACP fresh off a 12 month deployment crushing ISIS and Cav Lt who needs constant mentorship.

Their journey finds them hunting town to town digging threw piles of bodies in search for others still alive. It's a tale of inter service bonding, Officer Professional development and struggles told from the everyone's perspective. Can Faith keep his team together under these harsh conditions .....

 

[Deleted member 2517]

I solved this riddle years ago.

New case study idea: LTC Scotty is the senior ranking officer left alive on earth. Hear me out, his team consists of a crusty E9 Recon Marine that's an "outside the box" thinker, a drop dead gorgeous E7 INTEL female with durty blonde hair and a mouth like a sailor, an E6 RANGER communicator that's a Macgyver of all things 1s and 0s, an E5 PJ with hair worthy of a Paul Mitchell commercial, an E4 Promotable TACP fresh off a 12 month deployment crushing ISIS and Cav Lt who needs constant mentorship.

Their journey finds them hunting town to town digging threw piles of bodies in search for others still alive. It's a tale of inter service bonding, Officer Professional development and struggles told from the everyone's perspective. Can Faith keep his team together under these harsh conditions .....

The Commo Batt boy and the TACP would bond over shared experience and an unhealthy borderline sexual love for radios, team up and kill the E9 and PJ and spend the rest of the Armageddon Eiffel Towering the hot Intel chick. Not saying it’s the right option but I know my peers...

 

[Viper1]

This banter went back and forth for some time. Sitting outside his commander’s office and hearing his fate being decided, Faith felt the lowest he felt since joining the Army. Even failing out of Ranger School didn’t feel like this. It was as if his career was over before it even got started. And they were all laughing at him.

Well, not all…

“I want the new lieutenant,” Faith heard Sergeant Ellery say. He wasn’t sure if he heard correctly or if it was just wishful thinking on his part.

“I want the new LT, sir,” Ellery said more emphatically. All other conversation stopped.

“You’ve gone almost a year and a half without a lieutenant,” Captain Jenkins responded, his voice carrying a surprised inflection.

“Yes sir,” said Ellery, “That’s one of the reasons I want this one.”

“He’s not even Ranger qualified,” Brooks suggested, “what are you going to do with an infantry lieutenant who can’t even get his tab?”

“We can work on that,” Ellery countered. “I prefer to work with people who have traits that can’t be trained.”

“I thought you preferred going it alone,” Maldanado responded.

“Not if there’s a better option,” Ellery explained.

“OK fine,” Captain Jenkins interrupted. “No one else wants LT Faith, so he’s all yours, Sergeant Ellery. Now, about these blotter reports…”

The meeting went on for another half hour, but Faith wasn’t paying attention. He was emotionally awash with a flood of both gratitude and admiration. He wasn’t sure what he did to earn Sergeant Ellery’s respect, but he vowed to not make him regret it.

/////

Discussion Questions:
1) why would a high-performing infantry platoon sergeant volunteer to take on an untried (and more importantly untabbed) second lieutenant? Why wouldn’t he just keep running the platoon on his own?

2) what do you make about Ellery’s comment about “traits that can’t be trained?”

1) Running a platoon without help is exhausting. Yes, everything is “leader business” but doing two levels of work for an extended period of difficult. Furthermore, platoon leadership is the first step to prepare officers for the burden and responsibility of command.
2) Some traits, like the Army values, can’t be trained. Good people deserve to be with good people.

 

[Marauder06]

Eventually, the door to the commander’s office opened and the platoon sergeants came spilling out. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned that Faith had probably overheard their entire conversation. The only person that even acknowledged his presence was Sergeant Ellery, who gave him a wink as he passed.

“Get in here, lieutenant,” Faith heard Captain Jenkins bellow.

Their ensuing conversation went better than Faith anticipated. For one thing, the sat on comfortable chairs positioned around the long briefing table in Jenkins’ office, instead of Faith standing at rigid attention in front of Jenkins’ desk, which is what Faith expected. For another thing, CPT Jenkins treated him like a professional. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time someone treated him like a professional officer since he got commissioned.

“Yes sir, I think I’m going to fit in here just fine,” Faith responded when Jenkins asked him if Faith thought he would be a good fit for the company.

“That’s good. That’s really good. Sergeant Ellery is one of the best NCOs in the entire battalion. Maybe in the entire brigade,” he began. “But let me explain something to you, lieutenant. “A Ranger Tab doesn’t indicate that someone *is* the best,” he explained, “It simply means that he is motivated to be the best. In our business, a Ranger Tab is the “union card” that marks you as a full-fledged member of our profession. Without it, life is going to be very, very hard for you as an Infantry officer. That’s all I want to say on this topic. You have a mission to perform and a job to do, but every waking moment outside of that should be dedicated to returning to Ranger School and earning your Tab. Dismissed.”

1) Why is a Ranger Tab so important in the Infantry? Do you think officers can be successful without one?

2) What should Faith do to prepare for being the leader in Sergeant Ellery’s platoon?

 

[BloodStripe]

1. This is where the Marine Corps Infantry and Army Infantry differ. I don't view the Ranger tab as something that is important to the Infantry. I mean no disrespect to that and a lot of men and women have done very stupid things to earn it, but I'd rather serve under someone with combat experience than school experience. I have had the pleasure of serving with a lot of excellent Infantry officers that do not have a Ranger Tab and I do not think any lesser of them for not having it.

2. I feel this has been answered multiple times already. Good leaders know when to listen, and by having one if the best PSG's, it should allow Faith some time to get a feel of the organizational culture and what the strengths and weaknesses are. Often times if you come out of the gates swinging at everything, you start swinging at pitches that everyone already knows will be balls because they have already seen and experienced them.

 

[Deleted member 2517]

Eventually, the door to the commander’s office opened and the platoon sergeants came spilling out. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned that Faith had probably overheard their entire conversation. The only person that even acknowledged his presence was Sergeant Ellery, who gave him a wink as he passed.

“Get in here, lieutenant,” Faith heard Captain Jenkins bellow.

Their ensuing conversation went better than Faith anticipated. For one thing, the sat on comfortable chairs positioned around the long briefing table in Jenkins’ office, instead of Faith standing at rigid attention in front of Jenkins’ desk, which is what Faith expected. For another thing, CPT Jenkins treated him like a professional. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time someone treated him like a professional officer since he got commissioned.

“Yes sir, I think I’m going to fit in here just fine,” Faith responded when Jenkins asked him if Faith thought he would be a good fit for the company.

“That’s good. That’s really good. Sergeant Ellery is one of the best NCOs in the entire battalion. Maybe in the entire brigade,” he began. “But let me explain something to you, lieutenant. “A Ranger Tab doesn’t indicate that someone *is* the best,” he explained, “It simply means that he is motivated to be the best. In our business, a Ranger Tab is the “union card” that marks you as a full-fledged member of our profession. Without it, life is going to be very, very hard for you as an Infantry officer. That’s all I want to say on this topic. You have a mission to perform and a job to do, but every waking moment outside of that should be dedicated to returning to Ranger School and earning your Tab. Dismissed.”

1) Why is a Ranger Tab so important in the Infantry? Do you think officers can be successful without one?

2) What should Faith do to prepare for being the leader in Sergeant Ellery’s platoon?

1) it’s relevance to the infantry is dated and over hyped. It does not teach you sound, modern tactics. It does not indicate you are a stellar solider, leader or tactician.

It is relevant to all combat arms jobs. It should be important for all leaders, across the DOD, to experience the level of misery, hopelessness and deprivation that Ranger school provides you. It allows leaders to prove they can “suck” for an indefinite amount of time, and (at least in my case) shows you how hard it is to deal with people when they are at their worst.
That is the relevance of the Ranger tab. It shouldn’t have a magical place in the infantry world. It should be viewed not as a tactics or leadership school, but a right of passage, for anyone in any combat unit or career field across the DOD. It’s a gut check and a badge of honor, but it shouldn’t be viewed as an actual qualification to be a leader.

2) he should find out what beer his new PSG drinks, buy a 24 rack of it, send his boys home at lunch, and lock himself in the PLTCP with his PSG and drink that case while shooting the shit, getting to know each other, and generally figuring out what kind of platoon they want to run. If the PSG has his tab the PL should be hashing out a pre-School training plan to prepare himself to go back ASAP.