Re; Finding The Fakes Among The Heroes

[Cavtrooper088]

John999,

I sure don't envy our young troops. I can't imagine how tough it would be to pull a 12-15 month combat tour, go home for 12-18 months and deploy right back to a combat zone. Some of those young soldiers are on their 3rd and 4th combat tour. I always had the philsophy that the more times someone had a chance to shoot at you the more likely you were to be hit.

Cav

[Bonzai]

In the hospital, where I worked for 10 years as an IT Specialist, I had a name plate on my door. I added a small American Flag next to it, and inside the office, I had The Electric Horsehead displayed on the wall behind my chair. Every once and a while, a veteran would be directed my way. I did not counsel them, and I did not advise them. I was not a trained Social Worker or Mental Health professional, so the best thing I could do was to just listen. I hope that I helped them in some small way, because I remember days I just needed someone to listen.

The only time that I ran into a faker, was not a patient, but a fellow hospital employee. I had been told that there was another employee, who had the same MOS (no NEC) as I did. So I went to talk to him, and quickly ascertained that he was full of it. I called him out in front of other employees, but he went into his office and hid. He avoided me for a week after that, at which time, he quit with no notice and left his wife high and dry; so he could go live with his mistress in another state. What a scumbag!

Edited August 8, 2009 by Bonzai

[Stretch]

I made E-4, 22 days before my 19th birthday. Also passed E-5 before I was in two years. My squadron was pretty lenient.

It is hard for me to believe that an 18 year old, made sargent in the Army, unless he joined before 18 years old.

[Philip Rogers]

Cavtrooper088, yes, I'm saying I don't believe him. Sorry, but that's just the way I feel. I won't say anything more about it or him.

pr

PR,

I didn't understand your last post. Are you saying you don't believe sgmdae's post?? If so than you are mistaken. I've learned a lot from your posts in the past and appreciate the wisdom you've past on to the FNG's (me being one as well), but I disagree with your last post.

I've know sgmdae personally for years, and know for a fact that he served two RVN tours as a 11B. I've actually seen a Stars and Stripes article which talks about an ambush patrol that sgmdae led. I have also seen the anguish that he goes through daily as he relives those years.

I started talking to sgmdae about issues that I felt he had with PTSD years ago and led him to this forum after I discovered it by accident a few months back. He's a good man and needs the help of this board as do a lot of us.

Cav

Edited August 8, 2009 by Philip Rogers

[JustPLS]

I made E-4, 22 days before my 19th birthday. Also passed E-5 before I was in two years. My squadron was pretty lenient.

It is hard for me to believe that an 18 year old, made sargent in the Army, unless he joined before 18 years old.

Stretch,

During Vietnam, the Army had a Non Commissioned Officer Candidate program whereby promising young soldiers who successfully completed the course were promoted to Sergeant, E-5 or, for top graduates, Staff Sergeant, E-6. We had many good young sergeants in the field in Vietnam. I don't know the age limits, but I was an OCS graduate at 19, so I'm sure there would have been sergeants at 18.

Pat

[Cavtrooper088]

JustPLS,

I remember that program. I think our slang name for it was the "shake and bake" program. I'm not sure, but I think that the honor graduate of each class would come out a E-6.

I was a brand new 2LT platoon leader and I had a "shake and bake" platoon SGT at FT. Knox while I was awaiting flight school. Neither one of us knew how to lead troops. Talking about the blind leading the blind B) . Hell-we couldn't hold a map right side up. B)

After a couple of months the Army sent the meanest, toughest SFC I'd ever seen to be my new platoon sgt (SFC Boxley--God Rest his soul). He use to chew my a** about twice a day, but he sure taught me a lot about being an officer. Thank God for the NCO corp. If the Army would have left the running of the day to day affairs of the Army to officers we would have never got beyond the conference room. <_<

Cav