Pain, but Not the Physical Kind

So I was in the office with Joos the other day talking to my PSG about adjustments on a SAW, M249 for the acronym impaired. I was confused as to why the book referred to the adjustments as mils when I was used to using minutes of angle. My PSG agreed that I was to question it, admitted that he was unsure what they were called and told me exactly how to find the right answer. Joos sort of just watched. This all happened while a 6'2", 300 lb. man was standing uncomfortably close to my back. The part that really makes me nervous is that he had an angry look on his face as if I had done something to him. He's the one that invaded my personal space. Then he tells me that I'm comparing apples and oranges, explaining himself by saying that mils are an angle measurement in land navigation and minutes of angle are for shooting, obviously something I already knew and anyone that makes it through basic would probably know. So I roger my way out of the office as quickly as possible and walk with Joos back to the room where we find out that "mils" is the abbreviation used in the field manual to refer to milimeters. So the standing-too-terribly-close-to-soldiers-pisses-me-off operations sergeant was wrong and was too afraid to admit it.

Why are people afraid to admit that they don't know? It's easier to admit it so later you don't get caught in a lie, as demonstrated above. Thank you PSG for keeping it simple.

The Latest

While our hero has been away, an E4, CPL type, has been put in charge. This person is a bit of a character. He hates my guts one minute and the next we're laughing together about something.

Allow me, your narrator, to give you an example. The job we do is similar to police work. I say similar because there is a bunch more politics involved. So, if you leave your patrol car unlocked, someone will more than likely find out and turn all your stuff on. Lights, siren, video camera, etc... The fun part is trying to get them back if they get you. So I've gotten this CPL person twice now and he has yet to get me. I wouldn't be even the slightest bit irritated if he didn't make such a big deal out of it. The first time he claimed it was in a public place, but the only other two people around were the gate guards and the second time he said it over the radio and claimed that his car didn't lock (the car I ended up with yesterday & it locks just fine).

Tip of the day: Don't brag about doing something or being good at something and when someone does it to you or better than you get all butt hurt about it. It's hypocrytical and it tends to piss people off enough, sometimes to the point of writing a blog about it.

The Profile

A few weeks ago I was at my apartment in DeRidder when I got a phone call from the squad leader. He asked me to bring him a copy of my expired profile. I argued that it was expired and that an expired profile doesn't mean anything, but he still wanted me to bring it in. So after complaining and driving twenty minutes to take it to him, I handed it to him, he handed it to the platoon sergeant and the platoon sergeant looked it over. He said, "This is expired." I told him that I knew this and he asked if I was able to work the road. I said yes. He handed the profile back to the squad leader and said, "That's all I needed to know." My squad leader continued by saying he wanted to talk to me outside. We smoked while he explained to me that the reason he had me come in was for corrective action for arguing with him over the phone. He said that the platoon sergeant had told him while he was on the phone with me that all he needed was to know whether or not I was able to work the road once again.

I always thought corrective action was a negative counseling or taking soldier's time or extra PT. Not taking their time and gas and then pretending as if you still don't know what's going on.

Correction

The NCO called me on my home phone explaining to me that he wanted me to bring my expired profile in to give him a copy. I asked why they didn't have the original copy (oxymoron) that I had given to the platoon, in addition to the commander and the medics. He said that none of those people were there or he would've asked them. I continued to argue at which point he insisted I drive twenty minutes up from DeRidder to deliver a copy of my expired profile.

Needless to say, I was pissed.

So I made two copies of my nearly destroyed and expired profile and took it in to the platoon office. The squad leader took it and immediately handed it to the platoon sergeant. The platoon sergeant looked it over for a minute then said, while looking up at me, "This is expired." I explained that I knew that and had told the squad leader. He asked if I was capable of working the road and I said yes.

Going Nowhere

Consider this: You've been working the same job with the same expectations and increasing responsibilities for the past eleven years. By now, most would have perfected their routine and learned what to do and what to expect. The hero of our story is begging to made an example of under these exact conditions.

Yesterday (12 July 2009) my platoon sergeant was talking to the squad leader and asking him if he thought that he had met the deadline. The squad leader immediately insisted that he had, then quickly changed his opinion saying that he felt he had prioritized based on the work he was given. The platoon sergeant asked him again while looking at a paper providing the deadline at which time the squad leader finally admitted he did not meet the deadline, even though he was still working on it and the deadline just happened to be Friday. He then continued to go outside to smoke with me where he had a small complaint about having to wear his uniform on a Sunday when the platoon sergeant didn't. He appealed to me verbally, even though there was obviously nothing I could do.

When First Noticed

I had to report for a urinalysis and my roommate had to call and tell me. Not my team leader, not my squad leader... my roommate. I was about two minutes late. My first sergeant asked me why I was late. I said I had lost track of time and I was cleaning up after helping a friend paint their house. He said, "Oh, okay." My squad leader continued by telling me he wanted to speak with me after I was finished. I went out back when I was done and he spent twenty to thirty minutes explaining to me why it is imporntant to be ten minutes early and how he is considering giving me a team if I show him I am responsible enough.

Several things:
1) I've been in the army for four years. I know I'm suppose to be ten minutes early and I know why. People make mistakes.
2) I didn't interfere with the urinalysis. I was talked to about why it's important to be on time, however, no one was waiting on me. They were just wondering where I was and why I was a whole two minutes late.
3) It took me about five minutes to "participate" in the urinalysis. It took my squad leader twenty to thirty minutes to explain why I shouldn't be two minutes late for a five minute event that is only important if it provides proof of me breaking the law.

Noncommisioned officers taking care of soldiers.