41. Venting Session

"When asked where his officers were, a British NCO replied, 'when it comes time to die, they'll be right there with us.'"

~Richard A. Gabriel and Paul L. Savage, Crisis in Command:  Mismanagement in the Army (1978)

Forgive me, but I need for vent for a moment about an issue that's reared its ugly head one too many times over my last few years in the Army.  I'm more than just a little tired of the service-wide myth that being an "officer" means being a second-class Soldier.  A former Soldier I know recently posted a comment about how he believes all officers make everything unnecessarily difficult in order to impress their superiors; in his words, the more elaborate and difficult the plan or idea, the more impressed their superiors will be.  Non-commissioned officers (i.e. Sergeants of all ranks) are, in his opinion the opposite - NCOs try their best to impress their direct leadership with the easiest and simplest plan available.  The easier the plan and the fewer the moving parts, the more impressive the NCO's plan is.  According to this individual, an officer will take an entire weekend to plan a five-paragraph Operations Order (OPORD) while it takes only five minutes for an NCO to filter out all the BS and come up with his own plan that can easily be broken down to his troops.


Well, I'm not sure which officers he's referring to, but personally, I'd much rather drink wine and sit on my couch watching movies all weekend than write an OPORD for a boss I don't necessarily like too much or have any overwhelming desire to impress.  I experienced the whole hatred-toward-all-officers stereotype a lot during my first few years in the Army.  I was fed many a comment along the lines of "oh, don't worry about that, Ma'am, you just go back and sit in the truck - we'll do the heavy lifting here."  That, and "NCOs are the backbone of the Army.  We're the ones who get things done."  I sometimes wish I could go back and redo those first few years; I'd put my foot down more often and make every attempt to keep that kind of negative attitude in check.  I figured those guys knew best because they had a day or two in the Army and I had less than thirty seconds to my name.  Some would argue, however, that junior NCOs are actually promoted too quickly now and lack the practical experience required of their new leadership positions.  I can't say for sure if this is true, though according to some older NCOs I know, that is indeed the prevalent trend.  What I can say is that personally, with a little more experience under my belt, I now have more confidence in my abilities.  I think I have something worthwhile to contribute, and I'm not going to let an NCO who hates all officers - point-blank - deter me from doing some good.


The resentment toward officers that so prolific at some Army installations tends to persist until an NCO needs help writing something to save their behind or requires some form of "high rank" influence.  Believe me, I've now worked with one too many NCOs who comes crying to me with a big sob story when they get in trouble and their career is on the line.  There are bad officers AND there are bad NCOs out there; I just hope to work with more from the "good" category in the future.  The point is, though, that we're all just people.  How and in what capacity we serve matters little at the end of the day.  The last time I checked, the American public says "thank you for serving," not "thank you for serving as a Specialist" or "thank you for being a Colonel."  I've worked hard to get where I am, as have many Privates, NCOs, and Generals alike.  Again, just a thought...


Bottom line, it's frustrating to have my profession trivialized by the fact that I'm NOT an NCO...and I'm equally tired of the cocky, arrogant attitude often associated with being a certain kind of so-called "seasoned" NCO.  If you're so seasoned and experienced, then please teach me what you know (instead of putting me down and reveling in your greatness) so I too can contribute to the mission.  Otherwise, stop wasting my time.  Back in college, I was trained by fantastic, knowledgeable NCOs, and that was when I had no idea what I was getting into with the Army - historically, believe it or not, being an officer actually carried some respect.  But where I grew up as a new lieutenant, the NCO is all-knowing and the officer is just a dumb college grad who needs to be pushed into a corner as quickly as possible.  In every other real-world situation, earning a degree or bettering yourself through professional training is considered a good thing.  Some might even call it "success."  And yet, in some sectors of the officer corps, according to NCOs, the work and effort associated with earning a degree and becoming a commissioned officer means next to nothing.  I just hope that when I've attained the legal knowledge and expertise needed to save some Soldier's career at a time when no one else can do anything for them, maybe they'll listen and recognize that it took a lot to get to the point where I'm qualified to help.


On the flip side, I certainly don't think that being an officer somehow entitles me to extra benefits or makes me special.  A fellow widow once accused me of believing that because my husband outranked her's, we were superior to her family in some way.  Far from it.  Death doesn't differentiate in rank.  We are all vulnerable to the very same fate.  Although it may be a few years later, I'd like to apologize to her if, for some reason, something I did in fact do or say to make think that I was so misguided.  I certainly appreciate now more than ever that every man and woman who has died in service to their country leaves behind a grieving family, and when it comes to grief, there are no class lines or special privileges.  It hits home and it hits hard, rank and years in service aside.  NCO or officer, we all agreed to serve during a time of war and, for the most part, if we're still here, it's because we want to stay.  I truly believe that each of us has a purpose and a job to do, and I plan to do mine to the best of my ability until, for whatever reason, I can't do it anymore.  Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but - NCO and officer alike - we're all just human beings at heart.  So let's treat each other like it.  

"Old school:"  Officer reenlists a Cavalry Sergeant First Class on horseback