https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wx3EPo2kZOQ
This sounds awfully smart.
Sounds good.
Next Sgt.Maj as a rank should be eliminated from all but regimental level (or equivalent) commands and above.
Seeing as how most Sgts.Maj spend their time doing stupid useless shit harassing junior enlisted soldiers and Marines they should mostly be mandatory retired. It’s a mostly stupid rank, that serves no useful purpose.
Frankly the same can be said for technical E-9’s. If you want to hang on past E-8 master sgt’s should put in for CWO selection.
Why does every article people post here is a youtube video. Some of us dont have time to sit there and watch a 20 minute video that could be summed up in a 45 second video.
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I liked the brevity of that video.
I was never in a Unit that had more then one CSM, the S-3 SM was usually a figurehead.
I had great CSM’s in Germany at Battalion level, I had one decent CSM in Ft Hood, the rest were ROAD.
Stateside if you wanted something you had to figure out who the “De Facto” S-3 SM was and go through that E-7.
You’re probobly right because thinking on it a bit, for what you get out of a Stateside CSM, is generally a waste of time and money.
There was always a bunch of overworked Staff E-7’s doing the job.
Well yeah. The staff E-7’s gotta get it done so Sgt. Maj can go yell at soldiers or Marines at the chow hall or PX for dumb shit.
They’re all just Sgt.Maj Vines USMC to a varying degree, Totally unnecessary.
First off, I was never in.
I was reading about camo uniforms and the USMC WWII era brown/green reversible got mentioned as being fairly useful for their intended purpose, but had to be ditched because of leadership making Marines incessantly switch brown to green and back again.
IIRC the story was roughly “Now we’re gonna be green”. As soon as everyone undressed, turned the uniforms inside out to green, and got dressed, it was then “now we’re gonna be brown” and repeat.
Would that have been a Sgt. Maj.?
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I got promoted early and then set around a decade as an E-7, so I went to every professional Development Course available to me.
Around the time you make Staff Sergeant the Army has already seperated Wheat from Chaff in Combat MOS’s. If you make it that far and haven’t been dipped in major shit yet, you will likely retire an E-7.
Every once in a while the “World of Pogue.” would crap one out for you, but for the most part I feel like we Policed our Own so that sort of stupid shit wasn’t coming from NCO’s.
I joined in 1981 and the era of Chicken Shit like that was over, no more painted rocks either.
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Yes that is the kind of asinine shit the average Sgt. Maj gets up to, or at a minimum doesn’t have the balls to advise the battalion/regimental/brigade/division commander that the idea is fucking retarded. It’s as if they make no effort at all to keep shit from rolling down hill.
At least in the USMC.
Painted rocks never went away, and neither did fuck fuck games. The USMC is actually quite bad culturally at selecting for enlisted leaders. Just because a dude runs fast, does a bunch of pull ups, and shoots expert on the rifle range doesn’t mean he’s good for anything else. Lots of E-4’s to E-9’s there that are functionally illiterate. I mean a dumb dumb corporal or even sergeant is one thing, but SNCO’s too? For fucks sake.
Believe me, I’ve stood at attention during plenty of award and promotion formations listening to First Sergeant or even Sgt. Major Chongo drive the hooked on phonics struggle bus trying to read words out loud with more than one syllable. Guaranteed to butcher the names of any Marine not named Smith, Jones, etc along with half the words in the promotion warrant. Granted the language in those things was written by some English major limp wristed dick up the ass officer, but still you’d think after awhile dudes would know the words damn near from memory.
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“To all who hear these presents, greetings. …” Read those lines aloud enough and your brain starts to pretend it’s almost normal speech. 
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Y’all had some terrible enlisted leaders.
I am sitting here next to a retired Master Sergeant on his deathbed who is the most honorable and selfless leader I ever met. I am sure his men would have nothing but praise for him.
https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-40619/
Silver Star
Service:
United States Marine Corps
Rank:
Sergeant
Batallion:
2d Battalion
Regiment:
5th Marines
Division:
1st Marine Division (Rein.), FMF
Action Date:
August 17, 1967
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Frank Lenna (MCSN: 2076091), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company E, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. On 17 August 1967, while patrolling Liberty Road in the Duc Duc District of Quang Nam Province, the lead elements of Sergeant Lenna’s platoon came under intense small arms and automatic weapons fire from a well-concealed Viet Cong force. In the initial burst of fire, the platoon was temporarily halted and the point squad sustained numerous casualties. Quickly evaluating the situation, he led his men to positions from which they could deliver effective suppressive fire on the enemy and, fearlessly exposing himself to the enemy fire, directed a heavy volume of fire which halted the Viet Cong attack. On two separate occasions, the numerically superior enemy force assaulted the point squad’s position, however, in large measure due to Sergeant Lenna’s outstanding leadership and aggressiveness, the enemy attacks were repulsed. When the Viet Cong launched a final attack utilizing automatic weapons and rifle grenades, he was forced to withdraw his unit from its untenable position. Although painfully wounded, Sergeant Lenna steadfastly maintained his position and supervised the orderly withdrawal of his unit to the platoon perimeter. Disregarding his own safety, he courageously maneuvered through the hostile fire to assist in moving six wounded men to areas of relative safety and, only after being assured that all the casualties had received medical aid, did he accept treatment for his own wound. His heroic and timely actions throughout the engagement saved the lives of numerous Marines. By his steadfast courage, superior professional skill and unfaltering devotion to duty at great personal risk, Sergeant Lenna upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.
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Semper Fi.
He sounds like one of the good ones.
I have a pretty good friend who is a retired USMC tanker, he got out as a master sergeant.
Come to think of it I can’t recall any master sergeants or master gunnery sergeants who were douche bags. That is reserved for first sergeants and Sgt.majors, by temperament of who the positions attract and what the jobs are supposed to be. Not all of them are assholes, but that is where the assholes go when they can choose.
Yeah, you guys have tracks for SEL. Army does not. Army also does not have Warrants for many specialties that y’all do.
The Army Warrant Officer Corps has taken a beating and they aren’t now what they once were.
Pretty good at ordering parts though.
How many Warrants do you interact with regularly? Most of the ones I know are 180s or pilots.
Well, daily until I retired.
I was a Maint Tech for the Abrams and then the Stryker. In the begining There was one Maint Tech Warrant, my job was designed to work with him.
We made a plan and worked the plan, one of us was there at all times a lot of the time, both of us were.
Way Back in time General Dynamics trained the Warrants, then they got together and trained each other and there was a lot of information out there and everything could be kept running.
Warrants in Stryker Units are not Mechanics and have no idea about Mechanics, they order parts.
Ordering parts was a key part of the job for Warrants when they were Mechanics it made things easier.
When an 0-6 wants to know why you’re buying a 300 K Camera, if you’re a Mechanic you can show them why. Where the failure is and the best way to fix it or prevent it from happening.
When you are just a Part’s Guy, you have no idea.
I remember my father telling me he went the Master Sergeant path because he wanted to work for a living.
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At some point you make a career choice or it is made for you.
Going the Master Sergeant Path is choosing the SME over the “Working with Troops” Career Path.
You have much more control of your Career if you are a Master Sergeant.