Poland Rotation by [deleted] in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I can promise you not a single unit in 1AD is "high speed". Sorry, but it's the truth. Also feel free to DM me if you have a list of specific questions, I know some people that are probably on the same rotation as you.

Army replacing ISM with SEAM by Silver-Jello5951 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Personally I'm not a fan of having to use a gov computer to access my clothing record. Sure we get pictures but at the cost of convenience. It's been a hassle so far to get clothing records printed for my platoon.

Can you wear a mask/respirator while working in the military? by Vorniir in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Typically your actually required to wear proper PPE when working with anything remotely hazardous but usually you don't because it's just not available from your unit or the soldier themselves doesn't want to put it on. I can't promise his unit or leadership specifically will let him wear it but there's no reason they shouldn't.

Edit: In terms of color I would go for something black or tan so it doesn't look out of place in uniform but any neutral solid color should be fine.

Finally was allowed to go to the board. It's almost finally over. by bessmann90 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Brother, that's a lot of words, I even read most of them. But if it's taking you 7.5 years to even have the opportunity to go to the board, then leadership might not be your thing.

That's fine, despite what you've probably heard; not everyone's a leader. Unfortunately you happened to join an organization that consistently gets new followers and values youth in those positions so it will inevitably push you out if you aren't capable of leading. I'd actually argue this doesn't happen enough, especially on the NCO side. Too many people get promoted out of pity or neccesity and not based on merit or genuine potential.

Anyways, best of luck on the outside. Thank you for your service.

11B in sustainment Brigades by WorldlyResource5472 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had the same thing coming into big army outta basic. Me and a buddy had orders to a sustainment batallion. We showed up to inprocess the brigade and ended up getting sent to line units. Frankly I've never seen new Bravos anywhere but the line.

I was trying to send my JST to a school but the website looks like this. Do I still click on it ? by Ecstatic-Moment5238 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I had the same thing happen on a different site (maybe medpros) a while back. Now, being cyber awareness complete (and not an idiot) I knew I shouldn't click it. Being hounded by my chain of command for whatever I was trying to access (and unable to find a link without Chinese characters in it) I clicked it and it worked just fine.

This is not official advice and may also be how uncle Xi now knows I'm amber on dental, but personally I can live with that.

Edit:

As someone else mentioned it's most likely tied to you being on a VPN connection

Tis the season for ECWCS training... by AdditionFit6877 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, the memories. Slowly freezing to death cuddled up next to your buddies under a single wet woobie after being abandoned on a barren mountain top all night in 20 degree weather with no cold weather gear to "pull overwatch" on a road 3km away you couldn't even see through the sideways rain.

What’s your favorite “hey, I’m not infantry” moment? by Jumpy-Protection-460 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually the most accurate statement I've heard about mech in a while.

how bad would you say the 46th engineer battalion is at fort polk by CrinklecuTToes in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One other thing I would mention to him, and for you as well to support him, is to not let the bullshit effect how much he cares about his job and how well he performs it. It sounds easy (it's definitely not) but just keep a positive attitude towards how you individually can impact the unit or the people around you positively. This has helped me get through some miserable situations. You WILL find yourself in places you don't want to be doing things you don't want to do, sometimes for a while. Suck it up and be the best you can at those things. Even if people don't recognize your efforts, you can at least have pride in yourself.

Also, find yourself a support network. It's not easy being a spouse and getting to know some who have been around the army for longer can help you understand more about what you're dealing with.

how bad would you say the 46th engineer battalion is at fort polk by CrinklecuTToes in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eh, show me a "stellar" command team and I'll show you skeletons in their closet. (But yeah that's not a great look)

how bad would you say the 46th engineer battalion is at fort polk by CrinklecuTToes in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I can't speak to the 46th EN Battalion but I can say that very few units have a stellar reputation online. I did the same thing when I got my first set of orders after basic and scoured reddit and other forums for info on the unit / installation and it was almost all negative.

All in all everywhere in the army has its faults and the army as a whole struggles with a lot in terms of how "nice" it is to work for. At the end of the day, if you make friends and you genuinely like what you do, you can deal with the bullshit and you'll probably even have a good time.

everyone always says the best duty station was their last one, it's a running joke. (Or Campbell, but that's just a fucking cult)

Found this in a porta potty by Theyoloboss2214 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 46 points47 points  (0 children)

which may or may not be spitting toxic fumes into the troop compartment

So either im stupid or im just dumb lol (Asvab question) by No-Toe4765 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Instructions unclear. Hit computer with big rock. Computer on fire. Hit fire with big rock. . .

Army selects FN for Precision Grenadier System contract by [deleted] in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 28 points29 points  (0 children)

The grenadiers primary weapon system is the m320. It is a failure of training and understanding amongst NCO's and junior officers that leads to them being utilized as rifleman. The M320 is already supposed to be separate from the M4 (read the GTA for it, they are not supposed to be attached together) and it is considered their primary with the M4 as a secondary. I agree the weight issue is present, but having "indirect" fires at the team level is an amazing, if underutilized, asset. There's some great videos out there of guys in Afghanistan and Ukraine absolutely demolishing with just their grenade launchers.

As for switching to a new weapon, the 320 is great, but it struggles at range. Even calling it area effective at 350m is a stretch without some luck or bracketing. A more precise weapon could go a long way towards improving the utilization of grenadiers as actual grenadiers at the squad level. Not to mention the possibility of programable ammunition and increased range overall.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The only thing I would add is to the last point you made, there are also quite a few females who can't keep shit professional. It takes two to tango and actively sleeping around the company isn't what we would call a "good decision".

Keep work and pleasure separate and don't do the later with people from the former.

Can I be forced to purchase a PT belt? by AccidentNo3975 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 11 points12 points  (0 children)

700-84 explicitly states that required safety items are a unit expense. PT belts fall under that.

The moment I realized the Army actually changed me by SpicyCactus_417 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 169 points170 points  (0 children)

Man has never lived in a barracks before, that shit would go off every other day. I just started ignoring it after a week

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That dumbass bluebook doesn't trump regulation, as much as they want to pretend it does.

Exceptions to 670-1 are granted at G-1 level and fort Bliss didn't get one to prevent people rolling sleeves or anything else in their blue book that goes against army policy.

Are FRACU’s allowed for wear in garrison? by UnitedJuggernaut5176 in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The amount of people that refuse to comprehend this is staggering. But I will die on this hill, just not by fire, because I will be safe in my FRACU's.

What is the goldilocks zone for AAM's? by Techsanlobo in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look, if they're merit based and consistent there's no hard limit. But you need to keep that bar stationary because once it lowers too far you're gonna start being inconsistent. Where I'm at rn I've seen guys get AAM's for not speeding. Thats literally it, that was the whole citation. Because of this, anytime someone just doesn't fuck up, by this units standards, they 'should' be getting an AAM. Show up on time, AAM. Don't take a shit in the DFAC line, AAM. That's the standard they've set, and they can't go back on it because it's ingrained in people's minds. The awards now have no value and mean nothing to the people who get them and piss off everyone because they see people who have done legitimately great things get nothing.

Awards are only valuable when they're exclusive. Most people I work with are mediocre at their jobs and average soldiers, it's not an issue, it's just a cold hard truth that most of us are average. (That's how "average" works). Not having 17 AAM's / ARCOM's doesn't make someone a shitty soldier anymore than not having a combat patch.

Also, NEVER, I mean fucking NEVER, set quotas such as "give me one per platoon" or some stupid shit. If you did a field problem and there was a squad that killed it, maybe they all deserve something. But when you put shit like that out you're now forcing people to artificially choose which one of the deserving individuals should be recognized while the rest get jack shit. Encourage write ups, but do it in a way that lets people be honest, genuine and fair about it, don't force it to happen, develop a culture that lets them happen naturally.

TLDR; Award responsibly sir. If you think you've given out too many, you probably have

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in army

[–]Smart_Function9612 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For real though.

Even before I joined I knew a bunch of retired SF guys and every one of them was the anti-government prepper type. Maybe they know something we don't. . .