What my first platoon sergeant taught me about military service

[rangerrebew]

 
What my first platoon sergeant taught me about military service
Story by Tony Lentini • Yesterday 6:00 AM
 
There are three people who, more than anyone else, influenced my life and helped make me a success: my parents and my first platoon sergeant when I was a second lieutenant fresh out of West Point.

Sgt. Heywood Smith pulled me aside my first day on the job.

 
“Sir, there are a few things we need to get straight: You command the platoon, but I run it,” he told me. “If someone asks for time off, send him to me. Please stay out of the barracks before inspection; you will only distract the men. Should the company commander find problems, you can chew me out … but he won’t. One more thing, sir: Your hair could use a little trim.”

He was right on all counts and I followed his advice to the letter.

Shortly thereafter, Sgt. Smith again pulled me aside.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-my-first-platoon-sergeant-taught-me-about-military-service/ar-AA1cSEKC?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=c67bae9172554974a8a6ea07760d4109&ei=31

[rangerrebew]

 

[Kamaji]

I am white. Sgt. Smith was black. He and I loved one another as good friends do. In the Army, Sgt. Smith used to tell people, “The only color in this Army is olive drab (the color of our uniforms).” He and I were impartial to all and everyone in our diverse platoon understood and appreciated that and would have died for his fellow troopers. We had what always made the American fighting man a winner: unity, integrity, camaraderie, and the knowledge that we would all take care of one another while completing whatever mission we undertook.

Sgt. Smith’s example is why I know with absolute certainty that all the woke nonsense infecting our military and our service academies today — the so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda, critical race theory, transgender indoctrination, and the false portrayal of America as irredeemably racist — is bigoted, divisive, hateful, and contrary to the mission of fighting and winning wars. They undermine the very things that make our armed forces so effective, the values that Sgt. Smith spent his entire career building: unity and trust.

Wokeness is antithetical to military service, and every good soldier knows it.

[sneakypete]

@rangerrebew

Speaking as a former career US Army NCO,I could not find EVEN one single thing to disagree with  in that article.

I joined  the army on my 17th birthday,so I had never really been a "civilian" until I got out. Civilians and their way of life was a major freaking dissapointment to  me. Seemed like the Golden Rule was  "Bleep YOU,ME FIRST!" and nobody seemed to work together or be willing to help  a fellow worker.

I am NOT going to lie  and claim I loved every aspect of the army or every command I served under,but the good ones were so good they made up  for the  bad ones.

I have yet to find ANY job in civilian life where your fellow employees would gladly work together to get the job done,and even help "newbies" figure out the system.

It is amazing how well a group of people from different races,different religions,and different life-styles can come together and  work as a team,but it happens every day in the military.