Thank you for your service.

[DaShi]

Alpert has integrity. Something sorely lacking among too many Americans these days.

[Sava]

[molly bloom]

I left before contracting intelligence.

Corrected.

[Sava]

[Hauldren Collider]

That's really weak, especially considering the least likely thing to contract from any government agency, military included, is intelligence.

[molly bloom]

That's really weak, especially considering the least likely thing to contract from any government agency, military included, is intelligence.

How entirely unexpected! And how terribly bromantic....

[Ben Kenobi]

Sava's arguing that a smaller military is a bad thing?

[Patroklos]

Finally read this.Nothing to see here.

The military is both a promote to vacancy and a high year tenure organization. In a normal circumstances officer grades in year groups in zone for promotion have selection rates of 70% to 90%, with the senior ranks fluctuating wildly due to retirements but generally around 50% from what I have seen (for O6). You are generally a Captain for six years, so one sixth of them are up for promotion in any one year so thousands will get the boot every year anyway. This is not normally a problem because captain to major generally happens around the 10 year mark so that's when a lot decide to get out anyway if they wanted to.

My O4 board was 70%, but was 90% the year prior. It's just luck of the draw based on how many people an HR guy recruited 10 years ago based on projections that probably barely reflect current reality plus how many people happened to get out/hurt themselves/really screw up/retired (prior enlisted)/the state of the current economy keeping people in/budget situation/who is beating the war drums in your year group and it's all luck of the draw. When you are down to 70% the pool of non selects has to be so big it can't just be DUIs and PRT failures and chances are everyone who would make a 90% cut hit all the career progression wickets required to be in good standing. That includes combat tours. At that point it's "who took the cushy job teaching ROTC" vice "who took that grueling undermanned staff job in Alaska nobody wanted."

The military doesn't owe you anything beyond the contract you signed, which not by accident corresponds with your promotion years. O3s have no high year tenure, if they miss Major they are out within the year. O4s do and can generally hang on to 20 for retirement (a typical major will have 15-16 years when they go up for O5), but not always. It just depends on how many years you had when you put it on. One of the things the Army did that everyone was happy to accept but are kicking themselves about now was promoting their O1s and O2s a half year early each, and then were early selecting or even deep selecting O4s one to two years early. The result then was early pay increases and seniority they liked to lord over their peers in the other services but now these O4s are discovering they are three years ahead of a normal career progression and high year tenure will not take them to 20 years. Sucks to be them, it's either select for O5 or be separated at 18 or 19 years less a retirement.

[DinoDoc]

I think this is the real thank you for your service: Arizona VA boss accused of covering up veterans' deaths linked to previous scandal

[Al B. Sure!]

Half those scores are probably pencil whipped anyway, I know my buddies regularly "embellished" my situp score and that was in a training environment where people care about it a lot.

Actually, Albie, I'd like you to do a favor for me: check your platoon's PT scores and see how many people maxed the situps, or just barely passed, versus got one or two under. I'd put money down that nobody got just under the minimum or just under the maximum.

Alby are you telling me you wouldn't help a buddy out if you were counting for him and he was a couple pushups short of passing the PT test? Are you a buddy ****er?

You're pathetic. Not only did you wash out of ROTC but you come on here and degrade the character of the US Army.

If what you say is true, then the US Army is sorely lacking in integrity, moral courage, and leadership.


I have participated in, witnessed, and monitored several Marine Corps PFT's and CFT's. I have never seen anyone given reps. Maybe some of those pullups were not perfect dead-hang (and by this, I mean they had the very slightest bend in their elbows) but nothing close to outright falsifying government records (which is what a PFT score sheet is).

And buddy ****er? You ****ed him when you didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing and give him the score he deserved. And more importantly, you ****ed the institution.

[AAAAAAAAH!]

LOL don't insult Alby's religion.

[Pax]

I have a lot of respect for Alby and I can tell he holds himself to very high standards when it comes to being a marine. However, I think there is a lot of grey area in life.
I said a lot of the Officers risked their life in service of their country. I did not say all.
Also agree with Alby that the U.S. Army is an institution, with pride, brotherhood and etc. That being said, some people like me join these institutions because they want to serve their country. It's not just an employment contract. It's not sold to Americas young as just an employment contract. I feel that Officers and enlisted are owed something more than two months notice that the institution that they swore to risk their life for no longer needs there services.
Alby,
As a leader of Men and Women I hope that you realize that your duty is to more than just the Marine Corp and USA. You have a duty to the men and women under you. As a Marine, I would believe you would also feel some since of duty to your fellows who may be facing this termination. Your description of fellow officers is troubling too me.

[Al B. Sure!]

I have a lot of respect for Alby and I can tell he holds himself to very high standards when it comes to being a marine. However, I think there is a lot of grey area in life.
I said a lot of the Officers risked their life in service of their country. I did not say all.
Also agree with Alby that the U.S. Army is an institution, with pride, brotherhood and etc. That being said, some people like me join these institutions because they want to serve their country. It's not just an employment contract. It's not sold to Americas young as just an employment contract. I feel that Officers and enlisted are owed something more than two months notice that the institution that they swore to risk their life for no longer needs there services.
Alby,
As a leader of Men and Women I hope that you realize that your duty is to more than just the Marine Corp and USA. You have a duty to the men and women under you. As a Marine, I would believe you would also feel some since of duty to your fellows who may be facing this termination. Your description of fellow officers is troubling too me.

That is why you support, train, and build up your Marines to make sure they are not at risk of being administratively separated and are hitting all the wickets to advance their Marine Corps career. That's why you take an interest in their lives so that nothing inside or outside of the Marine Corps adversely affects their performance. That's why the focus isn't just on improving Marines as Marines but turning back quality citizens when their contracts are done (especially important for me as a drilling Reservist next year when my IMA billet finishes). But that's also why you can't coddle those that still fail to meet the standards since that devalues what the majority of good Marines are doing. It is said that an officer spends 90% of his time on the 10%; because of the dramatic force reduction and tightening of standards, that formula might not be quite accurate anymore.

I don't believe I posted a description of fellow officers. Were you referring to Patroklos' comment?

[Sava]

I think Alby found himself and his place in life.


but he's still a massive piece of ****

[regexcellent]

You're pathetic. Not only did you wash out of ROTC but you come on here and degrade the character of the US Army.

If what you say is true, then the US Army is sorely lacking in integrity, moral courage, and leadership.


I have participated in, witnessed, and monitored several Marine Corps PFT's and CFT's. I have never seen anyone given reps. Maybe some of those pullups were not perfect dead-hang (and by this, I mean they had the very slightest bend in their elbows) but nothing close to outright falsifying government records (which is what a PFT score sheet is).

And buddy ****er? You ****ed him when you didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do the right thing and give him the score he deserved. And more importantly, you ****ed the institution.

First of all, I didn't wash out of ROTC, I realized joining the reserve component of the military was a stupid ****ing idea and left. I have been invited to return on a couple of occasions but declined because I haven't lost my mind. How many jobs have you left now trying to moonlight as a marine officer?

(edit: actually, this is a pretty amusing accusation considering you did wash out of officer training twice.)

Second, if you haven't seen scores fudged here and there you probably haven't been looking closely enough

Third, yes, it's being a buddy ****er, because being able to do one or two more pushups or situps doesn't actually ****ing matter--have some perspective, please--but it does get considered when you're assigned your branch and post assignment. That does matter. (Also, for the record, I never counted anyone's push-ups, only the MS3 cadets did that)

If you really think military integrity is a real thing and not a platitude served up in initial entry training then you should open your eyes a little and read this.

And next time you do PMCS on your vehicles, check the sheets and see if any are exact duplicates of the previous ones.