Officers vs Non-officers
 

The time I was in VN we had 6 maybe 7 officers, 8 if you count the Major that came to our unit for one day to get his CIB.
Most officers were kinda hard nose at first, I guess thats what they learned in the States, But after a couple days they relaxed a bunch and then it was a much better give and take situation, where what he said wasn't so set in stone. The 2nd LTs were the worsed, I had one that actually wanted to wear his gold bars, He didn't like it at all when I told him to either take them off or get the hell away from me. After they made 1st LT there sence of ergency (for what ever reason) slowed down for about a week before the Captain gleem was seen in there eyes. Seems, in VN if the guys in your platoon did something above and beyond then the LT got praised and a star in his record.
I had this story I would tell the NEW Lt comming to our unit, (I was his RTO) It went like this.
Lets say you (LT) don't like someone and you put them on report, Now lets say that we get into a firefight and the person that you don't like sees a VC pointing his guy at the new LT, The guy thinks to himself,,, should I shoot this VC Before? or after? he shoots the LT?
You could almost see the light bulb turn on above the LTs head. and most of the time the hard nose stuff went away. The LTs had a job to do, and the people in the unit were the ones to do the job, as soon as the LT understood that we are in this togeather and we are all we have, life was better.
Most LTs were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They had to look out for there unit , and they had to answer to there officers and then they had to think permotion. It was kind of a catch 222 thing. How well they got along with there unit depended on which one of these three things they put first in there minds.
All the time I was there I never lost the LTs RTO job so I must have been doing some things right, but some of the LTs were a little harder to work for than others.


Ron

You awake Ron??
 

I always feel safer knowing youre out there on duty. I'd feel diferent if you were a cop, tho. (LOL!!)

Well, Ron, I sorta felt like I mighta done too much bitching about officers in the other posts. so I thought I'd tell you bout a couple of times I got along with officers.
3 or 4 times, after an exciting patrol, the helicopter pilots would have us into their base club for cold ones--this would be right after debriefing, which always happened first thing after.
We'd be sitting in these air conditioned clubs talking to these silck and gunboat pilots over a cold beer and it would be like: Miller Time. Excited people wooping and hollering and making their hands zoom around to show how they came in from this way and "opened up the flexis and watched 'er pee" was how I heard one put it.
Well they thought we were some pretty hot shit and I have to say it was gratifying for a teenaged high school dropout to sit there and bask in this. I mean colonels and majors would be setting them up!!
My team leader was on his 2d enlistment, 2d tour and he had the gift of gab (he retired as a lt col!) so I'd be sitting in the rear sucking up a cold one just nodding my head and going: "Yeah what he said" at the right time.
Sometimes we'd sell souvenirs we'd forgotten to put on the report--there was a brisk little trade going on.
These were experiences I'll never forget.

That was the best time I ever had with officers in the war.
Stay safe, Ron, if thats possible for you

James
Happy just to be alive

Found and wrote to my Squadron Cdr last year and asked if he remembered me. Said he did , called me his hippy Plt Ldr. Said he remembers me not following orders (not wearing steel pots and flak jackets etc. ) but always getting the mission done and fighting for my men. Mission and Men , Men and mission. Always the Men , always

Now see John?? Thats why I woulda made a lousy officer. My motto was : Always ME!
lol

James

I always looked after my men first, always took last choice of the C-rations, that kind of thing. I was a " lifer " to the man in my section but they respected me and I respected them. I can't see it being any other way in combat, got to look out for each other. It was arare thing to have more then three Officers in the bush, the C.O. The FDC Officer and may be an EX.O. Artillery N.C.O. s carried a lot of weight in Vietnam. MUCH more so then in the States.

James
 

I pushed the wrong button when I made this, it was to be a reply not a new. But what the hell. New post.

Ron

One thing I learned is that both Officer's or Enlisted all put their pants on the same way. We are all in the same boat at one time or another. And we all know that. Enlisted takes the orders and hopes that the officer giving them will gives them the best chance to accomplish their task. Whereas, the Office hopes his men can pull off his plan and not get killed in the process.

I've worked for many Officer's over the years some are good and some just should pull the plug and go elsewhere. The same applies to enlisted personnel. Some are good and some are just putting in their time.

All and all we all know our place and what our duties are if we do it then there is really no issues to consider. I've been invited to Officer's clubs and they've been with us on the shore. So it all depends on the circumstances.

But I like the old timers the Chief's and the guys with 15 or more years as they have the best stories and most of them really want you see the lighter side of the service. But if war is enacted they are all more than capable of handling any situation - Why? cause they've been their once or twice before you have.

I certainly hope?
 

LT John Wasn't as mean as he looks in his pics. :D

Seriously,
It is a hard line to draw in any profession. The ability to be tough and respected and have your orders obeyed and down to earth enough to be "friends" with the guys. If you are too buddy - buddy they won't take you seriously. If you are too harsh it builds up resentment. Balance, and that is not always easy to maintain in any profession.

Keith :D