Platoon Sergeant

1. I am concerned about the inefficient and derelict performance of your duties as a TA Platoon Section Sergeant. Specifically I am concerned about the following:  SGT Crawford, on 6 April 2016 you failed to pass the APFT administered by HHB 2-3 FA BN. Your failure to meet minimum Army standards is an overall indication of your less than acceptable fitness level/standards. Your ability to pass the APFT is of great concern to me for many reasons. First, presents an unprofessional appearance and lacks military bearing. These actions are unacceptable from your own Soldier and they are most certainly unacceptable from a Non- Commissioned officer. As a Non- Commissioned Officer you always need to maintain an impeccable military appearance and…

Sergeant Elias was one of the reasonable and responsible characters in Oliver Stone’s 1986 film, Platoon. The film follows the protagonist Chris, who joins the US military during the war in Vietnam, and is placed in a platoon, led by Sergeant Elias and Sergeant Barnes. The two sergeants are representative of good and evil. Elias is the good between the two, who attempts to maintain integrity and uphold normal social morals in the horrific war environment. The platoon was also somewhat split into…

are outdated ideas. (Heifetz, 2009) To me this has been ever so evident during the past year, learning what once worked with one group of Soldiers no longer fit my new platoon. When I first joined the Army, I learned you don’t ask questions, you listen and execute. Learning from past experiences I executed the same mindset which didn’t result the same effects as previously. I learned to adapt keeping certain traits from previous leaders and learning from those under my command on what type of…

structured with cooks and distribution platoon arriving on the advance party and the mechanics trailing a few weeks behind. BN Leadership allowed us to integrate as needed, which proved to be invaluable by allowing my senior platoon sergeants to push the BN with equipment, feeding and logistical needs. Over the next week, it became evident that the BN Commander relied too heavily on our company. Our required training moved quickly to support Alpha thru Delta Company METLs and became over…

Soldier X’s main character is Erik Brandt. Erik is a German soldier, but he is half Russian. He enlisted into the German army. He is sent to Russia. He travels by train. Then he gets on a truck, that is in a convoy. The convoy is attacked by Russian fighter planes. He pulled a bullet out of Hals Kessler. They quickly became friends. They then head off to the front lines, where they go in a bunker. They learn that people die often there. They learn the Russians will attack soon after Erik helps…

always try to do the right thing. However the reality can be quite different. The reality of war is that it is dirty, ugly, and rarely, if ever, a glorious affair. All armies throughout history have had their share of incidents that they would rather forget and the modern US Army is no different. The book Black Hearts by Jim Frederick is about such an incident, the rape and murder of young girl, along with members of her family. Frederick delves not only into the murders themselves, but analyzes…

However, this was most interaction I have experience with OPFOR. During the school year, we rarely practiced communicating with them. Whether it be hostage negotiation or interacting with “villagers” during a mission, learning to relate with various personnel is important at CLC. Surely on campus, we could work more on this matter. We can have the MS4s and Cadre act as OPFOR, but not just as hostile force ready to engage the cadets during a mission. We could set up situations where MS3s would…

He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, so he was moderately short. He was in his twenties, which was younger than the other sergeants. He was a very arrogant drill sergeant. My dad says “He was not very tall, so he would only other people. He used his rank as leverage.” Franklin never taught anything, he only did drill and ceremony. He was irresponsible, and contradicted himself. One of my dad’s least favorite memories with a drill sergeant includes Franklin. It was the week of graduation, in time…

My first major mission, a young 18 year old, the lead gunner behind a M240B as the first line of defense for our platoon; would soon be a situation that left an imprint in my life and has forever changed how I now lead as an NCO. This mission took place in 2007 near the city of Ad Dawr, Iraq. The mission was complex but my orders were simple, protect the convoy and provide security. The main objective was to expose and detain (if possible) a cell leader to include destroying his know cache…

within our new Area of Operation (AO). It was during my Platoon’s execution of this mission at an unavoidably predictable location that the enemy in our AO cashed in their vote with catastrophic results. In living my “worst case scenario,” I would have to blindly depend on our collective planning and preparation, my training and instincts, and an ability to operate despite temporary but complete loss of outcome control. We had just under a month in theater and the same amount of time with a…