kilroy0097 wrote:
clssfdlogic wrote:
The Sergeant Major of the Army does not outrank anyone but E-1 through E-9. Just FYI, there are no officer grades in there. No, he doesn't outrank Second Lieutenants. No, he doesn't outrank Colonels. All enlisted salute all officers. Every enlistee gets that drilled into them in Basic. Plain and simple. Been that way for a long time, put this to rest. Your attempt to save yourself with your "confusion between ranks and MOH recipients" is correct though, Medal of Honor recipients are entitled to the salute, from privates all the way up to the Commander in Chief.
Quite right. But I gotta say the first Officer that isn't in a major command position that rubs the Sergeant Major of the Army the wrong way is going to feel the presure from some place. Maybe not at that moment but you have to know that the SM of the Army has some major connections after being in the military for that long. One of the first leadership rules you learn in OCS is to respect your Chief and he will respect you. After all the enlisted get things done in the end.
You sure are correct about his "connections", but the fact of the matter is every top enlisted "advisor" has an officer counterpart (the unit commander), and not only does your arguement go along with the SMOA, it also wise not to upset a Command Sergeant Major period, or even a 1SG in some cases as a 2LT.
Why is this?
Well, The First Sergeant is the enlisted advisor to the Company Commander, and pretty much runs the company. The NCO's are the backbone of the military. If the First Sergeant gets upset, all he has to do is go to the CO, who is most likely a CPT for a company, and make him aware of 2LT Snuffy's attitude. The CO will have that LT running up hills in no time, until he learns his place. If we are talking about CSM's, they normally are the "1SG", but at a higher echelon, starting from Battalion all the way up to positions such as Garrison CSM, Division CSM, and Corps CSM. If this CSM has a problem with a LT who just got his new butter bar and thinks he runs things, well, he may to an extent, but the CSM will always have his leadership counterpart there, the O-5 LTC in the case of the battalion, all the way up to MG if we're talking about a Division to set things straight.
Of course, most LT's do their job and know their place. Most are new and are still learning. This doesn't mean that Staff Sergeant Smith goes and bosses LT around, because LT still outranks Smith. NCO's must also remember that LT so and so may someday be Major so and so, so don't piss them off and make them remember your name. It's a two way street, and both parties must remain professional.
And for those of you who have wondered why Master Sergeant/First Sergeant are the same grade, as well as Command Sergeant Major and Sergeant Major, wonder no more. The First Sergeant and Command Sergeant Major are in leadership positions. That's not to say the MSG and SGM aren't leaders, it's just they aren't in the NCO Support Channel for all of the subordinates in that unit. The MSG or SGM will probably work in the Staff Sections at all echelons, such as the S1, S2, G3, J3, etc, while the 1SG and CSM is charged with the welfare/training of all enlisted soldiers in that unit.
I hope this clarifies everything. For those of you claiming you were in the military and really weren't, shut up and go enlist. No wait, don't. I really don't want someone with your lack of integrity in my unit.
It's easy to tell fact from fiction when you have an organization so large with so many regulations and standards as each branch of the military has.