What are they teaching in Basic these days?
Ummm. . .
So we are rolling out the gate, and my truck crew is a scratch crew as is usual for HHC. I'm driving because my "driver" can't actually drive. So we get to our security position for the construction crew (moving T-walls around with an M-88) and what does this young Soldier do?
Whip out a John Grisham novel and start reading.
Now, normally I'm the last person to criticize someone for reading, but we are out the wire in Indian Country and we are supposed to be pulling security. Granted it's a female cook who is totally cherry, but what the hell?
So we are rolling out the gate, and my truck crew is a scratch crew as is usual for HHC. I'm driving because my "driver" can't actually drive. So we get to our security position for the construction crew (moving T-walls around with an M-88) and what does this young Soldier do?
Whip out a John Grisham novel and start reading.
Now, normally I'm the last person to criticize someone for reading, but we are out the wire in Indian Country and we are supposed to be pulling security. Granted it's a female cook who is totally cherry, but what the hell?
posted by Just A Decurion at 10/25/2006 08:23:00 AM
6 Comments:
We talked about this last night, right?
I sorta remember.
Had the same problem in ROTC, pulling 360 security, look over and a female cadet had a thick romance novel in her hands and her rifle on the ground, instead of watching her sector. In fact, my assessment when I was in ROTC was that the most gung-ho cadets were those most likely to get into academic trouble and fail to get commissioned, while those who were only in ROTC to get college paid for and who intended to leave service at the first oppurtunity were the ones who were making academic requirements and getting commissioned (although they would frequently bomb on the summer camp evaluation, so they'd wind up in noncombat arms Reserve slots).
Of course, the flip side is a story John Ringo tells from the 82nd of a guy who was so intent on finishing one of his books that the guy was literally reading it during a firefight, putting it down and dropping 40mm rounds on target whenever his teammates called for it...
So how did you deal with this soldier?
BTW, I've linked to you here: http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2006/10/re-what-are-they-teaching-in-basic.html
Not much I could do. Ain't my Soldier, and there isn't a good Corrective Training to be done during a mission. Passed the buck to her squad leader.
I always had a paperback or two under the radio mount right next to my soft cap.
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