Stevie, it's not all that difficult to attain that rank these days. Sadly, it's not that hard to fake your way to it, especially if you are one of the protected class. Rising through the ranks as an NCO is much more difficult, IMO. Always has been.
Good NCOS help make good commissioned officers. Young LTs and CPTS who have strong NCOs training them are the ones who tend to make great officers. I suspect this particular turd had good NCOs but ignored them in order to pursue a career of ass kissing (just a hunch).
Well, some folks (officers) who work there way up have a lot to thank their senior enlisted people for giving, or being asked (more important) for their opinion...
I don’t go beating my chest about the things I did, they are memories of a time when I felt I did a fairly good job keeping things, and personnel (eventually) together...And working as a team...It was a natural progression, those who were senior to me instilled that kind of mindset into us, as they understood that they would not be around forever...Not a fatalistic view, but one due to the rotations in their careers...
There were even a few times when the department heads, and even the CO’s would come and ask us (NCO’s) about the officers we worked with, to compile a good picture for their evaluations...That may sound strange, but it was a good idea from those officers to get those inputs from people they’ve worked with and trusted to give objective observations...They wouldn’t have asked, if our input wasn’t factored in in some way, shape or form...
I never worked with an officer that held his commission, or the people he worked with in contempt, for very long...This guy probably skated through the system...
I would be neat to see what some of his folks think of him...
“I suspect this particular turd had good NCOs but ignored them in order to pursue a career of ass kissing (just a hunch).”
I suspect you nailed it.
Old Student
WRM, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)1973-1997