[Seruzawa]

I think that one of the main reasons the Russian Army performs so poorly is the lack of an experienced NCO cadre. Having a corps of experienced NCOs has been recognized as necessary to have a functioning military since before the Romans. That changed for the Russians after the 1917 revolution. They changed to using junior officers after that and have continued on that way. Stupid. A good Platoon Sergeant is irreplaceable.

[Night Hides Not]

The Army needs to let its butterbars multiple chances to “step on their ‘members’. That’s how you learn your job as a Platoon Leader. The best learning experience I had was during my first ARTEP, which I flunked. I learned what I could do and what I couldn’t.

18 months later, I was acting XO for our battery level ARTEP. The first two days were a disaster, highlighted by an egregious error by the CO: he encoded the coordinates for a mission incorrectly. That evening, I lit into the Platoon Leaders for their performance. I told them exactly what they needed to do the next day, what their soldiers would do, just as I had trained my squads to do.

I bumped into the Chief Evaluator as I left the tent…I thought, oh crap, he heard EVERYTHING! He smiled and said, “LT, that was beautiful!” We barely passed, and I was soon kicked up to Battalion HQ, on the recommendation of my first Platoon Sergeant.

I was there for two more years, ending as the Battalion S4 (supply officer).