lessonslearned Swift and Sure I
An offi cer commanding an MP battalion learns from his senior NCOs how to look past a staff sergeant’s lapses to see that soldier’s potential as a valuable member of the Army.
In the 1980s, I was commanding an MP battalion that supported the U.S. Disciplin- ary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. I took pride in my soldiers, but if one of them did something wrong, disciplinary action was swift and sure. Such was the case with a staff sergeant with an alcohol problem. The Army’s drug and alcohol recovery pro- gram at Fort Bliss, Texas, was his last hope. I called the staff sergeant into my offi ce
on the eve of his departure to Fort Bliss and told him he had the full support of his chain of command. But I cautioned this would be his last chance to turn his life around if he wanted to continue to be a soldier. He completed the program and returned to the battalion. But several months later, he relapsed. The program’s rules required he be declared a rehabilitative “failure” and administratively discharged from the Army. I was infuriated. After all the time, money, and eff ort we had expended to help him, he had the audacity to fall off the wagon. My tenure as battalion commander was almost over, but I directed my company commander and battalion personnel offi cer to ensure this soldier was discharged prior to my change of command.
I departed the battalion for an assign- ment in Europe only to return to Fort Leavenworth two years later to be com- mandant of the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. Just a month prior to assuming command, a major insurrection occurred among the
68 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2011
inmates. The MPs and NCOs quickly re- stored order. For that, some were awarded Army Commendation or Army Achieve- ment medals. I accompanied the outgoing commandant through the award formation, and to my surprise, there was the staff ser- geant I thought had been administratively discharged. He was beaming with pride. I asked him whether he was just trying to make me look bad by being one of the he- roes of the day, and he grinned and replied, “No, sir, I just did what had to be done.” I found out several of my senior NCOs had seen something in this soldier I hadn’t. They had dragged their feet on processing him out of the Army until I got to Europe and then “lost” his discharge paperwork. I learned anger can cloud your judgment; it
judgment
caused me to do what was technically cor- rect but not necessarily in the best interest of the staff sergeant. I also learned NCOs know their soldiers and what they can — and cannot — do. It is the wise commander who taps into this wealth of knowledge and uses it to benefi t soldiers.
MO
— Greg Lowe is a retired Army colonel. He lives in Cecilia, Ky. For submission information, see page 18.
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