Wisconsin NG soldier suspended
USAToday reports that Specialist Terry Harrison was suspended from her duties at the Wisconsin National Guard for her antics earlier this week, posting disrespectful comments to her Instagram photos in regards to a funeral detail;
“The specialist involved has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation,” he said. Harrison, a full-time member of the National Guard, has been suspended from Wisconsin’s honor guard and assigned to other duties while an investigation is ongoing.
“She has received death threats to her and her family,” Rickert said. Wisconsin officials also have notified the National Guard Bureau because the other soldiers in the photograph were from other units.
The National Guard Bureau did not immediately return a message left for comment.
Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, issued a written statement about the “controversial and distasteful” photos Tuesday.
“We expect all of our soldiers and airmen to live by a core set of values, in word and deed,” Dunbar said. “I was appalled by the offensive photos and comments that appeared on this soldier’s social media site regarding her duties as a funeral honor guard member.”
Our buddy, Denise Williams at Chicago Now, who also happens to be a Gold Star Mother, writes an open letter to Specialist Harrison and her defenders;
I am a Gold Star Mother. I received one of those folded flags in a deeply moving and solemn ceremony. The idea that the members of that squad, though displaying exemplary behavior at the services, also may have at any time displayed the type of behavior you did offends me on levels I can scarcely describe. I would never have believed those who had the honor of performing this sacred duty would hold such a cavalier attitude.
Because of you I find myself thinking back, trying to remember and picture the faces I barely registered at the time. Did someone roll their eyes before they got out of the vehicle to line up next to my son’s casket? Surely, those attending the services of a soldier Killed In Action would not even be aware of their own physical discomfort at such a moment? Because of you, these thoughts entered my head.
I don’t intend to fixate on this story, as long as Harrison is punished for her bad behavior, I’ll be happy, and it looks like that will happen. And don’t kid yourselves, your opinion in this discussion counts. Journalists know that TAH is the place to come to see an unvarnished account of what veterans are thinking.
In The Great Scheme of Things, this story is a popcorn fart. But, apparently Ms. Harrison and some others haven’t run into the boundaries of decent behavior, and that leaves it up to we veterans to demonstrate to her, her friends, and the rest of the military what is unacceptable behavior. Quite obviously, they didn’t get that from their families, or from their leadership, so it’s left up to us, the Old Guard of the military to establish those boundaries.
As someone mentioned in the comments yesterday, combat patches are few and far between in those pictures, and this generation of troops, the ones who don’t know war, don’t fully understand the impact of war on our jobs. They’ve inherited the good will that generations of warriors before them have built for them, and obviously, they interpreted that inheritance as some sort of armor to protect them from the ill-will that they can generate with their bad behavior. But it’s up to each new generation to reinforce that good will, that professional image that Americans have of the folks who sacrifice for them.
The media would like to present the military as a bunch of out-of-control borderline criminals, and this blog is the voice of the majority of veterans who won’t tolerate that image. For every troop that misbehaves in public, there are thousands who wouldn’t even contemplate that behavior. And that’s why this blog exists – to give those thousands a public voice.
Category: Who knows
@49 Sparks. I wasn’t in the Guard or Reserves but I believe they were suspended from AGR time. I get this from 0-4E’s explaination @#5.
I’m glad her SGT got “suspended” too. Fuck him for defending her. He should have snapped her ass to parade rest and given her a good ass chewing. But that’s just my opinion.
An NCO’s job is to take care of and defend your troops, BUT when they’re wrong, they’re wrong and the NCO takes the hit as well. Yet another exciting story from the Wayback Machine occured at Ft Carson. During lunch one day, one of my troops got busted for not saluting the General’s car as it drove by. I wasn’t even on post for lunch that day. After some quality time with the Division CSM, the next 30 days started at 0430 with me checking out an M151A2 (remember those), taking my troop to the far end of the Banana Belt (motorpool row) and driving behind him as he performed Police Call. Our PSG would then go check behind us and report to the 1SG who would call the CSM with a report by 0700. The whole Company NCO Chain got to play, but that’s the way it was.
@53 That would be called “hazing” today and not allowed as punishment.
“Additional Training” (not to be confused with “extra” training) – it beat the alternative of an Article 15. But who is going to argue with the Division CSM and a 2-star. Ah, the good old days….
@54.
I was appointed DO for a Summary CM one time.
Issues was about drugs and the EM had admitted guilt, more or less, but as a DO my job was to assist him and I did.
Anyway, I argued that the Battalion SGM had smoked him on several occasions as the original form of punishment, hence any UMCJ would consist of “Double Jeopardy”.
I did my best and I was truthful, even though the SGM played it down.
Long story short, they went on the BC’s orders and punished the kid.
While it is considered hazing, it could also be considered a way out for the innovative.
Just saying.
As I said, dude was dirtbag and deserved what he got, but my job was to assist/defend him and I did.
Thankless.
Does anybody remember SOS? Not Shit On a Shingle…but the old “School of the Soldier.” Very very effective tool for all involved. I guess additional duty is what they call it now…but when a soldier messed up…he was sent out soldiering. No bullshit picking up trash… But diggng fighting postitions, PT, ruck marches, cleaning weapons etc. Many times I would be side by side the poor soldier after duty conducting SOS. A great bond was made. Again it was very effective.
Beretverde,I remember seeing that when I was AD in the early 90’s, Saturday TA50 inspections on the basketball court outside the barracks followed by a Class A inspection thirty minutes later,… But alas, that’s considered “excessive” nowadays, and higher-ups want errant “Joes” to be handed a lollipop and a Counseling Statement instead!
What is a counseling statement? Extra toilet paper or help start a fire in a fire barrel?
@53,
The soldier fucked up, but that shit the SGM pulled was ignorant, Sounds like he was brown-nosing the hell out of the CG.
A failing to render military courtesy sould be corrected on the spot. Most the time it is a simplr mistake by a soldier who is working or just lost in the clouds, and isnt a sign of insubordination.
An ols story from Marine “Chesty” Puller’s legend. As a Bn Commander he once caught a 2nd lt having a Private saluting him over and over. When Chesty asked him what happened he told Chesty that the Marine had failed to salute him so he was having the Marine salute him 100 times. Chesty informed the Lt that if the Marine Saluted him 100 times he also must return the proper salute and greeting 100 times. Chesty stood there and watched them as they saluted each other 100 time sand said “Good Morning Sir and Good Morning Private”.
@51 JBM…thank you. Now I get it. Just catching up on this thread now.
AND…this broad is ugly. I mean draw a blister in the bottom of a galvanized shit pot ugly!
@53 – Yeah it kinda stunk, but there are actually a couple of points to be made out of this. Except for MG Reimer himself, who probably didn’t even noticed that my troop didn’t salute his car, but was probably told by his driver, the entire affair was “NCO business”. No officers in the chain involved. I guarantee that had PLT Leaders, Company and BN Commanders been involved, it would have been at least an article 15. A few years ago I just by chance got to talk to that Soldier. He retired an E7 and has a sweet job at some high-rent military academy in Florida. An article 15 would have probably ruined his career. Back before the internet allowed the whole world to see everyone’s fuck-ups, NCOs took care of business. Nowadays, when something hits the web it’s all but over for the troop. Not defending this silly bitch’s actions or her NCO’s-NCO business can’t fix this. But in my Soldier’s circumstance, it worked.