SGM Teresa King returns to her job
You guys are probably ahead of me on this one, but I guess while I was watching the antics of the Guantanamo chimps, several of you sent me links to an article that announced that SGM Teresa King was reinstated to her job as the commandant of the drill sergeant academy at Fort Jackson. You already know what I think about it, the same as most of you.
First of all, I don’t why someone would want to return to a job that they’d been rightly or wrongly fired from, unless it’s being prideful and to wave her finger in someone’s face. Secondly, I sure wouldn’t go around saying things like she has said like “If I had been a man, this wouldn’t have happened”. Yeah, if you’d been a man, you wouldn’t have got your job back, either. An man would be smart enough to go through the proper channels and get the punishment expunged and wouldn’t have hired lawyers and threatened a lawsuit.
And the PC Big Army caved and returned an unqualified person to a position she didn’t deserve in the first place. This isn’t a look of surprise on my face.
[King’s deputy, Sgt. Maj. Robert Maggard] who is retiring this week from the Army, said he heard many comments that King had been the subject of “way too much media.”
Maggard said that even though only one former commandant of the drill sergeant school out of about a half dozen had been deployed to a combat zone in the past, much was made of the fact that King had not been deployed in combat. Those who serve in a combat zone are allowed to put a special patch on their uniform.
“This all came down to the fact she was female, non-combat patch and possibly envy of a black female,” Maggard said in an interview.
Yeah, it was because she was a Black female, not because she’s in charge of the school that trains soldiers to prepare other soldiers for combat and she hasn’t been to combat. Envy isn’t any part of it. there are more than likely a hundred men who are more qualified than King, but Big Army wants good press more than it wants well-prepared combat troops.
The Army should be booting their senior NCOs who have been hiding out at the schoolhouse for the past ten years and reward the soldiers who have actually fought the wars instead of the assholes who’ve been pointing out cigarette butts on the parade fields.
Category: Military issues
“Maggard said that even though only one former commandant of the drill sergeant school out of about a half dozen had been deployed to a combat zone in the past…”
Unbelievable! Riddle me this; if a country has been at war for over 10 years how the hell did anyone get promoted to E9 without combat experience? And why the hell is Fort Jackson rewarding these duty-dodgers with a position like this?
You’d have thought she would have managed a 30-day TDY to at least be able to pick up her CAB to prove how bad-ass she truly is…
THIS ladies and gents is why I got the hell out!! Politics over-ruling common sense!
My question is why/how did she get assigned in the first place? A whole lot of trouble could have been saved if someone in personnel had done their job right in the first place.
-Ish
Missed opportunity-she was already out of the position so someone else had to be in the slot, even temporarily. So why not give her the job back right after she does a combat tour?
There are alot of ‘leaders’ like this hiding out at various achoolhouses in the Army. My BNCOC senior SGL was a slicksleeve. He did one 6 month tour, got his patch, and came back tot he schoolhouse to be the SLC (ANCOC) 1SG. 10+ years at the schoolhouse, 6 months in Iraq, and he’s probably in the top 5 for hands-on influence on the NCOES curriculum in my branch. Saw him actually tell a group of junior NCOs that “You don’t need to be a leader to be a NCO”.
Like I said before, the slicksleeves are back in power.
Wasn’t it CSM King that had the vanity plate ‘noslck’ (no slack) that some puff piece Army Times article was gushing over? I’d like to suggest her next vanity plate. “SLCKSLV”
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/slick556/license_20120507035123_52780.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o15/slick556/knifehands.jpg
@ $4–Like the idea, but on the other hand we really don’t need another high speed PT belt cop/670-1 enforcer hanging out at Green Beans on Disney 24/7 and putting herself in fit a CAB when a mortar lands a klick away from her location.
We are going back to the Clinton Model of an efficient military. Oh, wait… I mean the famous Clinton Model of an Efficient Charlie-Foxtrot.
For he record a high majority of the actual combat MOS’ NCO’s that deploy regularly think of a drill / training command assignment almost as much a punishment as recruiting. The ones you say you want “rewarded” don’t think of these assignments as a reward and flat out do not want it. Would you rather lead actual soldiers in a actual unit or snotty nosed 18 year olds that are going to make their bed for the first time in your barracks.
“The big PC Army caved…” that phrase sums it up completely.
I know of at least one Army school location where the commander said that all of his instructors needed to have been deployed at least once— (to stop using the fact that they were teaching to get out of deploying). I know this made some of the instructors cry and wet their pants…
But who was going to listen to somebody who’s never deployed and kept saying: “When you get to Iraq, it’ll be like this.”
Yep – she black and so is the president and the black panthers, and many other commie bastards.
The “why” portion is all one need understand.
Somebody help me out here. I don’t quite get it. Tell me again why the Navy Reserve has to send folks to AFG as IA’s? Why do we send E8 and E9 Submariners to the desert? I just don’t understand what we are supporting if there are folks in the Army who have never been over there.
SEALs I can understand. But for other specialties, bullnav, you’ll need to direct that question to Army/Navy/DoD leadership.
I certainly don’t “get it”. Afghanistan’s not exactly where one would expect to fight a Naval engagement.
When General Conway became CMC, he put out a White Letter that Marines would take their turn in Iraq or Afghanistan. If not, they would not be eligible to reenlist.
I’m speechless!
I honestly don’t understand the mindset behind being in the military and NOT wanting to deploy. Do these people seriously enjoy formation runs, pulling staff duty, conducting motor pool maintenance, and supervising work details THAT much?!?! I got back from my first deployment a little less than a year ago and can’t fucking wait to go back….I signed up to do my job downrange, not deal with petty garrison BS. Why would you even want to be in the military if you don’t want to deploy??
@ Alex. Because, some people don’t join the military to be “in” the military. They join for college, the medical, dental, job security, etc. That’s why there were so many deserters at the start of the invasion of afghanistan and then Iraq. Along with people trying to get out. They didn’t join to do their job…
One of my past CSMs went to a CSM conference with a new command with his 3 deployments and a bunch of slick sleeve CSMs were saying “why did you deploy so many times? couldn’t get out of it? I’ve been doing good so far keeping from deploying.” etc etc. Pretty cowardly and shameful, but painfully true.
At the same time, far too often downrange it becomes garrison because of personalities. In Baghdad in 05-06 the Div CSM had a rule that no one did group PT in a platoon or higher level element (due to IDF). But, all too often in the mornings you’d see entire companies doing company runs, especially around one particular “aiming point” for the bad guys. My CSM at the time saw a postal unit doing a company run and said “don’t they look so professional, we need to be more like them” No, you dumb cow, (she’s retired now, so I can say that) all it will take is one rocket in the middle of the formation and a whole company will die, plus, we won’t get mail for a month.
I had thought a couple years ago I read an article in the Army times that stated only 60%? of the Army as a whole had deployed at least once. I don’t know what the rates are since then, but with Iraq closing up, its going to continue to decrease. Just like Viet Nam to Desert Storm veterans and everything in between. “We” that deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan will be the guys who people look at and think “wow, he was in the sandbox all those years ago…”
So who will be court-martialed for sexism, racism, and wrongfully costing this poor, defenseless CSM her job for five months? Not to mention the humiliation and legal fees she had to endure.
It’ll probably happen at the same time that Major Metzger is awarded the Air Force Cross for her heroism.
No. 2 Ret12B40 — “THIS ladies and gents is why I got the hell out!! Politics over-ruling common sense!”
True — and, unfortunately, The Death Sign of The Times — noticeable in many fields of endeavor —
Good Men are NOT WANTED;
the weak and corrupt are promoted .
No. 17 Eric — Thanks for mentioning VIETNAM .
She has a picture of someone with a goat… I think there was a collective groan at Ft. Jackson when this story hit the news.
Hondo, there are currently about 4500 Navy Reservists mobilized for the GWOT (or whatever we are calling it these days). That includes around 2000 folks on IA’s in Afghanistan. There is a YN1 from my last unit who is the Admin officer for one of the PRT’s. She has 21 years in the Navy Reserve, but has been over there since July of last year. More than a few of my fellow Navy Reserve Submarine Officers have spent a year over there. And yet, there are folks in the Army who have not gone…
Hey now don’t you be pointing out no facts. The SMA only has one combat deployment in his entire 30 year career, and somehow he was the best choice? You have a guy who was in charge of garisson command at ft leavenworth then at SGM academy now the SMA of the army… Oh wait we are talking about king. 30 years, no desert storm, Kosovo, neither Afghanistan or Iraq you don’t go the last ten years without a deployment without actively trying to avoid one. Hell DS Zimm made it back out to the Mobile Infantry…(crap nerd conversation bleeding over).
Straight political NCO. Every assignment except her first was geared towards checking blocks, getting the right schools and spending more time with Generals then any one NCO should. She’s got an impressive set of skill badges but never actually put them to use. 7+ years as a senior NCO at Bragg and never got her star? I’d bet money she went through JM school and never did JM duties after that. One of those senior NCOs that get hand-held through JM school to reinforce the ‘every senior NCO must be a Jumpmaster’ criteria. Air Assault wings and a Pathfinder badge but never was in the 101st? An NCO that’s been rubbing shoulders with Gernerals at every assignment she’s been in since 87? Aside from her PT score, and ass-kissing ability (and suspected callouses on her knees) what has she done to be considered such a great ‘leader’?
1980 -1983: IET and Postal Clerk, 139th Postal Co @ Stuttgart, FRG
1983-1985: DS 5/3rd BCT Bde @ Fort Dix
1985-1987: Bn PAC NCO, 5/3rd BCT Bde @ Fort Dix
1987-1988: Admn Asst, CSA (GEN Vuono) @ Pentagon
1988-1991: Admn Asst, Director Def Scty Assistance Agency (DSSA) @ Pentagon
1991-1993: Sr Enlisted Advisor, LTG Allen, DSSA @ Pentagon 1993-1996: 18th PSB @ Fort Bragg
1996-1997: 19th AG 1SG @ Camp Casey, ROK
1997-2001: HHC 18th Abn Corps 1SG
2001-2007: SHAPE HQs Bn CSM @ Casteau, Belgium
2007-2009: 369TH AG BN CSM @ Fort Jackson
2009-Present: Commandant USADSS @ Fort Jackson
She is the exact examole of what kind of NCO to not be. Straight career track and nothing else, she has made a lot of friends and I bet a lot more enemies. I have a feeling this isn’t the last we will hear of this bad example of an NCO. I actually smell an Oprah book of the month.
@ 23- Haven’t seen any orders or anything but the recent pic they have of her is just with Air Assault and Airborne, no Pathfinder. A TRADOC jockey like her would sure as shit be wearing her flaming ice cream cone if she had one.
I might be wrong, but I coulda swore I saw a pic of her wearing it. My mistake.
I have never met SGM King, but I am hoping that the Army leadership who put her there made a decision based on both her qualifications and character, after all aren’t we all put into positions based on what our leadership thought of us, I have been to a great many Tradoc courses, all of which I went to as a volunteer,and deployed to combat three times during my career, none of which I volunteered to go to.I always trusted I was recieving the best training and my leadership during deployments was the best the Army had. I have never been disappointed. My biggest award was not the Silver Star or the high rank I wore, it was the fact that I never lost a soldier in combat and completed every mission, why? because I believed in my Leadership and followed orders.
the funny thing about this is that the only sergeant major that is backing her, her aid, had no standards and was so big around that he looked like he had eaten three sergeant majors, and although did deploy, refused to leave the confines of his base, but was always the first one in the mess hall for every meal. The rest of what is reported in the media is not even close to what was experienced by those that went through the school while she was there. There is no conspiracy here and the actions taken by the Army had nothing to do with race, gender, or non combat experience,
So if my understanding is correct. People were upset because she was in leadership
positions that she “earned!” Last time I checked you went to a review board, had to have
the necessary schools, and then someone signed off on your job!
The lame excuse that she didn’t serve in combat doesn’t fly with me because my leadership
hadn’t really engaged in combat but with technological
advancement, the Army became smarter and wiser. Had I taken the approach that
my basic training cadre is non-qualified because
they were slick sleeves many of us who deployed to
Africa, Central America, or the Middle East, probably would have said
our training is not effective because our leaders weren’t combat qualified
Bullish we know many people are just mad because she made it and that settled it.
COB6, It is possible for a Soldier whose never deployed to get E9.. I’ve seen it from personal experience… At a retirement ceremony we had an CSM whose never deployed and she had gotten retirement from serving 25 years… It sucks but it is possible..
I know this is going to sound hypocritical, I did serve with her thing is though certain people shouldn’t get promoted just because… But her I’m standing her side because she is a true leader. She takes her time to meet and greet with Soldiers in BCT and treats them like a human being not some “maggot” or anything.. She’s the most relaxed NCO I had seen by far but will stand to truth as well.. Now there are NCO’s who should never get the rank they wear and that’s where my comment was going towards.. but truly she is a good NCO and isn’t afraid to speak her mind if there is something not right going on..