That retirement ceremony video
A couple of people asked me what happened in this video;
I’m still not sure I know – but apparently it was a clash of personalities. Someone wanted retired Senior Master Sgt. Oscar Rodriguez, the fellow being removed from the ceremony, to speak at his retirement ceremony and the commander didn’t want him to speak. There is a full explanation at John Q Public, the authority on all things Air Force.
I read the whole thing, but it all seems rather childish to me. I know how I would have avoided the whole thing if I’d been any one of those folks.
Also from Fox News;
A spokesman from the reserve said that the confrontation stemmed from “an unplanned participation” at the event.
“Rodriguez ignored numerous requests to respect the Air Force prescribed ceremony and unfortunately was forcibly removed,” a Travis official said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “We will continue to investigate the situation fully.”
Neither Rodriguez nor the honoree could be reached for comment.
There are other ways to occupy the Air Force’s time, I’m sure, you know, terrorists and all that.
For some reason, last night the video was posted on Fox with no explanation, so everyone was confused. I’m still confused, if the truth is told.
Category: Air Force
I thought that when you reached that level of rank, that professionalism was steeped into your very bones. Instead, I see actions more in line with newly trained privates. W-T-F-Over?
Exactly ^^^^^^
I had no idea the USAF had so much beef.
And apparently no tape
No wonder they keep requesting larger and larger planes…
Apparently the commander was afraid this retired msgt had some info that he might put out to embarass the commander
Somehow from this I’m reminded of Rudyard Kipling’s “The ‘Eathen”
Keep away from dirtiness – keep away from mess,
Don’t get into doin’ things rather-more-or-less
Let’s ha’ done with abby-nay, kul, and hazar-ho;
Mind you keep your rifle an’ yourself jus’ so !
I was reminded of “You went full retard”.
He should have just left with some honor.
Maybe he went “full Bernath”, enough to get you off the ground, but it enough to land when and where you want.
The ‘eathen in his blindness bows down to wood and stone.
‘E don’t obey no orders, unless they is his own
The ‘eathen in his blindness must end where he began
But the backbone of the Army is the noncommissioned man.
The zoomies don’t have physical fitness standards?
Who knew?
They just self-identify as a slim person. Problem solved!
(PS – I hit the report button by mistake)
“Rodriguez ignored numerous requests to respect the Air Force prescribed ceremony”
Funny, because I have been to many retirement ceremonies where this speech has been given. Shaking my head in shame…
It had NOTHING to do with “Air Force prescribed ceremony”, and EVERYTHING to do with a personal vendetta on the part of the squadron commander.
I agree 100%.
If that’s the case, let’s have a name so we can call him an asshole.
I can’t find the name anymore, but he is the Squadron Commander of the 749th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Travis AFB.
It’s probably best that his name is not mentioned, anyway. It may be correct that he is responsible for the muscular ejection but it’s not officially correct, if you know what I mean.
In the YouTube comments, the ex-wife mentioned “Osby” as the Commander who had a hardon for her husband/ex-husband. There is more to this story than just a difference of opinion between him and the Commander.
If it’s not yet time to call him an asshole, can we at least sing him a hymn? C’mon gang, you all know the words, a 1 and a 2…
Hard for me to say completely one way or the other, but from what I’ve been able to gather so far from the Fox News and John Q Public article, I’m more inclined to agree with you. There’s no way they should have pulled that stunt on a retired senior NCO in that public forum. Even more so, now that it seems that it may be only from some childish personal grudge from the unit CO. I hope he gets it from his superiors.
The AF is by and for officers. Ceremonies in the Army are run by CSMs and not officers. Any Army officer worth a crap would never pull such a BS move, it would end their career.
In the Navy Retirements are run by the Chiefs, unless it is an O. Then it is on the Wardroom. Then they usually use our script and props, and function facilities.
This is not the first time Rodriquez has made the news.
Pretty sure this is the same guy featured in the following video on a flag folding ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qQOHNAqRxU
And perhaps, this could be him as well:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-reservists-reward-bankruptcy/
They are the same.
The comment section on YouTube is Bernath in scale. Lots of WTF.
Boy that’s an understatement. There is no telling what is going on in this whole thing.
Wow. Just Wow.
From what I could glean from the article, Rodriguez is a retiree who was invited to a friend’s retirement ceremony, probably to do his Stars and Stripes thang. I guess he wasn’t on the official program or had a pre-existing issue with the protocol guy and was asked to exit. And that’s where the nonsense and no sense begins. By God, he was going to get it done, with or without bouncers.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re right or wrong, there is NO dignity to be had by being hauled out of a room or situation. The image will overshadow the words, every time.
SMSgt Rodriquez showed dignity. He was invited. The uniformed thugs that hauled him out? No dignity. No respect for the uniform. No respect for the service. No respect for the chevrons that should be stripped from their sleeves.
Professionally embarrassing for everyone responsible for causing this shameful spectacle, and also for everyone in attendance who had to witness it. Officers and SNCOs are supposed to know better.
This was also extremely rude to the retiree and his family.
Too bad that we can’t bring warriors like Robin Olds back to tighten this up.
I had the privilege of meeting Robin Olds in 1968 I think it was. I was 6. The guy was larger than life to me, just radiated badassery, the good kind!
Robin Olds was a man’s man. Period. End of story.
Reading the comments from the YouTube link above, it appears that he was investigated for some shady activities, and per his ex-wife’s comments, he was found not guilty. He returned to his command, and the Commander wanted him gone. That eventually lead to what transpired in this video.
This is for you, Hack. You know how one things leads to another? Well, I wanted an “Ah-so” video after reading your comment but ended up with this. Sing along if you know the words…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ5TGC9JxIc&nohtml5=False
How did you know that I had a “thing” for Asian girls. Way back in the day, December 31, 1985 to be precise, Delta Company 1st Tracks was slated to fly back from Fuji to Oki on New Years Day, so we were not allowed to leave Camp. So they brought in an all female Japanese rock band to entertain us. The band name was The Dono Arigato Girls. They were pretty good, from what I could recall.
The Air Force is fat.
Folks, I was there. I’ve worked with both the Retiree and his wife on the civilian side. I’ve known them both for a long time. SMSgt Rodriquez was there at the request of the Retiree. That much is clear. What happened should not detract from the Retiree’s long and honorable service. He deserved better. Someone owes my friend and his family one hell of an apology and I don’t think that person is SMSgt Rodriquez. I’m Army, so I’ve seen my share of fights (drunk or sober) at the most inappropriate times, but never at a Retirement Ceremony.
At the end of the day, if it is your ceremony, if you want Bozo the Clown to show up to it and he is willing, then Bozo is allowed to be there.
Sometimes commanders forget that ceremonies are often about others, not about themselves.
Still kind of weird, but hopefully we shall see what all happens. Though I’m guessing the retiree will have to be completely retired before he can speak on it.
My Company Commander told the mother of the bride, a Marine under his command, that her daughter had nice tits. That was at the wedding reception. Way to keep it classy. To be fair, she did have a nice rack.
Well, when you’re at a wedding and see nice tits, what can you do?
Dear Miss Manners,
Recently I attended the wedding of two Marines under my command. During the wedding reception, I complimented the mother of the bride on the ample breastages displayed by her daughter. It was then brought to my attention by the Company Executive Officer that my comment was out of line. Did I commit a social faux pas?
REMF USMC Officer
Dear REMF USMC Officer,
Yes, you did commit a social faux pas. You have to remember that a wedding is an event to be celebrated by both the mother of the bride AND the mother of the groom. You should have also informed the mother of the groom that her son had a huge penis.
Hack…
I’m risking my already questionable reputation here at TAH…
But did the Marine Company Commander score with the Mother of the Bride?
I know the question is floating out there but someone has to take one for the team and actually ask.
Names and dates can be redacted.
Not sure if he tapped the mother of the bride, but shortly afterwards, I was reading the letters to the editor in Leatherneck Magazine, when I came across a letter reading “Dear Leatherneck Magazine, I have always thought your letters were made up until this happened to me. I am a Company Commander for a maintenance unit on the Wast Coast, and while attending the wedding of one of my troops….”
I think it’s safe to say if the CO said he couldn’t be there just because he didn’t care for him and then SNCOs forcibly removed him that is just a whole bunch of trouble for Unlawful Orders, but without all the facts who can make a determination that means anything?
This is bizarre. Beyond words goofy.
Un-fucking-believable… at a retirement ceremony, no less. There should be a lot of people answering questions and being held accountable for what went down.
Someone’s going to lose their Command….
Let’s hope. It seems the Air Force has lost something in its nether regions.
Ah, wow!
This USAF commander and his E-9 mafia is in a whole a lot of trouble.
I just read the thoughts by the MC of the retirement over at JQP.
From a legal point of view I see several violations.
Certainly more to come on this disgraceful display by USAF brass and senior enlisted.
BTW: This NEVER would have gone down at a US Navy retirement. The entire event is approved in advance and in writing.
The first thing that stands out in my mind is that these Senior NCOs were attending a retirement ceremony in Cammies.
That in itself is extremely disrespectful IMHO. That they looked like they had been ironed with a cold rock and were having the Buttons and seams load-tested is a disgrace as well.
It’s not uncommon for members of the unit not participating directly in the ceremony to attend in the uniform of the day (ACUs and flight suits), it’s been the norm here at my USAFR unit for retirement ceremonies as long as I can remember.
Careful about the use of that word! If you’d asked me a few days ago I’d have had trouble imagining it at a USAF retirement.
Amazed that the folks in the audience kept their eyes forward and did not crane their necks trying to get a load of the ruckus going on just feet from them..remarkable focus.
I hope those fat boy NCO’s get burned to a crisp!
I wonder if our lady Secretary of the Air Force is going to do anything out this.
SMSgt Rodriquez was the only individual that upheld the standard of conduct expected of a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. He was a guest speaker, invited by the retiring NCO to give a speech he was obviously good at and held at some regard for. When accosted by the rather large “security detail”, he maintained a position of attention, did not fight back or offer any resistance other than to raise his voice and continue his planned speech. I think we got a commander here that just got his eye poked hard, and he needs to retire with his little E-9 chogi boys
No one is more professional than I. I am a noncommissioned officer, a leader of Soldiers. As a noncommissioned officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the Army”. I am proud of the Corps of noncommissioned officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the military service and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety.
Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind—accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers. I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient. I am aware of my role as a noncommissioned officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my Soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my Soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, noncommissioned officers, leaders!
It almost appears that problems were anticipated.
100% agreement HMC. And if this command was as “toxic” as it appears to be, I’d have jumped into the fight. YMMV
I didn’t see him make any movement and from what I saw, he wasn’t speaking, either.
When it came time for me to retire, I decided that I would not have a retirement ceremony. Told my boss, the Deputy Commander of Operations, “No thanks. I’ll just be there one day and gone the next.” He reluctantly honored my request. Then I got a call from the wing CC’s assistant, wanting to know when my retirement ceremony would be. I told this young Captain that I wasn’t having one. He said that I had to because the Wing CC wanted me to have one. I told him the Wing Commander wasn’t driving the bus; I was and that I had decided I didn’t want a ceremony. That was that.
No hard feelings; I had a great 20 years and would do it again in a heartbeat. I just couldn’t see putting a bunch of folks through all the hoop de do of a ceremony for one officer retiring. Instead, I went to every predeparture briefing for my last week (I was a missile guy) and watched the crews go out to the sites. Never said a word, just sat in the back. I was so proud of those kids, doing a thankless and potentially world-changing/ending job. I thought about saying a few words, but knew I would be too emotional to finish all the things I wanted to say. The sad thing is that several times, I was the only senior staff officer at the briefing. Somewhere along the way, the emphasis on the crew members had drifted away.
Anyway, one day, instead of going to the briefing, my family and I drove off base and headed out for a new life as a retiree. The day had arrived and I was gone.
[Geez, just realized this is the first time I’ve ever written/talked about this since I retired in 89.]
I wanted to do it like that, just retire and go away. FT. Huachuca does the quarterly ceremony that was easier to deal with than fight. I had a happy moment, when the corfram low quarters I bought as a young SPC decided to split on both heels as I marched off the field as a cranky SFC. It was a sign from God lol
We’re always gonna miss our military kids, the kids that are filling our shoes now.
I did the same thing. I was just ready to go.
Reminds me of a sea story (it’s true…no shit) that I heard quite a few years ago. A Sailor at a Naval Security Group command was retiring and of course, the subject of a retirement ceremony came up.
“No, thanks. I just want to retire.”
“You HAVE to have a ceremony! Oh, you’re going to love it!
“No, thanks. I just want to retire.”
Well, this went on for quite a while. The soon to be retiree being apprised of the progress of his awesome ceremony and his response of “No, thanks. I just want to retire.”
The long awaited day finally arrived. The command was all set up for the greatest retirement ceremony ever, sideboys stationed, Boats standing by to pipe their shipmate over, the CO waiting with the appropriate recognition of the Sailor’s service in hand.
At the appointed time, a taxi pulled up to the curb, right next to the sideboys and the rear door opened.
The now retiree leaned out, yelled “Good bye!” closed the door and rode off.
The moral of the story is, no matter how great you think your idea is, you should ALWAYS listen to your people.
Back in the late 1980’s at Camp Lejeune, I read in the Jacksonville newspaper about a MGySgt busted by NCIS the night before his retirement for manufacturing crack. That must have been pretty awkward the following morning with all of those Marines standing at attention for a ceremony that was not going to be held.
Huh. Seems like more than a few of us had similar feelings. Mine in early 2013. Like Forrest Gump, I just decided I was tired one day. As a reservist, it was pretty easy. Picked a weekend the senior staff was off-site, and checked myself out of the unit. No end of tour award for me. Then I just submitted my papers from the IRR once I was dropped from the unit. FYI, before ’13, my TAH handle was RedNeckerson.
Bill M,
I did the same thing. They tried to force me to do a Ceremony and I said no. I wanted to go out the way I tried to be. Do the job what my M-kids grow and be a proud Sea Dad.
After they insisted 5 times, I informed them that if they go ahead with the ceremony my speech was going to rip the meat off the bones of all that were ruining the Navy. End of Ceremony.
Watch my M-kids grow.
Given the degradation of Air Force Officers, they certainly didn’t want to offend anyone with the recitation of the meaning behind the US Flag. It’s so divisive. There might have been a muslim on base somewhere.
Domineering, politically correct A$$holes.
Embarrassment to the Air Force and all Branches of the US Armed Forces.
According to an update at John Q Public, it appears that the presenter almost said “God” and that scares the Air Force.
I guess the AF brass fears Mikey Whinstein more than they give a shit about their senior NCOs.
Stupid question? How in the world is this not assault? I must have missed the part where anyone authorized these NCOs to lay hands on a citizen. Are they law officers performing their assigned duties? Were they subduing a person in the commission of a crime? No? Funny, that seems like video proof of a crime then.
Wow. I’m almost at a loss for words.
Just so I fully understand this. SMSgt Rodriquez, USAF Ret. was asked/invited by a retiring SNCO to talk about the meaning of US Flag, while it was being displayed then folded prior to being presented to said retiring SNCO. TSgt and SNCO (didn’t catch the number of stripes for an exact rank) in attendance either personally decided to or were ordered to take action to stop the presentation and forcefully ejected SMSgt Rodriquez, USAF Ret. from the ceremony in the middle of the recitation and retirement ceremony. Am I reading this situation correctly?
WTF has happened to my AF!?!?!?!?!?!?
While not always done. There is NOTHING I can see wrong with describing the meaning of the US Flag prior to being folder and presented. In fact the USAF has a whole script for doing just that. (link: http://www.honorguard.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070123-032.pdf)
While it doesn’t appear to the presentation was going to 100% follow to the proscribed flag folding ceremony script, we will never know if this was his personal introduction and segue into that script. After all he is a civilian now that he’s retired and allowed to “break script” if he wants as long as its not disruptive and detracts from the solemness of the ceremony/event. Which again doesn’t appear to have been so, until the TSgt and SNCO decided to turn it into a spectacle. Again we will never know what was going to happen/be said all we know is what was.
I will grant the video was only about 50 seconds, however it doesn’t look good for the TSgt, SNCO, and the USAF in general.
-Ish
I hope he files assault charges on those SNCO tools.
What dicks.
My retirement ceremony was pizza, wings and beer at Pizzeria Uno, in civvies. It was simply awesome. After two plus decades who needs more pomp and dog/pony show? Not moi.
Of course we probably couldn’t have afforded to feed those AF fatties in the video.
My retirement ceremony was watching Colin Powell’s retirement ceremony on CNN.