Story Time

By snapped, I mean that I lost my bearing and Drill Sergeant style (knife-hand and all) yelled at an airmen...which is TOTALLY out of character for me.

This was serious training and while I can't go into much detail about it...I can say this...it's the most amazing and useful training I have ever had, but it was a trying time for everyone. You're hungry (I am a hangry person so this was no good for me haha), you're miserable form carrying a rucksack that weighs nearly as much as you while trucking miles and miles every day through the wilderness learning all the things that will be useful should that time ever come (plane shot down in the middle of a hostile area for example).

I was a SSgt and I had two airmen in my group, the rest officers. One airman was fantastic. The other one...bane of my existence. She cried all the time, didn't listen, got people caught during evasion because she was complaining too loud...& finally *the moment came* She disrespected an officer & I came unhinged. I went up one side of her and down the other. It was almost an out of body experience if I am being honest with you. It hadn't happened before or since then, where I have lost my bearing like that.

Obviously, in the civilian world, this is not how to go about things, but it was at that moment she needed a come to Jesus meeting. She was not fit for "battle" and she needed to know she was potentially putting people's lives in danger (literally) all while making the rest of the females in the military look bad to top it off.

The officers came to me after and told me that was needed. I know I preach about Leadership and the importance of it and I know some would argue that I could have handled that differently...however, in the military sometimes those moments have to happen to get people to understand how serious something is (lives being in jeopardy). Which is why in basic training TI & DIs have the approach they do...because it WORKS.

I would never do this as a civilian. I wouldn't even advise military people to do it in normal circumstances as its not the most effective way to get your message across to people.

However, there are these one-offs. My hope is that it really sunk in with her. She will never forget that day or that message. She sure changed her tune after this event, I'll tell you that. Circumstances of this story are MUCH different than most people will EVER experience so please understand the variables at hand when comparing it to the civilian world.

Do you think some people in the military aren't leaders because they have had to have moments like this with their people? I am curious as to your thoughts.