You may not understand this...(military shit)

.....but a few will. Plus I'm bored...and oh well...

So I'm in the PX (Post Exchange) is where the military buys all its tax-free stuff. I'm walking around looking for a HDMI cable and I walks past this kid. He looks about 19....big as fuck, and he's walking around with headphone in.

...in uniform.

Now I notice lil dude is with his family so I figure I'll tap him on the shoulder....on the sly.....just whisper to the lil dude...and pull him to side (I wasn't in uniform). And I don't want to stress anyone out when they are with their family. But I can't stand to see a Soldier out of uniform.


Ymra: Hey young warrior, you know you are not supposed to be in uniform walking around with headphones on
PVT: Ok..whatever. dude.

Now...again he's with his family and I don't want to check him, plus my only concern is that he correct himself. I'm not in uniform so he doesn't know who they hell I am. (all the more reason for him to be respectful) The mouth I can deal with. His mother starts (what looks to be his mothers) talking, yelling some shit about her son. I ignore, and go on my merry way.

About 10 min late I see the same lil private, walking around in uniform with his head phone on. Ok...the games has changed. This time I walk up to dude, give him my ID card and I tell him...

Ymra: See the first time I corrected you was on the sly. Now it goes down hill, for you, from here.
PVT: I didn't you were....

Ymra: Stop talking. The time you had for talking you used it to talk out of the side of your neck. Now here is what you are going to do. You are going to take your family. And go home
PVT: But we aren't...

Ymra: STOP FUCKING TALKING. This is where I talk, and you listen. Put your shit down, get your family....and leave...NOW.

Ok...so you know the lil dude (which ain't so damn little) is feeling a little embarrassed, and he starts to loud talk. Now lil dude is around 6'4 I'm 6'1 so I'm sort of looking up at him. And see where this is going to go.

Ymra: I'm going to tell you one last time.

So lil dude pushes me....sort of "chest bumps me" DONE.

I jerk his ass so quick, and pushed him into a pile of CD...
..he falls

...oh fuck here comes mom.

...but before he gets up I tell him.

Ymra: If you move...even a little bit, I'm going to stomp the shit out of you. Stay down.

I guess dude thought about it for a moment. I have the cashier call the MPs. I take his ID...and wait. When the MP's show up, I tell them what happened. (His mom is still yelling). They ask me if I want to charge him, I say yes. And they handcuff him and take him to the MP station.

(...............I guess I wrote all of that to ask............Was I wrong?)

 

see this is why I didn't join the military. I don't need some stranger yelling at me from no where. He shouldn't have pushed you and should have folowed regulations since the military has an image to show but if you were not in the military your behavior would have been uncalled for.

 

Huh?

If I wasn't in the military......?

I don't get it. I am in the military. SO umm.............yeah.

Playa, I RARELY yell, as a matter of fact, I'm at the level where I don't have to yell...and only when I need too. This is tantamount to you showing up at your company in something that goes against your company's dress code. Lets say your company's dress code is "Business" and you show up in jeans and a batman t-shirt.....and then you expecting no one SHOULD say anything to you because you are with your family. One of the senior manager walk past you and corrects you

...you can do one of two things.

1. correct yourself. "Oh my bad, I'll take care of that right now"
2. open your mouth with something stupid...and then chest bump him because you don't like it.

The military is not much different than civilian life. This biggest difference here is the little private will have to do some bullshit ass duty...work late for a few days or something. I've already said I won't send him up on charges....

...the bad thing is he was getting ready to go on leave. His mom drove all the way from South Carolina to pick him up. Umm...she will be driving home alone.

...civilian life he'd be fired, arrested for assault, and probe spend some time in jail. I haven't always been in uniform. I worked for a BioTech company before 9/11. So between you and I have a more rounded insight on the differences.

Let me put it to you this way. Lets says he's on duty, head phone in, jammin' out to the latest wakka flakka (or some other shit)...and a bomb goes off.

...parameter breach
...a unit calls for ammo or fire support
...a soldier dies and his wife is calling to find out about life insurance
...a flood is going on and he's working dispatch
...a ambulance is needed
...a YOUR family is calling the base duty office because your house is on fire.

....and beyond all that, the U.S. military uniform is not a fashion statement, its supposed to represent professionalism at ALL times. Whether one is with the family or not.

 

I don't think you were 'wrong' as such, but I think you know you could have handled it differently.

show ID> ask him to remove headphones(have him give them to you even?), both go about your business.

You're a tough-looking guy and you challenged him when he was with his family, he was bound to get defensive and it seems to me on your second approach, you were looking for a confrontation. You knew he hadn't removed them the first time, you could have flashed your ID then and/or kept things calm, but you chose not to.

Military or not, his superior or not, if you approach someone aggressively you will receive aggression in return.

I have a question for you in return: If someone had approached you with that level of aggression when you were out with your family(whether for the same reason or not), how would you have reacted? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been meek and apologetic

 

Woah...me aggressive looking THANK YOU SO MUCH! HA!

Actually I HAVE been approached out with my family...and I didn't have my cover (hat) on. This guy walks up, I didn't know him from Adam, taps me on the shoulder and says "you know you are supposed to have a cover on"...and walks off.

...I put my hat on. Now I could have done like the young private. Got all upset, cocky, disrespectful. I will say this, at the level I am, NOTHING good could come from me not correcting myself. You have to keep in mind I've been doing this for 20 years. So yes, I would have complied....no problem. EVEN if the guy had got in my ass about it.

But two things here.

1. I knew I was wrong
2. Ain't no telling who that dude was.

....all I had to do what was put my hat on.

All the little private had to do was take the ear phone out of his ear and then went about his way.

Here's the thing, those of us in the military know that you are always being watch, and ESPECIALLY on base. OF ALL THE PLACES...There are Officer's Generals, senior Soldiers. There is no telling who is going to be around. If you are corrected by anyone, your first course of action is to correct yourself.

Had the little dude correct himself at the first go round.....he's be on vacation with his family right now. I think its the disconnect between military and civilians. Here are comments from my face book.

...at the end I asked would you have correct him?

 

Eeek, noo! I don't mean you look aggressive, you just look tough, like you can handle yourself. A lot of men who feel like they have something to prove(especially young and cocky ones like it sounds like your lad was/is) are more likely to respond aggressively to someone they feel is more of a threat.

Not trying to say you yourself look aggressive or say something negative, just that you look tougher than the average guy on the street.

Obviously I have zero experience with military life and I know things are different, I just think you could've avoided it all with a different approach. Not saying the other guy was right, I just think I can see where his reaction came from, especially if he was young and sparky.

 

Ymra sounds like you were on a power trip to me. I might have had the same reaction as he did. I mean is there really no off duty in the military??

 

Good grief, Ymra, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You're always walking around looking for an opportunity to be superior over some other male.

Anybody tells me to "Stop talking." or "This is what you're going to do." is going to have me seeing red - steam is going to be coming out of my ears for the other person trying to belittle me or control my actions. And I'm a FEMALE.
You are always trying to get one over on the younger ones - ALWAYS talking about your experience, your seniority, etc...

The guy (not a "lil" dude - he's 6'4") was WITH HIS FAMILY. You should have left him alone. Now thanks to your provoking a younger and less experienced person to wrath, he doesn't get to spend his vacation with his family. You've punished his MOTHER for a uniform infraction. NOT cool.
As xboxgirl said, I highly doubt you would take kindly to someone attempting to humiliate you in front of YOUR family.

Personally, I would be ashamed of myself if I were you. You asked us if you were wrong, and we're telling you. You should have left the poor kid alone - no wonder he didn't comply with your ordering to take his earphones out - you were trying to belittle him - you really expect him to take that shit from a complete stranger?

His family was proud of him walking around in his uniform, and he is probably green as they come, but I don't see why you would have expected him to be obedient.

You were talking to him like he is an ANIMAL, and I find it disgusting. I seriously hope you don't have a son of your own, because if you treat him like that, he will grow up to hate you.

 

Different than this?

I'm afraid I'm not sure how smooth, or nice, or nonchalant I could have been. But hey...we all have our opinions.

 

So you are calling me a bully or something?

Its good that you are not in the military. In the end all you could have done was saw red, with steam coming out of your years. You would kept your mouth shut and done as you were told. If you are talking you, you, you, hopefully you would have had more respect for the uniform you wore and the service you were apart of. But from the looks of it, you would have been walking around with your little headphone on in uniform...a clear violation of Army Regulation....

....so you would have found yourself in the same situation.

He was a private. A sampling, a youngling....he was wrong. If he wanted to be left alone he should have presented himself properly.

More to point, when he was correct the first time he should have fixed himself.

He brough it on himself. I have no remorse. None. Whether is chillin' with your family, or being on duty. Being a Soldier doesn't turn off just cuz you are on your way home.

Then again, you will never catch me ON A MILITARY BASE, doing something out Army Regulation. But then again, if I know I'm wrong and was corrected I would have correct myself.

This is because you are ignorant with regards to what is expected of a Soldier of a Soldier. The attitude gets people killed. Lack aherecne to rules and regualations. Your ignorance is what makes you ashamed.

Everyone has an opinion, and I asked and you are giving me what I asked for. The truth of that matter is you are at a disadvantage, becuase you are commenting from a postion of someone who has never served. So you simply don't understand it.

So.....General Saintagusta....what I said to the young soldier....whisped to him "Hey you know you can't have the on in uniform....how was that belittle him.

You can't read can you?

So do answer that question for me. How was talking to the Soldierm, quietly, and to the side belittle him. He should have complied the first time and all would have been wonderful.

He didn't

And he and his family paid for it.!!!!!!!!!!

You don't see why I would have expected him to be obedient?

REALLY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

Anybody on here that believes this lying mutherfucka needs to their head examined.

 

Oh never mind, Ymra - when you are on your "high horse" there is no talking you down from it.

If you were going to disregard our opinions for not being in the military, you should have specified that only armed forces should respond.

You have a habit of disregarding people, calling the belittling names ("Young Warrior" *vomit*), little man, child, etc. - how many times do I have to tell you that is a highly demeaning thing to do?

As far as what I would act like (wearing a uniform with headphones) in the armed forces, that is irrelevant. You are making character judgments, implying that I am too stupid to be appropriate or comply with whatever job position that I am in. Very disrespectful and not cool of you. Why do you choose to act like this?

 

*stands at parade rest*

Well, once you said that, I woulda got the MPs on you. Not gonna lie, the thing I hate most is when higher ranking personnel threaten privates with violence. Shit like "I will rip your arms off and beat you with them" ain't even cool(I was told that back in reception). In my opinion, it's bullying, because we know damn well we can't say anything back without getting an Article 15 shoved up our ass. So yeah, it sounded like a power trip to me, because you don't see high school teachers doing that. Couldn't you have just taken his ID and reported him to him higher ups?

Are NCOs and officers even allowed to physically touch privates, or is that just in TRADOC?

 

save yourself the trouble and go to OCS

then you can threaten NCOs like Ymra :smt043

 

3 years and I'm out. No officer school for me!!!

 

lol

ur not a lifer :smt062

people are proud of their military now, so wherever you go, you'll always be able to list that as an experience when you go job hunting.:smt023

just another notch in your belt

 

Once you pushed an NCO then you deserved an ass whippin' You can't assault a senior NCO and then complain "Oh he's bullying me" BACU, dog that' doesn't even sound right. I pray you aren't an infantryman with this way of thinking or (real talk) you are going to get hurt.

You put your hands, or push an NCO then you are uping the chances of getting your face kicked in, ha ha ha and then to turn around and say "Hey....he should have just taken my ID). Doesn't work like that. You can't push an NCO and then get upset that he told you to keep your mouth shut.

If I wan't to really hurt the kid I would have push an article 15 period. Loosing his leave is enough. Even after his 1SGT kept pushing and pushing. I don't know how you POGs (Person's Other than Grunts) are but paper work always the LAST resort.

I don't think many of you read what I wrote. When it first started I was really smooth about it and the kid din't want to comply...and he paid for it.

I'm telling you now young Soldier once you are corrected once....don't get it of yourself to feel like you are going to do what you want to do........ and then when it turns to shit, act as if you are the victim. Had this young warrior corrected himself....had this young warrior simply kept his mouth shut he's be chillin' at home right now.

He didn't

He's not.

 

he he he I'm just giving you what you gave me.

Don't bitch about it now.

I think, as I said before, you are ignorant with regards to the situation. When you suggest that I "let it go". You don't get it...I guess if he had on a pink scarf i should have let that go too.

why?

Because he was with his family.

I also don't think you read very well. When suggest that I "provoked him" when I wrote the first time I spoke to the lil kid was off to the side and low key. In your world perhaps that provocation....I don't know.

 

I got a funny story about a salute and a2LT outside of the Pentagon.

 

exactly! That behavior is ok in the military but it would not be ok outside of it.

This is different than following most of the dress code and having headphones on at the receptionist's desk. The senior manager is very unlikely to care about the headphones in comparison to the military that has an image to show at all times with the uniform on.

all of this again is because you are in the military. I said the military has an image to show. Those same actions would not have been done if it was all civilian. The boss is very unlikely to go address issues of headphones while someone is at the mailbox section of the company.