Darin

Those familiar with the Army would have NO problem getting a kick out of this


THE CREED OF THE SPECIALIST AND THE SPECIALIST(P)

No one gets away with more than I. I am a non Non-commissioned Officer, a
beast of burden. As a junior enlisted soldier I realize that I am a member
of an under appreciated, much chastised group of soldiers which is known as
the ribcage, or perhaps pancreas, of the Army. I am proud of myself and my
fellow Specialists and will continue to bitch, whine and sham until the
absolute last second regardless of the mission at hand. I will use my grade
and position to avoid responsibility, accountability and any sense of
presence of mind.

Ignorance is my watch-word. My two best excuses will always be on the tip
of my tongue "I didn't know," and "It wasn't me." I will strive to remain
invisible and unavailable for details.
Never ever volunteer for anything is my rallying cry.
I am aware of my role as a SPC or SPC(P) and if you need me for anything, I'll be on appointment.
I know the other soldiers, and I will always refer to them by their first name or in some
cases a derogatory nickname. On weekends, or days off I will consistently drink myself into
oblivion, and I will never answer my phone. I understand that for a person
in my hierarchal position, rewards are going to be few and far between, and
punishment will always be swift and severe.

Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties,
because I will be accomplishing them for them, I will kiss up to their face
and badmouth them behind their back, just like everyone else. I will be
loyal to those with whom I serve, provided that there's something in it for
me. I am the last bastion of common sense that stands as a wall between me
and the Army philosophy of "Work harder, not smarter." My voice is a tool
and my complaints are a weapon that I wield with unmatched skill and
finesse. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget,
Specialist is the greatest rank in the Army. And rank has it's privileges.

GerardPRO5

haha!

I was a Specialist for SIX years!



I made rank after two years, then I remained an E4 until my ETS.

I passed up so many promotion boards...not because I was lazy, but because I knew better.

mrpopnfresh

C'mon now. I know you don't want the responsibility, but it does have it's priviledges. Not only do you get paid that much more, but when it comes to retirment (if you're in it for the long haul) you're gonna be happy. Hell, even if you only enlisted for the shortest time possible, you could still join the guard or reserve and keep getting those retirment points. Yeah, you have to keep your mouth shut, but suck it up. Or, after your enlistment you could always join the Air Force!

Scapamouche

Take the promotion. When(if) you get out, it looks MUCH better on a Resume to prove leadership experience (ie NONCOM) than to just show technical expertise...

I've seen too many of my guys get out and go nowhere because they didn't have the right history!

BTW, I'm a LT in the Navy... That specialist stuff rings true for PO Second Class in the Navy

Orange Crush

That was exactly what I was gonna say!! LOL

Take the stripes....if you pass them up once ( I did ) you'll regret it and never know when you'll get the oppurtunity again. Being E5 aint all that tough.

P2K

OMG, that was a flashback from hell!!! I felt the same way when I was a Specialist. Now a Sergeant I see things differently. Now it's time to go to the board again and I feel like I'm back at the beginning. Going on 8 yrs active and counting.

Thanks for the laugh!!!

GerardPRO5

I chose to pass up the promotion board to get my stripes...and I even chose to pass up my direct commission (they were going to give me a butterbar because of my education and experience - without going through OCS)...

...and I don't regret it. I loved serving my country, but I also love my weekends and free time and the ability to plan ahead. I support the military all the way and I'll defend the USA in a heartbeat, but my current career and my current benefits far outweigh the benefits I would have received from twenty years in the army.

in my current job, I still hold a military ID and I have GS14 rank!

much respect to those who have the stripes and butterbars...

mrpopnfresh

Hey, do you guys know the difference between GS, WG, WS, WL, WD, and WN ratings? Right now I'm a temporary tech getting WG 11 step 1. I was just wondering what the diff was. Thanks.

GerardPRO5

for Federal Wage System (WS, WG, etc.*):

http://www.cpms.osd.mil/wage/

for GS level:

http://www.opm.gov/oca/03tables/indexGS.asp

dudeondacouch

That's a good one... We have it framed in the finance office here at Ft. Sill. Anyways... time to go back from lunch and face the Oklahoma heat. F*** it, Drive on...

Mxyzptlk

I won the E-5 giveaway!!!

Darin

I've only ever heard of WG, GS, and SES...

For reference:



WG1 = 9.37 /hr
GS1 = 17355/year
ES1 = 116,500/year

WG11 = 18.97/hr
GS11 = 49023/year
ES6 = 134,000/year



Good Material:
http://www.opm.gov/oca/03tables/payplans.asp

Fwiw, I entered active duty as an E2 - made e4 18 months later. Stayed a SPC-then CPL for 3 years prior to making e5. Currently I'm GS11 Army Civilian. Mucho Better pay wise - but I DO miss 'soldiering'...

dudeondacouch

hey blue... nice shot from "office space" another quality film brought to you by mike judge...