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LATEST POSTS
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Ch Ch Ch Chaplaincy and f f f f faith Thread ? I have seen special arrangements made. Catholic folks over There.... LDS folks over There.... Sensitivity is the watch word, as always. Sabbath sensitive courses on occasion, start Saturday evening, include Monday... -
By desertrat77 · Posted
"No good deed goes unpunished"....wow! -
By desertrat77 · Posted
This is true. The basic training experience is one thing. Out in the "real Air Force" or "real Army", etc., there are opportunities for give/take at the officer and noncommissioned officer levels. However, when the decision is made, one must execute the orders promptly, professionally, without reservation, to the utmost of ones ability. Regardless of personal feelings or obstacles. Caveats: - All military members have an obligation to not obey unlawful orders. "I was only following orders" is not a get-out-of-jail free card. If you know something is morally or legally wrong, you must have the courage to say "no sir/no ma'am" regardless of the immediate consequences. - Much gray area in military operations. It's nothing like the movies. If it's not obviously wrong, it's best to execute the orders and then question afterwards. Much more leeway is granted for discussion in this scenario. Example: quibbling over timing and technique. Just get the job done and talk about it later. - There is a time and a place for everything. Immediate action may be required. Order received, order understood, execute. - Knowledge of professional and personal subtleties is vital. There are many times when questioning is inappropriate or not welcome. The tone and demeanor used makes a huge difference. As you know, much of this is true in the civilian community as well. It requires courage and humility. Unfortunately, many young people have no sense of decorum or decision making ability because they haven't been taught. Factor in society's negative attitude towards these qualities, and it's even more of a challenge. I taught school after I retired from the military. Interesting days. -
By Eagle94-A1 · Posted
There are a lot of variables in the openess issue IMHO. Sometimes the pro's know the issue will be contentious and they don't want to deal with it until they absolutely have too. I put the Philmont mortgage in that category. Selling a council camp would be another. While a volunteer council committee is suppose to approve these decisions, in reality most committees are "yes men" Another reason for lack of openess is to prevent people from finding out how screwed up things really are. And sometimes that lack of openess applies to the DEs. When I interviewed and looked at information at my job interview and first planning conference, a lot of things that another council did when I interviewed with them didn't happen. It was several months into the job that I found out the full extent of how screwed up the council was. Sometimes the lack of openess is because the professional does not have the capability to change things directly. They work behind the scenes to correct matters to the extent possible so that those parts of the movement that are working, that are making a difference, do not get damaged by the revelation of issues. Sometimes the lack of openess is the result of prior experience. I know one SE who as a DFS with 2 FDs and 12 DEsunder him that encountered a problem, revealed it, and fixed it. His reward: "promotion" to SE of a council of 1 FD and 4 DEs. -
@David CO, the scenario you describe with your teachers is precisely the one we are preparing our scouts for in case they are the first to respond to an emergency. In your teachers' case, students are attempting to use their "rank" as a civilian or fellow citizen to justify their petulance. It's a different side of the same coin. 'Skip's scenario is being practiced by 14 year-olds. However, they might not encounter an actual scene for years, and they are adults in 4 years (well, in the UK, I think that's the case ... the US has these bizarre stages of arrested development: 18 for cigarrettes, 20 for alcohol, 26 for no longer being on parents' insurance). So, the issue is not really "facing down unqualified adults" when you are just a kid ... it is facing down peers when you know what's right. I.e., Be prepared ... for life.
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