I have to post this because I am so pissed off right now.

It iwll be a long post but plz read all of it

Ever so often I take a few of my soldiers and some test equipment from Camp Liberty to LSA Anaconda for TMDE. We always fly blackhawks so it is nice and easy.

The night before pur mission, my CW2 tells us that we will be flying from the PAX terminals at BAIP to Tagi then to Balad. He told me that the flight to Tagi would leave at 0945 and the flight to Balad would leave at 1645. He told me that there were no mission numbers.

Right there I knew something was wrong. Even though I have only flew on helicopters a few times, I know that there is always a mission number.  My cheif told me to call in the afternoon to get the info for the return flight.

We left Liberty at 0730 and we got the PAX terminal at 0810. God thing we got there early because there was no 0945 flight to Tagi, only one at 0830 and we were not manifested for that flight . We are always manifested for flights. Anyways, we got to Tagi and when we got there I checked with an E-6 on the pad to see if he could tell me my mission number to Balad. He told me that my soldiers and I were not manifested on any of his lists but we could try another BN since there are two blackhawk aviation BN at Tagi. The SSG told me to ask for a 2-1 rep at their BDE headquaters.

I walked over the BDE headquaters and asked the 2-1 rep if we were manifested. He said no.
I called my cheif to tell him that we were not manifested and that I didnt know what flight to take to Balad. When I talked to him told me just to sit there till 1645 (it was 1013 at this time) and get on the bird that lands at that time. I said OK but I thought WTF, we had equipment with us and we were stuck on a helipad in 120 degree heat. I know there is a mission number and I am going to get it.

An E-5 walked out to me and told me to try Corps Air so I did. I must have called 10 times but no one answered. The E-5 walked back to see why no one was answering but a minute later a SGM came out and asked me what was going on.

Since I had no idea what was going on and I have no info on my flights, I told here that I ws sent over here with no information on my flights, my BN told me there were no mission numbers (BN set up the flight) and that I have no idea how I am supposed to check if I am manifested for a flight. The SGM called me unit, talked to my CO for a sec, then got the number for my BN S-3. She called S-3 and talked to someone initially that had no idea what was going on cause I heard her say " no wonder this NSO doesnt know what is doing here, you dont have any idea either". The SGM went on to bitch out my BN S-3 for setting me up to fail. When she was done she told me that BN should call back with you info shorty and that there is ALWAYS a mission number.

Lo and behold, about 15 minutes later I got a call from my BN with all the info I should have recieved earlier. I got on the bird and we all got to Balad at 1700. I tried to call my chirf and my orderly room but both phones were busy for the 30 mintues I tried to call.

Since I still didnt have a return flight, I tried to get one there. Catfish Air told me that they couldnt manifest us since they started to manifest people at 8am. I had to wait till 8am the next day to get a flight. I got a flight for 9am the following day. I didnt see any problem in waiting an extra day for a direct flight since we all had housing, food, showers, MWR, and all the other shit.

I tried to call my chief but the phone was down at the PAX terminal. I wanted to eat some breakfast so I decided to come back at lunch and try to contact my chief.

I was sitting in my bunk when one of my soldiers came up and told me that our flight left in 30 minutes. WTF? I didnt understand ( that soldiers was with her old unit that was deplyed to Balad. My chief called her to give here the flight info).

We all made the flight but when we got back to our camp, I got my ass chewed and I got written up by my CW2. I was written up for disobeying a direct order (not calling him after we got to Tagi and Balad) and he biteched me out because when that SGM called to bitch out our BN S-3 for fucking me and my soldiers over, my BN CMDR wanted to see my CO and my CW2 at s-3. The MSG at S-3 even admitted fucking up but I still got introuble.

My CW2 told me that I shouldnt have told that SGM what was going on caus she didnt need to know.




My being an E-5, when a SGM askes me a Q, I will give them the full answer (esp when someone needs to get bitched out by a SGM)


No one was hurt, we all were fed, we all showered, and we got all of our wuipemnt to TMDE and even picked up some.

I dont see what I did wrong. The people that got either ass chewed deserved it.
Since I am oblivious to the fact, please enlighten me as to what I did wrong so I can comprehend the actions of my CW2.

PS if this doenst make sense, let me know and I will rewrite it, I am just kinda pissed right now.

Disclaimer:  I am only a lowly DEPer.  

I have not been there.  I haven't done that.

That said - politics?  Ass covering?

Everyone has a boss.

Hey SGT,
When you say "written up" Im ASSuming you mean a simple 4856 and no UCMJ or LOR. If thats the case I wouldnt worry about it, especially in your current assignment. You have bigger fish to fry.

I got my first negitive counseling when I was en E-5. That thing bothered me for months. A new PSG came in and threw it in the round filing cabinet. Ive gotten a couple more now as an E-6 for admin type shit. But in the grand scheme of things they dont amount to anything as long as your doing your job to the best of your ability, and it sounds like you are.

I wouldnt sweat it. Stay safe and keep your Soldiers safe. Thanks for your sevice.

Quoted: Hey SGT, When you say "written up" Im ASSuming you mean a simple 4856 and no UCMJ or LOR. If thats the case I wouldnt worry about it, especially in your current assignment. You have bigger fish to fry. I got my first negitive counseling when I was en E-5. That thing bothered me for months. A new PSG came in and threw it in the round filing cabinet. Ive gotten a couple more now as an E-6 for admin type shit. But in the grand scheme of things they dont amount to anything as long as your doing your job to the best of your ability, and it sounds like you are. I wouldnt sweat it. Stay safe and keep your Soldiers safe. Thanks for your sevice.

I have gotten 5 negative counseling in this unit of mine and I have only been in it for 4 months (3 of them here in Iraq)
I neve had any problem in any of my other units until I got to this one. I know that 4856 dont mean shiot unless there there is a pattern but I still get pissed when I get one when I think that I dont deserve it.

c'mon, you're a sgt and you don't know what you did wrong? you didn't stfu and sit there on the tarmac until 1645 in 120 deg heat! you called around and tried to find out wtf was going on and ended up getting others (higher up others!!!) involved and skylining their stupidity for others to see and point at and laugh at!

it sounds like someone stepped up and took the deserved hit but you know what rolls downhill and who's at the bottom of the hill. someone has to pay. hopefully, they learned and it won't happen again.

disobeying an order...lol....that's a joke.

If you guys ever get stuck at the PAX terminal, let me know. I'm at Sather (that's the little AF place where PAX is located) . THere's no DFAC at SATHER, but i can hook ya guys up if you've got time to kill and need food or need to check email and whatnot. I cna give you a DSN number via Im if you'd like it.

Ahh, Catfish Air.

I would guess that 90% of the available flights in theater nobody at thos terminals seems to know about - if you are on the tarmac and they have space, you hop in.  I thought is sucked when we were at Striker - but at least we at BIAP to leave from.  It has only gotten worse.

I was stuck in Mosul for a while, ended up hopping on a ground convoy from the Corps Support Group guys.

Anyway, I don't know what the deal is with 5 negative counselings in 4 months - I don't know you.

Rest assured though that my O-3 ass still gets his share.  I think it's a sign of doing your job right when you manage to piss people off so much - but I'll admit much of the Army doesn;t share my views .

Quoted: Ahh, Catfish Air. I would guess that 90% of the available flights in theater nobody at thos terminals seems to know about - if you are on the tarmac and they have space, you hop in.  I thought is sucked when we were at Striker - but at least we at BIAP to leave from.  It has only gotten worse. I was stuck in Mosul for a while, ended up hopping on a ground convoy from the Corps Support Group guys. Anyway, I don't know what the deal is with 5 negative counselings in 4 months - I don't know you. Rest assured though that my O-3 ass still gets his share.  I think it's a sign of doing your job right when you manage to piss people off so much - but I'll admit much of the Army doesn;t share my views .

For some reason, my thoughts dont aline themselves with the US Army
I couldnt see what I did wrong since I had to do something in order to try to get my soldiers out of that damn tarmac bunker. I couldnt take a catfish flight because my cheif had told me that there were no other flights from Taji to Balad that day and there were not. When I talked to that SGM, she said that I never should have came there. I agreed. I flew of of a PAX termanil in BAIP and went ot Taji to sit in the heat all day to get a flight in the evening.

All the other times I wen to Balad, I flew from Griffen Helipad on Victory right thru to Bald, non stop.