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The perception, right or wrong, is that someone who has served multiple enlistments/done several years (thus, the E-6) has most likely had the opportunity to deploy and actively worked to NOT deploy. That stigma doesn't usually exist for someone who's in their first or even second enlistment; sometimes the patch chart just didn't work out.
There are always exceptions to this rule. But in the last 10-15 years, if you have been in the Army for some good portion of those years and have gone NOWHERE near a single deployment (deployment loosely meaning anywhere in the CENTCOM theater-including Kuwait), you are in a very, very small percentage of the population.
I certainly give a moral salute to anyone who's been deployed to a hostile fire zone, but somebody's got to be stationed in Germany, and "there ain't no shame in that."
I certainly give a moral salute to anyone who's been deployed to a hostile fire zone, but somebody's got to be stationed in Germany, and "there ain't no shame in that."
The perception, right or wrong, is that someone who has served multiple enlistments/done several years (thus, the E-6) has most likely had the opportunity to deploy and actively worked to NOT deploy. That stigma doesn't usually exist for someone who's in their first or even second enlistment; sometimes the patch chart just didn't work out.
There are always exceptions to this rule. But in the last 10-15 years, if you have been in the Army for some good portion of those years and have gone NOWHERE near a single deployment (deployment loosely meaning anywhere in the CENTCOM theater-including Kuwait), you are in a very, very small percentage of the population.
Yep, that's the view of a lot of active duty guys. If they see you're a 1SG, SGM or FGO and you're not wearing a patch on your right sleeve, they think you're a deployment dodger. I've known guys like that. They just want to hang out on TRADOC or Korea.
Considering that we've been at war for the past 14 years and not to mention places such as Kuwait, Horn of Africa, etc. are considered deployments, though not combat deployments, it's rare to see guys (outside of the medical and religious services) who haven't deployed.
I know a guy who said he wanted to go to Korea so he could stay there for a few years and come back to ETS, said he didn't want to deploy.
Some guys get easy deployments, they go to Kuwait and do logistics. Other guys get all the crappy deployments. But chances are if you want to deploy, branch can typically make that happen by sending you to a unit that will deploy.
Some deployments are senior leader heavy such as the SFAT missions.
In my field, Air Force Weather, deployments rarely happened until you got to E-5 or at least waiting to put on E-5. Tech school was at least 8 months long then you were shipped off to one of a few bases available and then went into 3-5 months of additional training. Once it was determined that you were good enough on the job, usually between 2-3 years, then you were sent down to Biloxi for another 3 months. After that, if you were Army support(I was), you were shipped off to SERE school and to an Army base for combat training(went to Ft. Lewis). Learned the Army version of first aid(a thousand times better than Air Force's SABC), humvee training, did a bunch of convoys and patrols, shot tons of times(favorite gun during training was the M249). After all that training, I waited an additional year to deploy. Air Force Weather doesn't deploy as any given unit. Air Force just get what units are deploying and then matches the unit with a few weather guys who are deployment ready. Army support takes longer to be trained up for but was well worth it for me. I finally deployed after four years and I had to volunteer to deploy so early(early in the weather field). Got to go to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne as one of their weather guys. It was a blast and I was awarded my Screamin' Eagle patch and an ARCOM for my role in a few missions that saved a few lives.
I don't discredit anybody's service. I chose my route in the service and volunteered to go through a training fast track and deploy as soon as possible, people in my field thought I was crazy. I really depends on what job they get going in and of course there is the luck factor for some people. Majority of the weather personnel do four years and get out and never see a deployment with how long training is, so I can see why some people never go on a deployment and get out. If someone actively tries to keep away from deployment, that's their choice. Just like the other post, somebody's got to be stationed in Germany. You sign up, you do your time, if you can steer your path in the service...by all mean do it, I did. Don't care if it is to not deploy, you still signed up just like me.
Getting out of deployments wont last long, it will catch up and eventually everybody deploys at sometime in their career.
To me, it's the character of your service that matters.
I know some people won't agree with me but you can't please everybody.
Yep, that's the view of a lot of active duty guys. If they see you're a 1SG, SGM or FGO and you're not wearing a patch on your right sleeve, they think you're a deployment dodger. I've known guys like that. They just want to hang out on TRADOC or Korea.
Considering that we've been at war for the past 14 years and not to mention places such as Kuwait, Horn of Africa, etc. are considered deployments, though not combat deployments, it's rare to see guys (outside of the medical and religious services) who haven't deployed.
I know a guy who said he wanted to go to Korea so he could stay there for a few years and come back to ETS, said he didn't want to deploy.
Some guys get easy deployments, they go to Kuwait and do logistics. Other guys get all the crappy deployments. But chances are if you want to deploy, branch can typically make that happen by sending you to a unit that will deploy.
Some deployments are senior leader heavy such as the SFAT missions.
One of my deployments I *asked* for Afghanistan and was told all they could give me was Kuwait (small branch). Went to Kuwait and spent about half the time in...Afghanistan (not the sucky kind of place, either, Bagram and Kandahar).
One of my deployments I *asked* for Afghanistan and was told all they could give me was Kuwait (small branch). Went to Kuwait and spent about half the time in...Afghanistan (not the sucky kind of place, either, Bagram and Kandahar).
Well, these things happen in the military.
My parents were flying home from Thailand to Clark AFB but all was available on Space A was a flight going into Hong Kong. So they took that, figuring they would find another flight to Clark. On the way to Hong Kong, the plane developed engine trouble and had to divert to Clark.
Or the time I had to get to the east coast out of Texas, all was available was a Medevac to St. Louis with another flight in the morning out of there. Got back from checking my 1911 into the base armory for the night, they told me if I could hurry and get my gun back out of the armory, a special Medevac just came up that was flying back to San Antonio to then stop at Dover before going overseas (with a burn team for Ramstein).
Sometimes in the military, you get exactly what you wanted, either directly or indirectly........though it is probably not as your pictured it. I asked for an intel/counterintel job in the Washington Naval District, picturing being an analyst in the Pentagon......they gave me a Navy Police Department around the region.
For those of you that have served or are currently serving I'd like your opinion on the following: Does not having ever deployed to a combat zone somehow "lesson" the quality of one's service? Do you look at those that have never deployed the same as you would someone that's done one or multiple deployments to a hostile fire area?
It is different since we have been at war for almost 15 years as opposed to being 10 years after the war when I served. The Army specifically with their I was there patch on the right shoulder for all to see gives an immediate level of respect that the soldier did not cut and run when called upon. Meanwhile the rest of us while volunteered and trained have not faced that ultimate moment.
My parents were flying home from Thailand to Clark AFB but all was available on Space A was a flight going into Hong Kong. So they took that, figuring they would find another flight to Clark. On the way to Hong Kong, the plane developed engine trouble and had to divert to Clark.
Or the time I had to get to the east coast out of Texas, all was available was a Medevac to St. Louis with another flight in the morning out of there. Got back from checking my 1911 into the base armory for the night, they told me if I could hurry and get my gun back out of the armory, a special Medevac just came up that was flying back to San Antonio to then stop at Dover before going overseas (with a burn team for Ramstein).
Sometimes in the military, you get exactly what you wanted, either directly or indirectly........though it is probably not as your pictured it. I asked for an intel/counterintel job in the Washington Naval District, picturing being an analyst in the Pentagon......they gave me a Navy Police Department around the region.
Be careful what you wish for!
Robert Heinlein described the "Fairy Godmother" department in the Pentagon as staffed by a single aged GS-5 who spent most of her time sleeping, but occasionally awoke and tapped someone's record with her magic wand.
Four years goes by quick, you could get to a unit while they are deployed and they don't bother flying you out, and then that units number doesn't get called again until you are 30 days out from separation. You didn't dodge a deployment there, you just got [un]lucky.
Or maybe you were in a careerfield that delpoys personnel on an individual basis and your number never came up, also a lucky roll of the dice.
But more often than not if you're cresting the six year point (just about the fastest time to make E6) and haven't deployed the perception is that you're either avoiding deployment, or are not fit to deploy, and both are equally bad in the eyes of peers.
+1
I've had the displeasure of meeting people like the E-7 cadre member at Fort Gordon when I went through there re-classing. The guy had been hiding out in the cushiest job I've ever seen anywhere in the military for as long as it took one of our classroom instructors to go from AIT to making E-6 and coming back as an instructor. And no, this E-7 wasn't an instructor, he was cadre for one of the companies they put re-classing people in; basically he was a glorified orderly room guy. Funny thing is, he had deployed at least once.
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