ups and downs.
So, it seems that every time I think I'm doing well as a Lieutenant, I do something stupid that makes me feel like I'm screwing it up again.
For example, we just had our certification, which is when some people come and watch you do your job to ensure you know wtf you're doing before you get to Iraq. It's a relatively important step and involved my team being in the field again. This meant we spent the week together, living and working with little sleep. It wasn't so bad and, in fact, I even had a bit of fun. My team worked well together and, while we set a high bar for ourselves, I think we came away feeling better prepared and more confident in our ability as a team to get the mission accomplished.
I came away feeling very good about the team, about my leadership and about how we were working.
Then, today, we had a sports day for PT. Instead of running or doing sit ups and push ups, we played a hybrid of ultimate football and soccer named Gator-ball. It's a lot of fun (we should play next time I'm in Cali everyone). Apparently, one of my soldiers got hit in the nuts and I had no idea. So, when I ran down the field and saw him standing there, not trying or not doing anything, I said, "Hey, Sergeant, why are you pouting and just standing there?" He looked at me like I was an asshole and said, as though it were an excuse, "I'm hurt." and then just stared daggers at me. So, I told him, if he was hurt, to go sit out...snidely. I implied he was making an excuse and being a pansy and, telling him to "sit out" was, in essence, telling him to either man up and play or get off the field and let everyone know he was being a sore sport.
Come to find out, after the game, that he really was hurt and he wasn't just shamming.
Damn.
Now I've gotta apologize and it'll probably take me at least a week to make him think I'm not a complete jack-ass again. Go figure.
For example, we just had our certification, which is when some people come and watch you do your job to ensure you know wtf you're doing before you get to Iraq. It's a relatively important step and involved my team being in the field again. This meant we spent the week together, living and working with little sleep. It wasn't so bad and, in fact, I even had a bit of fun. My team worked well together and, while we set a high bar for ourselves, I think we came away feeling better prepared and more confident in our ability as a team to get the mission accomplished.
I came away feeling very good about the team, about my leadership and about how we were working.
Then, today, we had a sports day for PT. Instead of running or doing sit ups and push ups, we played a hybrid of ultimate football and soccer named Gator-ball. It's a lot of fun (we should play next time I'm in Cali everyone). Apparently, one of my soldiers got hit in the nuts and I had no idea. So, when I ran down the field and saw him standing there, not trying or not doing anything, I said, "Hey, Sergeant, why are you pouting and just standing there?" He looked at me like I was an asshole and said, as though it were an excuse, "I'm hurt." and then just stared daggers at me. So, I told him, if he was hurt, to go sit out...snidely. I implied he was making an excuse and being a pansy and, telling him to "sit out" was, in essence, telling him to either man up and play or get off the field and let everyone know he was being a sore sport.
Come to find out, after the game, that he really was hurt and he wasn't just shamming.
Damn.
Now I've gotta apologize and it'll probably take me at least a week to make him think I'm not a complete jack-ass again. Go figure.
posted by Adam at 6:11 AM
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