Great Units

[NJ Devil Dog]

Hi all,

Throughout NIFE and Primary we've heard stories about great squadrons and awful ones. To all you old salts with stories to share about the good/bad squadrons you have passed through, specifically what made them so good or bad, I'd appreciate your input. There's always the unofficial labels that go with each community, like the HMLA's being rough, but I've met a fair few IP's from the HMLA's who were excellent and have more positive than negative things to say about their time with their squadrons.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Brett327]

Hi all,

Throughout NIFE and Primary we've heard stories about great squadrons and awful ones. To all you old salts with stories to share about the good/bad squadrons you have passed through, specifically what made them so good or bad, I'd appreciate your input. There's always the unofficial labels that go with each community, like the HMLA's being rough, but I've met a fair few IP's from the HMLA's who were excellent and have more positive than negative things to say about their time with their squadrons.

Thanks for sharing

Everything is a sine wave. Some squadrons have reputations, personalities, etc. Sometimes those endure, sometimes it’s a transient quality. I’ve been in great squadrons, and just average ones. It’s all a wash in the long run. Your goal, regardless of what kind of squadron you may find yourself in, is to be excellent at the three pillars (flying, ground job, leadership) and do everything you can to move the ball forward.

If you’re in a great squadron, maintaining that over time takes a lot of effort. If you’re in an average squadron, moving toward greatness is your goal. You probably won’t truly grasp what kind of squadron you’re actually in until you’ve done a deployment. That’s where you get an opportunity to shine, and where all the rough edges come out. I’ve learned way more about this business by watching people fail, and when things really break down, than I have by watching people at the top of their game.

All of it is good, in hindsight.

 

[JTS11]

Hi all,

Throughout NIFE and Primary we've heard stories about great squadrons and awful ones. To all you old salts with stories to share about the good/bad squadrons you have passed through, specifically what made them so good or bad, I'd appreciate your input. There's always the unofficial labels that go with each community, like the HMLA's being rough, but I've met a fair few IP's from the HMLA's who were excellent and have more positive than negative things to say about their time with their squadrons.

Thanks for sharing

I'll endorse @Brett327 's comments, and add that I was in several 53 squadrons, and did a few MEU deployments with a composite squadron. For the most part, the JO ready rooms were tight. The only time I've seen it derailed was with senior O-3 WTI types not being good mentors, and being perceived as more company men. That was rare in my experience. The only other experience I had with a failing squadron was with a toxic CO that had alienated the entire ready room (JO's and O-4s), but that definitely was the exception, not the rule. It was a Captain Queeg situation.

The good thing about MEU dets was the cross pollination with other TMS units. You tend to learn things that you can integrate into your own community. From my observations, the good and bad were fairly evenly distributed across the TMS's.

As a first tour JO, try to excel at those 3 pillars Brett spoke of, and roll from there.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Your goal, regardless of what kind of squadron you may find yourself in, is to be excellent at the three pillars (flying, ground job, leadership bar act) and do everything you can to move the ball forward.

FTFY Brett. I'm really confused now, are we expecting people to lead before they pee in the skipper's shoe in a bar in Turkey? What sort of program are we running here sir?

As a consolation, I wholly support priorities #1 and #2 Bar act is just a tie breaker for those who "can't" professionally, but we all want to keep around. Lord knows there are many in *checks notes* our(?) community

 

[JTS11]

FTFY Brett. I'm really confused now, are we expecting people to lead before they pee in the skipper's shoe in a bar in Turkey? What sort of program are we running here sir?

I took leadership as a JO to mean bar act, and maybe telling the few sailors/Marines under your purview to not do stupid shit on the next upcoming weekend. 😆

 

[MIDNJAC]

I took leadership as a JO to mean bar act, and maybe telling the few sailors/Marines under your purview to not do stupid shit on the next upcoming weekend. 😆

One time, they all asked me for a "bike riding chit" in Greece. If anything bad happened, I never knew about it. I signed that shit as fast as an ASM signoff (that's the online version of signing paper quals for your sailors). It was the AT shop, so I figured they were nerdy enough to not make a bike chit (whatever the hell that even is) into a porno that id regrat

 

[JTS11]

One time, they all asked me for a "bike riding chit" in Greece. If anything bad happened, I never knew about it. I signed that shit as fast as an ASM signoff (that's the online version of signing paper quals for your sailors). It was the AT shop, so I figured they were nerdy enough to not make a bike chit (whatever the hell that even is) into a porno that id regrat

ASM...<shudders>

 

[Hair Warrior]

Check out podcasts/documentaries on the HAL-3 Seawolves.

 

[Gatordev]

It was the AT shop, so I figured they were nerdy enough to not make a bike chit (whatever the hell that even is) into a porno

Are you not familiar with ATs? They're the tentacle people!

There was an AT on my first deployment that always managed to have a pretty entertaining, and inappropriate, story after a liberty call. He usually had a witness, so the stories were that much more entertaining because there was shot validation.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Squadron atmosphere depends a lot on the front office. I’ve seen the attitude of a squadron change literally overnight with a change of command - for good, bad, and indifferent.

 

[kejo]

Clicked on this thread for the first time today. Expected something else…

 

[Flash]

Clicked on this thread for the first time today. Expected something else…

Fine, if you insist...

And his greatest pitch: