What is the best advice you have ever been given regarding your career in the military?

It can be anything....relationships, education, deployments, etcWhat is the best advice you have ever been given regarding your career in the military?
My Command Sergeant Major taking to the side and saying to me ( a young E-6) ';You are going to be my replacement someday. Get enrolled in every school you can take and complete your civilian education';. Well I didn't replace him but I made it to Sergeant Major by doing exactly what he said.


By the time I took over my own CSM slot some ten years later I was highly trained in the Army Education System and had two college degrees.


I did not stop there. When I retired I went back to school and got my MBA and even more certification. I now have a second career in Government and have a great future.What is the best advice you have ever been given regarding your career in the military?
My Dad told me to listen to what the DI told me, but to let it go in one ear and out the other. In other words, don't take the BS to heart, but listen to what they have to say because it may save your life one day.


But what would have been nice to know was that the phrase ';You owe me!'; had nothing to do with money. That's right, I was the geek who reached for his wallet when the DI said that to me. Only to find out that that just increased the number of push ups I was about to do. Even if I did hear the rotten SOB laughing as I walked away later.
Before leaving for USMC boot camp, a mentor told me to remember that out of every 1000 people I meet, 999 of them will be complete and total *ssholes. I don't know how this applied to my training, but it sure explained a good deal.
1. Whatever task you are given, do it with a smile.


2. Always keep an ';in'; with the ';outs'; (your subordinates). Take care of them and they will take care of you.


3. Never get caught between the dog and the lamp post.
Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there. Do what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it!





Everything else will take care of itself.
My uncle was in the Air Force. Recently retired. He tried to convince be to join. Since he has been in the air force, he has been able to provide for his family better than any one else in my family. They have basically traveled the world, be evey place you can imagine. They are able to afford a big beautiful house because the air force have really taken care of him and his family. He has been able to provide his family with whatever they need, money has never been an issue. He has a college degree that is also fully paid for, he doesnt have to worry about loans of any kind. He is in his 50's and is living the life he always hoped he would, all because of his service. He wouldnt trade it for anything.
The best advice I was given was pay close attention to your leaders. Someday you will be in a leadership position so look at your current leaders, and take leadership traits from them you like, and discard those you do not.
Take one outstanding leadership trait from all the leaders in your life and apply them to your own leadership style....you'll never lose.





Semper Fi
USMC was not an experience or an adventure, it was life changing! It changed my very view on relationships, life, people in general...everything. I would never ever regret or forsake my time in the Marines......great years! I like to think I answered the ';Calling'; and i'm glad I did!


Force Recon, Semper Fi!
I will never forget when my Senior Drill Instructor told us ';I'm not just trying to mold you into good Marines, I'm trying to mold you into excellent human beings.';





Semper Fi!!!


Dillion
my platoon sergeant in basic told me..





'; you have the potential to make a great soldier just remember that there will always be f*ckers pissing you off, thats the nature of what we do.. just know your sh*t and let them talk theirs..when it comes down to battle the guy who KNOWS will always be better than the guy who TALKS.';
Go SF (Special Forces)
I believe it was the Marine Gunnery Sargent who told me to dig your hole as deep as you can, keep your head down and kill the enemy before he kills you.
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Hand Grenade is no longer your friend.





If the enemy is in range of your guns, you are in the range of theirs.





Incoming fire has the right of way.





Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammunition.