OT Seriously Inpired......

[.45cultist]

I've heard the stories about making property books and inventory line up before change of command. Her's the device- An anonymous bean counter crated "amnesty depots", a hanger or warehouse for excess defense articles, no questions asked, no record of who drops what off. For several months prior to society's death throes these depots, along with what was in DRMO, equip state militia or late war military formations with some ammunition and supplies.

[Ancestor]

I think you are on to something with property book hijinks, although not using amnesty as the vehicle. Assuming that we are at the point in the war that the state NG is 70-95% federalized, mobilized, and deployed out of state or OCNUS (there's always going to be a state level C2 and rear det left in the state), I offer the following scenario.

Say, for example, you have LTC Smith. LTC Smith is a "broke dick" or less than competent officer, so the state sticks him in Logistics so he can get his 20 years AGR and retire while the A Team goes overseas to kick Ivan's ass. LTC Smith lives in a smaller town, commutes 1 hour a day to State JFHQ, and has lots of good old boys as friends. He also stops by frequently to bother CPT Brown, the recently mobilized citified JAG who is busy working with MAJ Jones in the G3 shop to implement the old man's vision of a state guard as recently authorized by the legislature. MAJ Jones gets the job b/c #1 he's ruthlessly competent and #2 no one else in the state wanted to take him on deployment due to his personality issues. LTC Smith starts to see that the state guard is going to become a reality so he starts taking MAJ Jones out for beers every Friday. Turns out Smith and Jones are both from "Holcomb" County (albeit several years apart in school) and have several family members, distant cousins, and hunting buddies in common.

LTC Smith has access to not only the state property book but also the ammo, equipment, and sustainment that big Army is throwing at the state, while MAJ Jones has access to the $$$ (the G3 actual is too busy with mobilizations and planning for the expected nuclear attack to mess with money) and knows how to create "derivitive UICs" to serve as holding units for said materiel and money. Big Army and NGB have bigger fish to fry as they are throwing everything they can at the states to ensure readiness for the nukes so oversight is minimal. As the nukes start to fall, Smith and Jones offer CPT Brown (former big city attorney) refuge for his family AND a Command in the Holcomb County State Guard Regiment so long as he works with them to keep it all "legal". Smith and Jones then start working with their retired former NCO's who live in Holcomb County to store the materiel at the local armory while Brown works with state leadership to ensure that currently serving AGR's are granted legal authority to serve as officers/NCOs/Cadre in the nascent State Guard (guaranteeing the Adjutant General political control over the new military force).

Suddenly, come the Thanksgiving Day massacre, Holcomb County has the largest cache of military small arms, ammo, crew served weapons, tentage, fuel, bottled water, and MRE's in the eastern part of the state (not to mention 5 up-armored HUMVEEs and 3 M2s). As the state civilian government collapses, the Holcomb Bobcat (yes, named after the county high school sports mascot) Regiment of the State Militia is granted legal authority by the Adjutant General to ensure public order and enforce state law, both within Holcomb County as directed by the County Emergency Manager, and outside of the county boundaries as lawfully deemed necessary by her honor, the Governor.

Is that the type of thing you were looking at?

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by Ancestor

Say, for example, you have LTC Smith. LTC Smith is a "broke dick" or less than competent officer,

"Broke dick" as I remember is about physical readiness not skill competence.

A joe with a broken leg is going to be in a cast for 8 - 12 weeks plus double or triple that for physical therapy. So you have a "broke dick" on your roster that is loaned out as a desk anchor until they are 100% returned to duty. You don't get a physically healthy replacement during that time. Some units consolidate all of them into one platoon, or assign them to the HQ under a SSG (p) waiting to pin on SFC.

[Ancestor]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

"Broke dick" as I remember is about physical readiness not skill competence.

A joe with a broken leg is going to be in a cast for 8 - 12 weeks plus double or triple that for physical therapy. So you have a "broke dick" on your roster that is loaned out as a desk anchor until they are 100% returned to duty. You don't get a physically healthy replacement during that time. Some units consolidate all of them into one platoon, or assign them to the HQ under a SSG (p) waiting to pin on SFC.

I've also seen the term used for someone who is physically nondeployable due to a permanent profile or disability. Which, by regulation and in theory should lead to a separation board or medical retirement. However, my experience during the heavy mobilizations of the Guard from 2004-2010 was that if these were senior officers or NCO's nearing 20 years active service and who were politically connected they would find themselves set up in support billets to ride out their time until retirement (sometimes several years).

[ArmySGT.]

Originally Posted by Ancestor

I've also seen the term used for someone who is physically nondeployable due to a permanent profile or disability. Which, by regulation and in theory should lead to a separation board or medical retirement.

Which I agree with. However, those people are retained for their competence and skill sets. I too, have seen some people linger on active duty, because someone felt sorry for them. All the same those guys and gals were farmed to S3 and S4. Incompetence doesn't last on active duty or AGR because the incompetents make their boss look bad.

Originally Posted by Ancestor

However, my experience during the heavy mobilizations of the Guard from 2004-2010 was that if these were senior officers or NCO's nearing 20 years active service and who were politically connected they would find themselves set up in support billets to ride out their time until retirement (sometimes several years).

I think the most glaring and disgusting case of this I can think of; have direct experience also is the HQ platoon sgt my company deployed with in 2003.

Yep, opening phases of Iraqi Freedom. So a First Sergeant gets a DUI at 19 years and 2 months..... So the Battalion Commander strips him of 1SG but, not grade or pay. Transfers him to my Company (E5(p) myself) to deploy as the HQ plt sgt, and E7 job. The E7 is made the "Assistant" and rightfully angry. So he was allowed to finish 20 with a combat deployment (TOC making coffee) to erase the stain of his DUI. Now, I can say he was competent, and HQ plt certainly ran straight and true or else he would have been on the street with a general discharge and no retirement.

Bottom line, incompetence festers in peace when everyone is forging papers. Once things go hot nothing keeps an incompetent out of the spotlight for any serious length of time.

Now, criminals on the other hand last, and last, and last. So for your story, just make this light colonel a guy who grew up greasing the wheels with money, unaccounted for leave, awards and promotions, money from the discretionary allowances, etc. Those exist all the time, especially in support MOS units. Logistics, JAG, contracting get their hands caught in the cookie jars for hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

Just see that he is the civil to military liason for the transfer of surplus DoD equipment to other State and Federal agencies. With a few NCOs and his JAG friends there is plenty of room for things to fall off the property books.

[unkated]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

Now, criminals on the other hand last, and last, and last. So for your story, just make this light colonel a guy who grew up greasing the wheels with money, unaccounted for leave, awards and promotions, money from the discretionary allowances, etc. Those exist all the time, especially in support MOS units. Logistics, JAG, contracting get their hands caught in the cookie jars for hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

Just see that he is the civil to military liason for the transfer of surplus DoD equipment to other State and Federal agencies. With a few NCOs and his JAG friends there is plenty of room for things to fall off the property books.

Picture an officer version of Don Rickles' character Sgt Crapgame in Kelley's Heroes.

[Ancestor]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

Now, criminals on the other hand last, and last, and last. So for your story, just make this light colonel a guy who grew up greasing the wheels with money, unaccounted for leave, awards and promotions, money from the discretionary allowances, etc. Those exist all the time, especially in support MOS units. Logistics, JAG, contracting get their hands caught in the cookie jars for hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

Just see that he is the civil to military liason for the transfer of surplus DoD equipment to other State and Federal agencies. With a few NCOs and his JAG friends there is plenty of room for things to fall off the property books.

This X1000! Well said! I might use your quote "Now, criminals on the other hand last, and last, and last" if I ever have to go back to the JAG world. My worst cases as a recorder in separation boards were the E4/E5/E6 who screwed up once. Hell, if it was a DUI or a positive drug test I'd almost always recommend retention with piss tests.

Conversely, I took great joy in trying to remove a senior NCO or Officer from the service as most of them fit your description to a T by the time they actually got caught!

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by ArmySGT.

"Broke dick" as I remember is about physical readiness not skill competence.

A joe with a broken leg is going to be in a cast for 8 - 12 weeks plus double or triple that for physical therapy. So you have a "broke dick" on your roster that is loaned out as a desk anchor until they are 100% returned to duty. You don't get a physically healthy replacement during that time. Some units consolidate all of them into one platoon, or assign them to the HQ under a SSG (p) waiting to pin on SFC.

I'm using research, a handful of books myself. I know flights, squadrons, groups, wings. Anything smaller than a flight is an element..... But the source for this was a book for aspiring battalion commanders. The books not matching is a big No-No, a lot of valuable stuff is destroyed, buried, or mishandled.

[Ancestor]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

I'm using research, a handful of books myself. I know flights, squadrons, groups, wings. Anything smaller than a flight is an element..... But the source for this was a book for aspiring battalion commanders. The books not matching is a big No-No, a lot of valuable stuff is destroyed, buried, or mishandled.

Your research is correct. Property books are a huge deal for Commanders, no matter what the level, b/c the Commander is personally responsible for EVERY PIECE of property on that book. I'm currently signed for several million dollars of property, even though I probably see about 1/1000th of that on a daily basis. Good thing I have a bunch of awesome E7s and the best LOG NCO in my state's NG!

[.45cultist]

Slightly OT, the current research books are- A Rifleman Went To War, Men against Tanks, John F. Antal's Infantry Combat, the 1980's and 1990's Manual of Common Tasks skill level 1-4, 1980's Combat Skills of the Soldier. I enjoy collecting these as well. BTW, the Unit's librarian cleaning out old manuals can be added to the gear pile.