Here is my first blog post about my "brag bag" and where I got it - ACU Bags & Wallets by HollyBelle Bags - in that post you will see more of what I got from Holly.
I contacted her a few months ago about getting a purple heart patch and star patch to match my bag. I wanted the star to go along with my "Rockstar" name tape and the heart just b/c I'm lovey =)
Showing posts with label rank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rank. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Who Cares About Rank? I do!
Over the past few days while "creepin'" on Facebook, I have seen talk of rank in the military community, including on my page *AWDIWH*....
A few things made me laugh...one thing that made me laugh was spouses who were so adamant that more wasn't expected of them as their service member gained rank. I'm not referring to the way you dress or act reflecting on your service member, that to me, is common sense. I'm referring to attending certain functions, meetings & ceremonies...and no, I'm not saying you are required to do anything with the FRG. However, if your service member is making a career of the military, being social with him at his required social events will make him look better. Image can go a long way and can positively or negatively affect your service member.
Another thing that made me laugh was someone said something to the effect like "having an attitude is wearing your service members rank"... huh? First, let me state that I have NEVER, in person, come across a spouse who has "wore" their service members rank...I see some on the internet try to act high and mighty, but not in person. Frankly, I don't care if a spouse tries to "wear their service members rank". It doesn't effect me at all. And is it really that big of a deal when a woman wears her husbands rank patch on her ACU purse or diaper bag? Really? That doesn't mean she is walking around saying, "I'm Mrs. CPT MyShitDontStink"... I have an ACU purse that I use as my "Scentsy Brag Bag". Yes, it has my husbands rank on it... but guess what? HE WANTED IT ON THERE lol... So, in short, I really don't care if a spouse wants to act all "I'm better than you" b/c their service member is a specific rank. It doesn't affect me or anything I do... The only way it affects me is if I let it.
The last thing that gave me a little chuckle, while I was reading it via my phone, while having lunch with the hubs today was women saying they didn't care about their husbands rank. Really? I don't understand that. Do I care about YOUR service members rank? No, that has nothing to do with me. However, I do care about MY husbands rank. Why would I not care? Me saying I didn't care about his rank would be like a huge slap in the face to him. He joined FOR US, to get us out of the shit-hole town we lived in. He works his ass off FOR US, his family..he is making a career of the Army FOR US... so, yeah, let me just tell him, "Honey, I don't care about your rank...I don't care about all the time and energy you put into your career to earn that rank... I don't care about you being in charge of keeping guys safe during deployment while bullets are flying at your chest...all that you've done to earn your rank means nothing b/c I don't care about it." That would be a stab in the chest to him. He is proud of his rank and how fast he earned it and I'm proud of him too. Being proud of your service members rank doesn't mean you're flaunting it or bragging. And for those who don't care about their husbands rank, I wonder if they would care if he didn't move up in rank...or if he got knocked down. I bet that would change things.
A few things made me laugh...one thing that made me laugh was spouses who were so adamant that more wasn't expected of them as their service member gained rank. I'm not referring to the way you dress or act reflecting on your service member, that to me, is common sense. I'm referring to attending certain functions, meetings & ceremonies...and no, I'm not saying you are required to do anything with the FRG. However, if your service member is making a career of the military, being social with him at his required social events will make him look better. Image can go a long way and can positively or negatively affect your service member.
Another thing that made me laugh was someone said something to the effect like "having an attitude is wearing your service members rank"... huh? First, let me state that I have NEVER, in person, come across a spouse who has "wore" their service members rank...I see some on the internet try to act high and mighty, but not in person. Frankly, I don't care if a spouse tries to "wear their service members rank". It doesn't effect me at all. And is it really that big of a deal when a woman wears her husbands rank patch on her ACU purse or diaper bag? Really? That doesn't mean she is walking around saying, "I'm Mrs. CPT MyShitDontStink"... I have an ACU purse that I use as my "Scentsy Brag Bag". Yes, it has my husbands rank on it... but guess what? HE WANTED IT ON THERE lol... So, in short, I really don't care if a spouse wants to act all "I'm better than you" b/c their service member is a specific rank. It doesn't affect me or anything I do... The only way it affects me is if I let it.
The last thing that gave me a little chuckle, while I was reading it via my phone, while having lunch with the hubs today was women saying they didn't care about their husbands rank. Really? I don't understand that. Do I care about YOUR service members rank? No, that has nothing to do with me. However, I do care about MY husbands rank. Why would I not care? Me saying I didn't care about his rank would be like a huge slap in the face to him. He joined FOR US, to get us out of the shit-hole town we lived in. He works his ass off FOR US, his family..he is making a career of the Army FOR US... so, yeah, let me just tell him, "Honey, I don't care about your rank...I don't care about all the time and energy you put into your career to earn that rank... I don't care about you being in charge of keeping guys safe during deployment while bullets are flying at your chest...all that you've done to earn your rank means nothing b/c I don't care about it." That would be a stab in the chest to him. He is proud of his rank and how fast he earned it and I'm proud of him too. Being proud of your service members rank doesn't mean you're flaunting it or bragging. And for those who don't care about their husbands rank, I wonder if they would care if he didn't move up in rank...or if he got knocked down. I bet that would change things.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Understanding Rank & Military Hierachy
I notice a lot of spouses I have come across have problems discussing rank because they feel someone is always trying to come off as being better than the other solely because of their service members rank. So, I thought this would be interesting.
Different Ranks
Regardless of the branch of service, you'll always see 2 different types of rank, but each type looks different depending on the branch of service.
1. Officer rank
2. Enlisted rank
The following shows some commonalities that exist with all branches:
E - stands for enlisted. Generally people come in as an E-1, however, based on other discriminating factors (certain academic requirements) troops can get advanced pay grade status up to E-4 when they enlist.((I never knew this, did you?))
W - stands for warrant officer. Warrant officers are trained specialists and are not required to have college degrees (although many of them do) and they outrank all enlisted personnel. Did you know that after warrant officers are promoted to chief warrant officer 2 that they receive a commission from the President? The Air Force has no warrant officers.
O - stands for commissioned officer. Commissioned officers are the highest rank in the military. They hold presidential commissions and their ranks are confirmed by the Senate. ((I didn't know that either!! lol))
There are 2 types of officers:
Line: Line Officers are those in combat and support specialties.
Nonline: Nonline officers are noncombat specialists, such as chaplains, lawyers, doctors and nurses. Nonline officers cannot command combat troops.
Rank does have its place
While military spouses carry no rank (no matter how much some like to think they do), common courtesies, such as the following, should prevail:
- Do not call an older spouse or a more senior spouse by their first name until you are given permission to. (This goes for service members as well.)
- As your servicemember rises in rank, you're also expected to rise to the occasion and help mentor those who are coming up behind you. Whether you choose to accept this charge or not is up to you, as a spouses, you can't be told to do anything.
- After you've been around for awhile, you may look around and find that you have accumulated some young friends who are looking to you as a role model. If they are struggling, they may be looking to you to provide some insights and guidance on how to navigate the military lifestyle.
Privileges of rank
Some privileges of rank are better compensation, bigger houses, and even special parking spots on post/base.
*So that's my break down on the basics of understanding rank for those who don't. I even learned a few things. =)
from: A Family's Guide to the Military, for dummies
(Yes, I love the "for dummies" books...they break things down easy and also have humor in them... I get them at my local library.)
Different Ranks
Regardless of the branch of service, you'll always see 2 different types of rank, but each type looks different depending on the branch of service.
1. Officer rank
2. Enlisted rank
The following shows some commonalities that exist with all branches:
E - stands for enlisted. Generally people come in as an E-1, however, based on other discriminating factors (certain academic requirements) troops can get advanced pay grade status up to E-4 when they enlist.((I never knew this, did you?))
W - stands for warrant officer. Warrant officers are trained specialists and are not required to have college degrees (although many of them do) and they outrank all enlisted personnel. Did you know that after warrant officers are promoted to chief warrant officer 2 that they receive a commission from the President? The Air Force has no warrant officers.
O - stands for commissioned officer. Commissioned officers are the highest rank in the military. They hold presidential commissions and their ranks are confirmed by the Senate. ((I didn't know that either!! lol))
There are 2 types of officers:
Line: Line Officers are those in combat and support specialties.
Nonline: Nonline officers are noncombat specialists, such as chaplains, lawyers, doctors and nurses. Nonline officers cannot command combat troops.
Rank does have its place
While military spouses carry no rank (no matter how much some like to think they do), common courtesies, such as the following, should prevail:
- Do not call an older spouse or a more senior spouse by their first name until you are given permission to. (This goes for service members as well.)
- As your servicemember rises in rank, you're also expected to rise to the occasion and help mentor those who are coming up behind you. Whether you choose to accept this charge or not is up to you, as a spouses, you can't be told to do anything.
- After you've been around for awhile, you may look around and find that you have accumulated some young friends who are looking to you as a role model. If they are struggling, they may be looking to you to provide some insights and guidance on how to navigate the military lifestyle.
Privileges of rank
Some privileges of rank are better compensation, bigger houses, and even special parking spots on post/base.
*So that's my break down on the basics of understanding rank for those who don't. I even learned a few things. =)
from: A Family's Guide to the Military, for dummies
(Yes, I love the "for dummies" books...they break things down easy and also have humor in them... I get them at my local library.)
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