Question for Military Folks..

[StantonHyde]

An acquaintence of mine from high school and I connected on Facebook. He is in the military and had posted some pix of himself at a military dinner. DS was very impressed with all the medals, so I wrote the guy and told him a 6 year old thought he was great :)

He was very kind and sent DS 2 Commander's Coins for Excellence. I want to write a thank you note (with DS helping) but I am not sure how to address the envelope and I have some other questions too.

1. He signs his name First Name, Last and then on the second line: LTC, LG and on the third line: Commanding. I assume that is his rank--Lieutenant Colonel?? I am totally in the dark-what does that mean?

2. He is in the Army-a Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. I assume this means all the logistics/supply lines for the front line. Yes? Can some one tell me some more about this? (it sounds big to me)

I think the bottom line is that is a guy who came from nowheresville (s did I) and enlisted and has done really well in the military and has enjoyed his career. I want to make sure I sound respectful of his accomplishments, especially since I took a different track of getting degrees and marrying someone with a degree. Not better or worse, just different, and I want to make sure that I don't put my foot in my mouth by somehow dissing his rank etc.

[MMEand1]

If he is indeed a Lt. Colonel, then he is not enlisted. He would be an officer, and a high ranking one at that! All officers have at least a bachelors degree, usually more by the time they get to LTC.

If it were me, I would address the envelope as LTC First name Last name (i.e. LTC John Smith). I would leave off the rest of the title. On the inside you can just write something like "Dear Sir,"... Officers always get addressed as "Sir/Ma'am" or their rank.

I will say that it is really cool that he sent your DS some Commander's coins. Those are pretty hard to come by in my branch of the service! And it is equally as cool for your DS to send him a card/note! I know that when I was deployed, I always loved that kind of stuff from kids! I hung a lot of it on my wall in my room!

As far as medals and ribbons, it depends on what they are for. I have only been to Iraq once and then stationed stateside for 10 years and I have 13 ribbons. Some medals/ribbons you get just for being part of a unit or completing a class. Completing basic training gets a lot of folks 3 ribbons, so to see a newbie walking around looking like a General is not uncommon!!

[AshleyAnn]

As far as medals and ribbons, it depends on what they are for. I have only been to Iraq once and then stationed stateside for 10 years and I have 13 ribbons. Some medals/ribbons you get just for being part of a unit or completing a class. Completing basic training gets a lot of folks 3 ribbons, so to see a newbie walking around looking like a General is not uncommon!!

:yeahthat:
Too True! My DH has been in the Army for a year and he has several ribbons and medals that all mean a whole lot of nada to those who have been in a few years.

I wish I could help you with the addressing but like I said DH has been in for a year and I'm still sorting it out myself a lot of the time.

[StantonHyde]

Thanks!! See, I wasn't sure if he was an officer or enlisted and I just didn't want to stick my foot in my mouth! And I have no idea about ranks. He sent a round coin for duty in Iraq and a dog-tag shaped one for duty in Germany. He has spent a great deal of his career in Germany, I believe. I am keeping the letter in DS's scrap "box" and he already has hoarded the medals away in his treasures drawer.

Could it be that he enlisted and did 4 years, then got a BA, and then went back in as an officer?

I suppose I am really sensitive because while I am not a supporter of many of the US military actions in the last 8-20 years, I really do admire people who serve and I particularly have a soft spot for people from our town who maybe were not the most popular in high school but who got out of there and made something of ourselves. And he clearly has done very well--he is (and always was) a stand up kind of guy, while the more popular guys don't necessarily "measure up" once they got out of high school. So I just want to make sure that my ignorance does not convey disrespect for his accomplishments.

Thanks again for clearing this up--and for your service as well!

[AshleyAnn]

Could it be that he enlisted and did 4 years, then got a BA, and then went back in as an officer?

Yes its VERY possible he did this or got a BA while serving. I know lots of people who have done or are doing this.

[StantonHyde]

ok, because I know he came back home for a while. Plus, I have this notion in my head that you have to start as an officer, e.g. once enlisted, always enlisted. But I think I am wrong. I even thought that the only way to be an officer was to go to a military academy or to complete ROTC along with college--and I am thinking that is wrong too. Again, I appreciate anybody giving me the facts on this one. Thanks!!!

(In case anybody wants to ask me questions about regulatory requirements for healthcare or backpacking in the desert, please do so I don't feel like a complete idiot :wavey:)

[MMEand1]

There are many folks that enlist in the military and then go to school while serving active duty since the military will pay for some, if not all of it. Afterwards, you can put in a package to go to OTC (Officer Candidate School). If you get accepted, you go through training in order to become an officer. I have been approached several times by several higher ups about putting an OTS package in, but I'm just not interested. For the most part, the Enlisted side of the house includes the "worker bees" while the officer side is usually administration. The few areas this is not a factor would include pilots (Officers), Doctors (Officers) and Lawyers (Officers). The Enlisted force would include aircraft mechanics, gunners, x-ray techs, plumbers, vehicle drivers, road crew, food services, etc.

Does that make sense? You do not need to go to a service-related school (West Point, VMI, Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, etc) in order to be an officer. Any credited school that the military is willing to accept your degree from is acceptable.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. I don't have all the answers, but I have been active duty for 10+ years and have served in a number of capacities as well as several bases.

[StantonHyde]

ok, that makes sense--I think I actually know a few people who went through OTC. My dad was drafted in Nam but he was an MD, so he went in as a Lieutenant, I believe.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

[MMEand1]

ok, that makes sense--I think I actually know a few people who went through OTC. My dad was drafted in Nam but he was an MD, so he went in as a Lieutenant, I believe.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

Being in the service during Vietnam was a little bit different (as well as all the wars in days past). You could go in as a Private, but during the course of your tour, if everyone above you in rank got killed, you could be meritoriously promoted to LT, Capt, or higher without having a degree. Things were different back then and we now have certain regulations to prevent that from happening.

Also, those that are doctors, and lawyers can come into the service as a higher rank instead of just starting out at the bottom of the ladder. For example, the normal rank order from least to highest is:
2nd Lieutenant (O-1)
1st Lieutenant (O-2)
Captain (O-3)
Major (O-4)
Lt. Colonel (O-5)
Colonel (O-6)
Brigadier General (O-7)
Major General (O-8)
Lt General (O-9)
General (O-10) (aka BIG DOG!!!)

Sometimes a doctor will come in as a Captain depending on their contract.

[jerigirl]

There are many folks that enlist in the military and then go to school while serving active duty since the military will pay for some, if not all of it. Afterwards, you can put in a package to go to OTC (Officer Candidate School). If you get accepted, you go through training in order to become an officer.

This is what my dad did in the Air Force. He was enlisted for about 8 yrs before becoming an officer. He retired as a LTC after serving 30+ yrs.