I'm going to start a category for advice that I'd like to pass on to younger Soldiers as I begin my transition out of the Army. Some of the advice I'll give, I learned years ago, some is more recent. Some is just for young Joes, some for NCO's and/or officers, some for everybody in uniform. All of it is based on my experience and is meant purely as advice. If you find something useful, great. If not, no problem, let it go. My intent is three-fold: first, give Soldiers still serving the benefit of my experience; second, generate some comments from other "old" Soldiers that may provide insight gleaned during their careers as Soldiers; third, entertain the readers of JACK ARMY. I hope it helps.
My first bit of advice comes from a conversation I had with two staff sergeants and a private first class today:
Two things you don't trust another Soldier with, private through general, I don't care: your money and your wife.
I've seen too much money get stolen by other Soldiers, even ones that were supposed to be trustworthy, such as your battle buddy, or a best friend, or from an NCO buying something from a junior enlisted Soldier. And we've all seen the stories of a general forced to retire because he was caught shagging a captain's wife, for example. You can trust a Soldier with your life. You can trust him with your freedoms. You can trust him to help you out of a bind. But don't trust him with your money, unless you are willing to part with it, and certainly don't trust him with your wife, unless you swing that way! And what does Joe steal? Just about anything. Cash, debit or credit cards, your stuff, other people's stuff that you are borrowing, cars, and on and on. So, as I was taught as a private in basic training, lock up your stuff to keep honest people honest. In other words, remove temptation by locking up your wallet and cash, even with your roommate whom you shared a foxhole in combat with.
Here's the example from my experience: as a young PFC stationed in Germany, there was another PFC in my platoon also from San Antonio (my hometown), so we had a connection. We got to know each other, not so well that we were joined at the hip, but well enough that I thought I could trust him. At the time, I had an old beater, a Ford somethingorother that was worth $500 and for some reason I decided to sell it. San Antonio buddy decided to buy, only he didn't have the money right then, but he assured me he would pay me at the next payday if I would only sign the bill of sale so he could go ahead and register the car and begin driving it. I signed trusting that he would pay me back as he promised.
Well, payday came and went and he claimed that he didn't have the money, bills, but that he would pay next payday for sure. Sure, I can trust you, after all we're platoon-mates and buddies, right?
Another payday comes and goes. Another excuse.
Then another payday, and my wife tells me that she sees his wife in the PX parking lot putting a brand new weight set in the trunk of that car. Wait a minute, if you have money for a new weight set, you should have the money to pay me what you owe, or some of it anyway. I confront old boy and he tells me that he isn't going to pay me, he has a bill of sale with my signature on it and I have no proof that he didn't pay.
He was right, I had no proof and had I pushed the issue, I would have been told the same thing by the chain of command or whoever I tried to complain to. So, I was out $500. But, to paraphrase Jules in Pulp Fiction, I bought something for my money. An expense lesson, but after that, I didn't sign anything or give up anything that wasn't paid for, completely. And I didn't trust Soldiers, or anybody really, with my money.
Fortunately, I never had to personally learn the lesson about trusting a Soldier with my wife. Thank goodness.
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