This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army. He would have been kicked out of the Marines a long time before he got a chance to deploy and be a true soldier.
"A drill sergeant mistreated him for not seeking permission when he got an X-ray the night before."
Give me a frigging break here, but then again he wasn't a soldier yet so he gets a pass.
"Ian shows his frustration during a counseling session with Sgt. 1st Class Weisensel, left, and Sgt. Donoso. In addition to admitting his drug use, Ian returned late from the weekend again and lied about his reasons, putting him at severe risk of getting kicked out of the Army."
This is where the Army should have done its best too get rid of this soldier. As a young 21 year old sergeant I have seen too much time wasted on trying to rehab drug using soldiers. Drugs are not tolerable, and their is no excuse. Weed is still a drug and soldiers should be chaptered for drug use. The Army is not a drug rehab center.
Great photos though, just wish they had followed a real soldier then one who makes the Army look bad. Why not follow soldiers at Walter Reed or at the Burn Center in San Antonio those are real heroes.
Comment by Visitoron November 9, 2009 - 8:57pm
This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army. He would have been kicked out of the Marines a long time before he got a chance to deploy and be a true soldier.
"A drill sergeant mistreated him for not seeking permission when he got an X-ray the night before."
Give me a frigging break here, but then again he wasn't a soldier yet so he gets a pass.
"Ian shows his frustration during a counseling session with Sgt. 1st Class Weisensel, left, and Sgt. Donoso. In addition to admitting his drug use, Ian returned late from the weekend again and lied about his reasons, putting him at severe risk of getting kicked out of the Army."
This is where the Army should have done its best too get rid of this soldier. As a young 21 year old sergeant I have seen too much time wasted on trying to rehab drug using soldiers. Drugs are not tolerable, and their is no excuse. Weed is still a drug and soldiers should be chaptered for drug use. The Army is not a drug rehab center.
Great photos though, just wish they had followed a real soldier then one who makes the Army look bad. Why not follow soldiers at Walter Reed or at the Burn Center in San Antonio those are real heroes.
Comment by Visitoron November 9, 2009 - 9:02pm
What a dirtbag. The Marines would have gotten rid of this soldier but the Army tries to act as a drug rehab center for this soldier. I feel embarrassed reading this article although the pictures are amazing. He is probably using drugs again and still immature.
Soldier like that just make the enlisted side look bad.
Comment by Visitoron November 9, 2009 - 9:42pm
Seems to look like a nice enough kid. He was probably a decent field soldier and terrible in garrison. We all know the type. Makes me wonder how many waivers his recruiter had to get for this private.
Comment by HUSon November 9, 2009 - 10:28pm
Let the Marines vs. Army flame war begin...... now.
Comment by Visitoron November 9, 2009 - 10:29pm
Whoa, whoa, whoa. According to this movie, the Marines set themselves up to terrorize their families upon return. So yeah... the Army isn't that bad.
Comment by namhendersonon November 10, 2009 - 9:07pm
@ Visitor on November 10, 2009 - 6:56pm
I actually thought the same thing when I first read that yesterday.
Comment by Visitoron November 11, 2009 - 12:50pm
Making a few mistakes in life should not brand you forever. He seems like a good kid, overall. He IS a real soldier, with all the good and bad that comes from it. A few quotes from the article for you to chew over...
"Every once in a while, somebody trips up," (SGT)Buthmann said later. "And I firmly believe that if you can help that guy pick himself up, dust himself off, take a look in the mirror and chalk it up as a learning experience, I'd say eight times out of 10 that person's going to turn around and do well.
"Fisher's one of those cases."
PFC Fisher: You know what the Army taught me? You're never good enough; you can always do better. But if you know in your heart that you're doing your best, it's OK.
"From that day forward, I have seen a 100 percent change in Ian Fisher," Dane said. "I've seen the Soldier I wanted to see a year ago. You grow up as a Soldier and a person by making mistakes. You can't grow unless you screw up.
Comment by jenniferro10on November 12, 2009 - 2:05pm
Please, keep this kid away from these girls- for his own good. It's painful to watch that train heading straight toward him, in really slow motion.
Comment by Ericon November 16, 2009 - 1:27am
"This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army."
I understand what you're saying, but it's one of the aspects of the Army I most value. The Army has long been a popularly accessible opportunity for a fair 2nd chance at life. It was for me. One of my drill sergeants even said to us bluntly at the start of Basic Training that if we hadn't failed in civilian life we wouldn't have joined the Army. At least in my case, she spoke the truth. (My Basic Training was April-June, so we were an older group.) One of the beautiful things about the Army is witnessing young soldiers who weren't All-Americans upon joining the Army buy into the values and ethos and find their potential. A young troop in my last duty station - his 1st duty station - got into a lot of trouble, months of extra duty, reduced to E-1, to the point where I overheard the 1SG talking with one of his NCOs about separating him. But the other side of him, when he wasn't getting into trouble, was his obvious exceptional potential as a soldier - SF potential, if he could harness it. I saw it. His NCOs saw it. They fought to keep him in and he made it to his DEROS. Maybe the Marines would have kicked him out, I don't know, but the Army opted to try to make a soldier out of him.
Soldiering is not some kind of religious conversion, though. While the Army offers a fair 2nd chance with plenty of support, there is a point past which a soldier needs to take ownership and lead himself. The other side of the coin is that, unfortunately, not all 'problem children' make the change, and they end up doing their time and leaving the Army as bad off as they were getting in.
Comment by Brittany Sozakon March 1, 2010 - 10:52am
Definitely some interesting observations here on drug use. I haven't run into this situation too often myself, but it's interesting to gain a little insight as to how the military handles these sorts of issues, and the accompanying behavioral problems. Anyone have additional sources of information on this? Thanks.
CNAS retains the right to delete comments that include words that incite violence; are predatory, hateful, or intended to intimidate or harass; or degrade people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In summary, don't be a jerk.
This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army. He would have been kicked out of the Marines a long time before he got a chance to deploy and be a true soldier.
"A drill sergeant mistreated him for not seeking permission when he got an X-ray the night before."
Give me a frigging break here, but then again he wasn't a soldier yet so he gets a pass.
"Ian shows his frustration during a counseling session with Sgt. 1st Class Weisensel, left, and Sgt. Donoso. In addition to admitting his drug use, Ian returned late from the weekend again and lied about his reasons, putting him at severe risk of getting kicked out of the Army."
This is where the Army should have done its best too get rid of this soldier. As a young 21 year old sergeant I have seen too much time wasted on trying to rehab drug using soldiers. Drugs are not tolerable, and their is no excuse. Weed is still a drug and soldiers should be chaptered for drug use. The Army is not a drug rehab center.
Great photos though, just wish they had followed a real soldier then one who makes the Army look bad. Why not follow soldiers at Walter Reed or at the Burn Center in San Antonio those are real heroes.
This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army. He would have been kicked out of the Marines a long time before he got a chance to deploy and be a true soldier.
"A drill sergeant mistreated him for not seeking permission when he got an X-ray the night before."
Give me a frigging break here, but then again he wasn't a soldier yet so he gets a pass.
"Ian shows his frustration during a counseling session with Sgt. 1st Class Weisensel, left, and Sgt. Donoso. In addition to admitting his drug use, Ian returned late from the weekend again and lied about his reasons, putting him at severe risk of getting kicked out of the Army."
This is where the Army should have done its best too get rid of this soldier. As a young 21 year old sergeant I have seen too much time wasted on trying to rehab drug using soldiers. Drugs are not tolerable, and their is no excuse. Weed is still a drug and soldiers should be chaptered for drug use. The Army is not a drug rehab center.
Great photos though, just wish they had followed a real soldier then one who makes the Army look bad. Why not follow soldiers at Walter Reed or at the Burn Center in San Antonio those are real heroes.
What a dirtbag. The Marines would have gotten rid of this soldier but the Army tries to act as a drug rehab center for this soldier. I feel embarrassed reading this article although the pictures are amazing. He is probably using drugs again and still immature.
Soldier like that just make the enlisted side look bad.
Seems to look like a nice enough kid. He was probably a decent field soldier and terrible in garrison. We all know the type. Makes me wonder how many waivers his recruiter had to get for this private.
Let the Marines vs. Army flame war begin...... now.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. According to this movie, the Marines set themselves up to terrorize their families upon return. So yeah... the Army isn't that bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLlpabVRnyc
Go Navy!
Modern Warfare 3: Ultra-Realistic Video Game
"You have to face a college student who keeps asking you if it was like Blackhawk Down"
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ultra_realistic_modern_warfare?utm...
Seems you have to have big ears to get SF-command?
http://washingtonindependent.com/67136/special-operations-chiefs-quietly...
@ Visitor on November 10, 2009 - 6:56pm
I actually thought the same thing when I first read that yesterday.
Making a few mistakes in life should not brand you forever. He seems like a good kid, overall. He IS a real soldier, with all the good and bad that comes from it. A few quotes from the article for you to chew over...
"Every once in a while, somebody trips up," (SGT)Buthmann said later. "And I firmly believe that if you can help that guy pick himself up, dust himself off, take a look in the mirror and chalk it up as a learning experience, I'd say eight times out of 10 that person's going to turn around and do well.
"Fisher's one of those cases."
PFC Fisher: You know what the Army taught me? You're never good enough; you can always do better. But if you know in your heart that you're doing your best, it's OK.
"From that day forward, I have seen a 100 percent change in Ian Fisher," Dane said. "I've seen the Soldier I wanted to see a year ago. You grow up as a Soldier and a person by making mistakes. You can't grow unless you screw up.
Please, keep this kid away from these girls- for his own good. It's painful to watch that train heading straight toward him, in really slow motion.
"This kid is why the Marines have one up on the Army."
I understand what you're saying, but it's one of the aspects of the Army I most value. The Army has long been a popularly accessible opportunity for a fair 2nd chance at life. It was for me. One of my drill sergeants even said to us bluntly at the start of Basic Training that if we hadn't failed in civilian life we wouldn't have joined the Army. At least in my case, she spoke the truth. (My Basic Training was April-June, so we were an older group.) One of the beautiful things about the Army is witnessing young soldiers who weren't All-Americans upon joining the Army buy into the values and ethos and find their potential. A young troop in my last duty station - his 1st duty station - got into a lot of trouble, months of extra duty, reduced to E-1, to the point where I overheard the 1SG talking with one of his NCOs about separating him. But the other side of him, when he wasn't getting into trouble, was his obvious exceptional potential as a soldier - SF potential, if he could harness it. I saw it. His NCOs saw it. They fought to keep him in and he made it to his DEROS. Maybe the Marines would have kicked him out, I don't know, but the Army opted to try to make a soldier out of him.
Soldiering is not some kind of religious conversion, though. While the Army offers a fair 2nd chance with plenty of support, there is a point past which a soldier needs to take ownership and lead himself. The other side of the coin is that, unfortunately, not all 'problem children' make the change, and they end up doing their time and leaving the Army as bad off as they were getting in.
Definitely some interesting observations here on drug use. I haven't run into this situation too often myself, but it's interesting to gain a little insight as to how the military handles these sorts of issues, and the accompanying behavioral problems. Anyone have additional sources of information on this? Thanks.
Brittany
http://www.thecedarsdrugrehab.com
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