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A service controversy
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this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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Tim Walz is great, but I do want to make it clear that the 4th statement is factually inaccurate. Command Sergeant Major is an enlisted rank, not an officer rank. It's about as high as you can go as an enlisted person in the reserves. I'm guessing that the statement was meant to say he is the highest ranking enlisted person to have served in Congress.
Pedantic? Maybe. But from a perspective of the responsibility held, there is a large gulf between a CSM and even a Colonel, let alone Generals. Almost as large as the gap between a CSM and a Corporal.
As about half of the enlisted personnel I know would say, "Don't call me sir, I work for a living."
Translation: "I am not an officer, and therefore am not to be called sir. You can tell I am not an officer because I get my hands dirty and actually do things instead of order other people to do them for me"
It's mostly meant as a joke, but I could see how one might consider mistaking an enlistee for an officer to be an insult. coughnavycough
Yeah, #4 is just missing the words "Non Commissioned". The only NCO rank higher than CSM is "Sergeant Major of the Army" and the equivalents in the other services.
Militarily, a Second Lieutenant outranks a Command Sergeant Major, and all other enlisted personnel. But the 2LT who tries to "fuck around" with that fact will quickly "find out" how little his rank actually matters.
Removing the military rank structure, and comparing education and professional accomplishments as civilians, a Sergeant Major (E9) is roughly the equivalent of a Colonel (O6), and a CSM is comparable to a Brigadier General (O7).
It’s an NCO, no?
It is an NCO rank, more accurately, an SNCO. SNCOs are not commonly referred to as officers, though. And even if you want to use that to justify calling him an officer, he is not the highest ranking to have served in Congress.
Yeah, that’s fair.
He made CSM, but it was contingently awarded and he didn't meet the conditions to actually retire as a CSM. Years after his premature military separation, that violated the conditions of his promotion to CSM, that he took for a successful congressional run, his rank was reduced to his prior rank of Master Sergeant. He did not need to leave service prematurely(before his contract was up) because of his congressional run, because you can serve your contract and serve congress congruently as LTC Gabbord has done.
So he is not a CSM, he technically was the rank of CSM when he unnecessarily exited his contract prematurely, his rank in retirement is as MSG. That does not take away from his years of service.
I'll also dispute saying he left the service 'early'. He fully retired after 20 years and re-enlisted after 9/11 for 4 more. Saying that is leaving early is a stretch.
He separated prior to completion of his 4 year contract after reenlistment, that means he terminated his service early.
That means he terminated his voluntarily extended service early.
This is a valid point, although I didn't bring it up as the meme stated highest rank held, not necessarily his retired rank.
I was wondering who the hell "LTC Gabbord" is. Then I realized you used Tulsi Gabbard as an example to follow. That alone makes this comment a bit weird, since she's kind of cookoo.
No, you can't competently serve in the military and also be in Congress. That's ridiculous. They barely allowed absentee voting during COVID. How are you going to vote on bills (let alone research them, lobby other representatives, propose them, etc.) when you are deployed to a warzone? If you can't be deployed you aren't really in the military, are you?
What is this weird fascination with the rank VP Candidate Walz retired with? This isn't any type of criticism at all. It's common to retire at a lower rank, and doesn't mean you didn't achieve the highest one. The only thing it affects is the pension check he gets and other benefits.
The man was in the service for 24 years. He gave up a slightly better pension to run for office. I think that shows he's willing to put the needs of others ahead of his own. In 1989, he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year. Literally shut the fuck up.
Yeah, Joe Biden served in congress and he's commander in chief of the armed forces. That's a way higher rank.
Yes, but importantly he never served as a senator after having been commander in chief
John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives after his presidency.
Andrew Johnson was elected to the Senate after his presidency.
Now THERE are some high ranking congressmen!
"Highest rank" in this picture is referring to "highest rank obtained by that person" and not the highest possible.
It uses the same wording for Vance, who was a corporal.
Edit: unless someone was an officer and served in Congress, which has probably happened and I don't care enough to look it up
Read statement four again. It clearly states he is the highest officer to have served in Congress. This is inaccurate. I have personally met a 2-star General who is a Congressman from Mississippi.
Exactly. He is the highest ranked Non-Commissioned officer, but certainly not the highest ranked officer.