I’m Sure most of you guys know this already, because you all follow the Instagram page. Right? RIGHT?! I posed a question to the community that could best be summed up as this:
Is it better to have a team leader (Dude #1) who is extremely fit and incompetent? Or, is it better to have a team leader (Dude #2) who is right on the line of passing a PT test and very competent?
In my scenario, I asked the audience to pick the best option for a combat deployment.At the time of this writing, about 100 people have responded.
I didn’t necessarily do the best job laying out the specifics of my made-up scenario, but I thought it might be implied that the combat deployment in question would be given the current realistic mission set of EOD forces. In other words, I’m not talking about 2005 Iraq or 2009 Afghanistan. We’re talking' 2026. (Ask your buddies when the last time they went on a 10km dismount through the mountains or ran 10 IEDs in a day was.)
I posed this question because I wanted to gauge the importance of PT standards to our junior and senior leaders across our community. In other words, do we care more about PT scores or EOD skills?
Before checking any responses, I prayed and hoped and crossed my non-blast-injured hands. (Guess I’m not a real EOD tech yet) I really want to believe that EOD skills are the very top of the ever-changing mountain of important things. Just barely ahead of online training and 1-mile bomb suit times, of course. In my mind, EOD skills are this elusive figure that dances in and out of reach at various points in my career. Before I even had a crab on my chest, I was NASTY at driving a PacBot with the puck OCU. At this point in my career, I am not 100% sure where the batteries go in my current robot. Sometimes, I feel this Michael Jordan-level flow state of EOD skills pulsing through my veins, and other times I feel like an autistic dude trying to interpret social cues. Some people never experience any level of glory associated with their level of skills; the rest of us only borrow that glory for a brief moment in time. But, PT scores are just… a made-up thing. Kinda. Right?
Am I a worse soldier because I topped out at 60 push-ups as opposed to 62? The ARMY says I am. Am I worse because I top out at 45 Push-ups? Where is the line? When does one become a bad soldier? And, what the FUCK does a hand-release push-up have to do with combat? It is all arbitrary in my mind. If I get put on a mission that requires me to ruck a 60lb pack 15kms than I should be able to do it. And, I should be competent when I get to where I am going. That part is not arbitrary. I get that. But, how good is the PT test at determining my actual fitness level, and is it possible for someone to be fit and not score well on it? Could they have been sick? Could they be very tall? Very short? Not run well, but ruck like a sherpa?
I think you all understand the point I am trying to make about the PT test and its effectiveness in determining if someone should be viewed favorably or not. So obviously I would choose Dude #2, right? I’ll answer that soon. The more important thing is WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY THINK?!
Out of all the people who directly answered the question, an overwhelming number of EOD techs all chose Dude #2. And by overwhelming, I mean everyone except one person. And that one person basically said: “I’d probably choose Dude #1, but I could also choose Dude #2.” So kind of a non-answer. A very large number of you also included a sentiment that summed up as: “I can always make a guy better at PT Some guys can just never learn EOD skills.”
So now we arrive at my answer. My answer is: IDK. Now I am more confused. And, a little pissed.
I went into this exercise, having not spent much time thinking about it, thinking I would definitely take Dude #2. But, the more I talked to you guys, the more I got confused. “I can always make a guy better at PT.”- basically all of you. So, why in the world don’t we then? Why would we wait till a deployment to take a brother under our wing and make him better at PT? If it is so easy lets do it ahead of time. I know that is the entire goal of a PT program, but then why isn’t it effective? Do we need to take a look at what actual effectiveness is? I just have more questions now. And another thing…
“Some guys can never learn EOD skills.” – basically, all of you.
I do currently and will continue to agree with that statement (to a point). But I had no clue so many of you agreed with me. So here comes the frustration: Why in the actual HELL do we certify EVERYONE then? I can’t speak for all services on this, but I have never run into an E-6 in any service that wasn’t a Team Leader. So, how do 100% of EOD techs that stay in long enough EVENTUALLY become team leader certified? If we all agree that some guys just won’t ever get it and we value EOD skills more than PT scores, why do we push them through? Why are there no positions within our community that exist for the guys that just don’t have the qualities it takes to manage an emergency scenario that includes lethal explosive devices?
So, I started this quest thinking it was a pretty cut-and-dry topic. I’ll take Dude #2, please. But now, I am just confused and pissed off. Kind of like most NAVY guys are with their sexuality. (had to) I guess for now the only answer is to continue to try to be a better EOD tech myself, pass on knowledge, and keep working on that 2-mile run time.
-T
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