Lying About Rank

[Danger]

I joined CAP this year and have worked very hard to get where I am today. Last summer, I attended my first encampment, and am now friends on Facebook with some of my flight mates.

Scrolling through the news feed, I saw a flight mate was commenting on a post related to CAP. He was talking about how he is a C/SSgt , and such. Which is completely false in a number of ways. How would you react to someone posing as a higher rank than they are?

What I did was point out how he is not, and how it is disrespectful and unprofessional to pose as a higher grade than you have earned. and clearly he doesn't deserve the grade of C/A1C like he is. I looked him up on wing intranet, and he is an A1C. He's clearly too young to be using the JROTC speed promotions.

Was this right? Am I just being a troll?

PS didn't really know what topic to put this in.

[RiverAux]

In situations like this you're almost always going to be better off by going through the chain of command and letting the proper people know about it rather than making any comment yourself. 

[lordmonar]

In situations like this you're almost always going to be better off by going through the chain of command and letting the proper people know about it rather than making any comment yourself.

+1

[Danger]

Is it worth being taken up the chain..?

[Jon Knapp]

Is it worth being taken up the chain..?

If that's the case, why comment on facebook to him...you know...that way is the proper way, your way is not.

[Danger]

True.. Thanks.

[a2capt]

Always let the hammer fall from where it matters. While "everyone" is the Safety Officer, not everyone is the commander.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Is this really an issue? He can claim whatever he wants on facebook, but the first time he shows up at an event someone else from his facebook circle of friends is at, they'll be asking him what happened to his grade. What's he going to say? Undercover? Got busted down?

It's not like he's reaping some secret C/SSgt benefits by claiming it.

[Jon Knapp]

Good point. 

[lordmonar]

It's not like he's reaping some secret C/SSgt benefits by claiming it.

WHAT!  Didn't you get that big pay check from NHQ when you put on C/SSgt!?!   Dude!  You got ripped off! 

[Майор Хаткевич]

Didn't even get a certificate, just a number a year or so later.

[capmaj]

And just as an FYI........................  You are referring to his GRADE, not his RANK. Your 'grade' is C/SSGT or C/TSgt. etc.etc.  Your 'rank' is your position by date of achievement within that grade in comparison to others of a similar grade.

[SarDragon]

And just as an FYI........................  You are referring to his GRADE, not his RANK. Your 'grade' is C/SSGT or C/TSgt. etc.etc.  Your 'rank' is your position by date of achievement within that grade in comparison to others of a similar grade.

Keep in mind that much of the rest of the military world calls it rank, and you'll find many forum members, including myself, doing so. This is one of those fights you should choose not to pursue. There's no winner.

[Jagger3939]

It's not like he's reaping some secret C/SSgt benefits by claiming it.

WHAT!  Didn't you get that big pay check from NHQ when you put on C/SSgt!?!   Dude!  You got ripped off! 

I think I got ripped off too.... 

[Jon Knapp]

I think this calls for law suits ...I didn't get anything either

[capmaj]

And just as an FYI........................  You are referring to his GRADE, not his RANK. Your 'grade' is C/SSGT or C/TSgt. etc.etc.  Your 'rank' is your position by date of achievement within that grade in comparison to others of a similar grade.

Keep in mind that much of the rest of the military world calls it rank, and you'll find many forum members, including myself, doing so. This is one of those fights you should choose not to pursue. There's no winner.

I'm not sure that I agree with the idea that, because something is being incorrectly stated, that it is OK to not correct it because, "much of the rest of the military world" is doing it. And I would probably also challenge that statement. Their is a reason that the term 'Time-in-Grade' exists in the military enviroment. Simply pointing out the proper way to state something doesn't necessarily constitue a "fight".

[Майор Хаткевич]

And just as an FYI........................  You are referring to his GRADE, not his RANK. Your 'grade' is C/SSGT or C/TSgt. etc.etc.  Your 'rank' is your position by date of achievement within that grade in comparison to others of a similar grade.

Keep in mind that much of the rest of the military world calls it rank, and you'll find many forum members, including myself, doing so. This is one of those fights you should choose not to pursue. There's no winner.

We already have an issue with Military-on-TV cadet experts who say nothing BUT Rank.

Grade = your insignia.
Rank = Position.
TIG Seniority= your position within a grade compared to someone else of the same grade.

[MIKE]

^ Beg to differ:

The term "grade" and "rank" often are confused. Grade is a major step in the
promotion structure or program while rank is grade adjusted for time. "Captain"
or "major" are examples of grade; several individuals can have the same grade.
Rank normally shows seniority; no two persons in a grade have the same rank –
one is always senior to the other.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I'm aware of the rank within the grade, but that just seems to confuse the cadets. WIWAC, the Leadership for 2000 and Beyond had a nice graphic of this (a shorter, ranking cadet on a step next to an older, lower grade cadet). Today I don't think it's there, and by throwing in rank as rank within a grade and positions, it just seems to make most cadets get blurry vision.

[Garibaldi]

I'm aware of the rank within the grade, but that just seems to confuse the cadets. WIWAC, the Leadership for 2000 and Beyond had a nice graphic of this (a shorter, ranking cadet on a step next to an older, lower grade cadet). Today I don't think it's there, and by throwing in rank as rank within a grade and positions, it just seems to make most cadets get blurry vision.

The way I was always taught was this:

2 cadets have the same grade of C/MSGT. Cadet A was promoted three weeks before Cadet B, therefore Cadet A outranks Cadet B by 3 weeks.

Outranking has become a throwaway term used by senior NCOs to cadet airmen, at least in my experience. "I outrank you so you're going to go clean the latrine because I am a tech sergeant and you're just a senior airman". There's no such thing as "outgrading" and it sounds just...dumb. Cadet officers don't really do that much anymore. Their grade is more explicit in its division. And seniors don't do it at all