Very stressful day today. With my SNCOs and OICs gone, I had to stand up in front of an E-6, a CWO-5, and an O-5, all three of which wanted something to happen. I felt bound to tell them that I would not permit it to happen, and that I would do anything I judged as necessary to to prevent it from happening.

This was quite stressful, both externally and internally. Externally, because no one likes getting yelled at. Internally, because I'm a Marine. The day I joined up, I swore and oath to obey orders, and here I was telling superior officers to go pack sand.

But in the air wing, we swear a second oath, when we gain an inspection qualification. CDIs and CD/QARs swear that they will particularly and exactingly uphold the orders and directives that cover aviation maintenance, and that they will make decisions according only to their professional knowledge and judgment, regardless of external factors.

So I decided that an aircraft that was scheduled to fly a very important mission was unsafe. I did it like the INTP I am, which is to say, partially intuitively, based on a large pool of evidence; and most distinctly in a manner not precisely in accordance with standard operating procedures. I don't really like confrontation, and I especially don't like confrontation when I don't already have my arguments logically arranged and my words chosen and honed. But I had stand there and say "It's unsafe. No, I cannot point to any paragraph in the mainenance manuals that specify the situation is unsafe. But it's still unsafe. No one is flying that aircraft, even if I have to tackle the pilot." You don't get ahead in the Corps by telling a Major, a Chief Warrent Officer, and a Staff Sergeant that, either separately or all together.

I do feel very pleased about one thing. When I got my CDI stamp at this unit, I got a brief from the QA chief, a gunny. He told me that QA would stand behind any CDI 100% of the time. That even if he disagreed with a safety decision, he'd back any CDI up, and then discuss the matter privately later. Well, after I'd gone back and forth with thee three superiors a few times, they sent me to go talk to QA, wanting QA to go out to the aircraft and double-check my inspection. I walked to the QA office, and none of the QA guys that particularly like me were in the shop. In fact, the only guy that was in there I think doesn't really like me much at all. I explained the situation, and told him I'd been told to ask him to come out to the plane and check my work. He didn't even get out of his chair. "Do you think it's unsafe?" he said. "Yes, Staff Sergeant, because…" I started to reply, but he cut me off. "Then tell them I said it's unsafe too."

Backing like that makes me feel, well, hell, honored. I mean, this guy was willing to go to bat against the third-highest officer in the unit, just on my say-so. I know the bond of trust that comes from sharing common danger; but I guess a good Marine doesn't need combat to have esprit de corps.

It was a bad day in several other ways too, but that was a big part. Maybe I'll post more on it later, but I think right now I need to decompress a little. I heard Mr. P_ back at my hometown church though I'd never make it as a Marine because I was too independant-minded to take orders. I think he'd be surprised how much I agonized over having to speak my mind about this, and how much it's still bugging me. I know I made the right choice, but I feel pained about how it went down.

Posted by: Boviate at 05:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 655 words, total size 4 kb.