7 reasons why enlisted love ‘Mustang’ officers
SUMMARY
There are many different routes to becoming an officer within the U.S. Armed Forces. Military academies and ROTC programs are common, but only one in-road immediately garners respect, admiration, and loyalty — we're talking about Mustang officers. A 'Mustang' is a prior-service officer who did their time before jumping from the green side (enlisted) to the gold side (officers). You can often point them out in a crowd. They're a bit older than most butterbars, they already have that sharp-as-a-KA-BAR glare, and they're probably a bit hungover.
Now, this isn't meant to bash officers who were not previously enlisted. In fact, this list is meant to spotlight the reasons why Mustangs get more love and what all officers will eventually learn with time. Mustangs just have a head start.
Here are the reasons why enlisted love 'Mustang' officers
1. They don't need to be taught the small stuff.
There are a lot of minor details in military life that you simply can't learn from books. The most important difference between a Mustang and a fresh officer is learning the constant give-and-take that comes with leadership.
There is an extremely fine line between earning respect through leading by example and being a knowledgeable leader. If an officer hides in their office, they alienate their troops. If they put their nose in troops' business, they're micromanaging to the point of exhaustion. Each officer must forge their own path. Mustangs just have a better understanding of what it's like to deal with officers of both types.
2. They've made the same dumb mistakes as the lower enlisted.
One aspect of leadership that no leader wants to deal with is learning someone you're in charge of messed up. Troops are a direct reflection of the officers over them and when it's found out that a subordinate "goofed," the chain of command asks just one question to the officer: "What's wrong with your Joe?"
Fresh officers tend to drop the hammer — either because they don't know the proper response or they believe it'll set an example. Despite being former NCOs, Mustangs will wield the hammer to the appropriate level to ensure it doesn't happen again. Oftentimes, it can just be as simple as letting the NCO smoke the problems out of the subordinate.
3. They take on more important tasks than their peers.
An officer's reputation depends entirely on the actions of their troops. Good officers have faith in their troops and maintain focus on what's important — building skills needed for warfighting and doing the menial tasks that just need to get done — instead of chasing the tasks that net them a shiny new award.
There are no specific right answers to finding a good task balance for your troops but there definitely is a wrong answer: forgetting to factor morale into this equation. Mustangs just tend to watch their own lane and put themselves in the boots they once wore.
4. They don't mind getting their hands dirty with their troops.
Rank has its privileges. If the officer needs to do their own work, they'll stay in their lane. If the only hold up is the Joes' dirty work, officers have the choice of "supervising" the NCOs supervising the troops, or they can lead by example, get their hands dirty, and earn a bit more trust (once again, consider alienation versus micromanaging).
Mustangs have swept their fair share of motor pools and they've filled their fair share of sandbags. They can dive back into that world every now and then without getting labelled as a micromanager.
5. They would never say something as stupid as, "well, Sergeant Major, technically, I outrank you!"
Yes, as with all formalities and regulations, the dumb butterbar is technically correct. The proper response from an E-9 isn't to immediately open a can of whoop-ass on the unfortunate soul, but rather to turn to their officer equivalent with a deadpan look and ask them to unf*ck that officer before they do.
A Mustang knows that NCOs often have a battle-buddy that outranks them...
6. They aren't sour if they aren't saluted.
There's a time and place for saluting. Of course, it shows the proper respect to officers, but even officers get tired of "chopping logs" when they have to salute every three seconds.
If a Mustang knows their troops respect them, they don't need a hand raised to their eyebrow to prove it. They'll still expect the salute for formality's sake, but they know it's not the end of the world should a troop forego one. Plus, you'll never see a Mustang get worked up when they're not saluted in a combat zone.
7. Their heads aren't up their asses.
Let's face it: Everyone who becomes an officer has their own idea of leadership and hopes to etch their name into military history books — but there are steps they must take. Every officer they read about in books was once a young lieutenant. It takes time. It takes making mistakes. It takes years to learn your own leadership style. No one ever comes out of the gate and immediately changes the world.
Relax. Stay humble. Everything can be summed up with the phrase, "trust is a two-way street." Mustangs trust their troops and the troops will make sure their name is remembered fondly.
Read more on WATM:
SHARE