This is a slightly edited copy of a letter I sent to our Regimental Sergeant Major, the senior non-commissioned officer in our battalion. The RSM is responsible for discipline in the battalion. I also sent a copy of the letter to Captain Steve Lillis, the captain in charge at Wangaratta.
The letter was never answered, and the behaviours described in my letter continued and worsened in the battalion. A Dental Officer resigned shortly after these events, and my Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Pollock, replaced Captain Lillis with a sergeant. Placing a sergeant in charge of the remaining three captains (two doctors and a dentist) was deeply insulting, and continues to this day.
And the ADF wonders why they don't have enough doctors, dentists and nurses!
The background to this letter is that a new recruit to 4th Combat Service Support Battalion had just had his twin babies die at birth, so he and his wife were very upset and he wasn't parading regularly. Our sergeant decided to discharge this very valuable soldier, and the soldier came to me as a Medical Officer to explain his wish to continue to serve and the reasons he had not been parading.
His explanation was compelling, and his discharge was not in any one's interest. I ordered the sergeant to leave the matter with me while I made enquiries as to how to manage the situation. Sergeant Carmichael ignored my orders and behaved in a very underhand manner.
____________________________________________________
RSM
4 CSSB
Maygar Barracks
By email
~10th May 2007
RSM,
I had a 15 minute conversation with SGT Carmichael last night. CAPT Scalpel was present.
During our conversation, SGT Carmichael acknowledged that I had directed him to stop speaking with PTE Valuable about proceeding with his discharge. SGT Carmichael then admitted that he had failed to comply with my direction to abandon his conversation with PTE Valuable about discharge by waiting until I had left, and then resuming this conversation.
The reason SGT Carmichael gave for this was that both he and the Chief Clerk outrank me in matters of administration. The CC (Chief Clerk, a warrant officer several ranks below me) had asked him to give PTE Valuable his discharge papers, and my orders to the contrary were of no importance.
Clearly this is unacceptable, and I pressed him on this. His elucidation was that in matters of medicine he is happy to defer to me, but in all other matters he is not required to respect my rank.
SGT Carmichael then admitted he asked LCPL Z to enter my office and remove PTE Valuable’s discharge papers from my desk. He agreed he did not ask me if he could do this, and did not tell me he had done so despite ample opportunity the following week. LCPL Z did so, believing I had asked Sgt Carmichael to do so.
I explained to SGT Carmichael that we do not behave like this and that he was not under any circumstances to repeat this behaviour. I explained clearly to SGT Carmichael that when in the future he has concerns he is to raise those concerns with the officer concerned. I reassured SGT Carmichael that I respect and value his experience, and that I expect to be taught many things by him. But I explained to SGT Carmichael that he is not to undermine myself or any other officer by ignoring direction, and that his job as a sergeant is to advise myself and the other officers but respect our decisions and orders. His response was that he was carrying out the orders of the CC.
We then discussed the Chain of Command and I explained to SGT Carmichael that I am responsible to my Officer Commanding for the Health Company soldiers in the Northern Detachments. SGT Carmichael seemed disinterested in the COC, and I found his replies unsatisfactory. I reinforced the importance of the COC, honest behaviour and good communication by telling him that I considered these to be disciplinary matters.
SGT Carmichael then replied that he thought they were, also, and that he would be reporting to yourself and the CO about them. He seems to be confused about the COC, despite my clear directions. Moreover he seemed unwilling to accept my direction that matters of importance regarding Health Company soldiers in the Northern Detachments are to come through me. He did not accept that this serious matter was to be dealt with by myself or one of the other Health Company Officers.
At times during the conversation SGT Carmichael complained about my speaking bluntly to him in the presence of others. I acknowledged I am blunt. I asked him to help me with this in an appropriate manner.
We then had a long discussion about why my handling of the situation was a more correct way to proceed. CAPT Scalpel also tried to convince SGT Carmichael that this was a medical matter, and that the correct course of action was to gather information and involve our Officer Commanding. SGT Carmichael did not seem to be convinced, despite having two captains telling him this was so.
At the end of the conversation I was left with the impression that SGT Carmichael does not have much respect for the COC, specifically the Health Company COC. Alternatively, it may be that SGT Carmichael does not have much respect for SSOs.
Neither of these is acceptable, and I do not think that SGT Carmichael is suited to service in a CSSB. I am sure he functions reasonably in a regular or combat unit with General Service Officers whom he perceives as more competent than Specialist Service Officers. SGT Carmichael will need to adjust his behaviour considerably to work successfully in a CSSB. We need experienced sergeants, especially in Beersheba Barracks, but they must understand their job better than this and be able to function in this difficult position in the COC.
It is also critical that they communicate effectively with the officers they work with.
I foresaw that SGT Carmichael might complain about my handling of PTE Valuable, and so I asked CAPT Scalpel to speak with PTE Valuable last night in order to confirm the degree of correctness of my assessment of the situation and my actions following my assessment. You can be assured that my handling of PTE Valuable was conservative and correct. Please feel free to speak with CAPT Scalpel about any of the above. PTE Valuable now has a PM101 exempting him from parading and PT from September last year until April this year. He has a further PM101 which exempts him from PT and Fitness Assessments for three months. I presume any requirement to comply with a fitness assessment is overruled by my exemptions, which I have granted in discussion with the Senior Medical Officer of 4th Brigade, LTCOL Jackson Harding.
I do not wish to make this a discipline matter at present. I assume that SGT Carmichael may have some preconceived notions which we need to dispel, and I would like to handle this through education and guidance.
Please speak firmly with SGT Carmichael and ensure he understands and will conform with the following:
- Where there is a COC it is to be respected, informed and consulted for everything except trivial matters. For example, this matter of discharging a Health Company soldier from Wangaratta must come through myself or in my absence one of the other Health Company officers;
- Regardless of an individual’s background, the rank structure is to respected and is to be seen to be respected;
- I, and the other officers, outrank SGT Carmichael in all matters, not just health. Choosing when to comply and when not to is in particular is potentially a very dangerous practice which I will not further tolerate;
- I, and the other officers, will decide when and how we will defer to his indubitable experience and advice, and that he is not to make these decisions for us; and
- His work, experience and advice are highly valued, all the more so because we have very little effective SNCO input in the Northern Detachments.
I am certain both my OC and the CO will support these points, but please feel free to raise this matter with them and show them this letter if you wish.
I would like your advice on the matter and to hear or read your opinion after you have spoken with SGT Carmichael.
Please write to me if I can clarify or expand on any of the above.
Thank you,
Julian Fidge
Captain
Medical Officer
____________________________________________________
I was wrong, of course. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Pollock, did not support these points and treated the Specialist Service Officers with disdain. He continued to undermine them, treating them like halfwits. An experienced Dental Officer resigned shortly afterwards.
PTE Valuable and his wife had another baby who is well and they are much happier. He continues to be a very good soldier who brings considerable skills to the Army.
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