How do commands work in the military

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I’m just curious if say a corporal can order a private around

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Yep. Corporals are the most junior NCO's but they're still NCO's.

Yes. There’s a chain of command. E4 (Corporal) and up is when you start getting some responsibility and left in charge. At Sergeant, it’s your job depending on the unit of course.

Never piss off a warrant officer. They can frick your shite up.

From what I can gather from interviews and docs, rank only gets you so far. If you don’t have the toughness and leadership skills, guys won’t respect you for shite. In combat, they’re trusting their officers with their lives. They don’t want to take orders from a dumbass.


Oh, frick Sobel.

In the air force world, nobody below E4 is really giving anyone orders, and even then they're not really in charge until they hit sergeant (E5). Junior officers can technically give orders to NCOs but from my experience they avoid it as much as they can because they are generally less experienced. And there's no captains giving orders to SNCOs haha generally they're treated as advisors to the officer corps.

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In the air force world, nobody below E4 is really giving anyone orders, and even then they're not really in charge until they hit sergeant (E5).

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Most E4s in the army are specialists but there are still some corporals.

The specialist rank insignia is known as the 'sham shield'.

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. I do know it is basically career suicide for lower ranking officers to give orders to some of the highest ranked enlisted men

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In day to day crap, this is no big deal...

LT comes back from meeting says, "we were told we need to do X, Y, or Z"...
Old enlisted dude, "no problem, rounds up a team"...


I have a good story on this...

I ran a Flight (AF, E-7, had 50 bubbas)...
Group Commander's secretary (a Captain), who is the VCO (vehicle control officer) for the Group Commander's car called my Airmen directly and told him to wash his car...the Airmen responded, but sir, it's raining outside...
The Captain said, I don't care, I'm tired of excuses, the Commander is tired of excuses.

So me and two TSgts (E-6s) grabbed the vehicle, cordoned off the middle of the Group parking lot (hoses, buckets, etc) so no one could park and they began wash the car.
I stood outside with them watching and drinking coffee...

My Commander walks up...sees the absolute ridiculousness of what we're doing and says...
"Ice, uh, why are you washing the Group Commander's car in the rain."
"Well, Colonel, it's simple, when Airmen Snuffy was directly ordered to wash the Group Commander's car today, I just didn't think it was appropriate for the young Airman to do it, so me and the two shop chiefs volunteered...to make it clear to everyone that walks in and out what's going on."

Colonel: I see...and don't you think it would be better just to come tell me, so I can push back on the group...

Me: sir, it did cross my mind, however, this is so stupid, I didn't want to burden you, AND, I have always been told if you get a direct order, fulfill that order the best way possible, unless life, limb or law stops it, THEN go back and show how stupid it is...

Colonel: That's why you're in charge of the flight...

Tldr version: Captain was replaced...
The Group Commander was Col Roberts aka the dread pirate Roberts, and he tolerated no shite. My man fired 4 Squadron Commanders...

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shammers lead the way

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I do know it is basically career suicide for lower ranking officers to give orders to some of the highest ranked enlisted men and there’s sort of a balancing act between the two.

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Not true at all. As a Company Grade Officer in the Marine Corps you are in charge and they know it. Good Sr. Enlisted will pull you aside and give you guidance if they think you need it. I only had one situation where I bumped heads with an E-9. I eventually fired him but I had to have “my ducks in a row” with him caught red-handed.