Secret Santa Gift Surprises Army Reddit Reader

Secret Santa Gift Surprises Army Reddit Reader

When he opened a secret Santa gift he received, an anonymous non-commissioned officer who frequents Reddit's Army forum was quite surprised.

Reddit user u/kkronc posted a photo of a gift he received, but that isn't what led him to do so. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston was the secret Santa, and he had sent a copy of We Were Soldiers Once … and Young. 

This book was a memoir by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore about the Vietnam War, explicitly highlighting the Battle of Ia Drang. A challenge coin and note were also included in the package, along with the book.

In the book, Grinston wrote, "I hope you enjoy this book. I also wish it can help guide you to build cohesive teams that are highly trained, disciplined, and fit."

The staff sergeant, u/kkronc, told Army Times that he was "grateful and humbled" by the unexpected gift, though he asked for his name to be withheld.

What does SMA do on Reddit?
Over the past six months, Grinston has maintained an active presence on Reddit through his public affairs adviser. By having a more personable presence on social media, he solicits feedback from the force and discusses Army policy.

However, Reddit lingo refers to the Army forum as a subreddit, and most don't post every day. Despite expulsions, its top leader believes the Army Reddit forum is a unique platform where a leader like Grinston can gauge the force's pulse.

According to him, most of the site's users post under pseudonyms, allowing for more candid discussions. Community rules prohibit much of the harassment associated with anonymous posts.

In addition, the moderator pointed out that "on Facebook and Twitter, there is a character limit, and it's not set up for a real discussion as compared to Reddit," where you can provide constructive feedback on multi-paragraph answers with hyperlinks and resources.

Occasionally, Grinston or his public affairs adviser will respond to questions users ask about the Army or leadership, even if they are not posted in the designated question and answer section. With that informal participation - including secret Santa - Grinston makes the most of all user feedback.

In response, u/kkronc agreed - though he phrased it differently.
He said it was much better than they were willing to engage more than many high-level leaders had done in the past.