Talk:FNG syndrome

Untitled
Hey, I'm just getting this article off the ground. I know its rough, and most of what was written was based off memory, so please correct, edit, or change anything. I don't know if FNG syndrome qualifies for a psychology stub as well, so I didn't put it in. I'll let someone else deicde that. --TDT

Rewrote and expanded the article to say it from pending deletion. Please feel free to expand on it.Akitora (talk) 08:39, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

no mention is made of their also being called 'cherries', or of the acronym FUNGUS (Fuck yoU, New Guy, yoU Suck.)actually, FUNGUS may be more recent than the nam, but what the hell do i know? i was just a REMF.Toyokuni3 (talk) 06:28, 28 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I know - couldn't find a good citable source for alternate names for FNG's - even FUNGUS would be appropriate for insertion if it could be shown that similar treatment of new troops from a group dynamic POV has been exhibited in other conflicts. Do you have a source that could be used? Akitora (talk) 10:54, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

i'll see what i can find. but, think about this: in the movie ' platoon',while they're on their first patrol, the tom berringer character refers to the new guys as 'cherries'.this could be snuck in the back door under 'in popular culture'.Toyokuni3 (talk) 15:35, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

I know I'm late to this discussion, having only just come across this article, but I served in Nam 71-72, and never heard of this. It was common to refer to those just arrived from the world as "cherries" or perhaps "newbies", with "cherry" being the most common, both as a noun as well as an adjective. Wschart (talk) 12:39, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Article Improvement
This article is tagged with:

This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.

It needs additional references or sources for verification. Tagged since May 2008.

It needs sources or references that appear in third-party publications. Tagged since May 2008.

It needs to be updated. Tagged since May 2008.

It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. Tagged since May 2008.

Its factual accuracy is disputed. Tagged since May 2008.

Its neutrality or factuality may be compromised by weasel words. Tagged since May 2008.

Its tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Tagged since May 2008.

It reads like a personal reflection or essay. Tagged since May 2008.

It may be confusing or unclear for some readers. Tagged since May 2008.

It is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. may be able to help recruit one. It needs to be expanded. Tagged since May 2008.

It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. Tagged since May 2008.

It is an autobiography, or has been extensively edited by the subject, and may not conform to NPOV policy. Its introduction may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines. Tagged since May 2008.

This article needs more relevant internal links to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article by adding useful internal links. (May 2008)

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2008)

Lets hook in and improve it!Akitora (talk) 11:56, 9 May 2008 (UTC)


 * The Title is very odd becuase it uses the word "syndrome". Also the total focus on the vietnam conflict makes this article extremly narrow and should reflect more to newerconflicts and civilian use. БοņёŠ ɓɤĭĠ₳₯є  16:52, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I agree that the title needs changing - FNG's would be more appropriate without the syndrome. However the focus on Vietnam is accurate - very little literature or sources to support it's common usage outside of this scope. It's like the term Jerry for the Germans in WWII - wasn't really used before or after that one war. If people can find good sources on post vietnam usage, put them in! Akitora (talk) 09:16, 12 May 2008 (UTC)
 * i agree in one sense but disagree in another. the word syndrome is much overused in modern parlance. on the other hand, if it represents,in any given case, the actual definition, i.e., a constellation of symptoms that tend to occur together, then its use in that case is appropriate. see syndrome or down syndrome. it's a meaningful term. does fng meet the definition? Toyokuni3 (talk) 06:41, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
 * That's what it comes down to really isn't it. Is it a syndrome. Is it a phenomenon? Certainly none of the source material I read referred to it as a syndrome. Closest it came to that was along the lines of "FNG's as part of the group dynamic of units in Vietnam." Certainly there seems to be enough research to warrant papers on the topic, so the FNG effect, for want of a better term, seems to be quantifiable and verifiable as far as professionals studying it goes. So new section :) Akitora (talk) 10:04, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Definition
Is what is described in the article a syndrome? Phenomenon? Something else entirely? Share your thoughts! Tell your friends and get them to share their thoughts! Akitora (talk) 10:04, 13 May 2008 (UTC)


 * so change it. i don't see how anyone could object to phenomenon.Toyokuni3 (talk) 14:57, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Article is unprofressional
Either fix it up or schedule it for deletion. 199.117.69.60 (talk) 22:31, 30 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Seconded 199.117.69.60 (talk) 22:00, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Uverse NOC
Deleted one thing about Full Metal Jacket that was irrelevant but the naming convention used in a particular workplace (the Uverse NOC) doesn't seem to really illustrate the concept that the article is about. I'm sure FNG it used plenty of places but singling out a particular workplace seems kind of silly and useless. 71.70.224.193 (talk) 01:57, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

History/Origins
Anyone tried to trace the first appearance of the phrase in print? Earliest that I've come across is Larry Heinemann's novel Close Quarters, published 1977, but there's got to be older refs than that. Wish I had time to check. Ellsworth (talk) 02:32, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Generation Kill reference
The reference in the article says Trombley was "improperly attired" by wearing his watch cap after dark, and was thus corrected by one of his fellow Marines (Esperez), who gave him a watch cap. This is incorrect. In fact, he was improperly attired because he was wearing a cover indoors, period. . . but in this particular scene, the reason he was busted out by his fellow Marine is because the rest of them were wearing watch caps before dark as a deliberate stance against regulation to improve their reputed appearance as a deviant group of hardcore killers. I'm not exactly sure how to reword this for the article, so I'll let someone else do it. Thatfield977 (talk) 22:27, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

I added in the United States Army
The FNG is well known in the US Army. Can't quickly find a RS citation, but I'll suffice it to say that I heard the term many, many, many times during my near three decades of service. The only difference if the Vietnam era and now is, one embraced and sponsored (or found a good sponsor) for the FNG. It became a joke, "blame the FNG" when something went wrong. Frequently enough it was, occasionally, it was intra-cranial flatulence that was then joked about blaming the FNG. In reality, we covered for the FNG, within reason. We *all* were FNG's at one point or another and honestly, those who formed the policy were Vietnam vets who were FNG's at one point in their career. Today, the FNG is both a liability and a resource, as that is a replacement that, if killed, someone gets extended. So, the policy is reinforced.Wzrd1 (talk) 03:12, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on FNG syndrome. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20061016132254/http://www.illyria.com/documents/julia_chap5.pdf to http://www.illyria.com/documents/julia_chap5.pdf

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 05:29, 15 January 2016 (UTC)

Syndrome?
While the article gives an adequate explanation as to what an FNG is, what is FNG syndrome? Only place the phrase is used is in the title. Loafiewa (talk) 13:52, 6 March 2021 (UTC)