This is, what, my seventh? In nearly eight years? Initial ETS date. Stop-lossed. Un-stop-lossed. Reenlisted. Extended. Stop-lossed. Un-stop-lossed. Extended (today, to meet the SRR for SSG). That's eight different dates for when I would have gotten out of the Army. I'm already past three of them. I made promotion points for SSG for November 1st. I extended today to meet the Service Remaining Requirement (SRR) for the rank; I have to be in for a full year after I pin on, so ...
I had girded my mind for action, and had prepared myself to extend my time left in the Army so that I would meet the one year service remaining requirement for Staff Sergeant, as long as I was promoted in the next two months. I feel I will get the promotion 1DEC05, so I would add three months to my commitment to the Army. But I talked to the 1SG yesterday, and she suggested that they may not let me extend during an open reenlistment window. I may have to reenlist (minimum three years com...
In my quest to add my Army Achievement Medal to my file to count for promotion points for November, I dealt with personnel both on the Battalion and Company levels. I'm talking about our clerks, here. At the Battalion, the "clerk" is the same rank as me, and has been here long enough that I recall (perhaps incorrectly) that he was a SPC when I was a SPC. (Could be more False Memory Syndrome, though.) Being a clerk is his primary MOS (job) in the Army. He should know his stuff. At th...
Related to: Link From an online conversation with a soldier who works for me. Context is that I chewed him and others out for mistakes they made today, but later told them that it wasn't nearly as serious as I had made it out, and that we were doing fine with the amount of experience we have. pseudosoldier says: You know I don't really hate you guys, that I've just been having a string of bad days with little sleep, and I'm heavy on the "tough love" during training... right? Hal...
SFC (BDE Retention) has fixed my ETS date. She also removed my flag that no one had bothered with, allowing me to go to the promotion board next Wednesday! If that had been in place, PSB might've kicked me out faster than SPC Dougie... Mixed feelings on the board. I'm not too keen on that sort of performance, really. I hope I don't choke too badly. The promotion board will consist of: Command Sergeant Major Somewhat - I've never seen him face-to-face, he has no idea who I am. He's...
[ PAC = Personnel and Administration Center, sometimes also S-1 ] So, I gathered up my paperwork, my last few LESs and my ERBs, some with correct dates, the most recent with incorrect dates, and went to the PLT SGT. Well, not the PLT SGT. The acting PLT SGT, since everyone was on block leave. I had talked to my Squad Leader. Well, not really my Squad Leader, but... well, three of us were kind of a squad triumverate , none of us actually over the other two, but they both knew...
N o one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a noncommissioned officer, I realize that I am a member of a time-honored corps, which is known as "the Backbone of the Army." I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the military service, and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position for pleasure, profi...
Timeline of events: Sunday Night: I attempt to sign up for an online class (History II) to start some time in September, after I go to the promotion board and are out of the language refresher course I am in. Five minutes later: What do you mean I won't have enough time to finish the course before I get out of the Army?!? Five minutes later: What do you mean my ETS date is 30SEP05? Monday Day: I inform my acting Squad Leader, and the SSG who is acting like my squad leader...
From The Soldier's Comprehensive Study Manual, 10th Edition , page 31.8, Promotions and Reductions : Q . The weapons qualification score (entered in Section A of DA Form 3355) must not be older than ________ months. A . 24 (para 3-49a, AR 600-8-19) (actually para 3-46a, AR 600-8-19; the study guide was wrong about that part, but not the other) While I'm at it, from AR 600-8-19, section 3-49, a. (1), Civilian Education: (1) College/university/business/trade schools. Poi...
First things first: Pre-Hyptnotized Peter What Office Space character are you? brought to you by Quizilla Now that's out of the way... She came home from her two week drill talking about how we had to see the movie, we had it on the shelf still in the plastic, and they were making references to it all weekend. I've been living references to it for just over five years, now. Eight bosses - Not quite eight, but there's the Squad Leader, the Platoon Sergeant, ...
Everything was put off again , until 0600 Tuesday morning. We were set to miss PT, but it would all be over. Of course, at 0040, I received a phone call. I managed to repeat everything that the SSG said aloud, attempting to memorize the new schedule, but it turned out all I had remembered was "go to PT as normal." I opted to call the soldiers in the morning, before they headed out to the flight line (read: I passed out almost immediately). We went to PT "as normal", and I caught up to t...
The detail didn't happen yesterday. We're not sure entirely what the delays are, but it looks like we'll be working tonight. Today and yesterday haven't been too bad, actually, as she was able to come down for part of the weekend. It means that I haven't been sitting by the phone as diligently as I would've, but I haven't missed anything regardless. I suppose I'll do a minor summary tomorrow, assuming that we do work tonight...
Lot less phone calls today. This is mostly because the detail happened almost as planned, this morning. Half the work done, we have been scheduled for the rest of it tomorrow. We'll see if that holds up or not; perhaps I'll get more calls this evening, or tomorrow morning. The Crow is perched in the cupboard, but my friend Jack is here with me watching movies.
This is our first four day weekend in about a year. Most of the unit is good to go; I volunteered for a detail so that no one had to be assigned it. I also have five soldiers assigned underneath me for this. My day thus far has been fielding phone calls from the SSG in charge overall, who will continue to relay the updated times for us to show up. 1400 today has been put off, and still I wait by the phone. But the most recent call is perplexing. SFC C - Hey SGT pseudosoldier, sorry to...
Tonight I had the pleasure of assisting in the return of the portions of my Company and our support Company that were deployed for nearly a year. I missed the ceremony inside (although I unfortunately saw a few of our SSGs "doing the Electric Slide" outside as the DJ attempted to entertain the family members through another landing delay), but I got to see everyone outside. We helped set up in the gym, while the Family Readiness Group (officers' wives, mostly) and their kids blew up balloon...