I have attached my recent introduction letter to my Squadron Commander. I spent a lot more time talking about my personal life, hobbies, and desire to serve in a new capacity. I only briefly discussed my professional career thus far.

I sent a similar letter to my BDE Commander. I want my leaders to know that I wear my uniform (it does not wear me ),  that I have a healthy support network and that I will use this network to augment my professional life, which they will come to see in the manner of my performance.

I also seem to find it a very easy way to get your leader to open up about their own family life. I would much rather discuss how many kids the boss has and what they do in the area to decompress than what did I think of my last deployment to Afghanistan – something that opens you up to a lot of potential judgement. That’s just me, I don’t think there is a wrong approach in this regard.