I benefitted from contacting my incoming unit out of BOLC – I got a much better job than the other lieutenants in my class going to the same brigade as me. Units view LTs as round pegs going into round holes, so a little initiative doesn’t hurt.

My email said something like – I’m so and so, I report on this date, I’m bringing my family, ages, names, and am raring to go. I mentioned my background as an infantry platoon medic but overall it was a very short email providing my cell and other contact info. As a result I had a job and was tasked to lead Brigade convoys 2 months prior to arriving at my unit. A week after signing in, I was briefing my BC my convoy plan and the following week, my BDE CDR.