@arianna_howard : a small skill (implied most times), but a very important one, is radio etiquette.  It increases efficiency and clarity of comms, and (especially for both OC’s who don’t know you and the CC/1SG and fellow BN staff who is getting to know working with you) shows you know how to navigate the conversations. Quite simply, it shows y…[Read more]

@cale,

Excellent point (so much so I added a #4 to my original post). Some of the old salts have seen and maybe experienced those times that UCMJ action could have been leveraged but wasn’t, and how much better the outcome was because of it. The situation becomes a teaching point that has long lasting positive effects, opposed to something that…[Read more]

A point on the pay; yes, Soldiers do get paid, however it becomes a cost-benefit decision. SSG X/CPT G, a mid level civilian or law enforcement professional makes $80-$90k a year before overtime. Normal drill already eats into Soldiers’ civilian careers. Now add MUTA 6-8s (3 and 4 day drills), emergency activations, mil schools, etc. Now you have…[Read more]

@Cale,

This has been talked about off and on for the last decade. It’s not a horrible idea, if implemented correctly. When I joined the National Guard in ’99, my unit was part of an “enhanced Brigade,” and we were authorized 60 UTA a year, on top of the 15 day Annual Training. Given, that only equated to 45 days a year, but it’s a great deal more…[Read more]

@cale, overall it was a positive event for me, reinforcing a desire to be at the point of friction. I still have great respect for him, and credit the success of my first deployment directly to his leadership.

I’ll admit I’m still not comfortable giving orders, as it feels too much like asking favors. If I want something, I still try my best to…[Read more]

@jrrooker – You bring up great points about discipline and how hard it is to enforce it. To me discipline is a lot of factors that come down doing the small things right. Discipline involves standards, values, and norms. Here are some questions that I come up when I think about discipline:

1. Does a unit conduct effective counseling?  Coun…[Read more]

@cale – I just rediscovered this post from last year about my comment as well. Thought others might find it interesting just as I did! https://juniorofficer.army.mil/discussion/relationships-with-enlisted-personnel/

@brock.j.young – Preach the good word!! Definitively agree with your bit on promotion timelines for ARNG. Agree totally about you being your own best manager, too. @george.l.gurrola – agree with all you posted, too. Very similar to my thoughts that I’ve posted here.

@cale – My response to your post is a serious of ‘gates’ that I’d recommend…[Read more]

@Cale,
Excellent post! Coming into my position as the BN S1, I learned a lot about officer and career management. Not many Guard LTs (or their chains of command) realize that they are eligible for promotion at 18 month’s time in grade (and have completed BOLC). Fewer know that a waiver MUST be submitted to NGB for approval if the officer isn’t…[Read more]

Early in my command and I’m supposed to be preparing for a BN conference call…so I won’t go into too much.

Planning is critical and the hardest thing to do.  You need to have the foresight to look out months in advance and ensure key training resources are locked in.  To add to what @cale said, I force my TPU (m-day) Soldiers to be involved i…[Read more]