@george.l.gurrola

It’s funny you say that; I was given 29 days from notification to taking the flag. What makes this fact a little more pointed, I’m National Guard which automatically limits the time and manpower I have available for inventories, paperwork, etc. So I dove into it. Luckily I’m also AGR (Active National Guard) so I could put my…[Read more]

I was inquiring about the status of KC Harris’ membership, (cassandra.a.harris8.mil@mail.mil), and to see if there any issues with her acceptance. please let me know.

@snusom,
Unfortunately, leader development always takes a back seat when “metric based” requirements take up most of a drill weekend. This is ESPECIALLY the case in the Reserve Components. It’s not an excuse, just a point of discussion.
 
However that tends to be my opinion. Should an SFC be held accountable no matter what? Yes, however there are…[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]

Dallas,

As a former special forces maintenance company commander I am very aware of managing expectations especially when it comes to readiness and training. Although a MTOE change would help tremendously, honestly, its not a realistic option. Instead focus on the things you can affect as a commander. Here are some good starting points.

1) What…[Read more]

You know it’s rough when the state CSM comes to talk to your company, asks about how much the unit’s been doing, and his eyes get wide when you inform him that the company has done 53 days of emergency activation and annual training that year…

I was diagnosed with mild PTSD following my deployment to Iraq in 2005. As an NCO, there wasn’t much backlash. Now that I’m an officer, I utilize it when I give MRT training, and talk to Soldiers about the importance of reaching out for help if you need it.

Like everything else though, it’s a matter of degree. Mild PTSD is way different then…[Read more]

I have a CD with 3 separate sound clips that I can throw into a small boombox or larger sounds system and hit repeat for multiple hours of ambient noise that automatically increases training difficulty to any scenario.

The first is the crowd noise from a World Cup. A crazy loud thrum of hundreds of thousands of people screaming at the tops of…[Read more]

Like Patrick, I’ve seen the dark side of loyalty first hand. Officers who should be drummed out of the service, instead being promoted because they have the right friends (above 1 star…). The transgressions of a squad of SGMs overlooked simply because the CG didn’t want the organization as a whole to look bad. The SPC who falsified a report when…[Read more]

Armel,

The above posts hit all the right points. Know you equipment, know your soldiers, and know how it fits into the overall mission. As a commander, I would love it when staff sections would ask me to get in on their training. For example, if you as an S-6 go to the training briefing and see Company X is out doing a range maybe you can ask the…[Read more]