I attached about two dozen documents in this Content thread. Hope they help get you started.

https://juniorofficer.army.mil/continuity-documents-for-a-battalion-ball-dining-out/?doing_wp_cron=1516880119.9320669174194335937500

@pstofan – you bring up a great point, and one that was a big point of discussion at my last ball. Knowing the difference between a Dining In, Dining Out, and Ball will help @pauljwilkerson get off on the right foot while you concurrently get guidance from your BN leadership. It’s interesting you mention BN XO, I’ve always seen BN CDR give very…[Read more]

This is a great question to ask and to get smart on because it’s been a bit of a hot topic for a while now! I’ve yet to be in a Brigade where the BN or BDE commander didn’t want to change the MTOE of a subordinate unit.

The short answer: Talk to a Force Manager. Expect a lot of paperwork, justification, and time to do the request. It’s an…[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…

Spending lots of time as an S1 means that if been to lots of balls in handful of units. Sit tight, let me contact some people. What’s your first task?

That’s a really creative idea with the ambient! I’ve never seen anyone do that before. *fist bump*

Your question phrases transitioning , but I argue that it’s not so much a transition to having the skill at the ready. You don’t transition to a time where you’re great at PT or rifle range, you just have the skills and apply them when needed. The skill I think you’re best looking to pinpoint, define, and practice is Empathy.

It’s not…[Read more]

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]

This is widely position and rank dependent in my opinion – a PL and a Staff Primary and a Commander will have widely different experiences and required preparations. I always try to remind myself of what is the Right way of doing business (doctrine, regulation) vs. the SOP (the way We do things in the unit, office, Bde, etc.), and start to…[Read more]