PLM Edition

1775
The Journal of the Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association
May 2001
The First Dinnien Award Recipient
PLM Edition
1775
The official publication of the Adjutant General’s
Corps Regimental Association
The Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association
Chief of the Corps, Colonel Mike Molosso
Association Officers
President, Colonel Mike Molosso
Regimental Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major Freddie Lash
Senior VP, Colonel Paul Proffitt
VP, Awards, Chief Warrant Officer 5 David Ratliff
VP, Community & Corporate Affairs, Colonel (Ret.) Frank C. Foster, Jr.
VP, Plans and Programs, Lieutenant Colonel Judy Boyd
VP, History, Captain Jeb S. Zoller
VP, Publications, Captain Alisha Sanders
VP, Membership, Sergeant First Class Stephen Stugart
VP, Sales and Marketing, Sergeant First Class Lawrence Korn
Treasurer, Dr. James L. Ard
Adjutant, Captain James K. (Ken) Haynes
Secretary, First Sergeant Vincent Collins
Honorary Officers
Honorary Colonel, Major General (Ret.) Ronald E. Brooks
Honorary Warrant Officer Chief Warrant Officer 5 (Ret.) Arbie McInnis
Honorary Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Joseph Himelick
Printing services provided by American Printing
On The Cover
During the 2001 Personnel Leaders' Meeting, Mr. Earl Davis (third from
left), I Corps, Fort Lewis, Washington, was presented with the first John J.
Dinnien Award for Excellence in Support of Military Personnel
Management. Runners up were Mr. Dave Burdick (not pictured), AMC, and
Mrs. Anne Marie Murray (third from right), 1st Personnel Command.
1775, The Journal of the Adjutant
General’s
Corps
Regimental
Association is published by the
Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental
Association, a non-profit organization headquartered at Fort Jackson,
South Carolina, and is devoted to the
advancement and professionalism of
the members of the Adjutant
General’s Corps Regiment. Articles
appearing in the journal do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the
officers and members of the
Regimental Association. Articles
submitted by members or civilian
employees of the U.S. military services are expressions of personal opinion, unless otherwise stated, and
should not be interpreted as reflecting the official opinion of the
Department of Defense.
1775 is published in January, May,
and September. Articles for submission are invited and should be sent to
1775, P.O. Box 10026, Fort Jackson,
SC 29207, or sandersa@jackson.
army.mil. Submissions are due the
10th of the month prior to publication. The editor reserves the right to
reject any articles and to modify articles for clarity or space limitations.
Authorizations for reprint of 1775
articles may be sent to the same
addresses. The editor and publisher
of 1775 invite the submission of
photographs and illustrations to
accompany submitted articles.
Regimental Rumblings from the Chief
As promised, here is the “new look”
edition of 1775. This is the first edition in which the Association has
completed the layout process itself
and had a local printing establishment in Columbia publish it. We
are very proud and excited about
this new process and believe it will
result in a better product while being
much more cost effective for the
Association and its members. Much
of this edition centers around the
2001 PLM - I hope you enjoy it.
The next edition will be published in
September. Articles are due NLT
10 August. It is critical that members’ addresses be up to date to
assure delivery.
Time continues to fly. It’s hard to
believe it has already been two plus
months since the PLM. Many
thanks to all who helped support and
execute the PLM as well as those
who attended. Everyone who
attended had a part in making this
year’s event the tremendous success
it was. We are already exploring
ways of improving on this year and
will be back on the net with preliminary 2002 plans before you know it.
In the meantime, don’t forget to get
your critique sheets in and pull the
PLM briefs you need off the web
site.
Since the PLM, I have visited Fort
Bragg to do an OPD on the
Schoolhouse
and
Personnel
Transformation and participate in
the Corps G1’s hotwash AAR of
their recent warfighter exercise. As
always, it was great to return to
“Airborne Country” and get the
front end “skinny” on what is happening and where we can help from
a schoolhouse perspective. Thanks
to Colonels Tim Robertson and Rick
Megahan for allowing me these
opportunities to participate.
the way, Airborne!”
“All
In April, I also had the privilege of
serving as the Senior Observer for
8th PERSCOM’s EXEVAL. What
a great tip! COL Rick Porter’s soldiers and leaders are as great a team
as you’ll ever see. My congratulations to COL Rick Porter, COL
Reuben Jones, CSM Greigo and the
entire 8th PERSCOM team. The
command’s performance on the
EXEVAL was absolutely superb
and as we made our way around the
peninsula it was obvious their reputation for customer service and taking care of soldiers, commanders,
families and readiness was equally
superb. The CGs of 8th Army, the
2ID and 19th TSC all sung their
praises and echoed in unison strong
support for their efforts. It was
tremendously rewarding to meet and
spend time with so many great personnel soldiers and leaders committed to defending freedom and serving soldiers and their families. I
always come away more inspired
and very optimistic about the Corps’
future because of the energy and
commitment of these professionals.
As a Corps, we have our issues to
resolve, but with soldiers like these
we can fix anything. Thanks to all
for the tremendous effort, hospitality and support, as well as what you
do everyday! I’m still on cloud
nine. You truly made us “RAISE
UP HIGHER” and, as a veteran of
the 509th, relive one more time the
importance of putting “WARRIORS
FIRST”. You are always in our
thoughts.
Training and transformation continue to dominate the schoolhouse
landscape. We are taking what
came out of the PLM and aggres-
sively working our lane in conjunction
with
the
Personnel
Transformation Council of Colonels
to ensure we do not lose the momentum. On the officer training front,
we are looking at reestablishing a
third CCC beginning in FY02. Still
working the details, but we know we
have a backlog that needs to be
taken care of as soon as possible.
Once we finalize the resource
pieces and get the necessary
approvals, we’ll let you know the
plan. We plan to hire additional
SGLs for the CCC in order to stand
up the new class. If you have a recommendation, let me know.
Congratulations to all of our great
young 1LTs who were selected for
CPT in February, and to our newest
group of future battalion commanders. I would like to convey my personal best wishes to each and every
one of you and your families. Enjoy
the moment and best wishes for continuing success as you prepare for
your next challenge.
On the Regimental Association
front, congratulations to SGT
Garibaldi Cortes, HHC, Victory
Brigade, Fort Jackson, SC, and PFC
Jessica
Hess, 1st PSB, Fort
PLM 2001
Personnel Leader’s Meeting
by CW5 David A. Ratliff, PLM Project Officer
The 2001 Personnel Leaders'
Meeting was held 5-8 March 2001
in the Embassy Suites and
Convention
Center,
North
Charleston, SC. This year's meeting
was by far the largest - over 550
people registered - since we relocated to South Carolina from Fort
Harrison.
The weather was great for the team
building activities on Monday. The
Charleston Air Force Base Golf
Course hosted more than 80 golfers.
Dr. Steve Bower, Soldier Support
Institute Historian, did a wonderful
job in setting up the golf tourney.
The winning team included LTG
Maude, MG Miller, BG Decker, and
BG Rochelle. Charleston Air Force
Base personnel assisted in the conduct of the 5K Run. The winner of
the men's division was SGM
Scatliffe. CPT Schellhase won the
women's division. A tour of Fort
Sumter was conducted on Monday
afternoon. Monday night's icebreaker was a dinner cruise through
Charleston Harbor.
Tuesday morning was cold and
windy. Everyone was happy that
the outdoor events had occurred the
day before. COL Mike Molosso
welcomed everyone to the 2001
PLM. The SSI Color Guard presented the colors and the 282d
Army Band played the National
Anthem. This year's patriotic opener
was received with thundering
applause and two standing ovations.
CW2 Brazier, Commander of the
282d Army Band, presented a program that featured the Citadel
Chorus and included America, the
Beautiful, Hymn to the Fallen from
Saving Private Ryan, and The Light
Eternal. During the performance of
Hymn to the Fallen, a part of the
movie was shown. Several attendees had tears in their eyes by the
end of the number.
Our keynote speaker was the Chief
of Staff, General Eric Shinseki. He
outlined his vision of the Army
Transformation and how important
a role Personnel Transformation has
in Army Transformation. General
Shinseki was highly complimentary
of LTG Maude’s leadership of the
Personnel Transformation efforts
and acknowledged all the hard work
the personnel community was
doing. The primary theme throughout his address was balancing readiness while simultaneously resourcing transformation efforts. To that
end, General Shinseki discussed the
need to take certain risks in order to
accelerate transformation efforts.
General Shinseki was the first Army
Chief of Staff to ever address the
PLM and this is reflective of how he
feels about the importance of taking
care of people. Following the
Chief’s address, LTG Maude gave
us his vision of Personnel
Transformation, where we are today
and where we are headed. His message to the personnel leadership was
that they must embrace the change
that is coming about and the personnel community must forge ahead
with great speed on Personnel
Transformation.
LTG Maude
acknowledged that change brings
about uncertainty especially among
our young NCOs and officers as to
their future. He assured the audience
that personnel support has a critical
role in the Objective Force and there
will always be the need for a professional core of personnel support.
In order to meet the Army's
Transformation goals, special working groups were formed to look at
specific impacts on the AG Corps.
These groups had general officer
mentors, colonel group leaders, and
officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel from the active, guard,
and reserve. The groups met on
Monday and went to work on
Tuesday. They continued on
through Wednesday with their
analysis and began preparing their
findings and recommendations. On
Thursday, the groups reported their
findings to the audience and gave
the DCSPER the information he
needed to take these issues to the
Army.
During the PLM dinner, we recognized several outstanding members
of our community and presented
Horatio Gates Medals to them. The
first award of the John J. Dinnien
Award for Excellence in Support of
Military Personnel Management
was made to Mr. Earl Davis, I
Corps, Fort Lewis. This is a new
award from the AG Corps
Regimental Association that honors
civilian members of our community.
From the comments we received,
the 2001 PLM was a huge success.
The facilities were magnificent and
the attendees left feeling they had
not only learned about changes, but
were able to make an impact to the
changes that are yet to come. As
you read this, we are already planning the 2001 PLM.
Notes from the Regimental CSM
April 1999. Amidst reduction in
resources and increases in mission, our soldiers and civilians
continue to make the daily mission
happen in an outstanding manner.
I applaud them all for their hard
work and dedication.
CSM Freddie Lash
Today is another wonderful day to
be in our great Army, especially as
an AG soldier. Hooah! This will
be my last article as your AG
School and Regimental CSM. It
has been my absolute pleasure and
honor to serve in these positions. I
am very proud of all that you do
for soldiers and their families.
What you do is so critically important to the overall mission of our
great Army. On 28 June, I will
assume to the position of the
Soldier Support Institute CSM,
where I will replace CSM Carl
Bowen who is retiring after 30
years of outstanding service. On
26 June, CSM Michael Armstead,
the HQ Eastern Sector USMEPCOM CSM, will become the AG
School and Regimental CSM. I
truly thank you for all of the wonderful support you have given and
continue to give me. I ask that you
give the same support to CSM
Armstead.
The pace here at the schoolhouse
has not slowed since my arrival in
During my recent travels, I had the
opportunity to visit Fort Bragg's
18th Airborne Corps Soldier
Support Group with CSM Daniels,
the Corps CSM, and SGM Harper,
the Corps G1 SGM, and 8th PERSCOM in Korea with CSM
Greigo, CSM Toro, 516th PSB,
and CSM Teel, 509th PSB. It was
a blessing to be given the opportunity to speak with so many soldiers, and to hear their issues and
concerns. I remain impressed with
the high caliber of soldiers in the
AG Corps. I am equally impressed
with the outstanding support they
provide. Their professionalism
and positive attitude make me
proud to be a member of the great
AG Corps, "defending and serving" our nation.
I would like to personally thank
those who participated in the 2001
Personnel Leaders' Meeting for
their great support. This year's
PLM was a huge success. Plans
are already in development for the
2002 PLM. We continue to
remain focused and driven with
the AG Corps role in Army
Transformation,
including
Personnel
Redesign,
MOS
Consolidation and One Station
Unit Training, to mention a few of
the many missions we are engaged
in.
The NCO Academy Command
Sergeant Major, CSM Deberry,
continues to ask for your assistance. Soldiers are arriving for
ANCOC/BNCOC not in compliance with the Army weight guidelines and unable to pass the APFT.
Please ensure that our soldiers are
in compliance with weight and fitness standards prior to their class
date.
On a positive note, the AG Corps
Regimental NCO and Soldier of
the Year competition was again
superb! This year seven soldiers
and ten NCOs competed from all
over the world. These great AG
soldiers are:
SFC Florence Hernon, PERSCOM
SFC Regina McCants, Korea
SSG Garibaldi Cortes, Fort Jackson
SSG Nancy Rivera, Fort Monmouth
SSG Tonia Van Tassel, Fort Drum
SGT Dakisha Alam, Fort Wainwright
SGT Kenneth Mata, LA MEPS
SGT Sandra Rincon, Fort Lewis
SGT Sharon Rolfe, Fort Carson
SGT Joshua Thaniel, Korea
SPC David Bolin, Germany
SPC Greather Brown, Fort Jackson
SPC Jason Doyon, Fort Lewis
SPC Mario Miles, Fort Wainwright
SPC Christina Porter, PERSCOM
SPC Raleigh Strabala, Fort Carson
PFC Jessica Hess, Fort Riley
Our 2001 winners are SSG
Garibaldi Cortes, HHC, Victory
Brigade, Fort Jackson, and PFC
Jessica Hess, HHC, 1st PSB, Fort
Riley. We are exceptionally proud
of these soldiers, and they will be
properly recognized on 15 June at
the annual AG Ball.
Command Sergeant Major
Freddie Lash
Command Sergeant Major
Freddie Lash was born in
Columbia, MS. He enlisted in the
United States Army on 28
December 1973. Command
Sergeant Major Lash has a
Bachelor's degree in Political
Science from Mississippi
Valley State University. He
is a graduate of the Primary
Leadership Development
Course, the Basic and
A d v a n c e d
Noncommissioned Officer
Courses, the First Sergeant’s
Course, the Master Fitness
Course and the Sergeants
Major Academy. Command
Sergeant
Major
Lash
assumed the position of
Adjutant General School and
Regimental
Command
Sergeant Major on 4 June
1999.
Commandant, Noncommissioned
Officer Academy, Fort Benjamin
Harrison, Indiana; First Sergeant,
Noncommissioned Officer
Academy, Fort Benjamin
Harrison, Indiana; First
Sergeant, Headquarters &
Company A, Troop Brigade,
Fort Benjamin Harrison,
Indiana; Course Director and
Instructor for the 75B
Advanced
Individual
Training Department, Fort
Benjamin Harrison, Indiana;
PAC Supervisor for the 29th
Military
Intelligence
Battalion (Panama) and 13th
Signal Battalion, Fort Hood,
Texas;
Personnel
Management
Supervisor,
Fort Hood, Texas; Personnel
Services Noncommissioned
Officer for the 2d Battalion,
17th Field Artillery, Camp
Pellam, Korea, and 12th
Military Police Battalion,
Fort McClellan, Alabama.
His recent assignments
include, Command Sergeant
Major, 1st Personnel Group, CSM Freddie Lash assists BG (Ret.) Ronald
Fort Lewis, Washington; Brooks during the PLM Awards Ceremony. Command Sergeant Major
Lash's awards and decoraCommand Sergeant Major,
tions include the Meritorious
509th Personnel Services
Service Medal with five Oak
Battalion, Camp Casey, Korea;
Leaf Clusters, the Army
Command Sergeant Major, 24th
Commendation Medal with four
Personnel Services Battalion,
Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army
Fort Stewart, Georgia; Personnel
Achievement Medal with four
Sergeant Major for the United
Oak Leaf Clusters and the Good
States
Army
Recruiting
Conduct Medal, eighth award.
Command,
Fort
Knox,
Kentucky; Assistant
General Hickerson Retires
MG Patricia Hickerson, the former United States Army Europe
Deputy Chief of Staff for
Personnel, retired on 23 February
2001, in Heidelberg, Germany, in
a ceremony hosted by General
Montgomery
Meigs,
the
Commander in Chief, United
States Army, Europe. The following is a transcript of her
remarks during the ceremony.
General
Meigs,
General
Reinhardt, all our many friends,
thank you so much for being here
today. You honor us with your
presence. Sir, thank you for your
kind comments. Dennis and I
thank you for taking the time out
of your busy schedule to host this
ceremony. It means so much to
have this final formation here in
USAREUR with you, Mrs.
Meigs, and those whom we've
known and served with for the
last two-and-a-half years.
Thank you to the brass quintet
from the 33d Army Band for
your wonderful music, and the
USAREUR color guard from the
529th MP Company. You really
look sharp.
I'm proud to have been a soldier
for the last 32½ years. It was
something I never expected to do
with my life--in fact, joining the
Army was the last thing I ever
expected--especially after majoring in music--in flute performance--at an all women's college
in South Carolina. Even though it
was pure luck that I ended up
here, the Army has been good to
me. I've seen and experienced
change that I never thought could
happen. I've had opportunities
and challenges I never thought
possible. And I'm so proud of
the army. There is no other
organization that offers more
opportunity for its people nor is
more concerned about doing the
right thing for its people while
having the courage to make the
tough decisions. This is truly the
best army in the world.
Having said that, the army I
joined in 1968 was very different
from the one we know today. As
an officer commissioned in the
Women's Army Corps, I found I
was in a separate army. Our uniforms were different. Our entry
standards were different--in fact,
the requirements for women to
enlist in the army were higher
than for men. Promotion systems
were separate. PT, when we did
PT, was different. There was one
WAC colonel--the director of the
Women's Army Corps, and that
was a temporary promotion for
that position only. Women could
not be commanders of male soldiers. Women could not have
children, even if they were
adopted.Husbands were not
dependents either unless they
were physically disabled. Our
pets had medical privileges, but
not our husbands. They could not
have ID cards. It took a Supreme
Court ruling in 1973 to change
this.
When the draft was disestablished in 1972, and the army
became an all-volunteer force,
more women were needed to
meet the manpower needs of this
volunteer force. Thus began the
major changes that have lead to
where we are today. The transition was difficult--lots of turmoil, confusion, changes in policy. Jobs were open one day,
closed the next. So backward
steps were taken only to go forward again as more experience
and confidence was gained in the
training and leading of women
soldiers, and in the ability of
women to be soldiers.
On 11 June 1970, I had the privilege of watching General
Westmoreland promote the first
WAC officer to brigadier general
on the parade field at Fort
McClellan, Alabama. In 1973,
my WAC officer advanced
course was cancelled due to the
expansion of women in the army,
so I joined another WAC captain
and attended the Infantry Officer
Advanced Course at Fort
Benning, Georgia. Needless to
say, we would be the first and
only ones to attend. This was like
taking Algebra II before Algebra
I. Our classmates were not happy
we were there, but we did get
better grades in tactics than our
Marine Corps classmates. I
believe it was this experience
that resulted in my being
assigned to the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point in 1975
to serve as an admissions officer
for the first class of women
cadets. And it was also good
training for a few years later
when Dennis and I went to one of
our most favorite assignments-the 2d Infantry Division in Korea
where we both served on the
division staff under MG Robert
Kingston. This was during a year
which saw President Carter trying to withdraw the division, a
decision which was soon
reversed after the assassination
of the president of South Korea,
which was followed by the coup
in Seoul a few months later, and
the Kwangju riots that spring.
We were all convinced the North
Koreans were coming over the
border any moment. What a
wonderful year of soldiering.
Even then, in 1979, I was one of
a very few women field grade
officers to serve in a combat division.
Meanwhile, women soldiers had
become paratroopers, aviators,
and military police. They were
serving in field artillery and air
defense artillery. They were
logisticians and engineers. Many
command and assignment barriers had been removed and in
early 1983, women made history
by deploying to Grenada, then to
Panama for Just Cause in 1989,
and in 1990, to Desert Storm.
Desert Storm was a milestone.
Desert Storm resulted in major
changes in opening units and
skills to women in all U.S. military services, most significantly,
opening combat aviation. And
changes still continue.
So the army I have known has
transformed from less than 2%
women in the force in 1968-with
very restricted missions and
opportunities-to 15% of the total
force. Today, when I retire as the
senior woman officer in the
army, women are serving in all
branches of the army except
infantry and armor. There are
more women generals in the
active, guard and reserve and
more command sergeants major
than I can count. Twenty-three
percent of new recruits today are
women--more than one out of
five. There is no more separate
Women's Army Corps.
I leave being so proud of the way
our army regards its people--with
the emphasis on dignity and
respect--consideration of others-the efforts to improve well-being
for all soldiers, civilians, and
family members. And especially, I am proud of the command
climate here in USAREUR. I
truly believe this operational
command is the best place in the
army to serve--it has the most
challenging mission in the army,
a "real" mission. USAREUR is
what the army is all about--an
opportunity to experience realistic training and then to apply
those skills during challenging
deployments in the Balkans
where our soldiers are literally
writing new chapters in peacekeeping, the skills of diplomacy,
decision-making, nation building
and how to combat terrorism.
What our soldiers do every day is
so impressive that it's almost
indescribable--and not well
understood by many. I can't
think of a more meaningful
assignment to conclude my
career.
Let me take this opportunity to
thank some of those with whom
we've served. In addition to
GEN Meigs, I thank LTG Jordan
and his predecessor, LTG Coffee,
our chief of staff, MG Campbell,
my fellow directors on the
USAREUR staff, CSM Lady,
LTG Riley and our tactical leaders, the SFOR commander, LTG
Dodson, and two special friendsLTG Petrosky and LTG Adams.
Most importantly, my DCSPER
family. I've been very blessed to
have worked with the most dedicated and competent military and
civilian personnel anywhere in
the army. The mission of
DCSPER and its two field operating agencies, the Civilian
Human Resources Management
Agency and 1st Personnel
Command, and the USAREUR
Band and Chorus, is huge, complex and diverse. It touches
every soldier, civilian and family
member in USAREUR, plus all
soldiers serving in the Balkans
and literally everyone in the
European command. This dedicated group of professionals
works tirelessly to achieve the
highest standards of excellence,
no matter how difficult, in order
to make life better for those
whom they serve. It's been an
honor and privilege serving with
each and every one of you, and I
thank you for all you do every
day.
A special thank you to our
German guests. Again, GEN
Reinhardt, thank you so much for
being
here.
Also,
Herr
Burgermeister Dallinger and his
wife from Schwetzingen and our
friends, the Umverhaus' and
Deszchenkos. And of course, our
German and American friends
from the Heidelberg golf course,
where Dennis keeps his office.
And we thank our many new
friends from AAFES with whom
we have a special bond. Thanks
also to my DCSPER front office
and the USAREUR protocol
office who made this ceremony
happen.
Dennis and I have thoroughly
enjoyed living in Germany. We
wish we could stay longer, but
we plan to come back for visiting
- and shopping and golf.
Lastly-I thank my family. We are
pleased that Dennis' father-Tom
Fogarty-is here representing
Dennis' mom and seven brothers.
My mother and sister wanted to
be here. But most of all-I have
Dennis. We met while we were
captains stationed in Atlanta over
26 years ago. It's been a wonderful journey together. I owe him
everything-he's the one who is
well-grounded with common
sense. He has been my strength
and I wouldn't be here without
him. We've also had a lot of funespecially with our different last
names and at a time when male
spouses were almost as unusual
as senior women officers. But
Dennis was also a participant-
particularly the times when I was
a commander and he made his
significant contributions to family readiness and soldier support.
Now--this is the part of the ceremony where the spouse is normally presented with flowers.
There have been many occasions
during my career when Dennis
has received flowers, so it's only
fitting at this time that I make the
appropriate presentation to thank
my husband for his contributions
to our career. But today, I thought
I should give him something different-something symbolic of
our future. Dennis, this key is an
"IOU" for your new golf cart
when we get to our new home.
We're off on a new adventurewe're PCSing to the corporate
world-a new job-a new state-new
friends to be made-but never the
old ones to forget. We invite all
of you to visit us in Richland,
Washington, or wherever we
may be. And we thank you for
sharing this special day with us.
A Career at a Glance
Major General Patricia Parsons Hickerson, born in Louisville, Kentucky, is a
graduate of
Converse College, Spartanburg, SC, earning the Bachelor of
Music degree with honors in flute performance. She also earned the Master of
Music degree from Converse College, and in 1989, was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Public Service from her alma mater. General Hickerson's military
education includes the Women's Army Corps Officer Basic Course, the Infantry
Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the
National War College.
In 1968, General Hickerson received a direct commission as a First Lieutenant
in the Women's Army Corps. Since then, she has served in a variety of positions to
include her initial assignment as a Manpower Control Officer, Manpower Control
Division, Military District of Washington; commander of the 14th Army Band,
Women's Army Corps Center, Fort McClellan, AL; Branch Advisor to the Combat
Service Support Branch, Readiness Group, Fort Gillem, GA; Admissions Officer at
the U.S. Military Academy; Chief, Officer Personnel Management Branch, U.S.
Army Military Personnel Center, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea; Deputy G1 for 2d
Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea; Personnel Staff Officer in the Assignment
Procedures Office for the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center; Military Assistant
for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Chief,
Personnel Actions Division, VII Corps; Commander, 38th Personnel and
Administration Battalion, VII Corps; Administrative Assistant to the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Commander, Central Sector, Military Entrance
Processing Command, Chicago, IL.
In February 1991, General Hickerson became the 57th Adjutant General of the
Army, serving concurrently as the Commanding General, Physical Disability
Agency, and Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency. Her following
assignment was as the Deputy Commanding General, United States Army
Recruiting Command West, Fort Knox, KY. In January 1996, General Hickerson
became the Commanding General of the Soldier Support Institute, Fort Jackson,
SC. She was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and Installation Management,
U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia, when she became Deputy
Chief of Staff Personnel, U.S. Army, Europe.
General Hickerson's decorations and awards include: The Distinguished Service
Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster); Legion of
Merit (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with four Oak
Leaf Clusters); Army Commendation Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award;
National Defense Service Medal (with one service star), and the Order of Horatio
Gates Bronze Medal and Gold Medal (two awards).
Enlisted Recruiting Challenges
The USAREC Mission
The United States Army
Recruiting
Command
(USAREC) has one of the
Army's most important missions
- recruiting young Americans
into the U.S. Army. This mission
has always been highly visible
and critical to the Army's future.
It has become even more so in
the last five years as the booming
economy forces the Army to
compete with the business world
for today's talented young people. The U.S. Army Recruiting
Command's Recruiting Force is
the Army's spear point in meeting this challenge.
To execute the recruiting mission, the Army must have a
recruiting force that is up to the
challenge - both in quantity and
in quality. Few realize how
many soldiers the Army has
assigned to this critically important mission. The first slide
above shows that USAREC has
more noncommissioned officers
assigned than the 82d Airborne
Division, and even the 1st
Cavalry Division at Fort Hood,
currently the Army's largest division. USAREC NCO strength
approaches that of the 8th Army
in Korea.
Types of Recruiters
Within USAREC there are two
different types of recruiters.
First are the soldiers with MOS
79R, Recruiter. These soldiers
actually hold the MOS of
recruiter and remain in USAREC
as long as they hold the MOS.
They are the professional
recruiter force. Second are the
detailed recruiters --soldiers who
serve a three-year tour in
USAREC and then return to a
follow-on assignment in their
primary MOS. Finally, there are
the support troops--the soldiers
that serve in MOSs supporting
the recruiters (administration,
supply, legal, etc.). Of the 3,125
79R authorizations, 2,044 are
cadre and 1,081 are considered
on-production recruiters. The
senior 79Rs hold sergeant major,
first sergeant, operations, trainer,
guidance counselor (located at
MEPS) and large station commander positions. The remaining 79Rs are on-production
recruiters, though some may also
hold positions of small station
commander or assistant large station commander.
The Detailed Recruiter Force
With approximately 6,250 soldiers in the rank of corporal
through sergeant first class, the
Detailed Recruiting Force (DRF)
comprises the majority of
recruiters in USAREC. In fact,
the DRF has increased over the
past several years to keep pace
with the recruiting mission needs
of the Army. These increases
were directed by the Deputy
Chief of Staff for Personnel, 168
(to cover the Trainee, Transient,
Holdee and Student Account),
and 421 by the Chief of Staff,
Army (200 for the Corporal
Recruiter Program). The breakout of the aggregate strengths
target 37 percent from the combat arms MOSs and 31.5 percent
from both the combat support
and combat service support
career management fields.
About 13 percent of the DRF
is female, with 14 percent
Spanish linguists and three percent Korean linguists. Qualified
foreign language linguists are
essential in recruiting a true cross
section of America's young people. Very simply, these foreign
language capable recruiters are
better able to relate to the parents
and family members of the
potential recruits. Whether male
or female, Hispanic or Asian,
71L or 11B, all of the Army's
noncommissioned officers entering the recruiter force are top
quality. However, since only
about 35 percent of the DRF is
made up of volunteers, the
remainder must be selected by
the Total Army Personnel
Command (PERSCOM).
Recruiter Qualifications
What are the qualifications that
PERSCOM looks for when
selecting soldiers for assignment
to USAREC as a detailed
recruiter? The prerequisites are
outlined in AR 601-1 and PERSCOM has a comprehensive program in place to ensure these are
met. First, all potential recruiters
must pass a detailed background
screening process, the same one
used for drill sergeants: agency
checks which include the official
military personnel file (and the
restricted file), the Army's
Inspector General, Family
Advocacy, Military Police and
Criminal
Investigative
Command,
Defense
Investigative Service and the
Army Investigation Records
Repository. As remarkable as it
may seem, a soldier with a
domestic violence incident may
still hold a valid top secret clearance but not be qualified for duty
in USAREC.
Above average performance is
one of the criteria used by PERSCOM to select recruiters. Each
DA selected soldier must pass a
file review board, comprised of
sergeants major from the career
divisions and branches in the
Enlisted Personnel Management
Directorate. Superb dedication,
motivation and job performance
are the key traits sought out for
DRF candidates, and only soldiers with above average files
make the quality cut.
Commander's Packets
Every soldier who is selected
for assignment to the Recruiting
Command is required to have a
commander's evaluation. This
package include a recruiter nominee checklist, an optional personal financial statement (DA
Form 5425), a mandatory commander’s evaluation (DA Form
5426), a mandatory commander’s assessment (DA Form
5427), and a report of mental status evaluation.
This very important tool provides an actual on-the-ground
assessment of the soldier that is
both current and accurate. This
is the primary manner by which
PERSCOM is informed of any
recent disqualifying information
not yet reflected in a soldier's
OMPF. Such disqualifiers will
result in the soldier being deleted
from the assignment before
he/she attends the US. Army
Recruiting School. The financial
statement also provides vital
information and determines the
soldier's financial fitness to serve
as a recruiter in a high cost area.
US Army Recruiting School
Once a soldier's favorable
background investigation and
commander's evaluation are
received, the soldier's next
assessment is done at the Army
Recruiting School. Here the
recruiter trainee is thoroughly
trained and tested to ensure he or
she possesses the knowledge,
skills and motivation to be successful as an Army recruiter.
While at the school, soldiers are
informed of their pinpoint
assignment- the location of the
specific battalion where they will
be assigned. Soldier's choices are
considered in the assignment
process, but USAREC needs take
priority.
Detailed Recruiter Assignment
Preference Program
Upon a soldier's completion of
a three-year tour as a detailed
recruiter, he is eligible for the
Detailed Recruiter Assignment
Preference Program (DRAPP).
This program enables a soldier to
obtain an assignment location of
choice.
Corporal Recruiting Program
Another recent addition to the
recruiting force is the Corporal
Recruiting Program, designed for
young soldiers with less than five
years of Army experience. All
specialists/corporals or privates
first class who are eligible for
promotion to specialist may to
volunteer for this program, and
must meet the same standards as
the regular detailed recruiting
force as outlined in AR 601-1. If
qualified, they will serve at one
of their chosen locations for a
tour of one year. Upon successful completion of the tour, corporal recruiters may request to
extend on recruiting duty, however they must request reclassification to PMOS 79R.
Conditional Promotions to
Sergeant First Class
Over the last two years, a total
of 400 staff sergeants who were
previously successful detailed
recruiters have been selected for
conditional promotion to sergeant first class as 79Rs. To
accept the promotion they must
convert from their present MOS
to 79R. Noncommissioned officers that are successful detailed
recruiters have the opportunity of
being looked at for promotion to
sergeant first class in both their
current PMOS and as a 79R in
the same year.
In summary, maintaining the
Army's recruiting force with
quality noncommissioned officers and corporals is a top Army
priority. It is important that all
soldiers
understand
that
USAREC and its mission to sustain the flow of soldiers into the
force is critical to the health of
the Army. Consider what it takes
to become an Army Recruiter;
it's a challenging and highly
rewarding duty that requires our
best NCOs and soldiers. There
are recruiting units throughout
the U.S. so assignment possibilities are enormous. To volunteer,
soldiers may contact your assignment manager at PERSCOM.
The History of the AG Corps
The Adjutant General was the first staff officer named
in General Washington's infant American Army of
1775. As administrative requirements increased, so did
the number officers assigned to adjutant duties: those in
the office of the Adjutant General made up the Adjutant
General's Department. To distinguish Army headquarters, the adjutant of any field unit was always the
"Assistant Adjutant General," or AAG for short. Unlike
Infantry or Field Artillery, staff position was a temporary detail, not a permanent arm of service; no one was
commissioned as an Adjutant General officer.
After World War I the capitalized article "The" was
added to the awkward AAG designation; otherwise, the
original designation remained.
When World War II loomed and America considered
full mobilization, the Army recognized its need for a
permanent administrative school to train personnel, as
in how to use IBM's new automated record-keeping
machines. Like the Department itself, the school
became a possessive - The Adjutant General's School.
Following the war, the Department became one of the
Army's basic branches - the Adjutant General's Corps and officers, for the first time were commissioned into
it. However, with each Department of Defense reorganization following World War II and the Korean War,
Congress also restructured the Army.
In the consolidation of 1962, chiefs of the administrative and technical services were eliminated or transferred. The Chief of Finance and The Adjutant General
were transferred to the special staff. The AG Corps
remained, but The Adjutant General no longer controlled an administrative service.
In conjunction with this, Fifth Army assumed control
of the AG School. "Relieved from assignment to" The
Adjutant General, the school became "The Adjutant
General School, United States Army." (General Orders
No. 93, HQ Fifth US Army, June 28 1962).
General Orders No. 116, HQ Fifth US Army, dated
December 16, 1962, announced a "change
in status" redesignating and renumbering the Adjutant
General School to adjust the Fifth Army
Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA). The new
TDA reaffirmed the removal of the possessive - The
Adjutant General's School, US Army, had became the
United States Army Adjutant General School.
General Orders No. 59 and 87, HQ CONARC, restructured the Adjutant General School to become the branch
home. Not only did the AG Branch exist outside The
Adjutant General's chain of command, it also had a new
chief - the Adjutant General School Commandant. The
Corps designation changed with the school and branch
chief to become The Adjutant General Corps.
Career Program 50 & the
Regimental Association
Recognize Outstanding Civilians
by Ms. Ona Cates
The 2001 Personnel Leaders'
Meeting (PLM) was especially
significant for CP50. The AG
Regimental award honoring
civilians, the John J. Dinnien
Award, was presented to Mr. Earl
Davis, Deputy AG, Fort Lewis,
Washington. Earl Davis epitomizes the dedication and professionalism that exemplified John
Dinnien's 50+ years of federal
service. "The John J. Dinnien
Civilian Award for Excellence in
Military Personnel Management"
is the first civilian award
approved by the AGCRA.
John Joseph Patrick Dinnien was
born in New York's "Hells
Kitchen" on 24 October 1911.
He joined the Army in 1942,
shortly after the start of World
War II. He attended basic training at "Camp Hood", TX, and
was shipped to Mildenhall,
England, where he worked for
the Adjutant General, processing
personnel records. The headquarters then shifted operations
to France. He proceeded to
Paris, where he served until the
end of the war. He left active
duty in 1946 and became a DA
Civilian
with the AG
in
USAREUR where he remained
until 1979. He then moved to
Alexandria,VA, and served as
Liaison Officer, 1st PERSCOM,
until his death in December
1995.
John J. Dinnien Award.
Information regarding nominations for the 2002 award will be
distributed later this year.
The Horatio Gates Medal
(Bronze) was also award to
Glenn Hulett, Deputy AG,
Forces Command, and Dave
Burdick, Adjutant General,
Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Congratulations to both for their
many years of loyal service.
Mr. Dinnien came to be known
by AG officers and civilians
Army-wide because of his desire
to help soldiers and and his untiring dedication to the Army. Mr.
Dinnien
worked
for
25
USAREUR Adjutants General
during the period 1945-1995. He
will always be remembered as a We are extremely proud to see
"servant of the soldier…who put our civilians recognized. As our
Army and the personnel commuservice before self."
nity continue to transform, our
Anne Marie Murray, 1st PER- civilian employees will be a critSCOM, and Dave Burdick, ical and essential ingredient to
AMC, were the runners-up and the personnel community's sucwere awarded the Alexander cess. We will become increasMacomb Award, an award given ingly more valuable and I susby the AG Corps Regimental pect the footprint of civilian supAssociation to individuals whose port will grow.
contributions to the Adjutant
General Corps are in keeping We encourage and welcome your
with the spirit of MG Macomb's comments and suggestions conservice to community.
He cerning CP50. Please do not hesserved as the Army's Adjutant itate to contact the Program
General in 1812, and last as Manager, Mrs. Ona Cates, at
General in Chief of the Army DSN 221-4753, Commercial
until his death in 1841. All (703) 325-4753, or e-mail:
MACOMs are eligible to submit [email protected].
one nomination annually for the
SIDPERS-3
by COL Pam Mitchell
The date was 1 January 2000 and there was both Army's personnel system of record. We all
good and bad news for the Army personnel community. The good news was that SIDPERS-3 fielding was complete. The bad news: that SIDPERS-3
fielding was complete.
While the concept behind SIDPERS-3 originated
in the early 1980's, we entered 1994 without a finished system. At that point, the Army personnel
senior leaders mandated fielding "the 80% solution." When the shadow of Y2K loomed on the
horizon, that mandate expanded to field SIDPERS-3 across the Army by 31 December 1999.
Both mandates were met and the good news was
that we had a functioning personnel system to meet
the new millennium; SIDPERS-2 and 2.75 failed
on Y2K. The bad news was that the "80% solution"
did not include any functional redesign and implemented a cumbersome, layered architecture that led
to significant personnel data synchronization and
accuracy problems across the Army.
Looking at SIDPERS-3 today from the vantage
point of Spring 2001, it is far from perfect, but it is
not without merit. There have been significant programming corrections in the last few System
Change Packages and it really is superior to the
original package. However, "not without merit" is
not exactly a glowing recommendation for the
acknowledge that SIDPERS-3 is not what we want,
but it's all we have for now and we need to make it
operate while we work toward Personnel
Transformation.
The Super Server initiative will eliminate the
intermediate servers and return us to one database
per Personnel Processing Activity. We expect this
architecture change alone to significantly improve
data accuracy by removing the synchronization
problems, and to return man-hours to the community that are now spent on server maintenance,
database administration, and resolution of internal
errors. Super Server is currently being tested and
we expect to conduct Army-wide fielding during
Summer 2001.
In the meantime . . . we can't wring our hands
and give up. We can do the following: (1) separate
soldiers on time; (2) ensure departures are entered
on the effective date; (3) ensure arrivals are entered
on the effective date; (4) keep trained people in all
work centers and continue to improve their skills;
and (5) work the system--not around it. "We have
what we have," and it is both good news and bad
news. The good news will get better and better as
we work toward a transformed Army personnel
system.
AGCRA Activities
Look for improvements in your Regimental Association. The national chapter is working on several initiatives:
Upgrading the membership card.
Improving 1775, which will now be published every January, May, and September.
Completely renovating our web site - coming soon!
Improving and adding to the items available in the Sutler Store.
The Association exists because of you -- so we’d like your input. Send us your suggestions and comments.
Email [email protected]
Chapters!
We haven’t heard from some of you. Please contact us:
[email protected] or [email protected]
Fort Riley, Kansas, on their selection as our Regimental NCO and
Soldier of the Year. They are
tremendous examples of the great
AG soldiers we have serving all
around the world. They will be
honored at the National AG
Regimental Ball at Fort Jackson 15
June.
We are working hard on the
Regimental web site. We stood up
the first part the end of April. In it
we added the capability for mem-
COL Michael R. Molosso
Colonel Michael R. Molosso was
born June 7, 1953, in Hammonton,
NJ, and graduated from Valley
Forge Military Academy, Wayne,
PA, in May 1971. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Government from Seton Hall
University in South Orange, NJ, in
May 1975.
Colonel Molosso was commissioned in the Regular Army in June
1975 through the Army ROTC program. In January 1976, he was
assigned to Germany where he
served as a Forward Observer for
the 2nd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery
Regiment, Gelnhausen, and later as
an Administrative Officer in the
Frankfurt Military Community. In
1979, he served as Adjutant and
later Operations Officer of the
Armed Forces Examining and
Entrance Station, Raleigh, NC.
After completing the Adjutant
General Advanced Course in June
1982, he was assigned to the 82nd
Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC,
as the 82nd Adjutant General
Company Commander and later as
the Chief of Personnel Management
Branch in the Office of the 82nd
Adjutant General. During this peri-
bers to edit their personal data file,
to include address, online, and look
up other members. As quick as
members get their email addresses
to us, we will be able to send out 90
day in-advance membership expiration notifications electronically.
Finally, by mid to late summer, we
plan to provide the ability to renew
memberships online by use of a
credit card, and also online shopping from the Sutler Store.
again at the PLM. This year’s experience simply reinforced what a
privilege it is to serve as your
Commandant. Once again, I hope
you enjoy this edition which is dedicated to the 2001 PLM. Stay in
touch and keep those cards and letters coming. Your schoolhouse is
here to be a part of the solution.
Don’t hesitate to use us when you
need to.
Defend and Serve! Hooah!
It was great seeing our community
od, he participated in Operation
Urgent Fury (Grenada). In February
1985, Colonel Molosso was reassigned to Fort McPherson, GA,
where he served as an Action
Officer and Team Chief on the
DCSPER's Army of Excellence
Task Force.
After completing the Command and
General Staff College in June 1988,
Colonel Molosso was assigned to
Camp Casey, Korea, where he
served with the 8th Personnel
Command and the 2nd Infantry
Division as the Commander, 509th
Personnel Service Company. He
returned to Fort Bragg in July 1989
as the Deputy Adjutant General and
later as the Division G1/Adjutant
General. During this period, he participated in Operation Just Cause
and deployed to Southwest Asia in
support of Operation Desert
Storm/Shield. He assumed command of the Baltimore Military
Entrance Processing Station in July
1992. He entered United States
Army War College, Carlisle
Barracks, PA, in July 1994 and upon
graduation in June 1995, he was
assigned to the Army Staff in the
Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff
for Personnel, Washington, D.C.,
and served as a Branch Chief in
Officer Division and then as the
Officer Division Chief. From
August 1998 to August 2000,
Colonel Molosso served as
Commander,
Eastern
Sector,
USMEPCOM in North Chicago, IL.
Colonel Molosso's awards and decorations include the Defense
Superior Service Medal, Legion of
Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense
Meritorious Service Medal with one
oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service
Medal with three oak leaf clusters,
Army Commendation Medal with
one oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal, Southwest
Asia Service Medal with two
Bronze Service Stars, National
Defense Service Medal, Saudi
Arabian Kuwait Liberation Medal,
Kuwait Liberation Medal, Overseas
Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, the
Senior Parachutist's Badge and the
Army Staff Identification Badge.
Colonel Molosso is married to the
former Michelle Sessoms. They
have a son, Matthew and a daughter,
Morgan Lee.
ITAPDB -
by COL Charles L. Triplett
Integrated Total Army Personnel Database
The development of a single Army human human resource information that the Army needs
resource database is a key initiative in the transformation of the Army into a true knowledge and
capabilities-based organization. The Army is transforming itself into a force that is strategically
responsive and dominant at every point on the
spectrum of operations. To keep pace, the Army
Human Resource community must be ready to support the objective force by leveraging technology,
improving business processes, and employing
qualified, well-trained people.
To meet this challenge, the Army personnel community is investing in today's off-the-shelf technologies to revolutionize the manner in which we
support and sustain our people. ITAPDB will
replace the existing personnel database, which consists of separate components for the National
Guard, Army Reserve, active-duty officer and
active-duty enlisted soldiers, with a single, allArmy database. This database will contain the core
Status of CMF 97
by CW5 David Ratliff
The Army Band has made history. In today's
Army of many changes, most of which are cutbacks, CMF 97 just grew in strength. Eighth Army,
in Seoul Korea, grew by 18. This may cause some
difficulties in the beginning with manning, but will
only make the CMF a stronger one. The toughest
issue facing the CMF will be filling our shortage
MOS's. The same five, 02D, 02H, 02J, 02K, and
02N are still coming up short on the recruiting
effort. Many bands, especially those located in the
states, will have to take up the slack.
There is yet another great opportunity on the
horizon for CMF 97 -- the reduction of our 16
MOS structure to just two. This is hopefully just
around the corner and will reduce many of the
problems associated with promotions. As with any
change, some adjustments will have to be made.
to do its job, whether that be mission command and
control and readiness, or taking care of soldiers so
that they are promoted and paid on time.
Using the power of the Internet to provide reachback capability, access to reliable and pertinent
information will be made available to soldiers and
commanders for use in performing actions as routine as changing a local address, or as complex as
building a unit status report.
The initial operational capability of the database
is scheduled for fielding in September at which
time active and reserve soldiers will have the ability to view their official record briefs with a limited update capability for selected information.
When fully operational in less than two years, this
database will be the Army's corporate database and
will serve as the foundation for the personnel side
of Army Transformation.
The rank structure and rating chain in each band
will most likely have to be altered. As always,
CMF 97 will adapt to these changes and continue
to excel.
The last topic is the professional development of
our NCOs and soldiers. There are many ways in
which our soldiers can become more competitive
for promotion: serving in a MACOM, a division,
(to include the 82nd), overseas, as an instructor,
DOTD, Drill Instructor at the School of Music,
Field Recruiter, and Recruiter Liaison; a variety of
different duties within the band, APFT score, civilian education and military education. All of these
or a combination of several may or may not get
someone promoted. However, historically speaking, it seems to be what works the best. Understand
as an individual, you may or may not have much
control over choice of assignments. However, one
always has control over physical readiness, civilian
education, and the competency level of individual
musicianship.
e-File
by COL Howard A. Olsen
The e-file concept has it roots at
the Army's Enlisted Records and
Evaluation Center, (EREC), the former Fort Benjamin Harrison, in
Indianapolis, Indiana. For a number
of years it has been EREC's dream
to provide soldiers easy and ready
access to their Official Military
Personnel File (OMPF). However,
not until the advent of the Internet
was the technology available to
make such a dream a reality. Late
last summer, EREC's software
developers and records administrators combined to develop a prototype that allowed access to the
OMPF via the Internet. Thus,
OMPF Online was born and the
possibility of an electronic file or efile became a reality.
The e-file holds the key to
the future for the Army's personnel system. The e-file is a
combination of the web-accessed
OMPF Online with the data that will
be contained on the Integrated Total
Army Personnel Data Base
(ITAPDB) and viewed on a new
web accessed one-page ERB. This
e-file will replace the four existing
files that personnelists now rely on
to perform their mission: the
Military Personnel Records Jacket;
the
Career
Management
Information File; the 'ghost' personnel file that every PAC maintains on
each soldier; and the OMPF that is
the official record used by DA promotion selection boards. The e-file
is designed to encapsulate the data
contained in all of these files and
provide access via the web on a
need-to-know basis.
The final piece of the e-file is the
flow of information back to the
OMPF. EREC last fall developed a
prototype that is designed to permit
the transfer of documents from the
field to the OMPF via a digital fax
scanner. This prototype is called
Field to File or F2F. In conjunction
with the personnel offices at Fort
Knox and the 1st Personnel Group
at Fort Lewis, EREC tested this concept by sending NCOERs directly
from the field -- in these cases the
MILPO and PSB -- to EREC where
the NCOERs were screened,
indexed, and filed on soldiers'
OMPFs. The tests proved that the
concept works and that the technology is available to have documents
sent directly from the field to the
OMPF without the hassle, delay,
and cost of mailing.
Viewing these initiatives together,
it is easy to see why the e-file holds
the potential to transform the personnel business. Imagine the confidence soldiers and commanders will
have in a system that responds in
hours and days rather than weeks
and months, a system that they can
access when and where needed and
without the need of a personnelist.
Imagine the accuracy of the data as
soldiers are able to review their personnel records anytime, anywhere,
at home or deployed, 24 hours a day,
7 days a week. The possibilities are
endless as one considers the uses of
these web-accessed files.
During the PLM, the e-file
Working Group, representing active
Army MACOMs, reserve components, and DoD and joint organizations reviewed the underlying tenets
of the e-file. They discussed the
issues and impact of such a dramatic shift in the way we would do business in the future and determined
that it was not only a tremendous
concept but it was time to "just do
it!" The working group determined
there were issues of access, security,
business rules, etc., but that these
issues should not and must not stop
the development and implementation of the e-file.
COL Bob Shaffer, the working
group's co-chairman, listed 10 reasons for e-file during his outbrief to
the DCSPER. LTG Maude agreed
with the study group's recommendations and promised to fund the e-file
initiative. With funding, OMPF
Online will be operational by the
end of calendar year 2001. F2F will
take a little longer but by the next
PLM it will be a working option for
transferring documents to the
OMPF. Finally, the ERB prototype
will be completed in April 2001 and
testing with the field will begin this
summer.
The e-file is at the heart of Army
personnel management of the
future. Coupled with the development of the core database, ITAPDB,
it is the foundation of the DCSPER's
transformation vision. It will
change the way we do personnel
business in the future. Giving
soldiers access to their personnel
file via the web empowers them
to participate in the personnel
process thus ensuring greater
data accuracy and instilling
greater confidence in the Army's
personnel system.
PERSTEMPO
by MAJ Thomas Rothwell
The FY00 and FY01 National Defense
Authorization Acts authorize "high-deployment per
diem" and establish the requirement to track every
service members' PERSTEMPO events (all components, AC and RC) beginning on 1 October 2000,
which includes specified deployment and nondeployment activities. Congressional intent is to
reduce the time soldiers spend away from home,
thereby improving morale and quality of life.
PERSTEMPO is defined in the law as "the amount
of time members of the armed forces are engaged in
their official duties, including official duties at a
location or under circumstances that make it infeasible for a member to spend off-duty time in the housing in which the member resides when on garrison
duty at the member's permanent duty station."
Using that definition for guidance, the Army developed a list of qualifying deployment events, which
includes operations, exercises, mission support, temporary duty, and unit training. The Army is also
tracking certain non-deployment (non-creditable)
events, including leave, confinement, AWOL, and
desertion, but only if the events occurred in conjunction with a deployment.
The law requires that the first general officer in the
chain of command actively manage soldiers who
exceed 182 deployed days out of the previous 365
days. Approval authority for exceeding 220 days
out of the previous 365 days is usually reserved for
the first four-star general officer in the chain of command, although the CSA has designated other general officers as approval authorities.
The law also states that soldiers must be paid $100
per diem for each day they are deployed in excess of
400 days out of the preceding 730 days. Soldiers
cannot waive their right to earn PERSTEMPO credits, and they cannot waive any per diem entitlements
that are earned due to crossing the payment threshold.
It is important to note that the PERSTEMPO law
does not prohibit deployment. Some soldiers with
specialties that are in a high-demand/short supply
category will almost certainly be deployed more
often than other soldiers. PERSCOM is working on
a strategy to account for those "high-deployers" in
the assignment process.
Since the law was effective on 1 October 2000, the
first date for potential general officer management is
1 April 2001. The first potential general officer
approval action at 220 days is 9 May 2001, and the
first potential high deployment per diem payment
will occur on 5 November 2001.
AG Warrant Officer Makes History
by CPT Matthew J. Yandura
On April 26th, history was made in the Adjutant General Corps. CW5 Jose S.
Vigil did something no other warrant officer in his grade has ever done since
our grand Corps was born in 1776 - he graduated from the 82d Airborne
Division Jumpmaster School. A grueling two-and-a-half week course, considered to be one of the Army's most difficult schools, was not going to deter
Vigil from attaining his goal. The journey began in 1998 when CW5 Vigil,
then serving as Chief of Field Operations for the 18th Soldier Support Group (Airborne), decided he had
to go to jump school. Upon completion of that school, Vigil earned his first distinguishing honor as the
first CW5 to ever successfully go through the school. Now, as one of the XVIII Airborne Corps’ most
current and qualified jumpmasters with 60 static line jumps, Vigil looks forward to performing all the
necessary jumpmaster duties so that he can earn his third distinction-Senior and Master Parachutist
Badges. CW5 Vigil came into the service in March 19, 1971-you do the math. They say that the “airborne way of life is for the young and the bold." CW5 Vigil has shattered that myth and we can only
stand in admiration of his inspiring "airborne" accomplishments.
Army Development System XXI
Update
by Colonel (Ret.) Stephen E. Wilson
General Shinseki, Chief of Staff, Army, and General Keane, Vice Chief of Staff, Army, have approved
23 ADS XXI Task Force initiatives for implementation, with one still pending decision. The ADS XXI
TF was created in October 1999 to comply with the CSA's directive to "chart a course for enlisted and
warrant officer development and management required in the next century." The approved initiatives
refine leader development and personnel management within the Warrant Officer Personnel Management
System (WOPMS) and the Enlisted Personnel Management System (EPMS).
The 12 CSA-approved initiatives are:
The 11 VCSA-approved initiatives are:
WOPMS
WOPMS
-Rollback active component warrant officer grade -Tailor technical training to units and
structure
assignments
-Assign active component warrant officers by
-Publish professional development and update
grade
other warrant officer policies
-Develop Warrant Officer Tenure Program
-Provide force development specialty training to
-Expand technical warrant officer accession base
warrant officers in those positions
-Access technical warrant officers at 5-8 years of
active Federal service
EPMS
-Educate officers and NCOs on the role of the
-Account for additional skill identifiers
warrant officer
-Refine Noncommissioned Officer Education
System
EPMS
-Review and publish professional development
-Multi-skilled soldier
objectives
-Combine MOSs with similar functions
-Civilian Degree Builder Program (formerly MOS
-Quantify MOSQ
Degree Builder Program)
-Provide senior NCOs with experienced trainers/ -MOS entry requirements
educators
-ASVAB composites
-Structured self-development
-Adopt a reasonably equitable active component
average grade distribution model
WOPMS & EPMS
-Standardize MOS codes
WOPMS & EPMS
-Accelerate the Military Occupational
Classification Structure (MOCS) process
The TF has completed additional research on the deferred WOPMS initiative - promote senior warrant
officer applicants (SFC & above) to CW2 - and forwarded its recommendation to the CSA for decision.
The TF is already coordinating implementation procedures with the lead agencies that will assume full
responsibility for the approved initiatives. Full implementation of some initiatives could occur as early
as this fiscal year, while other more complex initiatives will be implemented incrementally over a number of years.
Visit the ADS XXI web site at www.army.mil/adsxxi/ for more information.
On behalf of the Chief of the
Corps and all of the members of
the Executive Council of the
Adjutant
General's
Corps
Regimental Association, it is my
distinct pleasure to congratulate
you on your achievements and
your accomplishments. Every day,
we have super soldiers and civilians doing great things for our
Army, Corps, and Association.
By the time you read this, I hope to
have heard from all Chapters who
are conducting AG Balls this
Spring or Summer or who are recognizing Chapter members for
their dedicated service and contributions. I am sure I will have corresponded with many of you over
membership status and contributions to the AGCRA. In order to
ensure you get your awards on
Gates Gold
CSM Earl Moorehead
COL Stephen D. Brown
LTC Daniel Oliver
COL Michael G. Wixted
SGM Larry Strickland (2d)
COL E. Eric Porter
COL Reuben D. James
LTC Doriot Mascarich
Gates Bronze
SGM Edgardo Menjivar
SFC Dawn A. Jones
CSM Larry D. Elliott
SGM Edgar K. Boney
BG Robert L. Decker
Mr. David Burdick
Mr. Glenn Hulett
CW5 Terence Henry
Mr. Gregory Mackessy
CPT Michael McGregor
LTC Kitty Malia Young
CSM Annette E. King
COL Richard Scott, USMC
CPT Gale Hamilton
Achievement
SGT Everett A. Joyner
SFC James Huang
AGCRA Awards
time, please contact me via
email to discuss any award.
(You may call, but "phone
tag" is not my favorite October 2000 - March 2001
game. Email is generally by CW5 David A. Ratliff, Vice President for Awards
more reliable and faster.) I
building number are critical if I
will verify membership status first use UPS or FedEx. (For those of
and let you know immediately if you OCONUS, I cannot send
there is a problem. If I need more awards to an APO address with
information, I can ask for that as UPS or FedEx.) It is easier for me
well. I encourage you to attach the if you mail the awards to my
award recommendation to your home: David Ratliff, 229 Steeple
email note for Gates awards. Drive, Columbia, SC 29229.
These have to be voted by the Please make the check or money
Executive Council and oftentimes order payable to "AGCRA". If
I can electronically vote an award time is critical, I will ask for reimbefore our next meeting. If the per- bursement of postage if I have to
son is retiring, please include that use UPS or FedEx next day servin the recommendation. And ice. For routine mailing (USPS or
please include a good mailing other commercial firm), there is no
address and civilian telephone extra charge for postage.
number where you want the Information on awards is listed on
awards sent. Street address and the AG School homepage.
CPT Paul D. Sherman
WO1 Rodney S. Julian
SGM Timothy Pentecost
1SG Yong-Hul Schaller
SFC Hector Cruz, Jr.
CW2 Marc L. Garduno
SGM Steven R. Davis
1SG Lewis J. Kellam
SFC Houston P. Johnson
SGT Sara E. Meyer
CPT Archie L. Bates, III
SFC Toi A. Bray
Harrison
SSG Daryl Harris
SGT David A. Parish
SGT Jennie M. Howell
SSG Tyrone A.L. Lewis
SGT Eric Damewood
SGT Michael Flees
SGT Shelisa T. Slade
SSG Monte E. Kaiser III
2LT Matthew Gillespie
WO1 Pamela M. Howell
Scott
SSG Ronald Neal
SFC Tony D. Smith
SFC Katrina Williams
SFC Richard Miller
CPT Kathleen D. Jordan
Roosevelt
SFC Regina McRae
SGT John J. Aspray
SSG John A. Campbell
SSG Mark Walker
SSG Charita Sims
SGT Erika Parker
SFC Correll Brunson
SFC Christopher Frazer
SGM Edgardo Menjivar
2LT Jamie M. Barker
2LT Jeremy S. Boardman
2LT Kerry A. Burzynski
2LT Christina L. Congo
2LT John T. McConnell
2LT Kathleen M. Miles
2LT John G.
Misenheimer
2LT Michelle D. Rogers
2LT Alfred A. Smith
2LT Bradley J. Weigandt
2LT Leah T. Dennis
2LT Danielle M.
Northrop
CPT Mary L. Martin
1SG Margaret A. Riddle
SGT Channing Washington
2LT Maureen Doyle
2LT Katherine Eaton
2LT Michael Evans
2LT Pernita Duggal
2LT Emily Gries
2LT Sarah Thompson
2LT Stephan Walters
SSG Alicia Mejia
WO1 Richardo Carrasquillo
WO1 Robin A. Crawford
SFC Julio Alvarado, Jr.
SGT Kenneth E. Romine
SGT Keisha Spaulding
Macomb
Mr. Rick Swain
LTC Kathleen Brown
Mr. Dave Starks
Mr. David G. Burdick
Ms. Anne Marie Murray
Mr. Ralph E. Lawson
Honorary Adjutant
MAJ Steve McCarty
CPT Teresa C. Baker
AIT Medal of Excellence
PVT Joshua D. Hair
PVT Dae Y. Kim
PVT Lori N. Hensley
PFC Yong Lim
PVT Jeffrey Keller
PVT Danell R. Mews
PVT Andrea N. Duhon
PVT Kevin E. Heiderman
SPC Michael B. Sharp
SGT Kimberly D. Gelu
PVT Georgia Cruz
PVT Raul Dela Cruz
SPC Leticia L. Dreiling
PFC Elizabeth L. Mitchell
PVT David Sunderland
PVT Chad V. Brayshaw
PVT Christine J. Green
SPC Paula A. Thompson
PFC Amber Pomransky
PVT Lauren F. Estill
PV2 Sheila R. Darden
PFC Christina Pados
SPC Kim Mayes
PVT Maria Zambrano
SPC Collin C McKay
SPC David W. Travers
PFC Carletta D. Thomas
SPC Nicole M. Prevost
SSG Kensandra T. Mack
PVT Darienne M. Page
The Department of Defense
New ID Card and More --
The Common Access Card
by Major Mordecai Johnson, Jr.
The Department of Defense is
implementing smart card technology
as a department-wide Common
Access Card (CAC) at selected sites
as early as next month. The CAC will
replace the current identification card.
Policy mandates that the CAC will be
the standard ID card for active duty
uniformed services personnel, selected Reserve, DoD civilian employees
and eligible contractor personnel by
October 2002. The CAC will also be
the principal card used to enable physical access to buildings and controlled
spaces and will be used to securely
access the Department of Defense
computer networks and systems. The
Office of the Director for Information
Systems, Command and Control,
Communications and Computers
(ODISC4) is the Army lead in the
overall management and oversight of
the CAC to include Public Key
Infrastructure. DCSPER/
PERSCOM is the executive agent
responsible for CAC issuance.
The following background is provided to ensure that personnel leaders
have a common understanding and
awareness of the technology and platform for the CAC. This exciting and
significant milestone both moves us
into the Internet age and secures our
computer networks as well as provides a new form of identification.
The CAC is a credit card-sized
device that accommodates a magnetic
stripe, two barcodes, and an integrated
circuit chip (computer chip), that collectively support multiple applications
and automated interfaces. The magnetic stripe will be used primarily to
enable physical (building and controlled area) access. The bar codes and
computer chip will store identification, demographic, benefits, and card
management related data. Both the
magnetic stripe and computer chip are
updateable (i.e., information can be
erased and re-written). The computer
chip will also store the class 3 Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates
that allow cardholders to digitally sign
documents such as Email, encrypt
information, and establish secure
internet sessions. Individual privacy
protections for the CAC and its contents are comparable to that of current
identification cards.
CACs will be issued at all locations
where current ID card Real-time
Automated Personnel Identification
System (RAPIDS) sites exists.
RAPIDS has been re-designed to integrate three separate processes: ID card
issuance, PKI registration, and downloading PKI certificates. Beta testing
and issuance is underway at Fort
Eustis,
Virginia;
Heildelberg,
Germany; and Yongsan, Korea.
Additional sites will be upgraded and
added to issue CACs throughout
FY02.
The process for developing technology for both smart card and PKI is
developing quickly. Previous multiple
pilots have shown that the cards work
and that they offer great potential ben-
efits in securing computer networks,
implementing electronic commerce
and paperless contracting initiatives,
and reengineering business processes.
Existing paper-based processes are
prime candidates for this reengineering. The CAC will be a key enabler as
the personnel community moves to
customer service in a paperless environment.
The restructuring and streamlining
of the federal government infrastructure and processes coupled with the
maturation of information technology
have created an environment for
changing the way we currently do
business. Smart card technology is an
enabling tool to support changes to
business processes that will result in
significant improvements to overall
mission and quality of life in addition
to substantial cost avoidance. Both
PKI and smart card technologies are
clearly on the leading edge of current
technologies. As we have done so
often in the past, we need to work
together to take full advantage of these
new technologies and work through
the growing pains that we are sure to
have.
Although public affairs initiatives
and communication plans are in place,
everyone is encouraged to spread the
word. It is important to share this
information with all users, supporting
organizations and businesses.
For more information, visit
www.dmdc.osd.mil/smartcard/
and www.army.ec.com.
Lifelong Learning for a
Competitive Edge
by Ms. Louie Chartier
The Army is making the transition to a knowledge- and capabilities-based force organized
around information and information technologies. The Army
Continuing Education System
(ACES) initiatives support the
evolving information requirements of the Army's transformation plan.
ACES-developed initiatives to
enable soldiers to learn while
serving, anywhere, anytime.
Programs including Army Career
Degrees,
GI
to
JobsCredentialing the Soldier, and
Army University Access Online
(AUAO) offer several opportunities for the soldier to earn a quality education from outstanding
colleges and universities and certification agencies while on
active duty.
This pays off not only to the
individual, but also to the Army.
A survey conducted by the
Center for Naval Analysis confirmed that the Navy's in-service,
off-duty education was linked to
higher retention rates. ACES is
also conducting a study to verify
in-service education's impact on
increased soldier retention an
improved job performance.
Whether at an installation or
deployed, Army education is
there.
Servicemembers
Opportunity Colleges (SOC),
through a network of over 1,500
colleges and universities and
more than 14 higher education
associations, is the umbrella
organization for the Army's
degree system.
The Army works with SOC to
develop Army Career Degrees
which maximize credit awarded
for MOS training, thus minimizing college study. For those
looking for a civilian degree
matched to their MOS specialty,
this program might be an option.
As of December 2000, career
degree programs for 32 MOSs in
nine Career Management Fields
and one Warrant Officer Branch
were already completed - serving
a total of 68,698 soldiers. Check
the SOC Army Career Degree
Builder
site
at
http://www.soc.aascu.org/socad/
DegBldrsA.html for the most
current information.
Another new program, GI to
Jobs - Credentialing the Soldier,
orchestrates a plan to identify
civilian licensure and certification requirements for specific
MOSs. The program is designed
for non-degree seeking soldiers.
Unlike academia, which has minimum educational standards set
by the Department of Education,
the certification community does
not have a centralized system of
certification standards.
Since 1982, over 350,000
degree plans have been issued an
dover 78,000 soldiers have
earned degrees. Soldiers on
active duty can receive tuition
assistance for college courses.
Through perseverance, there is
no reason why a soldier cannot
earn a degree.
ACES expects an increase in
the number of soldiers with college degrees as a result of its new
initiative, AUAO, which provides soldiers with a computer,
Internet access, and other technological support to earn an online
degree. Available at three test
sites (Forts Benning, Campbell,
and Hood), over 4,153 soldiers
have signed up for the program
since the 16 January start date.
An estimated 12,000 to 15,000
eligible soldiers are expected to
enroll during FY 2001. Former
Secretary of the Army, Louis
Caldera, named Forts Bragg,
Carson, Drum, Lewis, and
Wainwright, and Schofield
Barracks, Camp Casey; and the
Heidelberg Military Community
to be added in 2002, with the
eventual goal being "ArmyWide" implementation.
AUAO is the world's largest
online education portal ever
designed. The civilian academic
community is looking at this program for the possible assimilation of best academic business
practices using online portal systems.
More information about Army
education benefits is available by
visiting local education centers
or at www.army.education.
army.mil.
PLM 2001
MG (Ret.) Ron Brooks, AG Regimental
Colonel (right), and COL Mike Molosso, Chief
of the Corps.
Survivors of the Fort Sumter Tour.
MG (Ret.) Brooks presents Horatio Gates Gold Medals
to BG Robert Decker, COL Michael Wixted, SGM
Larry Strickland, and Mr. Glenn Hulett.
MG (Ret.) Ron
Brooks, COL
(Ret.) Nick
Monje, and
MG (Ret.)
Jack Wheeler.
Nice tie, Nick!
GEN Shinseki addresses the Personnel Leader’s
Meeting on opening day.
Past and present members of the 510th PSB, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, took the PLM opportunity to gather for a photo. Three of its four battalion commanders and CSMs, as well as other officers and NCOs,
were present for the photo. From left to right, front row:
CSM Debra Strickland, COL Ruth Collins (1st commander), WO1 David Betancourt, CSM Andrew Hall,
CSM Esmond Bakker. Second row: LTC Laurel
Cunnane, CSM Henry Hardy, COL Jody Bradshaw (2d
commander), LTC Dennis Slagter, LTC Jason Evans
(4th commander). Top row: SGM Earnest Bridges, CPT
Rob McCaslin, SGM Lacey Ivory. The 510th PSB's 3d
commander, LTC Art Strange, is currently attending the
Army War College and could not attend.
COL Molosso presents GEN Shinseki with a memento
of his visit to the 2001 Personnel Leaders’ Meeting.
LTG (Ret.) Fred Vollrath (right), and BG Mike Rochelle,
Commanding General, Soldier Support Institute.
The Citadel Chorus
The Pros from Dover.
The 282d Army Band entertains the PLM
audience on opening day.
You can’t lose when you’re dressed like this.
The 2001 PLM Run
Branch Chief Notes: The Road Ahead
by COL J.P. Mikula
The recent Personnel Leaders
Meeting (PLM) gave many of
the attendees the opportunity to
discuss the impact of the
Personnel Transformation on the
career progression of AG officers. For sure there are many
unknowns as we proceed with
the transformation, however one
certainty is that there will be
change and with that comes the
potential for change to the officer
professional development timeline. For some this may be a disconcerting thing, but many will
view it as the normal of order of
things in a society and military
that are trying to keep pace with
ever increasing technological
change. It seems appropriate, in
light of the recent PLM, to revisit the issue of AG officer professional development and what lies
ahead for our officers.
For starters, if our AG officer
professional development pattern
changes at some point in the
future that will certainly not be
unprecedented. Let's just go back
20 years or so and look at the
structure that existed at the
time… there were no PSBs; the
mechanisms for providing support to the TOE force included
Personnel Service Companies
(prevalent in Europe and Korea)
or Personnel Services Divisions
(PSD) in our warfighting divisions. Key jobs at the major level
included
Chief,
Strength
Management, or Chief, PSD. At
LTC, it was the Division G1/AG
position that prepped officers for
selection for promotion to
colonel. Company grade officers
held a variety of positions in
these support organizations, and
many had the opportunity to
command
companies.
Command, however, was not
required for branch qualification
or for selection to major. There
are countless examples of senior
leaders (to include several general officers) who did not command at the company level or
beyond.
Why have I revisited the past
when we should be looking to the
future? I believe it's important,
especially for our younger officers that haven't seen a change in
our PD model, to understand that
success is attainable even if there
is paradigm shift in our thinking
about professional development
or the methodology we use to
grow our next generation of leaders. Will future changes to our
business processes and structures
jeopardize the careers of AG
officers? Absolutely not. From
what I know about our Corps, we
will always be called upon to
take care of soldiers and support
commanders.
I was one of the participants in
the 42(AG)/FA 43 workshop at
the PLM with a focus of exploring the best way to provide
human resources (HR) support to
the force. Even in the beginning
stages of our discussions, it
quickly became clear that
restructuring our career development models for these two
human resource specialties
would be an exceedingly com-
plex task. We spent the bulk of
the two days on two issues. The
first was defining the "critical
nodes" or locations where a
human resources provider is
required. The nodes identified
ranged from company level
where a company clerk would be
returned to provide support
through brigade to DA level. The
other issue was identifying the
core HR functions. This exhaustive list combined with the identified critical nodes provided a
framework for discussing what
the future HR provider should
look like. This part of the session
was extremely challenging for
two reasons. First, there is much
emotion wed to merging a branch
and functional area where one or
both may no longer exist in the
form we now know. Second, we
found it difficult to identify what
the provider should like without
first knowing how the business
processes or structure might
change. Of course, the process is
also impacted by resources, most
notably the inventory of available officers, both commissioned
and warrant, that would form the
core of our HR professional.
Several potential COAs were
discussed, but in the end the
determination what that the
group would have to continue to
work this tough issue. As the
PLM concluded, there was no
consensus on what tomorrow’s
HR provider would look like.
There is still much work to do.
So that bring us to where we
are today. What jobs should our
junior officers be pursuing, and
what should we, as their leaders,
be discussing during mentoring
sessions about professional
development? First, we shouldn't
be dwelling too much on the
unknowns, and unfortunately we
are doing just that. We need to
reassure our junior officers that
their futures are bright and success will be rewarded regardless
of how our structure might
change. We should continue to
encourage our officers to seek
out the tough jobs, to include
command, because that is what
our current model dictates and
officers that have held those jobs
have been rewarded for doing so.
They will continue to be rewarded for holding those jobs until
there is a change in our process-
es or structure. If change is on
the horizon, we'll plan for it and
advise our officers at that time on
what jobs to seek to be successful. That's our charter here at AG
Branch, we haven't failed our
officer corps in the past and we'll
be there, on down the road, continuing to help our officers
achieve success.
Late Breaking News!
Congratulations to these senior AG officers who were recently
selected for battalion command MAJ (P) Brenda Andrews
MAJ (P) Lillian Dixon
MAJ (P) Patrick Gawkins
MAJ (P) Joseph Gill
MAJ (P) David Lambert
MAJ (P) Matthew Richards
LTC Marlon Beck
LTC Stanley Brown
LTC Dwayne Gatson
LTC Kenneth Heaney
LTC Deborah Ivory
LTC Gene King
LTC Theresa Lever
LTC Christopher Miller
LTC Timothy Ryan
LTC Dennis Slagter
LTC Sharon Wisniewski
LTC Barbara Zacharcyzk
LTC Aaron Zook
Suggestions for improving 1775?
We’d love to hear from you.
Email the Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association at:
[email protected]
or call us at (803) 751-8241or DSN 734-8421
Major's Assignments
by LTC Barbara Zacharczyk
I've been on the major's desk
for 20 months and will soon be
moving. I would like to take this
opportunity to share with you
some observations that I've made
as an assignment officer.
First, do your CSC immediately. If you are not selected first
look, start it. The sooner you are
a MEL4 officer, the more doors
will open for different types of
assignments. Many installations
use MEL4 as a key factor as to
who is going to move into a
branch qualifying assignment
and when. Many jobs require
MEL4 as a qualification.
Second, keep your assignment
officer informed of where you
are, what your email address is
and what you want to do next.
Opportunities arise on nearly a
daily basis and if that dream
assignment comes available on
short notice, your assignment
officer needs to know that you
want it and where to find you.
Third, keep your assignment
manager informed of what you
want to do and where you would
like to go. If I receive a new set
of assignments and I have an
officer who has asked for the
area or job that I received, then I
will give that officer first chance
at that assignment. This is especially important as each branch
receives many branch immaterial
assignments. Assignment officers get a chance to bid for or
choose which of the requirements they wish to take. So, if I
know that you would like a job in
Boise, Idaho, I can keep a look
out for that particular area in the
branch immaterial assignments.
Fourth, be realistic in your
expectations. If you are in
Florida don't' ask me to assign
you to Hawaii next. Think equity
-everyone should get an opportunity for the great locations. The
same applies with jobs. If you
have had 24 months in a great
branch qualifying assignment
don't expect branch to leave you
there for a third year. We have
limited branch-qualifying assignments and need to rotate personnel so that everyone will receive
the same opportunity to branch
qualify. The same applies for
MTOE to MTOE assignments.
Less then one third of our jobs is
in the MTOE Army and everyone deserves a chance to rotate
into them. Branch managers have
to constantly balance equity
across the board. You may not
want to go overseas but if it is
your turn, it is only fair, versus
sending someone else who just
returned three years ago.
Fifth, realize that things
change. Many times an assignment manager can not control
external factors that affect an
assignment. An assignment manager is tied to the requirements of
ODP (the Officer Distribution
Plan), the requirements of the
command in what type of officer
they will accept and the priorities
of the Army. Today, an assignment to Fort Hood may be possible; tomorrow someone can
depart leaving a hole in a high
priority assignment that can not
be gapped. I have had to divert
officers already on orders to
cover a shortfall someplace else.
The truth does not change - but
situations and Army priorities
do.
Last, performance matters. I
have seen officers in less than
great jobs who have performed
well and been selected for promotion, school and command in
front of those officers in great
jobs who have not done well.
Performance is the key to success. Seek the hard jobs but realize that you need to do well in
them.
Other observations: Our year
groups are undersized. The maximum expected fill for AG
majors is only projected to be 70
percent of the authorizations on
TADDS-R. Our year groups have
been shrinking. Reading old
copies of 1775, I discovered that
year group 80 had the same number of officers not selected for
promotion to LTC as year group
84 had selected for promotion to
LTC on this last board. There
was just that much of a difference in size of year groups.
Career field designation - with
undersized year groups, we do
not expect to lose many officers
to career field designation.
Time on station will continue
to be a challenge. The goal is 36
months time on station, however
with the requirements to branch
qualify officers and overseas
short tours, the average for AG
majors is closer to 27 months.
Captain’s Assignments
The time has come for another
"changing of the guard" on the
captain's desk. What a truly
rewarding experience as I look
back on my time spent in AG
Branch. As I reflect, I would like
to mention a few things regarding
assignments.
The most important of these is
how the assignment process
works. The strength managers at
the installations request requisitions through the distribution
managers here at PERSCOM.
The distribution managers are the
honest brokers between strength
managers and the branches. They
manage by ODP. They helps keep
everyone gainfully employed by
ensuring installations are not short
officers and that they’re not getting too many officers.
We currently have 4 officer requisition cycles, one per quarter.
These requisitions are validated
by each branch in a quarterly cycle
validation. Once the requisitions
are validated the branch managers
are responsible for posting the
assignments and filling the requisitions. If you are available to
move during the cycle (or quarter), you can expect a phone call.
We do take into consideration the
officers desires in meeting the
Army’s needs. This scenario
might help increase understanding
of why particular assignments are
sometimes a challenge-Island A: ODP for 5 officers and
there are 8 officers assigned
Island B: ODP for 5 officers and
there are 3 officers assigned
The majority of Non-Branch
by MAJ Brigitte L. Williams
Qualified Officers (NBQ) for
whom we make assignments are
either on their way to the
Captain’s Career Course or coming from the course. When we
consider assignments for the students in the course we work all of
them simultaneously with the distribution division. The assignment
officers work with the various
installation strength managers to
identify officer projections. The
assignment officers then make
their recommendations, based on
the ODP, to the distribution division. The distribution division is
the final approval authority on the
assignments that are presented to
the class. Keep in mind that these
are assignments that will place an
officer in a position to branch
qualify. The installation strength
managers will determine exactly
in which positions one will serve.
There are a few other officers out
there who have attended AGCCC
and are coming from an assignment in which they were not able
to become branch qualified. We
work with them on individual
bases to find somewhere they can
be afforded that opportunity.
If you are already branch qualified we will work with you on an
individual basis. Your assignment
options are quite different from
NBQ officers because you have
already overcome the major hurdle of branch qualification. Your
assignments are generated by the
MACOMs and validated by the
distribution division. Over half of
the BQ jobs are in USAREC,
MEPCOM (varies) and AC/RC.
Based upon your career history
and movement timeframe you are
highly likely to serve under one of
the above MACOMs. These
assignments offer a variety of
locations that are not otherwise
available. Our goal is for officers
to serve in only one of the above
MACOMs during the captain
years. For career progression we
try to focus on rotating one from
troop to non-troop assignments. It
is not necessary to have all troop
time but a balance in both areas.
As AG officers at the field grade
level not only do we have PSB
command; we also have commands in MEPCOM and
USAREC. Some of the other
prime TDA assignments are
installation strength manager, joint
command and PERSCOM or DA
Staff.
As I say farewell, I hope that the
mentorship, moral support, and
professional development I have
provided will serve as a foundation for you to assist others along
their career path. I am leaving the
desk in the capable hands of CPT
Melinda Romero. Some of her
past assignments include Forts
Lewis and Bliss, and Korea. She
brings great experience with her
from the DA Secretariat, PERSCOM, as a board recorder.
A huge thanks to the AG
School, MACOM account managers, installations, 1st and 8th
PERSCOMs, and all the AG officers with whom I have worked. It
has truly been a pleasure to serve
the AG Corps. Defend and Serve!
Lieutenant’s Assignments
First, I'd like to introduce the
new the Lieutenant’s Assignment
Officer, CPT Harold Riggins. He
is currently the AG Branch Future
Readiness Officer (FRO), and will
take over the lieutenant’s desk on
the first of June. CPT Riggins
brings a wealth of knowledge and
experience to the job after serving
as the FRO for the past year. He
has four years prior service and
was detailed to the Infantry his
first four years of commissioned
service. His initial focus will be
scheduling for AGCCC and handling any changes to previously
issued OBC assignments.
AGCCC
Increasing accessions have
made it difficult to schedule officers into AGCCC in the normal
timeframe. In conjunction with
the AG School, AG Branch has
been working to determine the
"right" number of officers that
should attend the career course per
fiscal year (FY). We've determined the number is 130, an
increase of 217% over the past
couple of years. Currently, the plan
will add a course in Feb 02, in
addition to the Nov 01 and May 02
courses already scheduled. If you
have 36 months time on station,
have a DEROS two months prior
to a course, are YG97 or prior,
then plan on attending AGCCC in
FY02. Additional criteria such as
seniority (YG), time on station,
DEROS, joint domicile, and the
strength at your current location
determines overall priority for
attendance. CPT Riggins and I
will be working with command
by CPT Roy E. Salyer
strength managers to identify officers with priority for attendance to
ensure they are scheduled as soon
as possible.
I've had a number of calls and emails about voluntary indefinite
status and how it "really" works.
Let's begin with a couple definitions and explanations.
Obligated Volunteer: USAR
officers who come on active duty
have an OBV date, annotated in
Section III-Service Data, on their
ORB. This date is based on the
completion of their initial appointment active duty service obligation (ADSO). This career status
means an officer is a volunteer (by
executing the oath of office and
accepting an appointment in the
U.S. Army Reserve) who is obligated, by being ordered to active
duty, to serve on active duty for
three, four, or five years depending
on the source of commission.
Voluntary Indefinite(VI): Once
selected for promotion to captain,
officers must either accept or
decline VI within 30 days of the
release date of the list. If an election is not made and received at
DA, the default of 'accept' is
entered into the system. This
'accept' default is in the best interest of the officer. An officer can
submit a declination at any time
before entering into their VI status.
Officers incur a one-year ADSO
when they enter into VI status,
which begins the day after they
complete their initial obligation.
VI is a vehicle used to allow
USAR officers the ability to "wipe
out" their end-of-service date and
serve in an indefinite status. From
the time an officer accepts VI, they
incur ADSOs based on PCS, completion of military training, or
tuition assistance. If they later
choose to leave the Army, they are
required to submit a request for
release from active duty IAW 6008-24.
So Long
In closing, I'd like to let everyone know it has been both an
honor and a privilege to serve in
AG Branch. I'll be 'moving on' this
summer and will take with me a
new respect for both branch and
the daily challenges that every
assignment officer must face. My
time as the Future Readiness
Officer was tough and the most
educational. As the Lieutenant’s
Assignment officer, I found
myself challenged to meet Army
requirements while at the same
time, trying to meet officers'
desires
and
expectations.
Ultimately, there is one piece of
advice I'd give every lieutenant do your 100% best everyday, all
day! As a newly commissioned
second lieutenant, I once heard a
senior officer make the following
statement: "Grow where you're
planted and you will do just fine."
This sounded a little corny at the
time, but I soon learned that it was
sage advice. The concept is simple, no matter what job you're in,
where you're located, who your
boss is . . . . do your 100% best
everyday. Grow where you're
planted and you'll do just fine.
Trust me, I know! Defend and
Serve!
Future Readiness Notes:
"Generation D" Personnelists
by CPT Harold Riggins
Are you a part of the digital
(Generation D) age? Or have
you rebelled against technology
as I've done for the past ten
years? If you have followed my
lead, then you have to realize that
personnel service support and the
Army are passing us up.
Over the past nine months I've
heard just about every personnel
question possible. In many cases
the answers have been easy to
find and in some, extremely difficult. What I have come to realize in my research is that just
about all Army and personnel
issues are covered to some
degree through the Internet.
Automation and the Internet are
helping to push the Army into the
21st century. It also appears to be
the future of our Corps' mission
of providing personnel services
support to soldiers, families, and
commanders as we work to move
to an Internet-based platform.
In addition to having a stack of
tabbed regulations, smart books,
and files of good-to-know information, I highly encourage all
personnelists to establish an
online "favorites" listing of the
Army's various internet sources
to assist in day-to-day business.
The PERSCOM homepage,
www.perscom.army.mil, is the
Army's Internet hub for all personnel issues. Time spent surfing through this super highway
of information can ultimately
increase your effectiveness.
With the confusion of constantly changing email addresses,
the Army is now requesting that
all officers obtain a permanent
email address that will follow
them throughout their career.
The host for this service is the
Army Knowledge On-Line
(AKO)
webpage,
www.us.army.mil. Ultimately,
AKO will feed into the Army
database and serve as the conduit
for providing timely and pertinent information to officers
throughout the world. We recom-
PERSCOM Homepage: www.perscom.army.mil
mend that you establish this permanent account as soon as possible and provide it to your assignment officer.
To establish an AKO permanent email account, log onto
www.us.army.mil as a new user
(I am a New User) and follow the
instructions. After receiving verification of your account and
password, you can then set up
your account to forward all
emails to your work email or you
can choose to use the AKO email
address as your working address
and forward all your other
accounts there.
Take the time to learn what the
Army is putting on the Internet.
It is a key asset for your professional development and a great
resource for updated information.
The list below contains many
links from the PERSCOM homepage that we at AG Branch consider invaluable to all PSS operations and leaders.
Company Grade Officer Homepage:
www.perscom.army.mil/OPcograde/
The Army Homepage: www.army.mil
Army Publications: www.usapa.army.mil
Platoon Leaders Homepage:
www.PlatoonLeader.org
MILPER messages:
www.perscom04.army.mil/milpermsgs.nsf
SIDPERS 3 Procedural Guidance:
www.perscom.army.mil/tagd/sidpers3/page1.htm
Officer Promotion/Selection Board information:
www.perscom.army.mil/select/ofwoprom.htm
USAREUR Homepage: www.hqusareur.army.mil/
Korea Homepage: www.korea.army.mil/welcome
Company Commander's Homepage:
www.companycommand.com/index.htm
Adjutant General School: www.160.150.31.102
Warrant Officer Update
Greetings from the Warrant
Officer Proponent. We have said
farewell to CW4 Deborah A.
Henson as the AG/TC Branch
Career Manager. She departed for
her new assignment at TRADOC
in March. During her tenure, she
did a superb job taking care of not
only the AG/TC warrant officers,
but the Corps as well. She will be
missed.
As most of you know, she was
not replaced by a 420A, Military
Personnel Technician, but her files
were redistributed to two warrant
officers in the Warrant Officer
Division.
AG warrant officers are now
managed by CW4 Mary Wells,
who will handle the 420A/420C
account. She can be contacted at
DSN 221-5238, or via e-mail at
[email protected].
TC warrant officers, 880A/
881A/882A accounts, are now
managed by CW5 Jim Mercier.
He can be contact at DSN 2215234, or via email
at
[email protected].
Warrant Officer Applications
Please disseminate this information to the appropriate sections
required to review and endorse
WO applications. Too many packets are arriving for Warrant Officer
board consideration as an original
only. Right now, about 50%of the
packets received in USAREC
arrive with just the original - no
copy. A full copy of the entire
packet, as well as the original is
needed. However, extra photos or
microfiche are not needed.
by CW4 Stanley W. Freeman
The USAREC web pages will be
changed to highlight the requirement for both an original and a
copy, and the sample packet handout will be adjusted to highlight
this fact as well. The requirement
is in DA Cir 601-99-1, Warrant
Officer Procurement Program,
dated 23 Apr 99, Appendix G,
paragraph 4g.
Please help in getting out the
word as you discuss warrant officer opportunities with personnel in
the field. The point of contact in
USAREC is CW5 Rich Jones,
Chief, Special Missions Division,
DSN 536-0456, or commercial
(502) 626-0456.
Warrant Officer Mentoring
Philosophy
During 1985, the Army's “Year
of Leadership", the art of mentorship was revived and revised. We
must develop leaders who will
know how to fight and win on the
battlefields of the future. It is time
for us to renew our focus and
attention to the men and women
who remain our single greatest
asset. Mentorship contributes to
the development of these future
leaders. A primary personnel issue
remains the retention and readiness
of our warrant officer corps.
Successful leadership helps the
person with raw talent succeed,
and the good performers get even
better. It benefits the whole organization when all members perform
as a team, using each individual's
strength to accomplish the goal.
The business world has a name for
this particular practice of leader-
ship: mentoring.
A sound mentoring program will
ensure that every warrant officer is
provided the opportunity to receive
the necessary tools for success
throughout their career. It must
stress that chain-of-command
supervisors are primarily responsible for the professional development of their subordinates. A mentor is an additional avenue for subordinates to seek advice and support to enhance their development.
Mentorship is a two-way street.
The mentor must be willing to
share knowledge, training and
experience in a trusted and respected atmosphere. In turn, the individual receiving the mentorship must
trust and respect the mentor, while
being open and receptive to the
process. Caring is the core of mentorship. We must all contribute in
the development of the warrant
officers who will replace us in the
future. We must remember that
mentorship means taking risks, to
include allowing our proteges to
make mistakes during their term
and making sure they learn from
those mistakes.
We owe it to our warrant officer
candidates and junior warrant officers to help clarify their career
goals and develop short and long
term career strategies toward
advancement. We must share our
knowledge and instruct them in
technical, leadership, and management skills. We should also provide personal and job counseling
where appropriate. Above all, senior warrant officers must be role
models.
Enlisted Branch Notes
by LTC Frank J. Caponio and SGM Gregory A. Drake
As LTC Caponio prepares to
relinquish the helm of the AG
Branch, to take command of the
43rd Adjutant General Battalion
(Reception) at Fort Leonard Wood,
Missouri, I find myself only three
months away from hanging up my
uniform for the last time after 29
years service to our Army. This
may very well be my last opportunity to address the AG Corps community, at least in this forum. The
last two years have had their challenges, but that only meant we
were presented with more opportunities to excel.
Airborne SL1 strengths for several MOSs in CMF 71 (71L-65%,
75B-98% and 75H-87%) have
become a challenge. The goal is to
maintain Airborne strengths at
about 115%. With a significant portion of our airborne authorizations
concentrated in the 82d Airborne
and USASOC (both Fill Priority 1
commands), skill level 1 airborne
shortages are highly visible and
exacerbate distribution and readiness challenges, both here and in
the field. With many of CMF 71
MOSs selling out very quickly this
fiscal year, the best opportunity to
generate additional airborne volunteers now resides at AIT. As an initiative to increase the inventory of
airborne skill level 1, the CMF 71
proponent, COL Molosso, has
agreed to take on the challenge of
'selling' soldiers at AIT into going
airborne. The G1 of the XVIII
Airborne Corps has also agreed to
support the effort by providing
some of their airborne quotas for
AIT graduates (certified as both
willing and in good physical condition). The intent is to get them to
airborne school and on to Fort
Bragg. Army-wide, there is a backlog of 483+ trainees waiting for an
airborne seat, and this initiative
should give CM5 71 about 65 additional seats over the summer.
Maintaining strengths in U.S.
Forces, Korea and Eighth Army,
continues to be a challenge, even
with the improvement of qualityof-life since the end of the Cold
War. Further improvements are
being made, with plans to do even
more in the future. Among the
many career advantages that a tour
in Korea brings, there is real world
training, increased opportunities
for key career progression possibilities (first sergeant, platoon sergeant), opportunity to travel and
experience the Asian culture, and
genuine job satisfaction. Economic
advantages include the opportunity
for soldiers to save money: living
quarters are provided for soldiers
and command-sponsored family
members. The usual out-of-pocket
expenses a CONUS assignment
incurs are not evident, and there is
little need for a POV and its inherent expenses. One of the key
assignment incentives is the
Homebase Advance Assignment
Program (HAAP), in which soldiers in the ranks of sergeant
through master sergeant (except
promotable master sergeants)
receive their advance assignment
prior to departure from CONUS,
which greatly aids in planning.
Other incentives under consideration include a tax exemption status
for soldiers serving in Korea and
increasing the Overseas Tour
Extension Incentive Program
(OTEIP) to include a wider range
of eligible MOSs. The four options
in this program consist of special
pay ($80/month) during the period
of the extension, 30 days of consecutive nonchargeable leave, 15
days of consecutive nonchargeable
leave and round trip transportation
for the soldier only to the nearest
port of debarkation in CONUS (not
the soldier’s home of record) and
return, or a $2,000 lump sum
bonus.
Other issues loom large on the
horizon: the continuing effects of
the A-76 study, the finalized early
deployer list, filling the Divisions
and Armored Cavalry Regiments
to 100%, and recruiting. For those
who can remember back that far,
many of the transformation initiatives, such as the diminishing role
of the PSBs and the return of unit
clerks, are bringing our Army full
circle. Although I won't be playing
a direct role in these changes, and
someone else will be watching
over our AG Corps soldiers from
the Branch Chief's and SGM's
chairs here at PERSCOM, I hope
to remain in contact with the Corps
and observe the great things it will
accomplish in the future. So long
as we maintain our focus on manning-the-force, unit readiness, and
taking care of the soldier and
his/her family, any change will be
for the better. Mission first, people
always. AG rocks!
Enlisted Career Advisor Updates
MSG Fred W. Liggett, Senior
Career Advisor and MOS
73/75-series Team Leader
As the Army faces the challenges of the new millennium, so
do AG soldiers. The opportunities for career-enhancing assignments becomes more competitive. AG soldiers must make the
most of every assignment.
Competition for career-enhancing assignments and promotion
is going to get tougher.
Therefore, soldiers need to find
ways to make their records stand
out by seeking the tough jobs,
such as PSB detachment sergeant,
First
Sergeant,
Division/Corps strength management NCO, Drill Sergeant,
recruiter, TO&E S1 personnel
sergeant, small group leader at an
NCO Academy, AC/RC advisor,
Equal Opportunity Advisor,
Inspector General detail, and
Manpower/Force Development
NCO. In addition, repetitive
assignments to TDA positions
could be construed by promotion
boards as "hiding out" and avoiding the challenging, tough jobs.
If you are already in a TDA
assignment, take advantage of it
by taking college courses. To
those 75Hs who believe they
never get the assignment of
choice, let me remind you that
Army readiness is what fuels the
train we are on. If the Army's
mission and the soldier's desire
match, decisions on assignments
are easy. It's when the two do not
match that decisions affecting the
soldier and his/her family
become difficult. However,
while accomplishing the mission
we are given -- balancing soldiers' desires with the Army's
priorities -- it is sometimes
impossible to fulfill both. It is
never easy to say no to a soldier’s
choice assignment, but it is often
necessary to maintain Army
readiness.
Finally, communicate with
your professional development
NCO/assignment manager as
much as possible to ensure that
you get the best available assignment for maximum promotion
potential. Remember these
touchstones while helping us
develop you as a good personnel
sergeant and human resource
manager: demanding assignments, diversity of assignments,
and assignments at various levels. The following articles by the
75-series PDNCO/assignment
managers contain additional
thoughts for the career-minded.
SFC K.D. Howard,
75H2/3 Career Advisor, &
Mr. James E. Roche, 75H2/3
Assignment Manager
As one of the new career advisors on the 75H team, I would
like to introduce myself to the
soldiers of Adjutant General
family. I have been a member of
the team for about 18 months,
serving as the AG Branch Force
Integrator. Before that, I was
assigned at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky, performing the duties
of personnel sergeant for 2/320th
Field Artillery. It is with great
pleasure I take this opportunity
to assist soldiers with career
guidance and professional advice
that will ultimately determine
when, where and what their next
job will be.
I believe it is very important
that soldiers have an active role
in determining the path that they
want their careers to take, and the
best way to accomplish this is to
communicate with their career
advisor. In the past, a DA Form
4187 (Personnel Action) was
required to inform your assignment manager of your desires,
but with modern technology,
electronic mail can be used, as
well as a simple phone call. Any
of these methods are acceptable
and maximum consideration will
be used when a soldier becomes
eligible for a permanent change
of station. The seven Divisions
are our main priority of fill in
CONUS, while Korea (25th
Infantry Division) and Germany
(1st Infantry Division and 1st
Armored Division) are our main
objectives overseas, so be realistic when requesting assignments.
As with the rest of the AG
team members, I am committed
to providing professional service
by putting the right soldiers in
the right jobs at the right time.
Feel free to contact Mr. Roche or
myself anytime you have questions concerning assignments,
career progression or any personnel matters. All phone numbers
and e-mail addresses are located
on the PERSCOM Online web
site at http://www-perscom.
army.mil/epag.
SFC(P) Ronald L Schipper,
MOS 75B, 75F, and 75H1
Career Advisor
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as a new
member to the AG Branch. I am
the Professional Development
NCO for all MOS 75-series skill
level 1 soldiers and 75B and 75F
skill level 2 NCOs. I arrived at
PERSCOM in December 2000
from Heidelberg, Germany,
where I was the Detachment
Sergeant with Detachment B,
510th
Personnel
Services
Battalion. I am happy to be
working with three great assignment managers: Mr. Boston,
75B1/2; Mrs. Gordon, 75F1/2;
and Mr. Robinson, 75H1.
I would like to address a couple of issues. First, all requests
for assignment should be submitted on DA Form 4187, through
your command and PSB.
Preferences can be relayed with a
e-mail message or a telephone
call. The information contained
in your CMIF and on EDAS will
be utilized when we get ready to
make your assignment. Contrary
to the belief that they are totally
ignored, we do consider and
make an effort to assign you to
one of your locations of choice.
We do, however, have priority
assignments that must be filled.
My request is that you keep your
choices realistic and include at
least one FORSCOM location in
your three choices. When we
receive requests to all TRADOC
or special locations, it is
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to honor. If you leave us
with only hard-to-fill options that
are not available, we will make a
decision based on the needs of
the Army. By giving us a
Division or FORSCOM option,
you still have a say in your next
assignment.
Second, communication is the
key to success. Without communicating your desires to us, we
make your assignments based
totally on the Army's needs at the
time you are available for reassignment. It is best to communicate through e-mail, when possible, due to the abundance of
phone calls we receive everyday.
It also allows us a chance to
research and work the issue to
provide you a better response.
Our desire is to place the bestqualified soldier in every assignment. Please feel free to contact
us at DSN 221-8300 or email at
schipper, bostong, gordonh,
robinse1 @hoffman.army.mil
SFC Darrance A. Dixon,
75H4 Career Advisor, &
Mrs. Denise Williams, 75H4
Assignment Manager
During the past year we have
been working to keep up with the
changes throughout the Army.
Manning the Divisions has
forced us to adopt a new philosophy on utilization of soldiers.
We work very hard to accommodate every soldier while working
within the needs of the Army.
We encourage soldiers to contact
us and help us with their assignment. Consider needs of the
Army, your assignment history,
time-on-station, and date of
return from overseas (DROS)
when volunteering for assign-
ments.
Divisions are our number one
priority. Therefore soldiers
assigned to TDA locations can
expect to be reassigned to a
Division or FORSCOM installation. Soldiers assigned to TDA
and TO&E assignments can
expect to remain on station
approximately 36 months. It is
our goal to rotate soldiers from
TOE to TDA and TDA to TOE
after approximately 36 months
time-on-station.
If your last DROS (date
returned from overseas) is four to
five years old, expect to be reassigned overseas soon. Korea and
Germany are our overseas priorities. Be proactive and volunteer
if you are looking for a short tour
versus long tour. Overseas
assignments are made depending
on PERSCOM's distribution priorities. Changing an assignment
after it has been posted is difficult as it sometimes involves
sending another soldier in your
place.
We are honored to have the
opportunity to serve AG soldiers.
As the Army undergoes transformation, assignment locations
sometimes do not fit soldiers'
desires. We will make every
effort to meet both the Army's
needs and soldiers' desires.
Don't hesitate to contact us, via
e-mail, telephone or DA Form
4187 to let us know your assignment preferences. We prefer that
soldiers contact us directly and
not through third parties, as it is
often difficult to accurately
assess a soldier's situation/preferences without direct communication.
Recruiting Team:
MSG Brian Baity,
SFC Sterling Carter,
SFC Sammy Payne,
SFC Derek Marchus
Mrs. Andrea Bennett,
Mr. Richard Lee,
Mrs. Phyllis Mitchell, and
Mrs. Virginia Schindler
It very often appears as though
EDAS assignments are viewed
more as a request than the written
order that they are. One tonguein-cheek remark is that AI means
"assignment invitation", not
"assignment instructions". Noshows for the Army Recruiter
Course (ARC), or any other
assignment for that matter, are
still evident. The weekly sitdown roster of ARC no-shows,
transmitted
to
MACOM
Command Sergeants Major (to
include the PERSCOM CSM)
has improved since commands
must now alibi their no-shows.
However, we can do better.
There's a misperception that if
a soldier's command does not
recommend a soldier for recruiting, based on the commander's
evaluation, that the soldier does
not proceed on assignment. As
with any assignment, the soldier
proceeds with the published
order until the issuing authority
(in this case, PERSCOM and it's
agents, the career branches)
amends such orders.
Another reason given by the
local PSB in many cases is that
the soldier failed to report on
numerous occasions for his/her
levy briefing, therefore, no
action was taken on the soldier.
The soldier and/or the command
are not held accountable and,
therefore, the problem is exacerbated. If a soldier misses a unit
move, you can be sure action
under the Uniform Code of
Military Justice will follow. But,
should a soldier miss an HQDAgenerated assignment, excuses
flow freely with no adverse consequences or corrective action.
It would be most helpful if the
PSBs could help in reducing the
unnecessary no-shows by ensuring all soldiers are processed in
accordance with applicable regulations and proceed on scheduled
assignment instructions, unless
PERSCOM has directed otherwise.
Mrs. Carolyn R. Braddy,
Schools Manager
As you may know, there have
been some changes in how soldiers are scheduled for NCOES
training. These changes have
resulted in both the Basic
Noncommissioned
Officer's
Course
and
Advanced
Noncommissioned
Officer's
Course being split into two phases. The first phase, Common
Core, is two weeks long, followed by the second phase
Technical Track, which is based
on the specific MOS and can be
anywhere from four to five
weeks long.
There was an increase in the
no-show rate for NCOES training for the 1st and 2nd quarter,
FY 2001. This increase was due
in large in part to Phase I start
dates being overlooked by installations. All soldiers scheduled
for ANCOC and BNCOC need
to ensure they complete their
Phase I before enrolling and
appearing
for
Phase
II.
Otherwise, we lose training
resources (school seats).
How are you celebrating?
“A Toast to the Future” is the theme of this year’s Adjutant General’s Corps Ball. Mark your calendar for Friday, June 15th. The 2001 ball, hosted by the National and Carolina Chapters of the
Regimental Association, will be held at Fort Jackson’s NCO Club beginning at 1800. The guest
speaker for this year’s ball will be LTG Timothy J. Maude, the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for
Personnel. We look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions about this ball, contact
CPT Eric Bryan at DSN 734-7713.
How are you celebrating our anniversary where you are? Please let us know. Send a short article and
photographs for publication in the September issue of 1775. Be sure to include your theme, the
guest speaker, any special activities, and photographs. Email to [email protected].
Former
Fort Harrison
Commander Honored
by Danielle Linneweber, Marion Country (IN) Staff Writer
In July 1999, the city of
Lawrence, Indiana, dedicated the
new Major General Ronald E.
Brooks Lawrence Government
Center, officially opening a new
downtown for the City of
Lawrence. State, city and county
officials, and more than 200 others, braved the high temperatures
to attend the dedication. The
center, a $5.1 million, 40,000-
square foot center is
named after Major
General Ronald E.
Brooks, a Lawrence
resident who served as
the last commanding
general
at
Fort
Benjamin Harrison.
General Brooks spent
a total of 17 years at the
Fort and retired there in
1995. General Brooks accepted
the dedication on behalf of the
soldiers who served with him
and allowed him to achieve the
position of commanding general.
He was deeply honored by the
dedication, as he was disappointed when it was announced in
1991 that the fort was closing.
He did everything he could to
prevent its closing, to no avail,
and was later comforted by the
successful redevelopment of the
fort.
Lawrence Mayor Tom Schneider
commended General Brooks on
his continuing leadership from
the closure of the fort to the redevelopment of it.
The government center, located
at 9001 East 59th Street, houses
Lawrence’s mayor, clerk-treasurer, water utility, city engineer,
building commissioner, city
attorney, township assessor,
township trustee offices, and a
public assembly room.
General Brooks remarked, “This
new facility highlights the story
of the success of Lawrence.”
95th AG Battalion (Reception) Wins
by CPT David B. Askew
Connelly Award
First impressions are lasting tition is to be recognized as the support agency to get something
fixed, some decorations for the
impressions. You only have one best the Army has to offer.
The relationship between a dining area and soon the dining
chance to make a good first
impression. Most everyone has Reception Battalion and its din- facility is the highlight of the
heard these expressions or one of ing facility is and will always be training base. Customer service
their variations, and while some one of the paramount relation- from the dining facility employwill try to play them off
as old clichés and not
really all that important, the truth of the
matter is that first
impressions are lasting
impressions.A
Reception Battalion's
dining facility makes
that all-important first
impression on the new
soldier as he or she
begins their Army
experience. The 95th From front row kneeling: CSM Mulvany, CSM, CPT Askew, XO, and LTC
AG
Battalion Henkel, Commander, 95th AG Bn.; Mrs Jones, Dining Facility Manager;
(Reception) at Fort MSG Hendy, SFC Waddy, Mr. Ellis, SFC Arrington, CW2 Sparks, & Brigade
Sill, OK, has had the and Installation Food Service Staff.
opportunity to put it's and the ships a reception battalion can ees is exceptional and soldiers
Army's best foot forward while have with the agencies that sup- look forward to being served an
serving the newest soldiers to put port initial entry training recep- outstanding meal.
The bottom line is presenting a
on a uniform. The 95th and its tion operations. Quick and effidining facility, Green Hall, took cient food service operations are positive first impression on the
part in a yearlong competition imperative to keep reception Army's newest soldiers and takfor the Philip A. Connelly Award operations flowing smoothly. ing care of soldiers, reinforcing
for Excellence in Army Food Even the smallest of hiccups can the soldiers' decision to join the
Service operations. After com- cause a rippling effect in process- best Army in the world.
Recently, LTC Henkel,
peting and winning at the instal- ing operations that may delay a
lation and TRADOC levels, and soldier's start to training. A Commander, 95th AG Battalion
then against the best in the Army, reception battalion and a dining (Reception), accompanied BG
the 95th AG Battalion Dining facility should have a symbiotic Engle, Deputy Commandant,
Facility was selected as the win- relationship, almost feeding off Field Artillery Center and Fort
ner of the 2001 Philip A. each other to make the other bet- Sill, to Anaheim, CA, to receive
Connelly competition in the ter. A little money here, some the Connelly award during the
Large Garrison Dining Facility soldier support there, a phone International Food Service
category. The prestige of being call from the reception battalion Executive Association's annual
selected as winner of this compe- commander to an installation convention.
Good job, AG Corps,
on another successful
Personnel Leaders’ Meeting!
Adjutant General’s Corps
Regimental Association
P.O. Box 10026
Fort Jackson, SC 29207
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Columbia, SC
Permit #00586
Celebrate!
The 226th Anniversary of our Corps
is Friday, June 15, 2001