The 48th goes to war

By Joseph Smith

December 1, 2005 06:32 AM | Link to this

Enlisted Promotion System plagues morale…………

An article in the Stars and Stripes, military newspaper publication for soldiers deployed outside of the United States, printed a commentary in the October 5, 2005 edition from a National Guard soldier about the promotion system in this reserve component. The article was directed towards the leadership not upholding the standards that the lower enlisted are and how enlisted soldier’s, grade E4 through E8 have not had an opportunity to be promoted during deployment due to the negligent handling from senior leaders within the BDE and State Headquarters.

This issue has become the nightmare of a command sergeants majors and administrative personnel. During train up at Ft. Stewart, all eligible enlisted soldiers were given the opportunity to turn in promotion packets for the next pay grade. This process was a painful endeavor given the fact that all were also training for Operation Iraqi Freedom and could not devote the time and effort into compiling a complete packet. Once the packets were completed and reviewed, they were to be turned in to the higher headquarters on to state headquarters for consideration of point calculation to determine is a soldier met the minimum point requirement to be promoted to the next rank.

Along the way somewhere most packets were either lost or documents from packets misplaced. Only after the state G-1 office reviewed packets and published a promotion list was it discovered that most of the soldiers that submitted packets were not on the promotion list but on a separate list for no packet submission or missing documents. We are now in the process of re-building those lost packets and replacing those missing documents. Not an easy task considering our distance from where all the records are maintained and accessibility to retrieving documents and printing them.

So as it stands now, very few eligible enlisted soldiers in the grade of E4 through E8 will be promoted during mobilization due to the poor management of the senior leadership thus stalling the career progression of the soldiers in the 48th Brigade and the Georgia Army National Guard.

This only affected the enlisted ranks as the ranks of field grades almost tripled in numbers. During this train up and deployment, the officer ranks grew to an alarming number as though it seemed that in order for a field grade from outside of the brigade was granted a promotion to deploy with the brigade. Many took up slots that should have been used for the real soldiers, the ones who pound the routes and bushes in this barren country. Instead, the crews are usually short at least one soldier each day that they go out on missions but if you were to venture to the brigade TOC you would see where all those slots were utilized.

Also we have what is called a Modified Table of Organization and Equipment. This sets the maximum grade, job, and number of soldiers allotted for each position. This has been swelled and now there are Lieutenant Colonels stepping over each other and looking for jobs to do to remain occupied. There are two to three field grades holding the same position. For example, the brigade S4 section that handles all of the logistics has been for the past 15 years a slot filled by the grade of major. As it stands right now, there are three Lieutenant Colonels holding the slot as the S4 officer for our brigade. One was promoted in the slot and the other two volunteered to deploy. Do we as a brigade need such top heavy ranks?

Currently there are 14 Lieutenant Colonels assigned to the brigade outside of the battalion commanders. It doesn’t stop there. It is the same for the rank of major but not as enormous. This is just an example of how the officers have manipulated the system for personal gain and “take care of our buddy�. What was once called “The Good Ol’ Boy System.� In a professional organization so close to being in the image of our counterparts we are seen as yet so far away.

While the enlisted ranks continue to fight the fight on global terrorism the officer corps at higher headquarters adds another block on their resume for future personal assignments. Having a deployment on your personnel brief displays great attributes. It does not depict your performance or what you actually did. Have we digressed instead of progressed?

The NCO Corps is the backbone and always will be in the military. These very officers were trained down the line by one of the very NCO that is trying to get to the next rank but can’t. This is probably one of the very NCO’s that is still performing at peak level to insure that the mission is accomplished and the soldiers are taken care of only for the officer to receive his feather in his hat.

The enlisted soldiers here are fighting fights on two horizons. How can you expect for a soldier to go out and perform for you when you have failed him? If it were researched, you will discover that these packets were in fact submitted correctly and timely yet lost at the brigade level or not properly submitted. How can a leader in the 48th BCT even use the slogan, ‘Taking Care of Soldiers’ when this is happening? Once again how you can expect for this soldier to place his life on the line when you can’t even grant him/her what they are due? This is ludicrous!

I am not included in the ranks of those left out but I serve with them and I see the pain, hurt and dismay on their faces daily. Can you tell me how to motivate these soldiers to continue with the mission? It is only the desire to see a country that each of them love and respect be free of terrorism, even at the sacrifice of families, leisure and the respect of the system that they honor.

If the leadership that currently holds the con can’t get it together and make magic happen for the deserving soldiers then they need to strip themselves of the rank that they hold and replace the vacancies in the ranks with themselves.

By Michael Castagna

December 1, 2005 08:17 AM | Link to this

If there was poor management at State Level in processing these promotion packets then there should be some demotions at State Level. The 48th Bde is the finest outfit and has the best qualified personal but State Headquarters of the Georgia Army National Guard has a long history of not taking care of it’s soldiers. These enlisted soldiers are putting there lives on the line and is this their reward? Shame on you State Headquarters.

Michael L. Castagna SSG (Ret)

By Infantry soldier's wife

December 1, 2005 01:17 PM | Link to this

Thank you Joseph Smith for taking a stand for our soldiers that have been pushed aside for well deserved promotions. My husband is one of these soldiers that has been fighting for his promotion for five months. Fortunately, he is under the command of a wonderful captain that has been fighting just as hard for my husband to receive this promotion. Unfortunately, their efforts have been in vain so far. He continues to do his job each day to the best of his ability because he will not let his “brothers in arms” down; however, he feels like he has been betrayed by the very leaders that are supposed to be taking care of and fighting for our enlisted soldiers.

By My soldier waits as well....

December 2, 2005 12:58 PM | Link to this

THANK YOU MR SMITH! Finally someone has the nerve to the say “what is” and explain why it is so hard for enlisted to get their promotions while serving overseas! I would like to add, that it is also because of Brigade LAZINESS. Oh certainly there have been a few “good ole boy” promotions during the train-up portion, and a scattered few promotions while in country. Those are usually soldier’s who belong to the “club-o-good-ole-boys”, and it looks mighty spiffy on Command’s record to show promotions of enlisted. LAZINESS is the root however. The 48th has so many unit’s attached to them from OTHER states, they cant find their back-side with both hands. So instead of fixing the problem, soldier’s who are out there getting shot at, being blown up, arresting insurgents, and basically doing everything THEY promised to do, will NOT get promoted while IN COUNTRY, because the State of Georgia, the 48th Command, and the S-shop personnel want to “wait it out” and just “give the soldier’s back” to their unit of origin and let them handle promotions when the deployment is over. Thus far, watching this deployment unfold, watching the paperwork shuffle, and researching some interesting facts, it seems Mr Smith is correct when he says that enlisted soldier’s “still perform at peak level to insure that the mission is accomplished and the soldiers are taken care of only for the officer to receive his feather in his hat.” This deployment looks like a feather for a hat. A feather with another Star on it. Need a conflict or War related deployment for your record before retirement? “Having a deployment on your personnel brief displays great attributes.” Called in a favor…had to assemble outside units to be full strength…..assembled the masses for the big push…pencil whipped and eluded the REAL numbers, but on paper its “all there”….and got a debute on television? BIG FEATHER.