In this video from the TRADOC Sr. Leader Conference held in Williamsburg, VA March 8-11th, TRADOC Commander Gen Dempsey is talking about the BRAC move from Ft. Monroe to Ft. Eustis VA
GEN Dempsey talking about BRAC move to Ft. Eustis from Nathan Long on Vimeo.
We had GEN Chiarelli on You Served radio last year in the summer to talk about the suicide rate in the Army and the impact that had on the soldiers in the units, the command and the Army as a whole. The Army, under the direction of GEN Chiarelli, has been working hard to counter this and turn around the sad trend of suicide rates in the Army.
I am not sure what else they can do. I know the suicide rate is a huge concern and the Army is working everything they can, but I am not sure what the solution is. What else can they do? Any ideas from you, leave a comment.
Army Releases February Suicide DataThe Army released suicide data today for the month of February. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 14 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 13 remain under investigation. For January, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, two have been confirmed as suicides, and ten remain under investigation. During February, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides: all five remain under investigation. For January, among that same group, there were 15 potential suicides. Of those, seven were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death. “In our continuing efforts to sharpen our current focus on suicide prevention, we are conducting a comprehensive review of existing programs Army-wide, related to health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. “We will use the results of this review to increase the effectiveness of our efforts.” “Because suicide affects every member of our Army family and no one is immune to depression, anxiety and stress; we are also expanding our training resources and support programs to address these issues with our Department of the Army civilians and family members,” Philbrick said.
The Army’s comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp .
I think I have found the one thing that Public Affairs Officers (PAO) fear more than anything else. It isn’t liberal leaning mainstream media, it isn’t the Huffington Post. It is bloggers who are ex-military, hard-headed and know their way around the military culture.
Don’t get me wrong, TRADOC is treating my great, especially the PAO but I sense a look of suspicion and worry sometimes when I see or talk to the actual PAO of TRADOC. Once he found out I was a retired 1SG, and that I have a “don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness” attitude I think he started hanging a little bit closer to me every where I go. I am not sure why, as I would do nothing to discredit or embarrass the military. In fact it is quite the contrary, I will defend the military as an institution, and go after anyone that is disrespectful to the military. I think my record speaks for itself to show that I have done this several times. I know the PAOs are just doing their job and there is no doubt that PAOs army-wide have been burned and embarrassed by slimy media more times than they can count. So I guess I have to earn their trust and as I progress through day two of this conference it appears I have started to earn the trust.
I won’t be an extension of a PAO, as I won’t always tell the “good news” story. I will call BS when it warrants it. I will hold people accountable for their actions. I will be fair and honest and hopefully interject as little of my emotion as possible.
But they can’t be with me everywhere so I slip and dip and talk to different people whenever I can. This morning I have a interview scheduled with a gentlemen who oversees the non-commissioned officer education system for TRADOC. That came about from me talking to him in the coffee line yesterday.
Last night I was introduced to LTG Freakley, who is the commander of Accessions Command (they sponsored the milblog booth at last year’s Blog World Expo in Last Vegas). I had a great 20 minute talk with the LTG and this morning I followed up with him and he has committed to come on the You Served Radio show.
Last night I also had a chance to talk to some of the TRADOC Commander (GEN Dempsey) inner staff about him coming on the You Served Show also. So far they seem very open to it and it looks like it will happen. Since he he is a four-star General of a huge command like TRADOC, he is a pretty busy guy so I know it is not easy to get his time. However hopefully my convincing personality, shiny head, and winning smile will convince his people to get him on the show.
A lot of my progress last night was not done in a panel or a conference, it was done at dinner and then at the bar. Because as my wife has always said, “more business is done in the bar-room then it is in the boardroom”.
The TRADOC Senior Leaders Conference really kicked off with a great speaker this morning. It was Mr. John Rendon from The Rendon Group. The Rendon Group is a consulting firm that works with government and military clients to provide Strategic Communications. Last year they were in the news when it came out they were profiling bloggers and embedded journalists to rate them and see if they were considered favorable or not to the military.
The Rendon Group has been around for a long time and John Rendon is a very smart guy who knows what he is talking about and can and did provide very thoughtful comments to military leaders in order to make them think. Last night at the icebreaker social, GEN Dempsey explained how much he values John’s input an perspective.
On of the first things that John did was show the video titles Do You Know 4.0. I have seen this video in the past and it does a great job at highlighting what a technology-connected society we have become. Some may question the relevance at this conference, but I can see that as these leaders in the Training and Doctrine Command meet and talk about the future’s training. The video also shows not only how much technology has changed the world, but more so how much the new media and Web 2.0 has developed and matured.
John then went around the world talking about different counties and how their actions and culture effect what we do in our country both in the areas of technology but also in military practice. He talked about some of the obvious like Russia, India and China but also others like Brazil. In fact he emphasized Brazil and how much we need to pay attention to Brazil and what they are learning from us, compared to what we are not learning from them.
John Rendon had some great quotes that I want to highlight in this blog. Some of them were:
1. “nobody in this room is going to win this war” By that he meant that this war we are fighting today against Terrorism will outlast the careers of many of the leaders in the room. He was demonstrating that it will be the replacements of these leaders or even later replacements that will be in the job when this war ends.
2. “we should reward risk and not punish failure” The point of this quote was to highlight the downfall of the risk adverse culture that has been over-emphasized in the Army today. He was trying to point out that taking risks is a good thing and that those leaders whom do should be recognized and rewarded for doing that.
3. “the adversary is defining our intentions, goals, and outcomes and we are not” When I heard John say this, it reminded me of the old military saying of “the enemy always has a vote”. In other words, too many times we are reactive and respond to the enemy versus being proactive and having us shape the battlefield and what happens on it.
This week Troy is at the TRADOC Sr. Leaders Conference and is producing several blog posts as a result and conducting interviews also. You Served is one of only three blogs that was invited to the Conference. In addition to the blogs that will be written, live tweeting is happening from the Conference via the www.twitter.com/youserved twitter account.
Below are a few samples of the tweets that are being produced.
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From 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Baghdad – When a distinguished visitor comes to the Joint Visitors Bureau at Victory Base Complex, Baghdad, Soldiers from C Troop, 1st Battalion, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) make sure whatever needs they have are met.
From cooking five-star meals to assisting with their accommodations, Soldiers who work at the JVB Hotel enjoy their deployment working in a palace and meeting high-ranking officials like Vice President Joe Biden, four-star generals and even some celebrities.
Sgt. Justin Moore, head cook at the JVB Hotel with C Troop and a Hood River, Ore., native, said he went to culinary school as a civilian and was a cook for almost six years before opening up his own business.
“When I first got here, I was a gunner,” he said. “When they found out about my cooking abilities they moved me over here about a month later.”
Moore said he faces some obstacles cooking the meals, such as the lack of fresh produce and trying to come up with new and innovative meal presentations.
“We are trying to come up with nice meals,” he said. “(But,) some of it depends on the types of meat we can and can’t get from the Oasis dining facility.”
Moore said he has cooked for many four-star generals and celebrities, including Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation.
“It is interesting to see what people like and don’t like to eat,” he said.
Moore said he enjoys preparing meals on his deployment and is glad he is doing something he likes.
“What we’re doing here is putting five-star meals together in Iraq,” he said. “With a lot of cooks throughout Iraq, (they) are just putting out chow and counting heads and you can’t get the experience of how to plate properly and do different plate designs.”
He said he thinks the JVB Hotel mission helps a lot of younger Soldiers, and even some of the older cooks who have never prepared a fine dining meal in the Army.
Sgt. Joshua Mosley, the front desk noncommissioned officer in charge with C Troop and a Bend, Ore., native, said he manages four front-desk personnel and his main responsibility is guest relations.
“I manage a spreadsheet and track people coming and going from the JVB,” he said. “I also have to provide accommodations for the distinguished visitor’s support staff.”
Mosley said distinguished visitors stay at the main hotel and the staff stays in containerized housing units across the street from the JVB Hotel.
“The CHU’s are for the guests of the DV and the palace is for general officers or equivalent,” he said.
Staff Sgt. Jason Bryan, the personal security detail team leader with C Troop and an Ottawa, Kan., native, said his team’s mission is to provide security and transportation to any visiting dignitaries or celebrities that come through the Iraq Joint Operation Area.
“It makes them feel a lot safer, especially if they have never been here before,” he said.
Bryan said most people are impressed with the size and amount of people at VBC.
“We pick them up and, depending on their itinerary, we’ll take them from one place to another,” he said. “Meanwhile there are some behind-the-scenes actions (necessary) to make sure that those places are safe prior to our arrival.”
The visitors’ safety is the team’s highest priority.
“We make sure all the proper coordinations are made to ensure a smooth delivery of the individuals,” he said.
Sgt. Justin Moore, the head cook at the Joint Visitors Bureau Hotel with C Troop, 1st Battalion, 82nd Cavalry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and Hood River, Ore., native, checks the temperature of a dish he prepared March 3 at Victory Base Complex, Iraq. The cooks at the JVB Hotel prepare five-star meals for distinguished visitors and guests staying at the hotel.
Stars and Stripes|by Nancy Montgomery
HEIDELBERG, Germany — The Army recently asked 45 of its Soldiers in the highest enlisted rank to retire for substandard performance, past criminal convictions, problems with alcohol, fraternization or sexual harassment in their recent pasts.
Of the 45 sergeants major whose records were flagged under the newly reinstituted Qualitative Management Program, 28 complied, putting in their retirement paperwork and quietly fading away.
But 15 fought it, arguing that they were valuable Army assets despite any previous incidents. A panel of their peers usually agreed: 12 of the 15 were allowed to remain on active duty. The remaining three were forced to retire, however.
Two of the original 45 cases that were flagged were deferred because investigations were still under way.
Lt. Col. Robert Yost, chief of the Army’s enlisted professional development, which deals with promotion, separation and retention policy, said that not all past problems, especially those that were singular events in a long career, deserved forced retirement.
“They might have received a letter of reprimand, say, eight years ago,” he said. “The board, they might have seen a very stellar performance since then.“No, it’s not a zero-tolerance Army. Folks might trip,” Yost said. Most of the misconduct or poor performance evaluations took place four to seven years ago, he said.
The result seems to contrast with what officials said in August when they announced that after seven years of suspension during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the QMP program was back.Officials said then that although affected Soldiers could make their arguments to the central promotions board deciding their cases, it wasn’t recommended. “The time to learn and grow from your mistakes has kind of passed,” said Gerald Purcell, a retired sergeant major who helped devise the program.
Yost declined to describe what sorts of misconduct or bad performances were involved in the three cases of the sergeants major forced to retire.
But he said that overall, those flagged usually had more than one negative item in their files, a combination of a general officer letter of reprimand or an Article 15, along with a poor performance evaluation or a relief for cause — sometimes for more than one incident, sometimes for the same one. Failing certain leadership courses was also among the things that would flag a file, but if the sole deficiency was a failure to meet weight standards, the file was not flagged.
The E-9s whose records were flagged were culled from a total of 3,511 that came under review. All had between 20 and 30 years of service and were eligible to retire, and the missteps had occurred while they were E-9s.
All 45 were entitled to an honorable discharge as well as their retirement, medical and other benefits.
Results from last month’s review of the records of some 9,000 master sergeants will be publicly released in three months. After that, 7,000 E-7s, sergeants first class, will undergo the same drill.
The program was brought back, officials said, because it had become increasingly clear that marginal NCOs who previously would have retired to avoid a QMP were no longer doing so without the program in place.
“We know it because the sergeant major of the Army gets notes about incidents and scenarios with senior leaders, incidents of misconduct,” Purcell said. “It’s become more frequent.”
Sgt. Jason Delancey, the assistant convoy commander and a Columbus, Neb., native, Spc. Seth A. Weyeneth, a gunner and a McCook, Neb., native, and Sgt. Clint L. Hay, a truck commander and a Lexington, Neb., native, with the 1195th Transportation company, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), perform preventive-maintenance checks and services on a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle March 2 at Contingency Operating Base Liberty in Baghdad. The Kearney, Neb., unit later went on a convoy security mission to Forward Operating Base Shield to deliver much-needed supplies.
From 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Baghdad – Soldiers from the 1195th Transportation Company, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) performed a convoy security mission March 2 to Contingency Operating Location Shield to deliver much-needed supplies to the base.
Due to the upcoming elections, convoys to smaller COLs around Baghdad will be scarce, so supplies needed to be delivered on time so COL Shield could sustain its mission through the Iraqi elections period. The 1195th Trans. Co. out of Kearney, Neb., provides convoy security primarily in the Baghdad area and must travel at night due to the Security Agreement. Staff Sgt. Nathan Reicks, the convoy commander for the re-supply mission and a McCook, Neb., native, said they were hauling basic supplies, fuel and ammunition to COL Shield to last them through the elections. “If the mission doesn’t get there, they can’t sustain and might have to close down,” he said. “A lot of these smaller COLs are helping in the training of the Iraqi’s and they need all the supplies they can get.” Reicks said being a convoy commander takes a lot of responsibility.
“You have to be willing to put your neck out there for the guys,” he said. “You are in charge and if anything goes wrong, you are the guy that has to have an answer for it.” Sgt. Clint L. Hay, a gunner and truck commander for the mission, said he has not seen many problems with the people in Baghdad. “Most of our problems are due to the weather,” he said. “A lot of vehicles we escort can’t really take the mud like the military vehicles we have, so we are always there to help them out the best way we can.” Hay, a Lexington, Neb., native, said the deployment has gone by fast. “I think most of us would rather be out on the road staying busy,” he said. Hay said he has enjoyed his time in Iraq and working with the Soldiers in the unit. “Through the good times and bad times, my fellow Soldiers and squad leaders have been there for me,” he said. “They are a great bunch of guys.” Spc. Tyler Lauer, a driver with the 1195th Trans. Co. and a McCook, Neb. native, said he was a food service specialist before the deployment and volunteered for any position on the convoy security team, so certain slots could be filled.
Besides driving, Lauer said he is always checking the roads, looking for possible improvised explosive devices, suspicious people and making sure it is a safe ride for the gunner and the tactical commander of the truck. “Tonight was busy, so we had to be on top of our game,” he said. “There was a lot of activity, so I was watching out for people, but mainly watching the other vehicles on the road.” He said the main thing he does while driving in downtown Baghdad is to keep focused on his mission and report anything suspicious to his truck commander. The group has grown together as a team, said Reicks. “That’s very important,” he said. “These guys understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Reicks is proud that everyone’s position is interchangeable. “We have multiple people that can lead a convoy and could jump up in the gunner spot or be a driver” he said. “We trained people to work around anything; we don’t have set people at any one position. Everyone knows how to do the other’s job.”
VAMC continues to recognize the important of milblogs in keeping the public informed of issues that are military related. They started with the creation of this blog, then went on to help sponsor the You Served Radio show, and also have sponsored CJ, Marcus and Troy on several trips to previous milblog conferences and Blog World Expo Conferences. Now they have kicked it up a notch by becoming a major sponsor of this year’s 5th Annual milblog conference.
Read the full announcement at http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100303-043057
Not only are they a sponsor at the conference, they are working hard with the You Served Radio Show staff to put on one heck of a Radio show the night of April 8th the night before the conference kicks off. Stay tuned and get the early announcements about what all is planned for the conference by becoming a fan of You Served Blog and Radio at www.facebook.com/youserved.
You may remember that we had BG Abrams on You Served Radio a few months back. You can hear the interview here, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved/2009/10/22/episode-61–general-abrams-and-darrell-griffith-1.
As my old Commander from Desert Storm and one hell of a leader, I am glad to see BG Abrams engaging new media and doing his part to support it.
Fort Irwin/National Training Center Commanding General Brig. Gen. Robert “Abe” Abrams checks his Twitter page after appearing on 88.3FM’s “Newsmakers” program with Fort Irwin/NTC Media Relations Officer Etric Smith on Feb. 3, 2010.
FORT IRWIN, Calif.- Fort Irwin/National Training Center Commanding General Brig. Gen. Robert “Abe” Abrams is a regular on 88.3FM KNTC, Fort Irwin and the National Training Center’s post radio station, but his Wednesday morning appearance wasn’t his usual show.
Instead of just fielding questions from callers, Brig. Gen. Abrams, who has a Twitter page himself, took questions from the Fort Irwin/National Training Center Facebook page and Twitter page, demonstrating yet another way the installation is using Social Media.
As he spoke about a wide variety of topics ranging from the value of Social Media to the current Canadian rotation and the installation’s DUI prevention and awareness efforts, Brig. Gen. Abrams fielded a question from the Fort Irwin/NTC Facebook page about one of the many on-going construction projects on the installation.
Although Brig. Gen. Abrams didn’t have an immediate answer to the question, it didn’t take long for him to provide the correct answer to the question about the improvements being done to one of the many recreational fields at Fort Irwin.
“There is great power for us because of our remote location and our ability to communicate using a combination of Facebook and Twitter primarily to help message to the community,” he said. “It’s a way to quickly get out short bursts of information on what’s going on: road closures, if there’s an incident or accident.”
Before the current rotation began, there was an incident at the front gate that provided an opportunity for the installation to leverage and quickly send out information to the community, he said.
“If we can leverage our Social Media, following NTC_UPDATE on Twitter, you like me would have gotten an immediate message on what’s going on,” he said. “It’s just another way leverage what we have and get the word out on things. It’s a great tool from a command information standpoint to be able to get the message out.”
Currently, Canadian soldiers are conducting training at Fort Irwin and the National Training Center as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan and Brig. Gen. Abrams said the Canadian military leadership has been impressed with the quality of training at the National Training Center.
“It’s been a fantastic rotation. Great opportunity for a joint, intergovernmental, multi-national training experience right here at the world’s finest combat training center,” Brig. Gen. Abrams said.
Several high profile Canadian military leaders including the Canadian Chief of Defense have come to the National Training Center to see the ongoing training and have been pleased, he said.
“They came down here and they just couldn’t say enough good things about all the good support and the great training their soldiers are receiving,” Brig. Gen. Abrams said. “They just couldn’t be more pleased.”
One thing most people don’t know is that the Canadian Army has been side-by-side U.S. Forces in Afghanistan since the beginning, he said.
“Per capita they have sacrificed more blood and treasure and human life than we have,” Brig. Gen. Abrams said. “They are true professionals. They are absolutely incredible fighters. They’re great coalition partners and they don’t get a lot of recognition in our national press, but as soldiers we stand by and recognize their competence, their confidence, the professionalism of a great Army and a true friend to the United States of America.”
In January Fort Irwin and the NTC had its first DUI-free month in 13 months, Brig. Gen. Abrams said.
“I think we’re doing a much better job than we had previously. We went the month of January without a DUI,” he said. “That’s a significant accomplishment, especially based on the numbers. We averaged seven a month.”
The DUI awareness and prevention effort is an ongoing campaign that the installation must keep going, he said.
“This is about taking care of each other. This is about protecting the force and protecting the great soldiers and families at Fort Irwin,” Brig. Gen. Abrams said. “We’re only one DUI away from killing somebody and that’s the sad reality of things. I just ask that everybody on Fort just keep their eye on the ball and continue to press.”
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