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Category: Army News

1SG Katrina Moerk gets ARCOM for trolling

No this is NOT satire, it’s not the Duffel Blog, it’s Military.com and it is about 1SG Katrina Moerk who got an Army Commendation Medal for scolding other soldiers in a social media chat room;

First Sgt. Katrina Moerk, now the first sergeant of Charlie Company, 741st Military Intelligence Battalion, was browsing a social media network’s community page earlier this year, when she came upon a video that she found offensive and sexist. When she commented as much, several respondents attacked her with insults. Some of these respondents were wearing uniforms in their profile photos, the first sergeant said, so she wrote to them directly.

“I looked them up, introduced myself and explained to them why they were stupid. And I [copied] the director of the Army SHARP program to help their units improve their SHARP training, because it was obviously lacking. And it’s kind of blown up from there,” Moerk said.

[…]

“I tried to explain why I didn’t care for it,” she added, “and [said], ‘If you don’t know who you’re talking to, be careful what you say in an open public forum on the Internet,’ and it just made it worse. When I started calling them by rank, they figured I was in the military and made jokes about calling people out on the Internet, or [that] pulling rank on the Internet is like calling somebody out in a bar.”

Things died down online, she said, but Dr. Christine Altendorf, the SHARP director, brought Moerk’s email to the attention of Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, then the Army’s deputy chief of staff for personnel. Shortly thereafter, the Army launched three administrative investigations, because Soldiers from three separate major commands were involved, either through producing the video or making inappropriate comments.

Her sergeant major called her the epitome of what an NCO should be. Lucky for her, an Army First Sergeant didn’t have more important things to do than to troll the internet looking for trouble. I come across things on the internet that offend me and I click away, I personally boycott that website, I don’t turn into a nosy scold. Lucky for her she clicked into something that the Army leadership is focusing on these days.

I have three ARCOMs from my two decades of service – I earned mine by doing my job and working towards the successful completion of the unit’s mission. Silly me.

ADDED: Here’s how she trolled the social media. She trolled me looking for me to grunt and call her names;

Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.

December 27, 2014
Somalia streamer for 10th Mountain Division

The deployments to Somalia ended more than twenty years ago (August 1992 – March 1994) when US forces abandoned the failed state. I was at Fort Drum when the deployments began for the 10th Mountain Division. They went from a full stop to a sprint in the space of a few days to get troops to the shitiest of shitholes. But, it wasn’t until this last Monday that the division was finally recognized for their participation in what turned from a humanitarian mission to a combat operation.

According to the Watertown Times, the Division was awarded a battle streamer for the division colors for Operation Restore Hope;

[Secretary of the Army John] McHugh said he first learned the conflict wasn’t recognized on the Army flag when he was approached at a West Point event by a veteran asking about the omission.

“I said ‘I didn’t know it wasn’t,’” he said.

Researching the issue, he attributed it to unidentified international political issues at the time.

“It gave me a chance to correct an overlooked issue,” Mr. McHugh said.

The Somalia campaign streamer will be the 188th to be affixed to the Army flag.

Two 10th Mountain Division soldiers were killed during the operation; SGT Cornell Houston and PFC James Martin were in the 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry when they took part in the rescue of members of Task Force Ranger who were pinned down in Mogadishu on October 3, 1993.

Thanks to Luddite4Change for the link.

December 12, 2014
Fort Campbell to lose the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade

Nevyan17 sends us a link from the Leaf-Chronicle which reports that Fort Campbell will lose permanently the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade and it’s 2400 soldiers. The 101st Division lost their 4th Brigade earlier this year and now the Aviation Brigade;

Fort Campbell leadership issued the following statement at around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday:

“The loss of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell will have a wide-ranging effect both on and off the installation on many levels.

“The inactivation of this unit is derived from the Army’s aviation restructure initiative. Locally, this means Fort Campbell will lose slightly more than 2,400 soldiers, as well as aviation assets which includes aircraft and equipment. The personnel loss figure becomes more dramatic when family members are included. Dependent figures at this time are roughly 3,800.

Because “readiness” means nothing, I suppose. They don’t need the aviation assets which means they won’t need them in the future, and if they do need the brigade, it will only take a week or two to get it off the ground again, right?

Military.com records Congressional response;

“We are deeply disappointed by the Obama administration’s decision to remove the 159th CAB from Fort Campbell,” Kentucky Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, and Rep. Ed Whitfield said in a joint statement. “It is bad news for our nation’s security and for the local Fort Campbell community.”

It almost makes one think that closing that Brigade is about punishing Kentucky for re-electing McConnell.

November 21, 2014
Francisco Garcia wasn’t an Afghanistan vet

Over the weekend, Francisco Garcia was killed in Los Angeles. The LAPD announced that he had just returned from Afghanistan, they say that information came from his family. Well, now we read that he had never been deployed from CBS;

Ft. Drum officials in New York confirmed Garcia enlisted in June 2012 and was discharged from the Army in July of this year.

During his enlistment, Garcia, who held the title of PV1, went through six months of basic training before being stationed Ft. Drum, according to Ft. Drum spokesperson Julie Halpin.

It was also later determined Garcia was not celebrating his homecoming as originally reported by the LAPD.

Of course, that doesn’t make it any less tragic that a 22-year-old died needlessly in the streets of his hometown, it may have been a story that he told his family, or it could have been a story that his family told for more sympathy, or it could have been that the police misunderstood.

Police suspect the 21-year-old was caught in a feud between two rival tagging groups and may have been involved.

Vincent Estrada, 18, was arrested Tuesday in Garcia’s murder.

For the record, I tried to verify his service in the first few hours after it happened, but there are 32 Francisco Garcias in the Army, so it was a little difficult to whittle down the field.

November 13, 2014
Lady Rangers

Ok, don’t lose your shit over the photo – it’s Leilani Wyatt, in a movie short “Gloriana“. If you’re on our Facebook page, you’ve seen it before.

The Army has released a couple of documents in regards to ladies attending Ranger School. The first is seeking female Observer/Controllers for Ranger School – you know, a rehearsal for prospective students. Thanks to JD Pendry for sending the documents to us;

ALARACT 221/2014
DTG: 112030Z SEP 14
UNCLAS
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED BY US ARMY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
AGENCY (USAITA) ON BEHALF OF HEADQUARTERS, US ARMY TRAINING AND
DOCTRINE COMMAND (TRADOC)
SUBJECT: FEMALE OBSERVERS/ADVISORS FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY
MANEUVER CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (MCOE) RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT
NARR/(U) PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE IS TO SEEK ARMY-WIDE SUPPORT OF
FEMALE OBSERVERS/ADVISORS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MCOE RANGER COURSE
ASSESSMENT (DECISION REGARDING EXECUTION OF ASSESSMENT WILL BE MADE
IN JANUARY 2015).
1. (U) BACKGROUND: AS PART OF THE ARMY SOLDIER 2020 INITIATIVE TO
ENSURE THE BEST-QUALIFIED SOLDIERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN
ANY POSITION WHERE THEY ARE CAPABLE OF PERFORMING TO STANDARD, THE
MCOE MAY CONDUCT A RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT IN 3RD QTR FY15 (EXACT
DATES TBD).
1.A. (U) MCOE MAY CONDUCT A RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT TO INFORM
FUTURE DECISION MAKING.
1.B. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WILL BE SELECTED TO SERVE AS
OBSERVERS/ADVISORS DURING THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT (EXACT CLASS
TBP).
2. (U) ARMY COMMANDS (ACOMS), ARMY SERVICE COMPONENT COMMANDS
(ASCCS), AND DIRECT REPORTING UNITS (DRUS) WILL CONDUCT A RECRUITING
EFFORT TO IDENTIFY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS TO SERVE AS OBSERVERS/ADVISORS
FOR THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT.
3. (U) FEMALE OBSERVERS/ADVISORS WILL ASSIST THE AIRBORNE AND RANGER
TRAINING BRIGADE (ARTB)CADRE IN OBSERVING ALL MAJOR BLOCKS OF
INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING DURING THIS ASSESSMENT. FEMALE
OBSERVERS/ADVISORS WILL NOT SERVE AS RANGER INSTRUCTORS OR TRAIN OR
EVALUATE STUDENTS.
3.A. (U) FEMALE OBSERVER/ADVISOR PREREQUISITES.
3.A.1. (U) – MUST BE A FEMALE SOLDIER OR OFFICER VOLUNTEER
3.A.2. (U) – MOS OR BRANCH IMMATERIAL
3.A.3. (U) – GRADE E6, E7, E8, W2, W3, O2, O3, OR O4
3.A.4. (U) – MEET HEIGHT AND WEIGHT STANDARDS
3.A.5. (U) – MUST HAVE A PHYSICAL PROFILE SERIAL SYSTEM NUMBER
(PULHES) OF 111121 OR RECEIVE A WAIVER FROM THE INFANTRY SCHOOL AND
HAVE NO PHYSICAL LIMITING PROFILE
3.A.6. (U) – MUST MEET STANDARDS OF MEDICAL FITNESS IAW CHAPTER 5, AR
40-501 (RANGER PHYSICAL)
3.B. (U) FEMALE OBSERVER/ADVISOR ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS (NOT
REQUIREMENTS).
3.B.1. (U) FEMALE OBSERVER/ADVISOR VOLUNTEERS WILL BE EVALUATED ON
THEIR ABILITY TO PERFORM RANGER TASKS AND RANGER ASSESSMENT PHASE
REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING: THE RANGER PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT (49 PUSH-UPS,
59 SIT-UPS, 5-MILE RUN IN 40 MINUTES, AND 6 CHIN-UPS); 12-MILE
FOOTMARCH IN 3 HOURS; THE COMBAT WATER SURVIVAL ASSESSMENT (CWSA),
AND LAND NAVIGATION. THE 12-MILE FOOTMARCH IS CONDUCTED IN THE ARMY
COMBAT UNIFORM, BOOTS, FIGHTING LOAD CARRIER (FLC), PATROL CAP, AND
RUCKSACK WEIGHING A MINIMUM OF 35 LBS (WITHOUT WATER) WHILE CARRYING
INDIVIDUAL WEAPON.
3.B.2. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WITH DRILL SERGEANT/ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL
TRAINING (AIT) PLATOON SERGEANT EXPERIENCE, COMBAT TRAINING CENTER
OBSERVER/CONTROLLER EXPERIENCE, AND THOSE WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETED PHYSICALLY DEMANDING FUNCTIONAL ARMY COURSES ARE HIGHLY
DESIRED.
3.C. (U) APPLICANT PACKETS WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
3.C.1. (U) AN UPDATED CURRENT COPY OF THEIR OFFICER RECORD BRIEF
(ORB) OR ENLISTED RECORD BRIEF (ERB)
3.C.2. (U) COPIES OF LAST THREE OER/NCOER
3.C.3. (U) LETTER TO THE ARTB COMMANDER EXPRESSING WHY APPLICANT
WISHES TO SERVE AS AN ARTB OBSERVER/ADVISOR FOR THE ASSESSMENT.
LETTER MAY BE ONE TO TWO PARAGRAPHS AND NOT TO EXCEED ONE PAGE IN
LENGTH.
3.C.4. (U) DA FORM 705 (ARMY PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST SCORECARD)DATED
WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION PACKET.
3.D. (U) FEMALE OBSERVER/ADVISOR SELECTION PROCESS
3.D.1. (U) THE ASSESSMENT WILL OCCUR OVER AN 8-DAY PERIOD (INCLUDES 2
TRAVEL DAYS).
3.D.2. (U) CANDIDATES WILL NOT BE DROPPED FROM THE ASSESSMENT EXCEPT
FOR INJURY OR BY SELF REMOVAL.
3.D.3. (U) CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED ON THEIR ABILITY TO EXECUTE
RANGER TASKS AND RANGER ASSESSMENT PHASE REQUIREMENTS.
3.D.4. (U) UPON COMPLETION OF THE ASSESSMENT THE CANDIDATES WILL
REVIEW THEIR PERFORMANCE WITH SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ARTB.
3.D.5. (U) ALL CANDIDATES WILL PROVIDE A WRITTEN EXIT AFTER ACTION
REPORT UPON COMPLETION OF THE ASSESSMENT.
3.D.6. (U) EXIT INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED WITH ALL CANDIDATES.
3.E. (U) TIMELINE
3.E.1. (U) CANDIDATE PACKETS MUST BE SUBMITTED NLT 10 OCT 14.
3.E.2. (U) CANDIDATES SELECTED WILL BE NOTIFIED ON OR AROUND (O/A) 20
OCT 14.
3.E.3. (U) CANDIDATES WILL TRAVEL TO FORT BENNING O/A 10-18 NOV 14 ON
TEMPORARY DUTY (TDY).
3.E.4. (U) FEMALE SOLDIERS SELECTED AS OBSERVERS/ADVISORS WILL
TRAVEL TO FORT BENNING WITH FOLLOW-ON DUTY AT FORT BENNING, GA;
DAHLONEGA, GA; OR EGLIN AFB, FL. REPORT DATE MAY BE 5 JAN 15, WITH
TDY ENDING O/A 18 SEPT 15.
4. (U) ORDERS AUTHORIZATION AND FUNDING INFORMATION WILL BE
PUBLISHED IN A SUPPLEMENTAL MESSAGE.
5. (U) POINTS OF CONTACT (POCS).
5.A. (U) INITIAL REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO
USAIS (USARMY.BENNING.TRADOC.MBX.OCOIWEB@MAIL.MIL) OR BY VOICE
MESSAGE AT (706) 545-0458; DSN 835-0458
5.B. (U) INDIVIDUAL POCS (FOR PACKET SUBMISSION, FUNDING, AND
ORDERS)
WILL BE IDENTIFIED IN SUPPLEMENTAL MESSAGES.
6. (U) EXPIRATION DATE OF THIS MESSAGE IS 365 DAYS FROM ISSUANCE
DATE.

The second document outlines requirements for prospective students.

ALARACT 222/2014
DTG: 112045Z SEP 14
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED BY US ARMY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
AGENCY (USAITA) ON BEHALF OF HEADQUARTERS, US ARMY TRAINING AND
DOCTRINE COMMAND (TRADOC)
SUBJECT: FEMALE STUDENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY MANEUVER CENTER
OF EXCELLENCE (MCOE) RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT
NARR/(U) PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE IS TO SEEK ARMY-WIDE SUPPORT OF
ELIGIBLE FEMALE STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MCOE RANGER COURSE
ASSESSMENT(DECISION REGARDING EXECUTION OF ASSESSMENT WILL BE MADE IN
JANUARY 2015).
1. (U) BACKGROUND: AS PART OF THE ARMY SOLDIER 2020 INITIATIVE TO
ENSURE THE BEST-QUALIFIED SOLDIERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IN
ANY POSITION WHERE THEY ARE CAPABLE OF PERFORMING TO STANDARD, THE
MCOE MAY CONDUCT A RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT IN 3RD QTR FY15 (EXACT
DATES TBD).
1.A. (U) MCOE MAY CONDUCT A RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT TO INFORM FUTURE
DECISION MAKING.
1.B. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS SELECTED TO ATTEND THE RANGER COURSE
ASSESSMENT (EXACT CLASS TBP) WILL BE REQUIRED TO MEET ALL COURSE
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.
2. (U) ARMY COMMANDS (ACOMS), ARMY SERVICE COMPONENT COMMANDS
(ASCCS), AND DIRECT REPORTING UNITS (DRUS) WILL CONDUCT A RECRUITING
EFFORT TO IDENTIFY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS FOR THE RANGER COURSE
ASSESSMENT.
3. (U) PREREQUISITES FOR ENTRY INTO THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT CAN
BE FOUND IN THE ARMY TRAINING REQUIREMENTS AND RESERVATION SYSTEM
(ATRRS). ADDITIONAL STUDENT INFORMATION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
CAN BE FOUND ON THE AIRBORNE AND RANGER TRAINING BRIGADE (ARTB) WEB-
SITE UNDER THE STUDENT INFORMATION LINK
(HTTP://WWW.BENNING.ARMY.MIL/INFANTRY/RTB/)
3.A. (U) ADMINISTRATIVE RESTRICTIONS PROHIBITING WOMEN FROM ATTENDING
THE RANGER COURSE ARE SUSPENDED FOR SELECTION INTO THE RANGER COURSE
ASSESSMENT.
3.A.1. (U) THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT IS OPEN TO ALL FEMALE
VOLUNTEERS IN THE GRADES E4-O4.
3.A.2. (U) FEMALE SOLDIERS MUST BE VOLUNTEERS. FEMALE SOLDIERS WILL
NOT BE DIRECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT.
3.A.3. (U) ALL FEMALE VOLUNTEERS MUST HAVE AN END TERM OF SERVICE
(ETS) NO EARLIER THAN 01 OCTOBER 2016.
3.A.4. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS MUST COMPLETE AN APPROVED RANGER
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION (DD FORM 2807-1, DD FORM 2807-2, AND DD FORM
2808) AND AUDIOGRAM (DD FORM 2216) PERFORMED IAW AR 40-501, CHAPTER
8. FEMALE VOLUNTEERS MUST PROVIDE COPIES OF ALL LABORATORY OR
SPECIALIZED CONSULTATIONS SIGNED BY A DOCTOR AND DENTIST, DATED
WITHIN 18 MONTHS OF COURSE START DATE. VOLUNTEERS MUST MEET MEDICAL
FITNESS STANDARDS IAW AR 40-501, CHAPTERS 2, 5-3, AND 5-4.
ADDITIONALLY, VOLUNTEERS MUST PROVIDE A CURRENT COPY OF MEDPROS THAT
INCLUDES A ROUTINE ADULT + H1N1 MODULE AND A ROUTINE IMMUNIZATION
SUMMARY.
3.A.5. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WILL BE ADMINISTERED A PREGNANCY TEST
DURING IN-PROCESSING. POSITIVE TESTS WILL RESULT IN DISENROLLMENT.
3.A.6. (U) ALL FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND THE US
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD, RANGER TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT COURSE (RTAC)
CONDUCTED AT FT BENNING, COLUMBUS, GA PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT IN THE
RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT CLASS.
3.A.7. (U) ALL RTAC COURSE (ATRRS) RESERVATIONS, IN SUPPORT OF THE
RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT, WILL BE COORDINATED THROUGH THE US ARMY
INFANTRY SCHOOL (USAIS).
3.A.8. (U) ALL FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WILL HAVE A COPY OF THEIR COMMANDERS
VALIDATION LETTER FOR IN-PROCESSING. IN-PROCESSING PREREQUISITE
INFORMATION, INCLUDING AN EXAMPLE COMMANDERS VALIDATION LETTER, CAN
BE FOUND ON THE ARTB WEB SITE UNDER THE STUDENT INFORMATION LINK
(HTTP://WWW.BENNING.ARMY.MIL/INFANTRY/RTB/).
3.A.9. (U) THE COMMANDERS VALIDATION LETTER WILL CERTIFY ALL
PARTICIPANTS ARE PROFICIENT ON RANGER TASKS AND RANGER ASSESSMENT
PHASE REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING: THE RANGER PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT (49
PUSH-UPS, 59 SIT-UPS, 5-MILE RUN IN 40 MINUTES, and 6 CHIN-UPS); 12-
MILE FOOTMARCH IN 3 HOURS; THE COMBAT WATER SURVIVAL ASSESSMENT
(CWSA); AND LAND NAVIGATION. THE 12-MILE FOOTMARCH IS CONDUCTED IN
THE ARMY COMBAT UNIFORM, BOOTS, FIGHTING LOAD CARRIER (FLC), PATROL
CAP, AND RUCKSACK WEIGHING A MINIMUM OF 35 LBS (WITHOUT WATER) WHILE
CARRYING AN INDIVIDUAL WEAPON.
3.B. (U) VOLUNTEER IDENTIFICATION AND ENROLLMENT TIMELINE.
3.B.1. (U) UNITS WILL PROVIDE USAIS THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL
ASSESSMENT VOLUNTEERS NLT 3 NOV 14.
3.B.2. (U) UNITS WILL PROVIDE USAIS STANDARD NAME LINE INFORMATION OF
ASSESSMENT VOLUNTEERS NLT 1 DEC 14.
3.B.3. (U) DETAILED SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION WILL BE
PUBLISHED IN A SUPPLEMENTAL MESSAGE. ALL ATRRS RANGER COURSE SEATS
FOR THIS ASSESSMENT WILL BE HELD AND MANAGED BY THE USAIS.
3.C. (U) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
3.C.1. (U) FEMALE VOLUNTEERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE THE 90-DAY
RANGER COURSE PREPARATION PROGRAM ON THE ARTB WEB SITE
(HTTP://WWW.BENNING.ARMY.MIL/INFANTRY/RTB/).
3.C.2. (U) ALL WOMEN WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE AND GRADUATE FROM THE
RANGER COURSE WILL RECEIVE A GRADUATION CERTIFICATE AND BE AWARDED,
AND AUTHORIZED TO WEAR, THE RANGER TAB. UNTIL FUTURE INTEGRATION
DECISIONS ARE MADE AND REQUIREMENTS UNDER TITLE 10 US CODE, SECTION
652 ARE SATISFIED, FEMALE GRADUATES WILL NOT RECEIVE THE ASSOCIATED
RANGER SKILL IDENTIFIERS OR BE ASSIGNED TO RANGER CODED UNITS OR
POSITIONS.
4. (U) FUNDING INFORMATION FOR ASSESSMENT PARTICIPANT ATTENDANCE AT
RTAC AND THE RANGER COURSE ASSESSMENT WILL BE PUBLISHED IN A
SUPPLEMENTAL MESSAGE.
5. (U) POINTS OF CONTACT (POCS).
5.A. (U) INITIAL REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO
THE USAIS AT USARMY.BENNING.TRADOC.MBX.OCOIWEB@MAIL.MIL OR BY VOICE
MESSAGE AT (706) 545-0458; DSN 835-0458
5.B. (U) INDIVIDUAL POCS (FOR FUNDING, ORDERS, AND ATRRS) WILL BE
IDENTIFIED IN SUPPLEMENTAL MESSAGES.
6. (U) EXPIRATION DATE OF THIS MESSAGE WILL BE 365 DAYS FROM ISSUANCE DATE

While this in encouraging, in that it doesn’t appear to offer a reduction in standards, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. All of my female soldier friends on Facebook think this is wonderful – not for themselves, of course. They think it’s great that everyone else has the opportunity. My sense is that Big Army is going to be disappointed by the number of volunteers. I’m sure there are some real hard-charging women who will want to participate, but not in the crowds that the social scientists will like. The most vocal among females in the Army are those who have no intention of attending the school, though.

Then, in a small way, the standards have already changed in that some women will be allowed to observe the training before they take part in the school. I’m not aware of a program that allows prospective male Ranger students to recon the course of study before they attend.

October 7, 2014
Army division headquarters to deploy to Iraq

The Army Times reports that Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno confirmed to them that an Army Division Headquarters will deploy to Iraq to control operations there;

The division headquarters deploying to Iraq is expected to be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the 1,600 troops President Obama has sent to Iraq. Many of these troops are advising and assisting the Iraqi Security Forces, others are providing extra security, while others are providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The headquarters also is expected to head up the joint operations center that since July has been run by Maj. Gen. Dana Pittard, the deputy commanding general for operations for U.S. Army Central.

Yeah, well, I’m sure they need a Division HQs just to manage a battalion’s worth of people. Water getting warmer, fellow lobsters?

September 24, 2014
Fudging performance reports

SGT(P) E sends a link to the Army Times in which they report that folks on the E-8/9 promotion board noticed that some senior NCOs submitted for evaluation were getting not only heavier, but taller as well and they issued a criticism of the practice;

“As soldiers gain weight over time, they often, according to their NCOERs, grow in height” so they will be in compliance with Army’s weight control regulation, according to the Regular Army Sergeant Major Selection, Training and Promotion board that met in June. It was easy for the board to suss out potential cheaters by simply comparing the height in the NCOER with Enlisted Record Briefs and Academic Evaluation Reports.

The board noticed a second problem: Some raters overemphasize the PT success of an E-8’s subordinates at his or her command, rather than the individual. This was a red flag to the board to dig deeper and examine the E-8’s personal score.

“The Excellence block is too often checked and not backed up with substantive bullets in the physical fitness section,” the board reported.

Of course, it doesn’t happen in every case, and probably statically few, but the new NCOER was supposed to end inflated performance evaluations. I remember that guidance and probably screwed some of my own subordinates because I thought everyone would comply. Silly me.

And that’s the picture that the Army Times uses in their article, too. I guess the senior NCO Corps thinks it’s time to rest on their laurels. After Vietnam we had some NCOs who thought that their combat time bought them some leeway in the battle of their bulge, but when the military started cleaning out the ranks in the early 80s, those fellows were the first to go. Instead of being the cutting edge of training with their combat experience, they tried to ride out their records until retirement.

But, I don’t see a Ronald Reagan in our near future.

August 28, 2014
SFC Gregory McQueen faces court martial

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We wrote last year about Sergeant First Class Gregory McQueen who was charged with being a pimp at Fort Hood, Texas. Hondo sends us a link from the Associated Press by way of the Army Times which reports that they’re finally getting around to putting him in front of a court martial;

The attorney who previously represented McQueen told The Associated Press that the soldier will now be presented by military attorneys. Fort Hood officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about McQueen’s legal representation.

Initial charges were filed in March against McQueen alleging 21 criminal charges including pandering, adultery and sexual assault.

Another soldier at the Army base in central Texas, Master Sgt. Brad Grimes, was already demoted and reprimanded in the case for conspiring to patronize a prostitute and solicitation to commit adultery.

During a June hearing, two soldiers said that McQueen recruited them and other cash-strapped female soldiers to join a prostitution ring.

August 25, 2014