The Army, like any organization, must react and adapt itself according to changing outside conditions. We are now entering a part of the cyclical lifespan of the U.S. military called a drawdown. What does this mean to Soldiers? Simply put, if you have committed an unforgivable sin such as: DUI, drug use, lying, cheating, or stealing you will have to work very hard to be retained.
New Army retention guidelines
The Army has laid out a series of new retention rules effective 1 March 2012. Soldiers who have a poor evaluation report on file will not be eligible to reenlist. What does poor mean? Here’s a list of all the symptoms of a poor NCOER:
- NO entry in the values section
- Senior Rater rating of 4 or 5
- Relief for cause report
- Overweight
- APFT failure
- AWOL 96 hours or greater
- Failure of a service school
- Use of drugs
- Alcohol related incidents that resulted in some form of punishment or administrative action like an Article 15 or letter of reprimand
How can you survive the drawdown?
If you are barred to renlistement, were involved in a significant act of misconduct, or received a poor evaluation report chances are you will be facing the possibility of either denial of reenlistment or separation from service. So what can you do?
Find help
Step one: I highly recommend that you seek legal guidance from JAG. Also consider the possibility of requesting assistance from a civilian attorney who specializes in military law. These consultations tend to be rather inexpensive but the information you gain may prove priceless if it leads to saving your career.
Request an exception of policy
If you want to fight for your job, you can apply for an exception to policy for reenlistment. To do this you need to show your chain of command you have learned from the incident in question and you are a stellar Soldier. Even then you will most likely face difficulty as the goal is to reenlist only those Soldiers who have shown the ability to perform to standard throughout their enlistment without becoming involved in misconduct.
Prepare for civilian life
If you do not secure an exception of policy, you will need to come to grips with your new reality. There is a lot of work to be done before you separate out of military service. Find your separation date. If you will not be allowed to reenlist you may have one-one and half years to prepare for your ETS. This will allow you to be well prepared for transition to civilian life. JAG and your local REUP NCO can help you identify the benefits you will be entitled to according to the type of discharge you are being separated under. Read more about preparing for civilian life.
Serve your country
Remember, you must continue to be a professional Soldier. Just because you are moving away from military service does not mean that you are no longer the person you were while on active duty. If you have bumped heads with your chain of command in the past, this is the time to Soldier up and be a professional. Your chain of command can be of great assistance in helping provide a positive environment during your separation experience.
You will likely find that your chain of command has empathy for your situation and wants to do everything they can to ease your transition. Do not spoil this opportunity by being unprofessional and causing trouble. This will only hurt your cause and potentially result in a loss of further benefits.
Keep moving forward
Do not allow your separation from service to color your view of life in a negative manner. I have served with numerous individuals who simply amazed me by growing where they were planted. They made the best of the situation and achieved great things through positive attitude, willingness to learn, and hard work. Separation is not the destination, it is only a stop on the journey of life. You choose where your final destination will be… Get involved. Choose it, and work to achieve your goals.
Best of luck in your civilian endeavors. Thanks for your service to this nation.
Comments
SGT NICK
I provide some guidance even though I should not. If you are a combat veteran then you need to file for any problem you are facing in your physical or mental health. I’m not telling you to lie or exaggerate but anyone that has deployed to a combat zone is not the same when they come back no matter how much you are in denial. Make sure you list everything and be persistent, sleeping, sweating, dizziness, migraines, nightmares, back, or knee problems need to be addressed as soon as possible. Do not feel guilty about doing this, your life was forever changed and you should be compensated for it. You will most likely only have six months left in your contract if the Army QMP/QSP’s you out.
Also even more important now is to fight any 4 or 5 rating, relief for cause, alcohol related or failing service schools reports. You are going to be hammered no matter the outcome so get a lawyer and hope for the best expect the worst.
SGT Dan
SGT Nick I appreciate the advice on matters of health, but the truth is that I have never considered becoming a non- retainable Soldier. My PT has always been high, weapons are good and I have never received an Article 15(other than a summary as a Private). This is not of the true concern here in the Army. My MOS is targeted out of all MOS’s. I cannot change MOS’s due to even strength and cannot move forward unless I get on the Commandants list at BNOC (that’s best case). 798 is almost impossible to reach, and unfortunately I don’t think I am going to make it. 15 years, a wife and 5 children, and now I am faced with getting out and getting nothing. I am very upset about it, but I am continuing to try. I have not lost hope yet, but my future in the Army looks pretty grim. {Signed} Worried in Afghanistan
Part-Time-Commander
SGT Dan,
Have you considered switching to the ARNG or USAR? That way you could finish up your service and still have something to show for it. The AGR Program is an exceptional program if you can get selected for it.
In either case, I wish you all the best.
Chuck
SPC Des
I have a big question, about a Breach of Contract with a Reenlistment. My husband was LOCKED IN for Germany, it was confirmed he was a day away from his ceremony when his orders “disappeared”. He was again given a spot in Germany, LOCKED IN, and again a day later- he was no longer PCS’ing. Finally a higher-up in the HRC gave us a list that he would “absolutely be able” to lock us in for. We took Hawaii and last night we received a call saying there was a snag. We were locked in supposedly a few nights ago but now they say he doesn’t have a required “Top Secret Clearance”. I thought it was the retention officers job to know these things when offering a new base? Is this considered a breach of contract? We want to go to higher-ups but don’t want the doors slammed in our faces.
SGT NICK
This happens all the time, but when you say “locked in” I do not believe that means he has signed all the necessary paperwork. Germany is downsizing with two heavy brigades being gone by mid next year, no longer an easy assignment to get orders for. The Pacific Command is beefing it up big time so I am surprise he could not find another job there. He might be better off calling his branch manager or senior nco to talk about other PCS options. Remember though these managers are trying to fill the tough assignments so he might have to volunteer for some type of airborne special forces support assignment.
His branch manager can be find at the official Human Resource Command (HRC) webpage.